Yep. If I'm being honest, they should have given their mp3 players a new name and just ended the Walkman brand with this (or whatever the last physical media player that ends with man that Sony made was).
I have this walkman. Pros: Gorgeous mega bass, it can even play corrupted cassettes well, long battery life, slim and stylish build Cons: FM radio receiver sensitivity is very bad, sound output power is too low, when you turn the volume all the way up - especially if mega bass is also on - bad sound quality, easily broken battery door- broke on my walkman too I'm going to buy a headphone amp just for this walkman. :)
Nice review. I like the way the unit looks and feels, but have a couple of areas where I was disappointed by the WM-FX290W. The single-battery power design, along with the (true) claims of exceptionally long battery life, may contribute to the tendency of the tape transport to struggle playing some cassettes. There can be real trouble playing some tapes. When a tape can play, my impressions of the sound are similar to yours, not the best Sony Walkman with the most extended frequency range but pleasant and musical. The other disappointment I have is that the battery compartment door easily breaks off or won't latch properly. Reading user reviews on this model indicates this is a very common problem. I do like the unit and wish Sony hadn't stopped making this model, other than the weak power supply: this player won't play some cassettes which play just fine on an older Sony Walkman or even on the current-model ezCap316 and Jensen SCR-68C players.
I agree, some "tight" tapes do make it struggle. The tape door hinge looks fragile with the spring almost about to pop out. I also wish they kept tape selector switch and offered Dolby. On the FX281/FX481 the tape selector is integrated into the menu, which says: Mega Bass / Tape / AVLS / FM Mode. The "Tape" item allows switching from normal to chrome/metal. The FX290 menu items are: Mega Bass / Tune Mode / FM Mode / AVLS, so "Tune Mode" has replaced "Tape". On the other hand, this is probably the smallest Walkman ever made on the 1994 mechanism, the FX281 looks more substantial compared to it, and has beefier cassette door hinges. I wish Sony offered more features on the FX290 or offered a more expensive version with Dolby. Oh, well.
If you're having problems with the door not closing completely, I suggest looking inside the cavity at the back and bending that metal thing forward. It's supposed to act like a spring, keeping the cassette snug into the player. When I got my player, it was not bent forward, and the cassette had trouble fitting into the player. I found out about this a few years after I got it. As for tight tapes, mine behaves well. It only struggles on a few of my cassettes. My tight tapes already have their own problems.
Anybody got ideas for the battery-door hinge? I keep it closed with cellophane tape. Amazon reviews indicate the battery-door hinge is the biggest "oops" on this Sony model.
adding to all of the above, if the user stresses the walkman its almost a death sentence to this model because once you open it up you're confronted with ultra-small surface mount components and unless you can identify the troublesome one and could maybe replace it then this walkmans life is terminated. Certainly not the performance expected from the final Sony cassette walkman.
@@livinlifetothefullest2750 Most users will be happier with Walkman units made in the 1990s, they are more durable and perform better with cassette tapes generally. You don't get the uber-long battery life and the sleek looks of this final model, but my preference is for practicality.
For a very low-cost cassette player, wow and flutter of 0.30% peak-weighted and 0.18% WRMS is fairly good, although audiophiles might consider it too high. As I also own one of these players, these measurements seem about right - it's pretty good, not state of the art. Thanks again for your video review.
Considering what is being produced and offered now, this is pretty much state of the art for an inexpensive walkman. Long playback time off a single AA battery and relatively small size, especially compared to some ugly boxes like "We Are Rewind". Thanks for commenting!
@@ConsumerDV I agree. This Sony WM-FX290 unit has W&F performance exceeding the stuff being peddled today under brands like ezcap, GPX, Jensen etc. I speak from personal experience here.
Que buen video amigo , quisiera preguntarte si este walkman tiene el sistema anti rolling que no se sale la cinta como en los sony la fiesta ? ? Ssludos desde Colombia 🇨🇴
They are built on the same "platform" and have the same core components. The FX491 has full logic controls, while the FX435 has Dolby NR. Choose what is more important for you.
From his emphasis on U.S. availability and pricing of this unit, I infer that he's American. If he wanted us to know his national origin and native language, he'd offer it. To Anglophile Yanks, several Slavic languages "sound like" Russian but in fact may be Ukrainian, Belarusian, Bulgarian or others.
Ok so i got one of them inside the hard plastic box and i am not sure the exact price for this walkman i seen on Amazon, ebay and others that cost 200 to 140 so if anyone knows please let me know
I collect Walkman’s when I find em’ I scored one of this model for a Quarter. Didn’t know it was the final US cassette Walkman made.
I Bought One Of Thease sold as a "weather radio" for 5 dollars on ebay It was in perfect shape HA
*Still better than any new cassette player that came out within the past decade*
might be an old walkman but its still better than the new ones that come out today
@@jonathanhenry3779 just no
This is the last Sony-branded Walkman (TM). I agree that new units from other companies on the market today aren't as good.
The only other decent walkman is the Durabrand 1125. It's good quality trust me.
I also find it sad that Sony turned the name into a line of MP3 players.
Yep. If I'm being honest, they should have given their mp3 players a new name and just ended the Walkman brand with this (or whatever the last physical media player that ends with man that Sony made was).
I have this walkman.
Pros: Gorgeous mega bass, it can even play corrupted cassettes well, long battery life, slim and stylish build
Cons: FM radio receiver sensitivity is very bad, sound output power is too low, when you turn the volume all the way up - especially if mega bass is also on - bad sound quality, easily broken battery door- broke on my walkman too
I'm going to buy a headphone amp just for this walkman. :)
Eu nem poderia saber se alguém pensou o mesmo... Mas esse aparelho de rádio Sony FM AM walkman de 2010 é muito bonito.
I subscribed because of this video. Keep making more videos like this please.
Thanks, really appreciate the comment!
Nice review. I like the way the unit looks and feels, but have a couple of areas where I was disappointed by the WM-FX290W. The single-battery power design, along with the (true) claims of exceptionally long battery life, may contribute to the tendency of the tape transport to struggle playing some cassettes. There can be real trouble playing some tapes. When a tape can play, my impressions of the sound are similar to yours, not the best Sony Walkman with the most extended frequency range but pleasant and musical. The other disappointment I have is that the battery compartment door easily breaks off or won't latch properly. Reading user reviews on this model indicates this is a very common problem. I do like the unit and wish Sony hadn't stopped making this model, other than the weak power supply: this player won't play some cassettes which play just fine on an older Sony Walkman or even on the current-model ezCap316 and Jensen SCR-68C players.
I agree, some "tight" tapes do make it struggle. The tape door hinge looks fragile with the spring almost about to pop out. I also wish they kept tape selector switch and offered Dolby. On the FX281/FX481 the tape selector is integrated into the menu, which says: Mega Bass / Tape / AVLS / FM Mode. The "Tape" item allows switching from normal to chrome/metal. The FX290 menu items are: Mega Bass / Tune Mode / FM Mode / AVLS, so "Tune Mode" has replaced "Tape".
On the other hand, this is probably the smallest Walkman ever made on the 1994 mechanism, the FX281 looks more substantial compared to it, and has beefier cassette door hinges. I wish Sony offered more features on the FX290 or offered a more expensive version with Dolby. Oh, well.
If you're having problems with the door not closing completely, I suggest looking inside the cavity at the back and bending that metal thing forward. It's supposed to act like a spring, keeping the cassette snug into the player. When I got my player, it was not bent forward, and the cassette had trouble fitting into the player. I found out about this a few years after I got it.
As for tight tapes, mine behaves well. It only struggles on a few of my cassettes. My tight tapes already have their own problems.
Anybody got ideas for the battery-door hinge? I keep it closed with cellophane tape. Amazon reviews indicate the battery-door hinge is the biggest "oops" on this Sony model.
adding to all of the above, if the user stresses the walkman its almost a death sentence to this model because once you open it up you're confronted with ultra-small surface mount components and unless you can identify the troublesome one and could maybe replace it then this walkmans life is terminated.
Certainly not the performance expected from the final Sony cassette walkman.
@@livinlifetothefullest2750 Most users will be happier with Walkman units made in the 1990s, they are more durable and perform better with cassette tapes generally. You don't get the uber-long battery life and the sleek looks of this final model, but my preference is for practicality.
Yo lo compre en el 2010 sin saber que sería el último a la venta.
¡Sí, único! Más pequeño que el modelo original, tiene radio, usa sólo una batería y es diez veces más barato.
woah till 2008? never knew that
For a very low-cost cassette player, wow and flutter of 0.30% peak-weighted and 0.18% WRMS is fairly good, although audiophiles might consider it too high. As I also own one of these players, these measurements seem about right - it's pretty good, not state of the art. Thanks again for your video review.
Considering what is being produced and offered now, this is pretty much state of the art for an inexpensive walkman. Long playback time off a single AA battery and relatively small size, especially compared to some ugly boxes like "We Are Rewind". Thanks for commenting!
@@ConsumerDV I agree. This Sony WM-FX290 unit has W&F performance exceeding the stuff being peddled today under brands like ezcap, GPX, Jensen etc. I speak from personal experience here.
Que buen video amigo , quisiera preguntarte si este walkman tiene el sistema anti rolling que no se sale la cinta como en los sony la fiesta ? ? Ssludos desde Colombia 🇨🇴
It is not advertised, but the tape does not roll by itself. I think there is a brake that stops the mechanism when the player is turned off.
Hello, I'm debating whether to buy this model, the WM-FX491 or the WM-FX435. Which is the best in terms of sound quality?
They are built on the same "platform" and have the same core components. The FX491 has full logic controls, while the FX435 has Dolby NR. Choose what is more important for you.
FX435 > FX491
Are you're a russian?
Igor or Ivan.
From his emphasis on U.S. availability and pricing of this unit, I infer that he's American. If he wanted us to know his national origin and native language, he'd offer it. To Anglophile Yanks, several Slavic languages "sound like" Russian but in fact may be Ukrainian, Belarusian, Bulgarian or others.
@Alex Mit You sound like a Democrat.
👍
Love
What software did you use to do those checks?. Thank you!
Do you mean, wow & flutter test? I use WFGUI. See this video for more details: ruclips.net/video/7a3cbfZU730/видео.html
@@ConsumerDV Thank you very much, for answering, very interesting, already following your channel that I really liked and gave LIKES!
Ok so i got one of them inside the hard plastic box and i am not sure the exact price for this walkman i seen on Amazon, ebay and others that cost 200 to 140 so if anyone knows please let me know
you got a factory sealed Walkman it hasnt been opend since it was packed in the factory
@@Apollo_guy yeah
200 bucks for a piece of plastic.