Walkman portable cassette players

The Walkman was invented by Sony Corp. and was the device that changed the way we listened to music. With the Walkman, we could listen to music anywhere for the first time.

The first Walkman required 4 AA batteries and came with earphones. It had crystal clear sound equivalent to 1000 Watts or so and the stereophonic effects were simply fantastic. You could feel one sound travelling from one ear to the other!

Most importantly, the batteries lasted for a long time (4-5 hours at a stretch).

The Walkman proved to be a wonderful companion while travelling.

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Author of this article:

Michael Johnson

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Do You Remember Walkman portable cassette players?

Roxxy on 2011-12-15 05:47:19

I never had a Walkman, instead I had what may have been the best personal stereo on the market- the Binatone Companion. It was given me on my 13th birthday following recommendation by a schoolfriend. In comparison with other PS's on the market (even back in '82) it was a large, rather cumbersome machine of the size of a journalists's portable cassette recorder, with both a shoulder strap and a slot on the carrying case to wear it on your belt. But oh boy, was this worth it for the excellent sound quality it had! You really felt you were listening to a proper stereo system rather than a portable machine- far from being tinny and rasping, the earphones delivered full, rich tone of the kind normally only had from far larger stereo systems. It also had a lot of control features, including individual balance sliders for each earphone, a bass button, pause facility and lots more. It served as my main music machine for two years until my Grandfather lent me his Toshiba master-blaster, which he hardly ever used. I still have the Binatone to this day, it was one of my best birthday presents ever!!

McG on 2010-02-06 15:25:50

I had a few Walkmans, the best being the one when you took the tape out, closed a bit more to listen to the radio. Brilliant, I bought it at a hi-fi shop in Sutton. I had a recording Walkman to record 'Special Offer' at the Morden Tavern, and I also managed to get hold of a 'double decker' Walkman.

Aura on 2010-01-16 17:06:34

I had one but the battries never lasted that long, especially when my parents had the tv on so loud it used to drown the music out.

Yellow Watson on 2008-02-18 03:45:14

I'd patiently wait with my finger on the record button while listening to the radio at night to capture my favourite songs so I could listen to them on my walkman the next day. I was a little pirate definitely.

Anonymous on 2006-12-11 11:47:09

Devoured batteries but way ahead of their time & the prototype for today's iPods. Grackle, I'd love to see that 'museum' of them in your local store.

Anonymous on 2006-12-10 21:54:56

I got a Sony Walkman for my 18th birthday in 1984. I loved it, but it didn't fit in any of my pockets! My local Sony store has a display of them "through the ages" and I was rather stunned by just how big that early model was. I stuck to the genuine Sony models (they were incredibly durable) through three or four different models, including Discman (they survived years of constant use), and now have a Sony MP3 player, which is the size of a cigarette lighter, and light enough to clip to the neck of my tshirt. I wish I'd kept that original Walkman, it would be interesting to see them side by side.

Anonymous on 2006-12-10 17:35:55

Having the walkman was brilliant it was just the right size for your pocket.