Sony expands the Walkman NW series with three new portable audio players

Sony has added three new portable digital audio players to its Walkman NW series: the NW-ZX900, the NW-WM1AM3 and the flagship NW-WM1ZM3, according to Gearnews. All three use Sony's S-Master HX technology, which handles digital-to-analog conversion and amplification in a single stage.

The players support native 384 kHz/32-bit audio and 11.2 MHz DSD. A new look-ahead noise shaping algorithm scans the signal and removes quantization noise before playback, and a dedicated remastering engine resamples PCM audio and converts it to 11.2 MHz DSD before it reaches the amplifier. Gearnews says the result is a livelier, more dynamic playback closer to an analog signal.

The NW-ZX900 is the most compact and lightest model, with a 5-inch HD touchscreen and up to 40 hours of battery life for native playback (35 hours for streaming). The NW-WM1AM3 and NW-WM1ZM3 are slightly larger, with 5.5-inch touchscreens, dual high-polymer capacitors and an L-C filter with a 4N copper coil for cleaner power and lower distortion. The NW-WM1ZM3 also uses Kimber Kable internal wiring and a gold-plated chassis to reduce electrical interference.

All three are available for pre-order at participating retailers, with shipping in January. Prices are $1,899.99 for the NW-ZX900, $2,999.99 for the NW-WM1AM3 and $5,899.99 for the NW-WM1ZM3.

Sony's Network Walkman line appeared around the turn of the millennium, and its NW-HD1 was the company's answer to Apple's iPod. The series has since moved away from proprietary formats to today's Android-based players.