i just joined this site. i think it's pretty good and it's neat to see that there are other people out there enjoying these wicked little devices. where i live, there's me, and that crazy guy who yells at the buses with me. i myself have retired my ipod since september of 2010 and have been using a variety of walkman since.

i really can't believe what i had grown used to with those mp3 files. convenient? yes. great sounding? well. on a bus filled with the screams of the children, sure. but for real enjoyment of the sounds you love, mp3s really sound a bit flat and lifeless compared to a tape recorded off a record or even a cd. i just forgot. i was so brainwashed by the promise of perfect everlasting digital that i was completely willing to drop the warbly hissy mess that i was experiencing with the lackluster equipment of my early teens.

but then in december or so of 2009 i found the very first walkman i ever bought myself. the wm-2081. i bought it used in the summer of 90 or 91. so i had to pop in a tape just to see. i was a bit blown away. i was expecting a hissy warbly mess and, well, it was a bit of that, but what struck me was the fullness and density of the sound. the three dimensionality and depth that is cut out of mp3 files. it was eye opening and it set me on a quest for audio bliss.

so now i have a few different walkman that i use. i'm drawn to the tiny beautiful ones, but i love the transport stability of the dd variety of walkman. my ipod has been religated to mobile ebay and email and backup in case of battery deaths.

here is a picture of what i dumped my ipod for: 

it's a wm-501. from 1987, i believe. i love the way that the walkman logo catches the light. i didn't capture that very well with my garbage camera and garbage camera skills. in real life it's quite something.

so anyway. fun.

Welcome!

ANd you dumped your ipot well!

I hope you will find more nice walkmans soon!!

yeah welcome aboard....this is a great site with lots of interesting people..........you`ll be happy here while the rest of the world listens to ipods........enjoy

Ah yes DDs are great. Amazing your WM-2081 still works!

On iPods. Yes I feel that they do not sound that great (some models like the 3rd Gen have weak output due to undersized capacitors). There are plenty of other better DAPs out there.

thanks you guys. and girls.

i have been stocking up on nice walkman. it's quite the fun hobby. i'm sure i'll be posting some more pics of my growing collection.

i was surprised that my wm-2081 still worked too. and after i changed the belt it even sounded pretty great, though, in comparison to others i have not as great. it really doesn't get much use.

but the ipod touch 3g has pretty weak output. i'm sure there are better sounding daps, but now i'm not even interested in having a dap. except for the other abilities of the ipod touch. i will never pay to download a digital file again. well, we'll see how the 24 bit goes. and i don't download anymore for free either since i find most of everything today is a bit garbage in terms of message or sound. most of my listening material comes from sifting through the records and cds of local sally annes or the dollar bin at the few record stores that are still around.

i love walkman

Welcome aboard mate...Quite seriously EVERYBODY should sue apple for brainwashing people and making such rubbish like the ipod....

Hey Mark,

Indeed welcome!

I agree with everyone's comments. 30 years ago audio equipment was made to last. A company's reputation was built on reliability. Now, almsost every digital player out there has a "planned obsolescence" dated affixed to it.

Remember when there was mom and pop, repair shops that would actually fix equipment? Keep the analog flames alive Mark....