Yet another project ended with success. This is my vintage Sony WM-EX88 Walkman. It needed a cleaning and belt service. I've been putting it off until I was in the mood to be methodical, relaxed, organized and patient.
Working on a cassette player that fits in the palm of your hand has lots of VERY tiny screws, clips and flex cables. Being almost 40 years old makes it that much more delicate.
I'm happy to report that wow and flutter is almost entirely gone. It sounds beautiful.
This model has Dolby noise reduction, (AMS) automatic music search and a full logic auto reversing cassette deck with featherlite push button digital controls. It also uses a gum stick style battery that is flat which makes it super compact and barely larger than a cassette itself. In the photos I am using this with the optional AA battery compartment. It makes the walkman slightly larger but adds up to 8 hours of runtime. Yes....you heard that right. The circuitry is so tiny and efficient, this tiny cassette player will run off of a single AA battery for 8 hours. What a marvel in technology for the time. I am also using the Sony headphone adapter to use standard headphones.
This model also came with headphones that had the cassette controls around collar length on the cable that allowed the listener to control the walkman with while jogging, working out and not have to remove the walkman from their pocket.
If you had this Walkman in the late 80s or early 90s, you received the wow factor. Most cheaper walkmans had manual tape buttons that you pressed to mechanically amd physically engage the cassette mechanism.
Just a few shots of this vintage but wonderful piece of history, working as it should.
Very happy with my service and results.
There is something about a properly working piece of vintage audio gear. It puts a smile on my face every time.
Working on a cassette player that fits in the palm of your hand has lots of VERY tiny screws, clips and flex cables. Being almost 40 years old makes it that much more delicate.
I'm happy to report that wow and flutter is almost entirely gone. It sounds beautiful.
This model has Dolby noise reduction, (AMS) automatic music search and a full logic auto reversing cassette deck with featherlite push button digital controls. It also uses a gum stick style battery that is flat which makes it super compact and barely larger than a cassette itself. In the photos I am using this with the optional AA battery compartment. It makes the walkman slightly larger but adds up to 8 hours of runtime. Yes....you heard that right. The circuitry is so tiny and efficient, this tiny cassette player will run off of a single AA battery for 8 hours. What a marvel in technology for the time. I am also using the Sony headphone adapter to use standard headphones.
This model also came with headphones that had the cassette controls around collar length on the cable that allowed the listener to control the walkman with while jogging, working out and not have to remove the walkman from their pocket.
If you had this Walkman in the late 80s or early 90s, you received the wow factor. Most cheaper walkmans had manual tape buttons that you pressed to mechanically amd physically engage the cassette mechanism.
Just a few shots of this vintage but wonderful piece of history, working as it should.
There is something about a properly working piece of vintage audio gear. It puts a smile on my face every time.
