The Walkman Walked So the NW-ZX707 Could Run
Across Sony’s 75-plus-year tenure at the helm of audio innovation, the brand’s original Walkman portable cassette player, which debuted in 1979, might be one of its most distinguished developments, revolutionizing our relationship with sound, space, and the music we love. Now, over 40 years later, the Walkman is ready to run again with the Sony NW-ZX707. This portable digital media player reimagines the mobility-minded philosophy that undergirded the original Walkman, emphasizing uncompromising quality and hi-fi playback via Android OS power that goes everywhere the music takes you. And Sweetwater Studios’ engineers are impressed: not only does the NW-ZX707 support a list of streaming platforms, but its slew of state-of-the-art processing, DSP, amplifier, and upscaling technologies also let you enjoy unmatched sonic fidelity for up to 25 hours at a time. Using its highly responsive 5-inch touchscreen and built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0, you can access multitudes of streaming platforms. Plus, these connectivity capabilities pull double duty in accommodating file types that include MQA, DSD, FLAC, and more, with plenty of onboard storage available, while dedicated connectors for USB-DAC, 3.5-millimeter, and 4.4-millimeter ensure you’re always able to listen your way. Like the 1981 iteration of the Walkman before it, the Sony NW-ZX707 may very well be the next Sony to “break the sound barrier.”
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Engineered for aural excellence, powered by Android
From its foundations, the Sony NW-ZX707 has been meticulously crafted to support premium performance and playback. Its newly developed FT CAP3 — a high-polymer capacitor — is constantly working to balance voltage values, with immense capacitance and minimal resistance. The FT CAP3 was custom-built for Sony, with Sony’s engineers further honing its performance to meet the distinctive performance needs of the NW-ZX707, supplementing the FT CAP3 with additional film capacitors, an 8-millimeter L-C filter coil, and an oxygen-free copper milled block. Everything is contained within a rugged yet lightweight, milled aluminum housing. Collectively, these foundational elements minimize electrical interference and noise, bolster digital ground while shielding digital block elements, and regulate performance with laser-tight accuracy. The result? Expressive, evocative soundstages teeming with transparency and articulation, masterfully melding presence and precision, but never at the cost of definition or clarity.
Comprehensive compatibility, from MP3 to MQA
Envisioning the Walkman for the modern age is what undergirds the NW-ZX707’s physical, digital, and analog architecture, with cutting-edge performance prowess enabling the hallmark portability of the original Walkman to be supplemented by a diverse palette of compatibility and playback options. For offline listening, the NW-ZX707 has 64GB of onboard memory, and an SD card reader lets you expand your on-the-go capacity through microSD, microSDHC, or microSDXC storage. Plus, the extensive built-in compatibility means you can listen to tracks in virtually any format, including MP3, WMA, FLAC, WAV, MP4, M4A, 3GP, AAC, and Apple Lossless files. What’s more, the NW-ZX707’s state-of-the-art hardware extends your listening to the furthest echelons of hi-fi playback, such as 24-bit/96kHz-plus Hi-Res Audio, 11.2MHz DSD Native via PCM 32-bit/384kHz support, and up to 24-bit/192kHz MQA file types.
Unwavering quality: wires, optional
Of course, portability means something completely different to us now than it did in the ’80s heyday of the original Walkman, and Sony engineered the NW-ZX707 to keep you connected to all your preferred platforms. Its Android-powered OS includes Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0, letting you tap into multitudes of streaming options, including local files and NAS devices. When it comes to streaming, however, the Google Play app store is on deck, ready to rev up your at-home and on-the-go listening via Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, SoundCloud, Apple Music, iHeartRadio, YouTube Music, and Tidal. What’s more, streamlined and lightning-fast USB-C connectivity allows you to bring your collection of PC-stored tracks with you anywhere, in addition to downloading from your favorite apps, for extensive offline listening with uncompromising quality.
Cutting-edge sound: DSEE Ultimate, LDAC, Vinyl-inspired, and more
To ensure extensive and effortless interoperative integration with virtually any at-home or on-the-go arrangement, Sony armed the NW-ZX707 with a broad swath of state-of-the-art processing prowess.
Thanks to the onboard PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) technologies of the DSD Remastering Engine, audio is resampled as an 11.2MHz DSD 1-bit, extra-high-frequency audio stream. Doing this imbues your sound with immense depth and dimension, with a character more accurately resembling analog playback, delivered straight to the DAC and expanding your listening.
While the NW-ZX707’s capacity for storing and playing audiophile-grade sound is no small feat, Sony understands that collecting and enjoying music is an imperfect art and that not all sounds can be procured at the utmost fidelity. The extensive file-type compatibility options on the NW-ZX707 are impressive, but Sony takes it further with its DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) Ultimate technology. Alongside Sony’s Edge-AI tech, DSEE Ultimate operates in real time, using cutting-edge upscaling algorithms to transform compressed digital files into rich, depth-filled, detailed sound that rivals CD-quality — up to 16-bit/48kHz — lossless files.
When it comes to wireless, Sony has taken extra measures to safeguard your sonic sanctuary, utilizing its premier wireless codec, LDAC. This lets you experience the full soundstage of Hi-Res Audio — 24-bit/96kHz and up — files, anywhere, with a bit rate nearly three times greater than normative Bluetooth connections.
If immersive audio is your jam, then rest assured that the Sony NW-ZX707 has you covered. This digital media player is equipped with Sony’s innovative 360 Reality Audio system, undergirded by Sony’s object-based 360 Spatial Sound technology. Using compatible apps, file types, and streaming services, the NW-ZX707 becomes your gateway to uncompromising immersion, fueling lifelike soundfields in a fully spherical space that moves with your grooves.
For a wealth of warmth, two attributes of the Sony NW-ZX707 answer the call: the Vinyl Processor and the DC Phase Linearizer. Living up to its name, the Vinyl Processor is a dedicated listening mode that methodically emulates the magic of turntable playback, including the nuances of a record’s surface noise, the tonearm’s resistance, and the low end’s smoldering resonance. With the DC Phase Linearizer, six phase settings allow you to hone your listening via cutting-edge signal processing that meticulously simulates the phase characteristics of lauded analog amplifiers. Together, these modes offer a diverse array of rich, analog-style listening anywhere the sound takes you.
Detailed display is more than eye candy
There’s no shortage of options to adjust, adapt, optimize, or explore your favorite tracks, with the Sony NW-ZX707, and Sony has channeled its history of premium smartphone design to ensure you can seamlessly navigate this digital media player’s intuitive, interactive interface. The vivid, 5-inch touchscreen gives you control of extensive sound adjustments, a 10-band EQ, USB-DAC mode, and more. But, in true Sony Walkman fashion, the NW-ZX707 features several dedicated UI designs that nod to the magic of the era that started it all, like the analog-style volume controls, cassette tape interface and screensaver, and more, with ample room to personalize your presentation. Plus, the high-quality display includes plenty of video capabilities for streaming or storage-played files, powered by a variety of video-compatibility codecs that accommodate wireless viewing, like Bluetooth aptX HD.
Plug in to hi-fi listening, anywhere
Between home and mobile setups, it’s never been easier to seamlessly move between stationary and on-the-go listening, and Sony’s augmented the wireless playback capabilities of the NW-ZX707 with a bevy of wired connection capabilities. For starters, this media player has two headphone outputs: a 3.5-millimeter stereo mini jack and a 4.4-millimeter balanced jack. Each accommodates an immense frequency-response range of 20Hz–40kHz, ensuring that no matter how you listen, the nuances of every flourish are faithfully captured and reproduced with exacting precision. If you want to listen to music on your computer or similar devices integrated into your home-listening haven, you can use the player’s USB-DAC function. The USB Type-C 3.2, Gen1-compliant port can connect to your device and play sounds straight from your NW-ZX707, including PCM and DSD signals, with a slew of real-time feedback and customization capabilities that enable you to easily optimize your aural enjoyment.
Road to Zero: end-to-end sustainability
Sony’s investment in the audiovisual arenas of creativity has been an integral component of its growth, and Sony’s commitment to a creator-fueled future goes beyond the technologies we use to make and enjoy our favorite works. The Road to Zero initiative is Sony’s commitment to achieving a net-zero environmental footprint by 2050. In service of this transition, the NW-ZX707 omits using any plastic materials in its packaging, while the device’s construction is optimized to minimize waste across all resources.
Sony NW-ZX707 Features:
- Multifunctional, state-of-the-art digital media player channels the portability of the iconic Walkman, for the modern musical age
- Rechargeable lithium-ion battery provides up to 25 hours of high-quality listening, fully recharging in just 3.5 hours
- 64GB onboard storage is expandable via the SD card reader, for offline enjoyment of your favorite tracks
- Vivid 5-in. touchscreen supports intuitive operation for easy playback adjustments and customizing the Walkman Home Screen
- Cutting-edge hardware includes the FT CAP3 high-polymer capacitor, an oxygen-free copper milled block, crystal oscillators, and rugged milled aluminum chassis
- Groundbreaking sound processing via DSD Remastering Engine, DSEE Ultimate upscaling, DC Phase Linearizer, and Vinyl Processor supplies malleable hi-fi playback and character
- Extensive file-type compatibility spans multiple lossless and hi-fi formats, including 24-bit/96kHz+ Hi-Res Audio, MQA, and 11.2MHz DSD Native/PCM 32-bit/384kHz
- Onboard LDAC wireless codec supports up to 3x the bit rate of conventional Bluetooth for on-the-go Hi-Res Audio
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity allow for extensive streaming and playback configurations, including local files and NAS
- Android OS includes full access to the Google Play app store to stream music from your preferred platforms
- USB Type-C 3.2, Gen1-compliant port allows you to charge your player, transfer files at blazing speeds, and connect to a range of devices for USB-DAC playback
- Customizable UI offers multitudes of personalization options and sound controls, like the 10-band EQ or analog-style, Walkman-inspired visuals
