Transcript of The Walkman Engineers’ Interview Event:
Sony's eningeers always wish to share the moving emotions of music through their handmade products.
Signature series were born based on those engineers' desires.
Today, a new Walkman will join this Signature series family.
Hello everyone.
Thank you so much for watching engineers' interview video,
which is featuring the lastest Walkman® announced on February 9th, NW-WM1ZM2 from Signature series and NW-WM1AM2.
I will be your navigator today, Mai Takahashi from Sony Store.
Let me introduce two engineers.
Kazuhiro Sekine known as a project leader and Hiroaki Sato known as a sound engineer.
Could you introduce yourself briefly?
I am Kazuhiro Sekine, working as a project leader.
I used to be in change of ZX500 and so on.
I am Hiroaki Sato, working as a sound engineer.
I am mainly in charge of high sound quality Walkmans such as ZX1 and so on.
I think you are very familiar with those engineers, aren't you?
Today, I would like to hear development cycle and behind-the-scene story of new Walkman®.
By the way, we have collected questions to engineers from customers.
We have received a lot not only from Japan but also from all over the world.
I know, we usually do not have a chance to answer customers' questions,
so it is a very valuable opportunity for us. I would like to answer a lot of them as much as possible.
Thank you so much for sending us.
I will organize this interview event based on your questions. Please enjoy watching.
By the way, we are in a special room today. This is a private space for general people, isn't it?
Indeed. This is called the Walkman room, where you can find all Walkmans including, casett-tape sized one, CD sized, MD sized and so on.
I think some of you have seen those products in the past ime.
Again, we will hold this interview event from a room of many Walkmans.
Sorry for keeping you waiting, but let's begin! Here are the products.
This WM1ZM2 and that is WM1AM2.
I personaly have listened to them several times but they were so amazing.
They were totally different from the previous models,
especially the space of sound and the height.
I've never expected such a great experience, even with headphone listening!
Anyways, let's start.
First of all, I'd like to ask a question to Mr. Sekine.
I suppose these Walkmans have become bigger in size than the previous models.
In what other ways are they upgraded? Please also tell me some improvements in feature.
The first generations were released in 2016.
We have set a goal to deliver the best sound through the WM1 series.
Finally the latest models have been released. The major change is that they are compatible with streaming services since it is the most popular way to get an access to music today.
Of course, there are many changes in 'sound'. I have repeated improvements in product components and believe to have produced great devices.
I cannot wait for anyone who hasn't experienced them yet to try them out!
As you can see, there are some successive generations on a table.
May I ask a next question to Mr. Sato. How have they developed?
This is also a question from customers about a digital music player, released in 2018.
A questions is, "are the new Walkans a small version of DMP-Z1?" This is also what I want to know. Could you answer that question?
It is partly 'yes'. We have set a same goal in sound production since ZX1, then ZX2 and even the DMP-Z1
Only the DMP-Z1 does not have the S-Master technology but still has a same 'sound' goal.
I think the sound of WM1ZM2 is an extention of WM1.
Later on, I will give you more detailed explanations of product components such as the chassis.
Thank you and I'm very excited to hear.
As I said in the beginning, the expression of sound has been much improved, hasn't it?
The first generation did sound well but I didn't expect so much improvement.
How have you developed these WM1M2 series?
We've continued to develop capacitors and solders since the first WM1Z has been released.
This is the prototype of the circuit board, for which we can confirm the sound quality, and we have tested numerous times to make sure just how good these components are.
Not only the circuit board but this chassis is also necessary.
I know, what's so interesting is that we also created a prototype of the chassis.
This is made of copper and we observe how metal materials give sound effects and so on.
It also has the KIMBER KABLEⓇ.
I think customers can rarely see this prototype.
Wow.
As Mr.Sato said, we use these things to observe and test the greatness of components.
We also confirm the functionality with Android with this.
I see. Thank you very much.
So, you started the creation of WM1ZM2 using this but how about the copper. I think the copper is so heavy that it is a big decision for you.
How did copper end up in the product?
In the production of ZX1, we carved out aluminium and we found the aluminium chassis sounds very good.
Our designer also proposed for us to use brass for the next generation of ZX1, ZX2,
So we listened to brass made ZX1. Its bass was good but the high range of sound was not clear at all.
Brass is an alloy so the electrical resistant value is high.
So, we have come up with one hypothesis: The lower the electrical value of chassis is, the more elegant the high range of sound becomes. The heavier the weight is, more bass is reproduced.
Copper is heavy but low at resistant value.
When it was the production of ZX2, we have created hybrid chassis containing copper plate at the middle.
I see, you've started using copper since then.
Of course, we don't want to make a product heavy.
That's why we used aluminium in ZX series,
and we could use copper just as a part of it.
However, as Mr.Sato said, we started thinking that using copper was good for sound
WM1ZM2 is still heavy at some points but when we compared its weight and sound quality, the latter was essential so we finally decided to select copper.
Well, I think the heaviness means happiness.
We started the experiment after the production of ZX2 and we've learned increasing the purity of aluminium contributes to decreasing resistance value,
so we've decided to increase the purity of aluminium.
However, the more the aluminium purified, the softer it got,
this made it difficult to be processed.
So, our mechanical engineers said, "Okay, let's shave copper instead just for a trial!" and we did it, and what happened was it got the more elegant high range sound and the deeper bass.
The previous experimental result was also true in copper.
However, again, it was very heavy.
Yes, you can imagine how heavy it is.
I know, but again, sound quality is much more important than its weight and this is also convincing to customers, so we used copper at last.
I believe customers are very satisfied with its sound, so I personally think it is a right decision to use copper.
And again, you said that WM1ZM2 uses copper, but this time, the purity has been increased even more.
After the development of the WM1Z was finished, the mechanical engineer told me that there was a super pure oxygen-free copper.
99.96% OFC was very popular until now but I heard that there was 99.99%.
I thought, "Oh no, just a 0.03% change won't make any difference"
but it sounded interesting, so I asked engineers to create WM1Z with 99.99% OFC chassis.
How amazing the high frequency range and transparency in sound was.
So, we wanted to develop a new product using 99.99% OFC and decided to verify its availability.
I've heard that when the purity of the sound increases, so does the clarity.
I also think that the latest models have been much more improved in sound and more transparent than the previous generations. Thank you very much.
I am often asked by customers in the Sony store over which is better overall, 1ZM2 or 1AM2?
The impression changes depending on the song you listen to, and I feel that each has its own merits.
Yes, as I told you with the WM1, I'm aiming for the best sound with aluminum for the WM1A. I'm trying to get the best sound with OFC for the WM1Z.
This time, the circuit board is the same for both A and Z, but the only difference is whether the cable from the amp to the headphone jack is KIMBER KABLE or OFC, and whether the chassis is aluminum or copper, so I think the sound is completely different.
I'm not sure if all of you like 1Z or not. I think it's okay to listen to the songs you like and choose which one you prefer.
Yes, it's true that there is a real difference in sound quality.
We also made the 1A but we made them with the idea to make the 1Z would sound much better.
This happened to the current model too, but I think some people make their minds change when they actually listen to them both.
I think it would be fun for people to listen to both and see which they enjoy more.
Thank you so much.
Next, I'd like to ask you about the amplifier.
S-Master HX™ is so representative of the Walkman.
I know that you have continued to use this feature in successive generations of Walkman, but since you are using it again, can you tell us why you continue to use it?
Yes, the S-Master HX was new in WM1, and I thought that it was the most suitable amplifier for mobile audio again.
It's a digital amplifier, which means it's digital until the very last minute, and then it becomes an analog signal at the very end.
So, I think the S-Master digital amplifier is a very good way to achieve the width and height of the left and right sides of this model in this size.
It was because of the DMP-Z1 that I was made aware of the advantages of S-Master.
It's really the sound we want, and if we use Dual DAC, it would be that big, but we can't carry that around with us.
When we think about sound quality in a size that we can carry around with us, I think S-Master HX is the one that can best achieve what we are looking for.
I see.
This time, I think the power supply and audio lines have evolved in many ways.
Yes, the chip itself has not changed, but in digital amplifiers, a better power supply is very closely related to improved sound quality.
The power supply has always been important for audio, but I think it is even more important for digital amplifiers.
I'm using FT CAP3 this time, and it doesn't look any different.
I heard it's new!
The color of the printing is the same as before, but it is completely different.
Actually, everything inside is totally secret, so I can't tell you what has changed.
However, we had to make many prototypes, from choosing the material to be used inside to how to fill in the dimensions, and we finally finished it.
Also, making capacitors for sound quality can be done only by Hi-Fi audio company.
We've been doing Hi-Fi for a long time, so we know how and what to do.
We have a lot of people in the company who know what to do to make things better, so it is a very big thing that we can apply from the know-how of Hi-Fi into products.
I see! I know Sony has made many Hi-Fi products in the past.
I'm sure there are many great devices out there, but I wonder if the know-how of the engineers who have been involved in the development of such products could have been put into this capacitors.
Thank you very much.
Didn't the capacitor come with another larger one?
Yes, the one with legs stick out.
Actually, I've been wanting to use this since the ZX2 days, but I couldn't find the parts I was looking for.
This time, I was able to talk with a capacitor shop that wanted to make new parts.
The sound quality has become very good since the shape of capacitator is very simple and large. By placing this at the root of the power supply, I think you can greatly improve the high quality sound.
I see. Thank you very much.
The power supply is really enhanced, isn't it?
And is the crystal oscillatorclock also new this time?
That's right.
As you know, we've been using a 44.1kHz and a 48kHz system for a long time, but this time, we've decided to use crystal oscillator with gold vapor deposition, which vibrates when voltage is applied to the crystal edge.
Are you using 'gold'?
Yes, I'm using the one with gold vapor deposition!
I've been using this since the DMP-Z1. It's not a component originally made for sound quality but for extending the life of the product itself and crystal oscillator
and when I listened to it, the transparency was different and found out that it affected the sound quality, too.
It's amazing. You're very particular about it.
Next, I'd like to ask about the cables used from the amplifier to the headphone jack.
First of all, as for the WM1ZM2, KIMBER KABLE has gotten thicker!
Yes, I wanted to use a thicker cable, so I used it in the DMP-Z1.
I wanted to use it for this latest Walkman as well, so I asked the designer and mechanical designer to help me out, and we achieved it.
This allows me to use the same cable from the headphones to the base of the amplifier, which I think is possible because we produce both headphones and players.
It's true that more and more people are using Kimber cables in their headphones recently.
It's quite a luxury to be able to taste it from the Walkman.
And the OFC cable used for the 1A is actually a very good cable too.
I was often told by the project leader that I should change the cable because there was a better one available, and I considered it, but there was nothing that exceeded the sound quality, and it was a very wonderful cable.
Years after, I found out that this OFC cable is also adopted into other products, I guarantee it's sound quality.
So, please enjoy using it. It's a totally a good cable.
I understand the use of OFC cable contributes to the impression of 1AM2 sound.
Some of our customers say, "Please release the WM1AM2 with Kimber cable too!" but the 1AM2 is the best with OFC sound.
I understand. Thank you.
Next, I would like to ask you about the solder part.
Some people have asked me, "How does the solder containing gold improve the sound?"
How would you respond to this?
I have been developing high quality solders for a long time, and during that process, I arrived at a solder containing gold .
One of the sound features of this product is the space and height.
I can't tell you how much gold is contained in each solder and it does not mean that using a lot of gold is always good. I repeated and confirmed numerous times of blending adjustment and found the best combination.
Making this solder is also a part of the Hi-Fi culture.
It all started with a question, "Why don't we use a good solder if we have it?". After listening to a prototype with gold solder, I found that it was completely different, and we could finally produce and use it in this model.
Solders are used between all the components and the circuit board, so it gives a tremendous impact to sound.
I think the improvement of solders also leads to the improvement of the overall sound quality.
I see, so you were originally very particular about the solders in your other products, and after testing blending volume of gold for many times, you finally came up with the best one.
And, there's also another interesting story about why we wanted to use gold.
A long time ago, when we were producing home-use listening devices, we used a method called a dip tank, in which melted solder was passed through the circuit board to be soldered.
From what I heard, if you pressed a high-end model and then pressed a popular model, the sound have gotten better,
and I thought, "Why is that?", and then I found out that the high-end players of that time used a lot of gold plang.
I had a guess, "Gold might have been dissolved into the solder..." so I tried this hypothesis, and found out that the sound got better.
I see. You've just said that you were not sure if it was really true, but you found it that sound got better after testing. This story seems like very Sony. Thank you very much.
Next, you are asked about the headphone jack. Is there any change from the previous model?
We have been using the same one since the first generation.
It is because we spent a lot of time on the selection of headphones jacks at that time
and decided the 4.4mm and 3.5mm when confirmed the sound quality.
The 3.5mm one has a lot of different parts, but we are using the best of them,
and as for the 4.4mm, when I heard that there was going to be a 4.4mm balanced jack, I got it and listened to it and I was astonished by how different the sound was.
We thought that we had to use it, so we adopted it, and I still believe no other headphones jacks are beyond its performance.
I think that a Φ4.4 balanced jack is the best choice for headphone audio, so I used the same one.
I see. When the previous generation models came out, I had the impression that people were still using a variety types of plugs when listening to headphones with balanced connections
but I think quite a lot of people are recently using Φ4.4 plugs.
Regarding the headphones, customers may want to know which combination of headphones they should use.
I'd like to ask you two what your favourite headphones to pair with WM1ZM2 and WM1AM2.
Mr. Sekine, how about you?
Well, when we design a product, we don't say, "Please use THESE headphones."
In other words, we design a product which will play the best sound for any headphones.
Yet, our company also produce headphones, so I'd say the over-headphones, MDR-Z1R and MDR-Z7M2, are my recommendation.
MDR-Z1R is good with the WM1ZM2, and the MDR-Z7M2 is good with the WM1AM2.
How about you Mr.Sato?
I think the IER-Z1R and IER-M9 are very good, but I actually like the M7.
I think it is well balanced.
I've never experienced the M7, so I will try it out right away at home. Thank you.
I think it's probably a question from a customer of the TA-ZH1ES headphone amplifier, also from the Signature series, which was released in 2016.
Is it possible to connect this WM1M2 to this headphone amp?
Of course, you can.
Like the previous Walkman, we have a USB output port, so if you connect it to the TA-ZH1ES, you can enjoy it as well.
Thank you very much.
That's a pretty extravagant combination since both are Signature series products!
Please enjoy your listening time with TA-ZH1ES.
So far, we have asked you about technical aspects of sound quality and major changes in sound.
Let's change a perspective
and I would like to touch upon some of its design and usability.
First is its design.
I held it several times.
It's heavier than the previous model, but it feels lighter. Is it because the width has increased and the screen area has got bigger?
Yes, it's actually heavier than the previous model
but you may feel lighter due to the larger size of product.
I feel like I could carry this around every day!
Many of our customers have also told me that when they watch video streaming, they can enjoy it on a large screen and listen to it with the good sound tof WM1M2.
The back of the Walkman is quite bumpy, isn't it?
Can you see it from the side, especially the upper part?
Why is it?
It is because that part contains the high quality sound components.
The layout of the circuit board and the product looks like this, and the high sound quality parts are stored here.
I also don't want to make a product bulky,
so we are working together with designers to make a design look simple and slim even storing many parts inside.
Well, I assume it was quite difficult to store the KIMBER KABLE and others to fit in, and the mechanical design is also quite important.
Actually, WM1AM2 and WM1ZM2 are the same size
yet only the WM1ZM2 has the KIMBER KABLE inside.
It's still very cramped
but we wanted to make the sound better within the same size, so we devised its design over and over again.
I see.
I can feel the enthusiasm of the two of you in pursuit of good sound, and you have incorporated your thoughts on sound quality into the product design, too.
Thank you very much.
Next, I would like to ask you some questions about usability.
First of all, there was quite a response to the fact that we now support USB Type-C.
So, here's a question, "Is USB type-C only for charging? Is it possible to connect it to a PC and use it as a USB DAC?" How about this question?
The current model was using a WM port, our own proprietary one.
I think Type-C is very popular for smarphones and we have actually had various requests from our customers, so we decided to adopt it.
It is a Type-C connector, but of course you can charge the Walkman itself, too.
In addition, as I mentioned with the TA-Z1ES, it also supports USB audio output.
If you connect it to another DAC you have, you can listen to the sound of Walkman through the DAC.
Also, this time, the Walkman itself can be the DAC, the same as the current models.
For example, you can connect your PC to Walkman, and you can listen to the sound from your computer through it.
That's brilliant! Isn't this a pretty good feature?
This function has been quite popular since the current model, and it was quite a challenge to implement it on the Android OS, but we were able to do it.
I see. Also, the charging time has got much faster, hasn't it?
Yes, there was a WM-port in our standard, but now it is switched to Type-C, so the charging speed has been improved.
Also, it supports USB 3.2, and the transfer speed has been improved.
Oh, I see! That's great when you transfer a lot of songs.
It has 256GB, so I think customers can feel the improvements.
Thank you.
Next, as Mr.Sekine has just mentioned about the OS, the WM1M2 series is boarding the Android OS.
I think it's a great evolution to be able to listen to streaming music and enjoy a variety of contents on the WM1M2 series.
On the other hand, many people are concerned about the sound quality of the Android OS.
Also, I've been asked if the battery life is good. I've also heard some customers asked, "How long will the battery last?
How about this one?
Many people were concerned about the Android OS, so as the ZX500.
What I mean by that is that some people are very concerned that the sound quality is compromised by the digital processing due to the introduction of the Android OS.
For this, we have designed a dedicated signal path on the OS to ensure that there is almost no degradation in sound quality.
So we have an original application called W.Music, which allows you to listen to the music without any deterioration at all.
Also, customers often ask, "What about other apps?"
Nowadays, customers are getting music from streaming servicers, and we've had requests like that, and the current ZX500 and so on are compatible with that.
This model is also designed to deliver Hi-Res audio all the way to the end without degradation of sound quality, even with third party applications.
So, if you put those things together, your concerns of the Android OS itself will be resolved.
Another point is that when Android is loaded, many system works because it is Android.
Some people are concerned that there might be some noise, but we're taking an approach to that as well.
For example, this is a circuit board, and there are the CPU and memory, which are the components that make noise.
We use a OFC shield like this to prevent noise from being emitted in the first place.
You are physically blocking the noise!
Also, in terms of the layout, more than half of the components are audio components.
This upper side is digital. Distincting digital and analog blocs, this reduces noise to a minimum.
So, you don't need to worry about the sound quality worsening because of the Android OS.
Also, regarding the battery life, the new model can run for 40 hours on regular mp3 and high-resolution 96kHz/24-bit audio.
The current model has 34 hours of battery, and the new model has a longer battery life.
Also, with the Android, there is a tendency for the device to consume battery life when not in use.
To resolve this probrem, we have installed an automatic power-off function,
which means it automatically turns off if it is not used for a certain period of time.
This function takes a long time to start up, but when it does, it consumes very little electricity, so it can be used to reduce the amount of battery comsumption.
So, you can prevent something like, "Oh, battery runs out even when not in use!"
I see. Thank you so much.
To be honest, I was also worried about the Android OS, but now Mr. Sekine has said it would be all right, so I'm sure it is.
Yes, it's not our first time of adopting the Android into Walkman, so you can use it without any worries at all.
After I actually listened to it, I was able to dispel any worries I had before, and it has really improved, so if any of you haven't tried it yet, please listen and see how you feel about it.
I am also relieved that the battery life has got longer.
As for the operation, many people are concerned about the sensitivity.
I've experienced this myself, and it's totally stress-free after operating various streaming apps and so on.
The ZX500 and A100 also have an Android OS, but I think it's much better than those two. How do you think?
Yes, as you just did, touching the screen and scroaling is the popular way of song election, which of course can be done with the buttons on the side.
We focus on achieving as smooth operation as possible.
The screen has got larger and customers may easily recognize how smooth it operates, so we designed it to run more comfortably.
Thank you very much.
By the way, this time, it supports Hi-Res streaming playback, right?
Yes. This is also supported when the Hi-Res Streaming Switch is turned on.
Recently, streaming services are becoming more lossless-compatible.
Of course, lossless means CD sound quality, but I think that Hi-Res is also a popular listening style
so you can enjoy high quality sound on the Walkman without any degradation.
I am very happy to know that I can listen to streaming with all this sound!
Thank you very much.
Now that we are running out of time. I would like to conclude by asking you a few more questions from our customers.
What kind of music do you listen to while developing a product to create the sound?
I have received a question asking if there are any sound sources or genres that you used as references?
Our flagship models are designed to be listenable in all genres.
Customers often think that high-end models are suited for jazz and classical music
but they are all designed to make enjoyable even with programming music and live instruments.
I really hope that the audience will enjoy the songs they like.
Thank you so much.
Indeed, I listened to a variety of music with new Walkman and found something new in all of them. Even with K-POP, which is very popular these days, it was very good. I enjoyed listening.
Next, after purchasing a product, I assume that everyone will age it. I have received some questions say, "Is 200 hours enough for this model, too?"
Yes, this time, it's w.music only, but the single-ended one and the balanced one have their own playback time, so it should be okay with 200 hours of playback to settle down.
The software engineers did a great job implementing it, and I encourage you to take a look at it for some time to see, "Wow, I have played that long".
Wow, the playback time is visible this time!
Also, we want customers to enjoy how the sound changes depending on the aging time.
The sound changes right after purchasing and when it matured depends on how long you age it. That's the fun of it.
I hope you will enjoy bothlistening and aging it.
After 200 hours of aging, there is a small surprise that you can find on screen. Stay tuned!
We would be happy if you could enjoy aging the product and finding out what it was.
I would like to ask many more questions, but unfortunately it is time to go.
Again, thank you very much for sending us so many questions.
Please share some messages to everyone who is watching this video.
As for this model, we set a goal of creating the best sounded Walkman ever.
We are confident that we have created a model that will satisfy our customers
Nowadays, streaming services are the popular way to receive music.
In such a situation, servicers can use a delivery service called lossless, which allows them to use not only CD quality sound, but also high-quality sound sources.
We believe that our products will make you understand "music is fun"
so please listen at your nearest electric shops. Thank you very much.
Thank you so much. Next is Mr.Sato.
I hope you will listen to your favorite songs and songs you have been listening to for a long time with this product, not only in high-resolution format, but also on CD.
I myself have found new discoveries when I re-listened to CDs I have been listening to for 30 years with this set, so I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.
And yes, as an audio engineer, I will continue to do my best to improve the sound.
Thank you for your powerful message.
I am very glad to hear not only a lot about the Walkman but their passions towards sound creation. Thank you very much.
Thank you so much to everyone who watched the video to the end.
We hope you will enjoy music even more deeply with this sound that our engineers have pursued.
Thank you very much.
Coming from CEE region.
. Brilliant!
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