Most stylish, cute and clean designed walkmans
walkman.archive - 2012-11-02 12:25
Hi all,
I'm back to show you what are my most cute, stylish and cute designed walkmans on my collection. I think I don't forget any important model.
All them have a very clean front door, whitout any distracting element. No buttons (except the AIWA PL50, but they are so thin), switches, lamps, displays or ugly element. No nothing. Just a plain metal door with a small window in a simple shape (rectangular or ellipse).
So those are my most stylish walkmans:
First one (in no particular order) is the AIWA PL50, a model similar to the superb PX505 but without Dolby C. It has a beautiful shape made in aluminium:
The Panasonic S80 was the brand's top model, featuring Dolby C, a 12 laminated core head. It's a very small walkman that offers very high quality sound. Many collectors compare it to some of the best players (SONY DD series):
The SANYO ES-P7 is probably the most beautiful of all (maybe sharing this first position with the SONY EX-20). It's also the world's thinnest walkman. It has no buttons: everything is commanded by the wired remote. Without it you cannot do anything.
It's desing reminds me the SONY WM-701C.
This Kenwood CP-D7 is also cute. It's inscription "auto reverse" in the front door
worsens the design in my opinion, but I finally decided to include it in this group.
It features Dolby C and advanced features as many other member in this exclusive group:
The Sharp JC-K70 is one of the few brushed metal walkmans, and one of the very few that have a text embossed in the metal door, like the next Kenwood.
There's also another Kenwood: the CP-C7, which has a monolithic design in white (there's also a black version). It also features Dolby C:
Then comes the famous and widely known SONY WM-701C. I started a post about it some time ago. This is my white version. In fact, this is the 702, a slightly different version without Dolby C, but with exactly the same design:
And finally, the gorgeus WM-EX20, a super-cool jewel that it's also one of the most desirable SONY walkmans, and one of the most rare to find. toghether with the Sharp and the AIWA PX1000 is one of the very few made with brushed metal body.
I also considered many other models, like the AIWA PX1000, the HS-PL50, the SONY WM-509 or even the WM-EX1HG, but all of them have a not so clean design, worsened by small details (texts, buttons, logos in high contrast, etc...)
However, I'm glad to hear your opinion. Would you add anyone?
walkman.archive - 2012-11-04 01:12
Hmmm, I think I may have picked up my blue ES-P7 and not the black one, just to add a small bit of color...
samovar - 2012-11-04 01:39
these walkmans are so beautiful they don't need color. actually the noncolorfuls are most stylish. my favorites are the sharp and the sanyo: metaphysically transcending the threshold of conscience (being/es)
brutus442 - 2012-11-04 12:45
Hugo,
Was the Sanyo's remote integrated with the headphones or was it a another seperate wired device?
walkman.archive - 2012-11-04 13:08
My favorites are the Sanyo, the Sharp and the EX20. Really outstanding.
The remote is integrated in the earphone's cable, Brutus. I have it, but only for one of my players. I have to take them both yet to service, and now they doesn't work at all.
brutus442 - 2012-11-04 13:24
minty - 2012-11-04 13:50
walkman.archive - 2012-11-04 14:34
That's correct, Minty; my mistake. I have just checked it. I remember that it was integrated, but I was wrong.
thanks for the point.
minty - 2012-11-04 14:54
johnedward - 2012-11-06 15:30
AHHH pure simplicity ! Less is more type of thing. I really like the clean look of the CP-C7 and the White sets the design off very well much better than black which I have.
Here are my additions for clean simply stylish Walkman.
KENWOOD CP-C7
PANASONIC RQ-SX85
PANASONIC RQ-SX91
PANASONIC RQ-S80 and S60
AIWA HS-PL77
walkman.archive - 2012-11-08 21:21
Thanks John!
yeah, those SX91 and the PL77 were other models I though of, but I decided to leave out, because my SX91 is gold (so the color distracts) and I find the chromed shape in the door of the PL77 to be not so beautiful, but indeed I considered them.
BTW, I see you're definitely improving your photographic skills in lighting! The recent photos of the SX85 with diffuse light are much better!
regards,
hugo
johnedward - 2012-11-08 22:16
Thank you Hugo for compliment on some photos.. Am trying to work with your suggestions. Although I still also like bright full sun or flash to bring out the metallic surface or saturation of color that diffuse/shade lighting subdues. Although the SX91 is in a color I still found the surface design BOTH sides to be free of clutter and wording minimal with very classy use of buttons in narrow brushed Alum. line on one side and the complimentary lesser line design on back side. Yes the color takes a little away from its simplicity but I so love the brighter colored Walkman I felt it still worthy of inclusion as a clean stylish Walkman. Great idea for a new topic btw Hugo.