richn@tekecs.UUCP (Richard Nute) (11/16/84)
I don't know if the rumors of the Sony CD "Walkman" have been put
to bed, so please excuse me if this is old info.
From a Woodward & Lothrop ad in The Washington Post (Washington, D.C.),
Thursday, November 15, page A7:
"Introducing the portable Discman(R),
Sony's on the move again.
"Sale 300 orig. 350
"Here's the latest addition to the Sony family:
the Discman. Just 5x5 1/4 inches and less than
21 ounces, it's the world's first portable disc
player. In one burst of brilliant technology,
Sony has created a system that not only plugs
into your home stereo and boom box, but
unplugs to become a terrific portable. With
digital audio you'll thrill to flawless sound that
surpasses all previously accepted limitations of
high fidelity. Comes complete with AC
adaptor. Battery pack and headphones
optional. To hear just how good portable
sound can be, stop by and listen to the new
Sony Discman."
The ad included a non-descript illustration (not a photo) which
did not further clarify anything. I didn't see the unit, so I
can't add to or clarify any of the above.
Thought I'd pass this on since I haven't seen it in the audio mags
or in the Portland (Oregon) papers or stores.
Rich Nute
Tektronix, Inc.
...!tektronix!tekecs!richnterryl@tekchips.UUCP () (11/17/84)
Well, a coworker was in Japan earlier this week, and he just happened
to buy a Discman while he was over there and brought it back. A few comments
on it:
It's just a little bigger than the cases the CD come in, and about twice
as thick as one. It came with an AC adapter(unfortunately, since he bought it
in Japan the adapter was for Japan power, but we managed to get it hooked up
to a different power supply to listen to it). The player itself can only drive
earphones, but has outputs to hook it up to a real amp. Looks like standard
RCA-type plugs. It sounds reasonably good through the earphones, but I wonder
how it will sound through a real amp. Even over in Japan, none of the optional
accessories were out yet. It appears the vibration problem has been solved,
but we didn't give that a real thorough test. It was a Sony unit, so I expect
it'll hold up to most normal outdoor uses. Don't know anything about how water-
tight or dustproof it is. The thing runs on 9 volts DC, and it draws 1/2amp,
(or so the AC adapter said), so it sounds like the portable battery pack is
gonna be slightly hefty.