My collection has just grown and I can call myself a proud owner of a WMD-DT1 DAT-walkman now (my wallet doesn't approve but whatever)! I just couldn't resist that offer, in my opinion the most beautiful DAT device and the only portable one I'm aware of (by Sony) which has a window. In the end I got it for 230€. The seller was even kind enough to hand me 11 DAT tapes for free! One can be seen inside the device. Felt like a good deal. Not shown in this image but in my possession: Mostly well-kept manual and two cardboards with 5 DAT tapes each. Things I don't have: Original headphones, original cardboard, power adapter. But I can live with that. Some additional details about it/review for those who are curious and in case the photo isn't clear enough: Spoiler It's very well kept, little to no scratches, the rubber coating is all fine, all writings on the device are unharmed. However, I think the rubber might suffer from wear very quickly since it's hard to take it out from the bag (which is made from what seems like leather) due to its friction. At least the underlying material is also black. The battery lock closes without any issues, it's (so far) unaffected from this series' defect so I'll handle that part with care. All functions work as they should. It was only occasionally in use and not at all within the last 20 years. There's some mild damage to the Sony writing on the remote and a little piece of dust made its way into the upper left corner of the display, but I couldn't care about that. The remote will likely suffer anyway whenever I will make use of it. All I'm slightly worried about is its remote's 3.5mm jack adapter. This remote got one of those dumb proprietary connectors (which Sony is infamous for) for its headphones, so this official adapter is badly necessary to connect "normal" headphones to it. The cable is really flimsy and I have absolutely no idea who came up with the insane idea to use such a thin cable on such a heavy end piece, it could break. Why not a static, stick-like adapter? Come on, Sony... If anyone knows where to get a copy of this 3.5mm jack adapter or spares to use with it, I'd be happy to know. Well, at least it does work without any headphones plugged into the remote as you can use the headphone jack on its side for audio output while still making use of the remote for input on the device itself. It got a clip so you can just slide it on your collar or whereever you think fits and use it there. It's very lightweight so you won't even notice it. What I intend to try yet is whether simultaneous audio output through remote and headphone jack are possible so two people can listen to it. That would be a neat thing. I retrieved it personally. A very kind person and a very beautiful town (or rather village). I have to admit yesterday felt quite surreal, after all I have achieved my "DAT dream" as I got a TCD-D8 for recording/stationary playback and this little fella for portable music now. Oh, and I already listened to some music on it, great device, great audio quality! PS: Sorry for the pun in this thread's title, I just couldn't resist.
Yes, it is indeed! It was hard to find one for an affordable price and especially in such a condition. But it's well worth it so far. I did a small experiment and connected two headphones, one into the 3.5mm headphone jack on the side and the other to the remote. Both headphones output sound at an identical quality, so theoretically, two people can listen to music on it at the same time without sacrificing stereo. I also got a small observation regarding the remote: The metal arm that presses against your clothes when you wear it (attached) seems to bend easily from excessive use. To anyone who wants to purchase it: Pay attention to that metal piece. When I got it it was fairly loose, I'm currently in the very careful process of tightening its grip again, otherwise it could slip off your collar or wherever you attach it and smash against the floor and in the worst case break. Perhaps I might wrap some thread around it if it won't work. It's very stubborn. Now all that's left for me is to check where to get spare (weird proprietary Sony) micro jack to 3.5mm jack adapters. I just don't trust that flimsy string of what's supposed to be a cable. Spoiler The ones in the spoiler. I believe some minidisc walkman used the same ones, but currently I can't find out which. Pointers or tips where to find copies (if there are even any) are most welcome.
Congrats for the purchase of that one too , your DAT collection is growing fast ! Sony's WMD-DT1 is unique in many ways , an ambassador of the DAT technology to the walkman public that were using the player only compact cassette walkmans. Unfortunately it had the fate of its rival DCC format portables which had also the advantage of playing normal cassette tapes but alas that wasn't enough. In an alternative future WMD-DT1 would have been the first of a beautiful series of player only portables from Sony , a reason to appreciate even more this rare walkman.
Thank you! I don't think it will grow any further though, unless it's tapes or I happen to get a second working WMD-DT1 or TCD-D8 for "less careful use". And of course that battery module for my recorder. I would go as far as calling this model one of the prettiest walkmans made, it just looks very sleek and minimalistic without looking empty. Pretty well designed (if you disregard the risk of battery lock defect). Holding it feels good too, especially since I can see the tape in the window in this one. If I had more space to spare I would have considered getting a "proper" recorder. Maybe someday in the near or far future. Though regarding portable DATs, that was pretty much my dream come true. For the most part I can relax and just enjoy those devices now. Time to go back and fix the couple of defect analogue walkmans I got - and of course settle on a new design for my MZ-R500 to honour it. It's a bit sad how DAT failed in home use. I really wonder how a future would have looked like where tapes went digital instead of flash memory being the standard. Probably a future without SSDs.
