Sony Walkman Digital Tuning Weather FM/AM Stereo Cassette Player (Silver)

by Sony

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.4 x 1.1 x 4.5 inches ; 8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B001407E86
• Item model number: WMFX290W
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (183 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #288 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
  • #2 in Electronics > Portable Audio & Video > Cassette Players & Recorders
• Date first available at Amazon.com: February 13, 2008

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Slim Design is slim enough to fit in a shirt pocket. Controls are all in-line for easy use Weather Band, lets you listen up-to-the-minute weather from your local Weather Band broadcasts. The Digital Synthesized FM/AM Stereo Tuner provides the most accurate drift-free tuning of AM and FM stereo radio stations. The 1 "AA" Battery Operation provides hours of listening and makes the radio compact and inexpensive to use. The Digital Auto Preset Scanning - at the press of a button, auto scan feature plays a few seconds of each memorized radio station, in sequence, to help you select stations for listening and set into memory. The 33 Station Preset Tuning (4WB/24FM/5AM) offers convenient one-button tuning of your choice of 7 TV, 4 WB, 24 FM stations and 5 AM stations. Up to 35 Hours Extended Battery Life with 1 "AA" batteries is made possible by advanced technology that allows extended battery life beyond previous limits. The Mega Bass Sound System produces deep, rich bass tones for more pleasing overall sound and the Battery Level Indicator on LCD provides visible indication of battery power.

Product Description

Be prepared with up-to-the minute weather updates or enjoy your old cassette collection with this pocket-sized AM/FM Walkman digital radio. Enjoy 33 station presets, up to 35 hours of battery life and Mega Bass sound with this slim and attractive silver Walkman digital radio and cassette player. You will also hear instant weather updates with the handy Weather Band, perfect for storms and other inclement weather situations. The LCD indicates battery level and the Automatic Volume Limiter adjusts sound so that volume remains constant over a variety of music passages. Comfortable open-air headphones are included.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

211 of 212 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great walkman, July 28, 2008

By 

Richard Kaplan (Bloomsburg, Pa United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sony Walkman Digital Tuning Weather FM/AM Stereo Cassette Player (Silver) (Electronics)

This is the same item as the FX-290, now with a W added. Only difference is the absence of the TV audio band, which will be irrelevent next February. I ve had three of these walkmans in the past couple of years. One shattered upon impact to the ground. I didn't have the case on it, and with the other two the fast forward button, which I use quite a bit fell off.

That being said, this is probably the greatest walkman I ve owned. The radio cassette player is a dying breed and I m glad to see Sony put out a new version of an old favorite. With 35 hours on one AA battery, this is one of the great values. I still have hundreds of cassette tapes that I have taped from XM the last couple of years, and I still take my walks listening to those. Transferring to a CD is an option,but its too much of a bother. With the belt clip its so easy to just walk listening to a cassette, even though the sound quality is not as good as a CD,but it fits my purposes fine.

With AM and FM and all the presets, and a weather band this is a nice value for $30 and free shipping. I m glad I still have my other two units without the fast forward button. This is becoming a relic, and I want to make sure I have this walkman for some time to come. No MP3 for me. I m satisfied with this unit.

176 of 176 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Walkman in Quality, October 19, 2008

By 

J Keistler "[e-mail]" (Lake Jackson, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony Walkman Digital Tuning Weather FM/AM Stereo Cassette Player (Silver) (Electronics)

My first prerecorded cassette was ELO's first album--that's how long I've been listening to them! We all know the day of cassette recording or playing is long gone; even CD's are considered done in this day of MP3's. However, that doesn't negate the millions, maybe billions, of cassettes that have been sold over the past 30+ years. Cassettes have their faults, but there are so many productions out there that aren't available on any other medium.

I've owned cassette players running $300 'way back in the 80's; these are gone also. The challenge now is to find a portable Walkman-type player that doesn't sound like crap, and that's last longer than a week or so. I came across a number of books on audio cassette at home and wanted to do a re-listen. Only a couple have been converted to CD.

I initially purchased a 'Craig' model for less than $20; it's also sold as a Jensen, a Coby, and various other names on Amazon. It was a piece of crap; see my review under the Coby name. Virtually useless radio because of tuner problems, and a cassette function that ran at whatever speed it felt like. Needless to say, an adventure for the book listener and worthless for music listening.

I came across this very inexpensive Walkman and didn't expect much for the $30 price. Have I been surprised! Now, the photo shown at the top isn't my model, as it has a TV band on it that mine doesn't have. Mine has AM/FM/Weather/cassette. It appears identical to the one shown.

Unlike virtually ever other cassette player I've owned, this one only uses 1 'AA' battery--not 'AAA' as other reviewers have stated. The great thing about this is that not only are 'AA' batteries ordinarily cheaper, but they last longer, too. I expected the battery life to be shorter as the result of only one battery, but I was wrong. Sony states they are using some new technology to extend battery life, and it's true. A decent 'AA' will last around 35-40 hours, and when running on cassette, around 30 hours. This will vary, of course, according to the quality of battery purchased.

Unlike the Coby/Jensen/Craig derivative, this machine uses digital tuning with an LCD readout. The tuner has functioned with complete band accuracy; none of that playing with a stiff little wheel trying to find the best signal. As stated in the item description, there are 33 presets for the radio. I live outside Houston and can't imagine needing 33 stations to store, but I guess it's good for someone. Additionally, the procedure for storing and revising stored stations seems unnecessarily complicated. Probably not for the younger, computer generation, but it does require a lot of steps. I will certainly be retaining the instructions! Actually, it seems equally easy just to set the thing on 'manual' and use the rocker switch to find stations. Regardless, through the included headsets, the sound is equal to those players I've had in the past costing 10 times as much.

The tape loads through the back, not visible on the photo above. It is a dark smoked plastic cover that flips open with a fingernail. The cover contains two little tabs that hold the cassette, then the cover and cassette flip closed to contact the tape heads. Again, much, much less fiddly than the Coby version.

Another advantage for this Walkman over some competitors is that it contains a 'rewind' button. Many players, compact and otherwise, have deleted it over the years. If one is listening to a book or music and needs to re-listen, those units require taking the tape out, flipping it, using the 'fast-forward' button, then reversing the procedure. The convenience of a 'rewind' button can't be overestimated.

I don't think there's any Dolby noise reduction on this machine, but I never liked using it anyway. I prefer a little hiss to the muddy sound of Dolby-B.

The tape mechanism has worked perfectly for me on a bunch of different cassettes, both well-used and new. Some players get touchy with used cassettes, and are weak with the power required. I have no doubt this Sony will weaken with age, but for now works great.

Headsets are an individual choice; I prefer earbuds. However, the included headsets give a fine sound, especially for their price.

One practical benefit of this machine is that there is an LCD battery life indicator included. For those of us who do a lot of listening it saves being stranded.

No doubt the market for these players will continue to contract. I'm thinking of buying another example of this little Walkman because I do have thousands of cassettes I still enjoy. Highly recommended for those shopping.

64 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars cassette player sony walkman, August 16, 2008

By 

M. lahaise (seattle wa usa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony Walkman Digital Tuning Weather FM/AM Stereo Cassette Player (Silver) (Electronics)

for all of us who insist on using cassette tapes, this is the only one to have. unlike the cheaper models, this one works and it works well and it takes only one AA battery, which for lasts 30+ hours. why I didn't purchase one of these sooner I have no idea. kudos to Sony for keeping them available.
Sony Walkman Digital Tuning Weather FM/AM Stereo Cassette Player (Silver)