Newest comments
I have the blue and red versions. In way I think it might be the most unique cassette Walkman ever made. Words cannot describe how light this model is. It truly feels like you are not even holding anything. The head quality is superb, power output is great. It also comes with: AMS, Autoreverse, Auto Volume, Anti-Rolling, X-BASS and great Dolby-B circuit. SHARP spared no expense to try and compete using this model. The carbon fibre shells are stronger than steel and completely unique, with each of them looking a bit different. All models also slightly change colour depending on the light (red can look orange, blue can look cyan, green can look black). In all, they are BK, BL, RD & GR. It can come with two stickers, the pink cloud (pictured) and a Japanese 99g one not shown. Mine both have the 99g sticker. One day I would love to own the über rare green version.
The biggest, or maybe only real downside to this (and all Piu models) is that they are totally unusable without the remote and are only compatible with that one remote model sadly.
Holding this and a Sony DD and if cassettes ever became mainstream again, I would hope all Walkmans were made from carbon fibre.
Another contender (maybe the #1 spot) for the "Best Radio Walkman". Amorphous(?) FG Head, 15-20,000Hz response, Twin Rotor Motor (similar to Sony Direct Drive), specialized tape locking mechanism that prevents vibration (superior than standard "anti-rolling"), recording, cue, auto-reverse, AM/FM/TV radio, Equalizer, feather touch buttons, TPS (Tape Program Search) and S-XBS. AFAIK you can use all functions without the remote too.
The main downsides I think are fully plastic case, lack of Dolby-C and the non hard-wired remote is extremely hard to find. It's a semi-common model so not even hard to find.
One of the top 3 best radio Walkman ever made despite lack of Dolby-C. Definitely one of the only with a FG Head.
The RQ-S90F does have Cue, TPS, Equalizer, Bi-azimuth head design and DC-in power as an upgrade. However, this RQ-S75F has the beautiful image of Japan on the back. The print of Japan on the RQ-S55V is the most beautiful though I think because it is directly on the body and not on a rubber panel glued to the body.
This might be my favorite Walkman ever made.
I am the proud owner of a brand-new, professionally restored EX2000 that is utterly immaculate in every way and has its original box and all accessories etc. It takes the centre in my collection.
A lot of people talk about how the Sony DC2, D6C, DD9, etc. are the best but I doubt they have ever tried this Walkman. Many "good" Walkmans are niche-class and excel generally in just one aspect. This thing of beauty has it all and it boasts features that models from the 80s and 90s could only dream of. 25x FF/RW speed, cue, blank skip, revive, surround sound, 100h battery life, wow & flutter at only 0.09% RMS! thanks to the quartz lock, dual direct drive and heavy brass flywheels; direct line circuit, feather touch buttons and near silent operation. All in a body that is only 145 grams! The frequency response of the oxygen-free copper (OFC) head is actually 20-20000Hz (this page has an error). The only other models with heads to come close to this are the extremely special 12-core laminate head on the Panasonic RQ-S80 and the Aiwa's NG-HX heads on the PX-303 and PX-505. None of those 3 models though have half the other features this EX2000 has.
Truly this is a masterpiece Walkman. If you can ever get your hands on one, do not think twice. If you ask me, it's one of the closest contenders to a real audiophile cassette Walkman.
I paid a very high price for mine. However, it was BNIB and its got a very low serial number (5XXXX) whereas most you'll see are in the 2XXXXX. Perfect condition box, all accessories, manuals and it had never been used. Still even has the battery compartment protection sticker etc.
Despite being such a small and competent model, with radio, Dolby-B & C, remote, DC in, autoreverse and even an extended amorphous head. It can sell for barely $150 in mint condition which is shocking (half the release price). I am expecting this model to quintuple in price soon. It is completely underrated.
Its counterpart (701C) without the radio sells for 3-4x even though it's without the useful extra AM/FM/TV radio. Aesthetically it might look a bit "sleeker" without the digital display, but the radio is an amazing feature. This is AFAIK the only Walkman with a radio + Dolby-C and an EX amorphous head. That is, it might well be the best radio equipped Walkman ever made. The only contender I could think of is the Panasonic RQ-S75F or S90F which has a slightly better HX-FG head, but no Dolby-C.