hi, ive trawled the internet and asked on various forums but no one knows much. YOU are my last hope!

i've bought a couple walkmans recently to play my tapes but one of them didnt have dolby and had a pretty bad hiss. the other one was slightly damaged when i bought it from ebay (sony wm-10II if anyone can help me repair this id be very grateful!!!). but now im willing to splash out a bit more on one that'll last me a long time.

im mainly looking for a walkman that is:
-solid/durable (preferbly made of metal)
-antiroll mechanism
-dolby b/nr
-smaller the better.

anything else, like radio is a bonus, ive got a sony tc-k6619 tape deck (3 head) and its worked out pretty nicely and got some nice headphones, its just the walkman thats letting me down now. if anyone can suggest anything that'd be suitable id be very happy. ive been trawling ebay recently and found a wm-f702 but that went for like £165 and was outta my price range. i'll pay up to £100 probably.. so yeah, please help

(sorry about the long post)

I have only been collecting 6 months so many others here far more wise to suggest but for me considering your price and objective try thinking outside of the box (Sony). Many other brands made great performing quality Dolby units. If tape listening is your main goal then I believe cassette only units offer less to go wrong not so much need to squeeze to much in too little of space.
Panasonic RQ-S series I feel was there best later model offerings a V at end denotes radio. Some models are better than others in S series dont know enough to tell you which but I have RQ-S75 awesome sound and looks. Blue is very rare Japan only release. Black is more common try search in EU as later models much more available there than USA. Trash the headphones come with almost all Walkmans.. very reasonable price ebay Koss PortaPro great value $40 US. Bit light on highs but lows are thunderlicious. Sony made many great machines but most collectors focus on Sony so price vs value is high for Sony.

Forgot to mention pricing. Should be able to buy a player only unit not boxed , headphones are important as many of the later models features like mega bass etc only can be turned on by remote on headphone line something I really dislike, for $40 - $80 EUR. I turn on features with remote then use my PortaPros just have to redo each time you change battery. Make sure you get the accessory add on AA batter pack attach to end. It uses a Gumstick battery easily purchased new still. I ordered a Orig. Panasonic battery paid too much but wanted org. for bout $32US delivered. Can find off brands for 1/3 that. Recharging A/C unit good idea to get with it watch what voltage it is/plugs but adapters available. Also can do search on this forum about charging there is a formula that most charges if lower charge rate can charge any battery it depends on battery /time to charge.

John, some excellent advice there.

Cantbearsed, I'm intrigued, why do you need a unit with dolby B & antirolling exactly? I presume by coming here you're after something retro, if so, then read on. If not, then go to Dixons with a £20 note in your pocket, they'll sort you out.

A general rule of thumb with buying antique walkmans for every day use (personally I'd rather use my iPod) rather than current models is to find one which hasn't had much use. Only belts perish with time rather than usage (easy fix) so look for something that is cosmetically clean, this is normally a sign that it hasn't been used much.

The WM-f702 sits on the line between vintage & modern & is a good choice. The £165 auction went high because it had all accessories/box etc but these often go on eBay for around £50. They are robust & I've never seen a broken one.

Based on what I know I'd personally take a risk with something a bit older. The Sony WM-100 based models are great, full of features & never go for much but most of all they are tiny. Look for WM-100, 101, 102, 104, 202, 404, there's loads, all as good as each other.

Another small, metal, Dolby B (useless feature if you ask me) is the WM-150 which is probably the smallest walkman ever made. Keep your eye out for one.

That said, if you remain patient & keep your eye on eBay De you should be able to pick up the Sony DD9 which ticks all your boxes, should be in budget & is a favourite amongst S2Go members. It's the only walkman I'd take to work if I absolutely had to.

thanks for the replies guys. basically i wanna get a walkman to listen to music every day on instead of an ipod. ive had 2, one broke and i lost the other but i really enjoy making mixtapes for myself and i do like the retro feel of a walkman. it just feels nicer listening to music from tapes rather than just loading all my mp3s onto the ipod, also means i'll listen to entire albums rather just skipping tracks.

anyway, i think i'll try and keep an eye out for a wm-f702 (if anyone has one to sell please let me know). ive had a look into the panasonic rq-s series, but i dunno. i sorta have my heart set on that sony one i guess.

reason i was asking for dolby b & anti-roll was just i want one that will perform well. didnt realise dolby b was useless, i guess i just meant one that has that hiss reduction. i guess its dolby c / nr now? i dunno, but the one i have at the moment (a cheap boots £1 charity shop job) does have a terrible hiss which isnt present when i play my tapes on my tapedeck.

i do now think that i really want a metal cased one just for comfort and protection and the smaller the better (i can barely fit the one i have now in my back pocket), so i shall keep an eye out for the wm-150.

if you guys can think of any other particular models i should look out for please say! basically i just wanna get the best listening experience as im gonna use this instead of an ipod.

The WM 150 would be the next one to go.
One of my favorite walkman to win on eBay.

Guy