Description

Three men stand in front of a grey background, talking in Japanese.

Interview

While developing the Signature Series,

everyone got together to discuss Sony's signature sound.

We have always agreed on sound quality.

Description

A man wearing glasses picks up a small gold-coloured screw with tweezers.

The name “Hiroaki Sato” appears in handwritten characters

Subtitle

A Story of Signature Series

Interview

We know exactly what kind of sound we must achieve.

Description

In close-up, hands manipulate a circuit board with tweezers,

then cover it with a plate-shaped component.

Interview

I believe it's the sound that has been cultivated

since the very first Walkman®.

Description

A screwdriver tightens a gold-coloured screw to fix the plate in place.

A man in his sixties is being interviewed.

Subtitle

Sound Engineer

Hiroaki Sato

Description

A shot of Mr. Sato’s back as he works.

Subtitle

Digital Media Player

NW-WM1ZM3

Description

The “WALKMAN” logo appears on the left-hand side of the screen.

On the right-hand side of the screen is a WALKMAN, a tall, rectangular device.

Its edges are gold-coloured. The front panel serves as the display.

Music plays.

Control buttons line the side of the WALKMAN.

Interview

We have changed

the aluminium milled rear chassis

to an oxygen-free copper (OFC) one.

Subtitle

Gold-Plated, OFC Milled Main and Rear Chassis

Description

A plate-shaped component. It is golden in colour and has numerous grooves.

Interview

Our experiments so far have proved that

using high-specific heavy metal with low resistance

greatly impacts sound quality.

Subtitle

Gold-Plated, OFC Milled Main and Rear Chassis

Description

The frame that comprises the device’s front and sides appears above the rear chassis.

Mr. Sato is speaking in front of a black background.

Interview

It results in a powerful bass

and expansive highs just as we expected.

Description

Seen from above, light falls on the top of the WALKMAN.

Interview

The main chassis is also OFC.

To push sound quality even further,

we used gold-plated screws.

You might think they don't affect the sound much,

but they are unexpectedly effective.

It's fascinating how they make

a world of difference in sound quality.

Subtitle

Gold-Plated Screw

Description

Inside the WALKMAN, a single screw glints gold.

Mr. Sato speaks with a serious expression.

The SONY logo is visible on the lower front of the WALKMAN.

Interview

To build an even better power supply,

we used separate analog and digital capacitors.

I guess this kind of solution is unusual

with a circuit board of that size,

but it enhances the sound.

Subtitle

Dual Large Solid High Polymer Capacitors

Description

Light shines on two capacitors mounted on the circuit board, which emerges from a dark background

Interview

A circuit board connects the circuits of components.

As for achieving the best possible wiring,

I always wanted to implement

a direct connection via cables.

Description

Mr. Sato is speaking.

Interview

This model has an ideal system

with a direct audio power supply.

The wires, too, are made of OFC.

It's truly an unconventional solution.

Subtitle

Audio Power Directly Supplied via an OFC Cable

Description

A white cable and a blue cable are soldered to the circuit board.

Interview

We added an advanced look-ahead noise shaper.

It enhances output by reading data ahead.

The improvement is so significant,

it's like a new S-Master.

Subtitle

S-Master HX™ with Advanced Look-Ahead

Noise Shaper

Hi-Res Audio Full Digital Amplifier

Description

Light falls on a thin square component on the circuit board.

Interview

Not many circuits can transmit an analog audio signal.

Description

Mr. Sato is speaking.

Interview

Switching to an OFC winding wire for the coil

vastly improved sound quality

as it transfers crisp audio data.

It's remarkable.

Subtitle

OFC Large Coil for Balanced Output

Description

Copper wire is wound in multiple layers around a black component.

Mr. Sato speaks with a gentle smile.

Interview

The trusty Kimber Kable® achieves superb sound quality,

delivering the best possible audio to headphones.

Subtitle

Kimber Kable®

Description

Inside the WALKMAN, light shines on a braided cable.

Interview

The display is now bigger at 5.5".

Not just for the sake of it.

We have revised the UI to show bigger album art.

It looks better this way.

Subtitle

5.5-inch Touchscreen Display

Description

Buttons for volume, fast-forward and other functions line the side of the device.

The display shows the music playback screen.

It shows the album cover, track title, seek bar and pause button, amongst other elements.

Interview

As an engineer,

I have continued to make changes that challenge

the Walkman® concept.

Description

The back of the WALKMAN has a textured finish resembling leather and features a gold WALKMAN logo.

Mr. Sato holds two WALKMANs as if examining them.

Interview

To me, the M3 model is the culmination of all the things

that I’ve wanted to try and implement.

Description

Mr. Sato speaks whilst nodding.

Subtitle

Signature Series

Digital Media Player

NW-WM1ZM3

Description

A WALKMAN is shown on the left-hand side of the screen.

On the right-hand side of the screen are the “WALKMAN” and “Hi-Res Audio” logos.

Movie ends with Sony’s logo.