IFA 2016: Sony's latest Signature Series Walkman is a copper-bodied, gold-plated marvel that costs $3,200

IFA 2016 saw many interesting sights this year, but none more extravagant than Sony’s Signature Series, copper-bodied, gold-plated Walkman. How much does it cost? A whopping $3199.99 (around Rs 2,13,000).

An extravagant Walkman like that deserves a matching pair of headphones, and while we’re at it, a headphone amplifier as well. At least, that’s what we assume Sony was thinking. Alongside the NW-WM1Z Walkman, (Couldn’t they have come up with a better name for a $3,200 device?) Sony unveiled the MDR-Z1R headphones tagged at $2,299.99 (around Rs 1,53,000) and a TA-ZH1ES headphone amplifier tagged at $2,199.99 (around Rs 1,47,000). The Walkman comes in two variants, the NW-WM1Z and the NW-WM1A. The former is gold-plated, hence the price, and the latter is not and thus, is cheaper at $1,199 (around Rs 80,000). Though cheap is a relative term in this case. Targeted at audiophiles, the entire kit isn’t just about opulence, however. While you’ll need to be an electronics and an audio engineer to understand the technicalities of the device, here are the highlights:

• Support for just about every audio format out there, including FLAC and Quad 11.2MHz DSD.
• Full support for 384kHz-32-bit recordings.
• A selection of DSEE-HX signal processing modes to choose from.
• 256GB onboard storage.
• The device is heavy at 455g.
• The Walkman runs Android and offers 26 hours of FLAC playback and 11 hours of DSD playback.
• Copper body with Gold plating, ostensibly to keep out electrical interference.

Sony didn’t scrimp out on the MDR-Z1R headphones either. To justify their $2,300 price tag, the headphones pack in 70mm Magnesium dome HD drivers, Aluminium-coated LCP Edge diaphragms that offer a frequency response of up to 120kHz and more. The headband is made from Titanium and the diaphragms are housed in a resonance free housing with “acoustic resistors.” The ear-pads are made from sheep skin. The final piece in this kit is the TA-ZH1ES headphone amplifier that is also packed to the gills with fancy hardware. Your $2,200 gets you a DA Hybrid Amplifier Circuit and an “S-Master HX digital amplifier.” These extravagant devices are expected to launch in November this year, with the “cheaper” $1,200 NW-WM1A Walkman slated for a 2017 release. The entire kit will set you back $7,700 (around Rs 5,12,000).