Just received this WA-55 today in almost mint condition and fully working for a very nice price .

Now there's a collectable.. great condition and nothing better than when you receive player and put in batteries and push play IT DOES !!! Great find.
I love the old "BRICK Walkmans".

That is a very nice one, hope to find
one also one day!

Love the WA-55, too. Mine is the Soundabout version from the U.S. It was purchased by the original owner on Oct. 23, 1982, who wrote the date on the owner's manual.

Funny, tho, that the owner's manual doesn't call it a "Soundabout," and the illustrations are of a non-Soundabout-labeled version. Hmmmm.



Even funnier is that this ad from a 1982 Playboy magazine does call it a "Soundabout" in the printed copy, but the photo is of the other version.



The whole Soundabout name thing is fascinating (to me, at least)!

Just curious. My serial number (in the battery compartment) is 28942. What's yours?

Early on Sony couldn't decide what to call their "Walkman" Sony's Co-Chairman Akio Morita hated the name, so their was regional variations Soundabout for the USA, Stowaway in
the UK and Freestyle in Sweden!And also no region like mine.
I guess to save money on advertising they just used photos of no region units, you find the same sort of thing in user manuals.
My serial number is 17226, your guess is as good as mine if a lower number means an older unit, just look at Sony's model numbers they are all over the place.
I really like mine, didn't release quite how large they until I got mine, it's even bigger than my Toshiba KT-R2!

Thanks Dave! Interesting and very helpful information! You're right about Sony serial numbers. Lo/hi may not mean old/new. I've often wondered if numbers were assigned based on the various sales regions.

The 55 is a big, beautiful, reliable player/recorder. The metallic blue color is a total knockout. Even nicer when it's minty! Congrats on a great find!

Very nice. Very nice indeed!