Sony revives its 1979 Walkman headphones, now with USB-C
Sony has reissued the headphones that shipped with the first Walkman in 1979. The new MDR-3R costs $59.99 and connects by USB-C, and that choice causes a problem with Sony's current Walkman players.
A retro fashion piece, by Sony's own account
SoundGuys judges that at $59.99 the MDR-3R is meant for younger listeners and for people who want a retro accessory. Sony has acknowledged that it is leaning into the fashion crowd. Those buyers are a different group from the enthusiasts who pay close to $6,000 for a flagship player.
The headphones are plain by design. They have no Bluetooth, no battery and nothing to charge. The idea is to plug into the USB-C port of a phone and play music.
What fails on a Walkman player
Sony's current Walkman players mostly use 3.5mm headphone jacks, and some models add balanced 4.4mm outputs. The MDR-3R sends audio over USB-C instead. It fits the USB-C port of a Walkman, but no music comes out.
Sony's support pages say a USB-C headset can sometimes work with certain Walkman players, but the company advises against trying. Its warning names three risks: volume controls that may fail, playback that can lock at full volume, and missing audio settings or inline controls.
The NW-WM1ZM3 is the flagship player Sony recently announced at $5,899.99. The new headphones do not work with it.
USB-C audio at Sony and its rivals
SoundGuys says it has criticized Sony's USB-C choices before, citing the WH-1000XM6 and the $650 1000X The Collexion, which lack it. Now the problem runs the other way: USB-C headphones that Sony's own players cannot use. Apple, Bose, Sennheiser, Nothing, JBL and Sonos all offer USB-C audio on at least part of their headphone lines.
The review adds that USB-C suits phones, tablets and computers, many of which have dropped the headphone jack. A second version with a 3.5mm plug would have made sense too, it says.
What Sony copied from 1979
Besides the standard model, Sony sells a $79.99 Stranger Things edition with special branding and packaging.
In 1979 the first Walkman, the TPS-L2, came with MDR-3L2 headphones. The MDR-3R borrows their minimalist metal headband and blue foam pads, and adds orange pads in the box. The drivers are 23mm. Each unit weighs 38 grams, two grams under the originals. Sony says it worked from the original handwritten design drawings.
The updates are modern ones. An inline microphone and controls handle volume and playback. The cable is 1.2 meters long, where the original ran 2 meters.
Source: SoundGuys