Anyone know anything about vintage Sony Walkmans?
Discussion
I was rifling through the contents of my desk in my old bedroom at my parents house, and I found my old Sony Walkman in there, which I had forgotten about.
The model is EX808HG and alI remember is that it was a very limited edition model from about 1993, and according to the price label still on the box, cost a whopping £150 back in the day!
It appears to be complete with all it's accessories such as 'gumstick' rechargeable battery, charger, headphones, remote control, soft carry pouch, and the screw-on AA battery pack.
But... I don't know anything else about these things. I have 'googled' it and found next to no information apart from the odd person saying it was a rare model. Some people said it was plated with sterling silver and others claim it's polished magnesium... But I really don't know.
Is it worth anything? Should I try to sell it or hang on to it?
It appears to be in excellent condition and in full working order... I must have looked after it when I got it aged 13!
It's really a thing of beauty, it's barely bigger than a cassette tape, and I remember the 'next track' and 'blank skip' functions being amazingly high tech at the time.
Below are some 'library photos' of said model:
I love stuff like this, and whilst ratching through my drawers I also found a classic yellow 'Sports' Walkman and an original Sony MiniDisc player in Anodised blue which was also a really tiny model.
Anyone else got any vintage Sony stuff??
The model is EX808HG and alI remember is that it was a very limited edition model from about 1993, and according to the price label still on the box, cost a whopping £150 back in the day!
It appears to be complete with all it's accessories such as 'gumstick' rechargeable battery, charger, headphones, remote control, soft carry pouch, and the screw-on AA battery pack.
But... I don't know anything else about these things. I have 'googled' it and found next to no information apart from the odd person saying it was a rare model. Some people said it was plated with sterling silver and others claim it's polished magnesium... But I really don't know.
Is it worth anything? Should I try to sell it or hang on to it?
It appears to be in excellent condition and in full working order... I must have looked after it when I got it aged 13!
It's really a thing of beauty, it's barely bigger than a cassette tape, and I remember the 'next track' and 'blank skip' functions being amazingly high tech at the time.
Below are some 'library photos' of said model:
I love stuff like this, and whilst ratching through my drawers I also found a classic yellow 'Sports' Walkman and an original Sony MiniDisc player in Anodised blue which was also a really tiny model.
Anyone else got any vintage Sony stuff??
I have one of those!! made from Magnesium if memory serves...
You can only use the headphones supplied though (oh no..there was/is the headphone adaptor, but then no remote control..)..came in a nice velvet lined wooden box...spent my 2nd student grant getting one, truly gorgeous.
Other than that it was your normal top of the line player, with bass boost and metal tape selector... I actually wanted one of those disc drive Walkmans..
But interested to see any other responses to this thread re:value...
My guess is hand it down to the kids'kids'kids' and look down from heaven to watch Antiques Roadshow in 2093...
You can only use the headphones supplied though (oh no..there was/is the headphone adaptor, but then no remote control..)..came in a nice velvet lined wooden box...spent my 2nd student grant getting one, truly gorgeous.
Other than that it was your normal top of the line player, with bass boost and metal tape selector... I actually wanted one of those disc drive Walkmans..
But interested to see any other responses to this thread re:value...
My guess is hand it down to the kids'kids'kids' and look down from heaven to watch Antiques Roadshow in 2093...
y2blade said:
I got suckered into "MiniDisc" too
I shot mine with the airfifle
felt better for it
Lol!I shot mine with the airfifle
felt better for it
I bought into all the Sony MiniDisc stuff in the mid 90's.
In about 1995 I bought a really nice Sony all in one minidisc system for my bedroom that had a 3 CD changer, tape deck, radio and minidisc. I used it to put my favourite tapes, dance music vinyl and CD's onto blank MiniDisc.
Then when I passed my driving test and got my first car in 1997 (mk2 Golf GTi replica with wide arch kit) I went out and bought a Sony MiniDisc head unit for it.. Which was really cool!
The MiniDisc Walkman as per my 1st post ended up lying in a desk drawer to this day.
The hifi system went to Uni with me in 1998 and was pretty much knackered after 4 years, speakers blown, CD deck not reading properly.
The in-car MiniDisc head unit was sold to a friend in 2001, who was also a DJ. She used it to play back recordings of her nightclub sets.
The real shame is, that it worked perfectly. As easy to use and to read/write to as a tape but with the quality and capacity of a CD, yet seemingly indestructible. You could leave them lying on the floor in the car and get trodden on and they were still fine.
MP3's on MiniDisc anyone??
I've still got MD walkman (found it they other day under the stairs)...... mine records as well, and has a piggy back battery which screws on for longer playing life, also had MD in car,and a seperates hifi one as well (in the meter cupboard now) ... well and truly bought into MD... still haven't bought wholey into MP3's as I heard they were a passing fad and ain't going to waste my money 
That's a stunning walkman.
Bread and butter models (Alba, Bush, Goodmans) used to be around £10 from Argos. For one with a radio, £20
Mid range you had Saisho and Toshiba at around £25-60
Sony, being the Mercedes of Walkmans at the time started at around £30 for a base model with no functions (PH analogy - Mercedes 190E with cloth seats)
The Sony sports were around £70 and noticeable for being yellow and (supposedly) sandproof
Other than Sony; Aiwa and Panasonic were also high end brands
At £150, yours would be close to top end for a Sony. Top end models generally included some or all of the following:
- metal housing
- compact design
- remote control
- rechargeable battery
- touch controls (as opposed to mechanical buttons)
- digital display
I would hang to to it. I don't think it's worth a lot now, but perhaps in 5 -10 years it will be (like the Atari 2600)
Bread and butter models (Alba, Bush, Goodmans) used to be around £10 from Argos. For one with a radio, £20
Mid range you had Saisho and Toshiba at around £25-60
Sony, being the Mercedes of Walkmans at the time started at around £30 for a base model with no functions (PH analogy - Mercedes 190E with cloth seats)
The Sony sports were around £70 and noticeable for being yellow and (supposedly) sandproof
Other than Sony; Aiwa and Panasonic were also high end brands
At £150, yours would be close to top end for a Sony. Top end models generally included some or all of the following:
- metal housing
- compact design
- remote control
- rechargeable battery
- touch controls (as opposed to mechanical buttons)
- digital display
I would hang to to it. I don't think it's worth a lot now, but perhaps in 5 -10 years it will be (like the Atari 2600)
Wow that Walkman looks really smart for practically ancient technology.
I to still have a half decent cassette walkman, a sony discman and my minidisc set up. In fact the minidisc gets the most use as it's the later NetMD variety which meant that back in the days of limewire I could download mp3s an rip them straight to minidisc. It also has line in an microphone sockets so you can rip music from youtube/other Cd players/tv/sky or anything with a headphone socket straight to minidisc whilst listening to it through the Hifi system.
In the car I have a minidisc headunit in the car and prior to the popularity of USB ports/mp3 connections it was ard to beat minidisc as you could get 4hours per disc, they never skip and you don't have to worry about scratching them.
I to still have a half decent cassette walkman, a sony discman and my minidisc set up. In fact the minidisc gets the most use as it's the later NetMD variety which meant that back in the days of limewire I could download mp3s an rip them straight to minidisc. It also has line in an microphone sockets so you can rip music from youtube/other Cd players/tv/sky or anything with a headphone socket straight to minidisc whilst listening to it through the Hifi system.
In the car I have a minidisc headunit in the car and prior to the popularity of USB ports/mp3 connections it was ard to beat minidisc as you could get 4hours per disc, they never skip and you don't have to worry about scratching them.
Morningside said:
Vintage Sony?
I have one of these in the loft and a Sony minidisc plus 10 stack CD player for the car.
That Walkman still looks good today doesnt it?
Still got one of those units in my HiFi rack that gets used occasionally. Got a MD Walkman as well and all still in perfect working order. I really liked Minidisc and it was a very clever system compared to cassette tape, but just a bit too late and MP3 players stole their thunder.I have one of these in the loft and a Sony minidisc plus 10 stack CD player for the car.
That Walkman still looks good today doesnt it?
Got a nice cassette Sony Walkman in the cupboard as well that was just slightly larger than the OP's lovely example. I had a succession of "Walkman's" starting with a Sanyo and then onto an Aiwa that had auto-reverse - exciting stuff! - before my first Sony (the original and best).
Still use my iPod as a "Walkman" all the time - probably done no end of damage to my hearing from the best part of 25-30 years of listening to portable music players on headphones/ear phones! Oh well, at least I've had a good soundtrack!!
This thread really got me thinking and prompted a quick sort out of a couple of boxes of old tech that I have.
I found:
A "my first walkman"
A slightly more upmarket Walkman - I can remember it being a Christmas present that I found a few weeks before and used to use it whilst my mum was at work and then carefully repackage it ready for the big day.
Then into the late 90s a Discman
Having browsed ebay I am astonished at some of the pricing. OP if you find the to the right person you may actually be sat on a couple hundred quids worth of kit !
I found:
A "my first walkman"
A slightly more upmarket Walkman - I can remember it being a Christmas present that I found a few weeks before and used to use it whilst my mum was at work and then carefully repackage it ready for the big day.
Then into the late 90s a Discman
Having browsed ebay I am astonished at some of the pricing. OP if you find the to the right person you may actually be sat on a couple hundred quids worth of kit !
These vintage walkmans are worth a lot of money. People are realising the amazing technology that goes into them. Tape is still the best - sharp sounds - and deep bass - with a decent walkman.
This link:
Vintage Walkman - Technology
has a walkman section with amazing pictures showing the insides, the audio chips, and how they work... A MUST SEE FOR ALL WALKMAN COLLECTORS AND FANS.
Live Long and Prosper.
Agoogy said:
I have one of those!! made from Magnesium if memory serves...
You can only use the headphones supplied though (oh no..there was/is the headphone adaptor, but then no remote control..)
I still have mine - a beautiful bit of kit. You CAN plug other headphones in, as can be seen on the last picture of the OP, the remote control has a headphone socket. Only problem is that any normal headphones have a longer lead than needed.You can only use the headphones supplied though (oh no..there was/is the headphone adaptor, but then no remote control..)
Keeping mine until they get valuable ... or I can bear to part with it.
aclivity said:
Agoogy said:
I have one of those!! made from Magnesium if memory serves...
You can only use the headphones supplied though (oh no..there was/is the headphone adaptor, but then no remote control..)
I still have mine - a beautiful bit of kit. You CAN plug other headphones in, as can be seen on the last picture of the OP, the remote control has a headphone socket. Only problem is that any normal headphones have a longer lead than needed.You can only use the headphones supplied though (oh no..there was/is the headphone adaptor, but then no remote control..)
Keeping mine until they get valuable ... or I can bear to part with it.
Agoogy said:
really? I thought the supplied headphones were a special fit meaning they had to go together...and if you wanted to use other headphones you used the adapter in that photo and you had no remote control as a result... can you still get the batteries/charger for these??
Nope, you are right, I was wrong. I have just dug it out to have a look ... still looks like new.I was confused between the remote control on my Walkman, and the remote control on my minidisc player which DID have standard socket for headphones.
MisterLister said:
Tape is still the best - sharp sounds - and deep bass - with a decent walkman.
That's quite possibly the dumbest thing I've ever read.Pre recorded tapes were nasty. Making your own using higher grade tape gave you effectively a 2nd gen copy of the CD or whatever primary source you used. How the hell can tape ever sound better, evan if the high quality tapes had the potential in the first place (which they didn't!)?
As for your remark on the technology they were some of the first widely avaliable micro engineering and quite exquisite to the average d
head but still cheap mass produced product built to expire.Gassing Station | Home Cinema & Hi-Fi | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff