'You’re A Part Of It': William Crighton Paints A Vivid Picture With ‘Colonial Drift’

Walkman & Sound Burger Make A Comeback As Retro Rules

Mary Varvaris

The Sound Burger returns after 40 years away with new modern touches.

NW-A306 & Sound Burger
NW-A306 & Sound Burger(Sony, Audio-Technica)

This one is for the audiophiles and retro item collectors: Sony has released a new Walkman, and Audio-Technica has re-released the iconic Sound Burger for the first time in 40 years to celebrate the company's 60th anniversary. Move over, vinyl revival; portable listening devices are coming back. And when they look like this, they almost become irresistible to fans of the original items.

The 2023 versions of Sony's Walkman are the NW-ZX707 and the NW-A306 models. They feature touch screens, allow saved music and streamed music libraries, and contain control buttons on the side of the device - volume, skip, off/on, etc. 

For audiophiles who don't enjoy streaming music on their phones due to the compression compared to original tracks, the new Walkmans utilise Edge-AI and DSEE Ultimate (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) features, which according to TechRadar, "upscale compressed digital music files in real time – providing a much richer and more dynamic experience during playback."

The Sound Burger, a portable record player which was extremely popular in the 1980s, holds a special place in fans' hearts due to its "nostalgic design, quirky advertising campaigns, and unique listening experience" (Audio-Technica). 

While the product is currently out of stock, the 2022 model was sold at a reasonable price ($429). With its modern capabilities of Bluetooth connection, a USB-C charging cable and lightweight design, anyone can take the Sound Burger anywhere and enjoy playing music. Pre-order the Sound Burger here.

Audio-Technica's Sound Burger plays in high-quality sound with a belt-drive system that plays 33-1/3 and 45 RPM records. The device holds a 12-hour battery life and allows wired and wireless listening.

While the Sony Walkmans sound better than the audio you get on your phone, the convenience of streaming music on the device that you already answer calls with, send texts and emails, scroll through social media and scour the internet is something audiophiles will have to think about. 

The Sony NW-ZX707 will cost $999 in Australia and will be available in late February, while the NW-A306 is $499 and will be available in the same month. The premium model, the  ZX-707, has a bigger screen than its cheaper sibling (a 5-inch display versus a 3.6-inch touch screen), while the more affordable model has a longer battery life (36 hours versus 25 hours). Pre-order the new Walkmans here.

Watch a video review of the Sound Burger below.