I'm currently in a predicament, Im retireing my Wm-4 walkman and I'm trying to find a new daily use walkman. Now I love my wm-4 but because of the plastic case I'm worried about damaging it in my busy day to day school life. I prefer to listen to music on cassette over listening to phone because I like saving my phone's battery, and I'm not a huge fan of streaming services. Im currently saving for a new walkman, and I'm stuck choosing between two. I love the WM-3 walkman for its improvements to the original Tps-l2 and it black metal case, and it's fairly compact design (yes Ik it's a bit larger then later walkmen, but I prefer the earlier larger designs). But lately I've been looking at the WM-D6C. It shares a similar black metal design, but dispite it's slightly larger design, I like it's recording capabilities and the fact it has Dolby B and C noise reduction. Both are in my $150-200 range and Im trying to figure out witch one is the better choice. My main factors in choice are this *Relatively easy to repair *Relatively compact for daily use *Best quality sounds but not extreme levels of nit picking (I have minor tennitus so some faults won't be a problem) *Durable *Light weight Any recommendations and advise would be very appreciated.
Both are fine Walkmans but out of the 2 choices, I'd go for the D6C. The sound on these things is amazing, plus it can also record a lot better than most home hifi decks. It is quite bulky though and can be temperamental (in my limited experience anyway!)
im going to be honest, th d6c is not portable, it's more like a brick strapped to your shoulders. I bought one with the idea of carrying it around., yeah, no. Also the recording capabilities will only really substantial, if the d6c is restored by a technician so add on 100-200 dollars of repair costs and shipping. Furthermore the recording might be better then a lot of home decks but I doubt it'll be beating machines with more control on there recording capabilities (Bias, Rec Sensitivity, Calibration, HX Pro...). The WM-3 is a good choice if you have the case to prevent scratches to the metal surface, however I'm unsure if the wow and flutter is up to snuff with other machines from later dates. If it's for going outside I think you should maybe consider the WM-f5, Sony's disc drive Sports model. It's in a water sealed plastic enclosure, designed for environment intensive sports like skiing. Might fit better for your activities, it has 2 headphone ports, and an fm radio. Description from sony's website: "The first Walkman developed for use during outdoor activities. The WM-F5 marks the first appearance of the distinctive yellow seen in later Sports models. The case is made of highly impact-resistant ABS plastic, and all controls are protected by rubber seals to make them splashproof. Play, Stop, and other buttons are shaped and positioned for easy use, even without looking. 1983 Winner, Good Design Gold Prize." image from audioidiots.com Good luck and good hunt!
Thanks, and both are valid points. For the most part I'm used to a little wow and flutter, and as for the Miniature brick, is a valid point. And when it came to using the recording, I'm more thinking of using it for just recording speach purposes when in classes for easier note taking.
The price range for a D6C compare to WM-3 is not same unless D6C comes with a lot of problems. If you don't have limit on your budget for your next walkman then definitely get a D6C. WM-3 is a good and durable walkman and probably you can find a good one for around 200 USD. but a descent D6C will cost you about 400 dollars.
Well when it comes to the repair aspect, I don't mind doing it myself, I've repaired 2 other walkman. My daily wm-4 needed belts swapped and re sodering. I eventually brought it from a non working state to a almost new state. But more and more I am partly leaning towards the wm-3, and saving the d6c for a later date.
I think in my current run, I'm going to invest in the Wm-3. As I've looked over your recommendations and points, as much as I'd want to invest in a D6C, I'm going to wait for a bit on getting a D6C. Some time this summer I plan on having a WM-3 ordered and repaired. Thanks for the advice.
Well interesting points. I have 2 D6C's and a D6. Both the D6C's are early models. One has the V Shaped amorphous head and the other is a version 2.0 unit with the brown PCB with lots of components mounted the "through the hole" and some SMD technology. Both record brilliantly and sound superb in playback. Not all D6C's were created equally however. Early models if in good condition tend only to need belt and tire replacements to work perfectly. The D6 is an entirely different beast. Restoration and solution of the speed problem involves stripping down one or both CP601 and CP602 IC's and removing defective transistors and replacing with equivalents. Not a task many would consider attempting.
If on sound quality alone, from the 2 you mentioned then the D6C is the one. With regard to size it’s big, but still usable on the go I do it. Anyone saying the recording quality is better than most home decks is talking out of their backside. Yes it has better pitch stability than a lot of full size decks, but not recording capability than most full size decks? Dream on. If you want quality and real portability then look at the DC2.
I now have replacement CP601s available on Ebay now. I'll do a detailed write up with details of symptoms of failure and how to diagnose a faulty CP601.
i also would recommend the DC2. actually if i could buy one walkman, it's the dc2. forget all the others only buy a d6c when you are a collector, otherwise i would never buy one. for recording and playback at home, use a deck. and if you want to walk around with a brick like the d6c, i would choose the tc-d5 pro2. perhaps less detailed in mid and high, but better bass, more body in it's sound and far better looks. best build "walkman" of them all. it's a real tank. oja, the pro2 is xlr. when you have a pro-audio setup, you're recording tapes balanced from your xlr TT,cd or R2R. which i prefer over RCA. but,that's another discussion.
I'm personally not a fan of the look of the DC2, Even though it's one of the best walkman you can get. I never really cared for the wm-2 styled cases. Hence why my choices are the WM-3 or D6C
Well i guess it's the D6C for you then, but you will not get a good one for the price you are willing to pay.
I'm willing to put the time and effort restoring it myself. I have repaired 2 walkmans prior, and to me part of the bonding experience is actually putting time and effort in restoration. Currently I Have 3 of them on watch on eBay, and Incase all 3 are sold before I have the funds saved, I have a wm-3 also on my list as a backup, since it's my second choice.
