Sony NW-WM1ZM3 Walkman – Solid Copper Signature Series Flagship

The Sony NW-WM1ZM3 is the flagship of Sony's new Signature Series: a Walkman whose main chassis is machined from 99.99 % pure (4N) oxygen-free copper and plated in gold, now paired with a gold-plated copper rear chassis instead of aluminium. It is built for listeners who treat a portable player as a reference source, and it is available at Soundium alongside the NW-WM1AM3.

Key Features

• 4N OFC main chassis + gold-plated OFC rear: Copper front to back for deeper bass, a wider stage and cleaner highs.
• Direct-coupled grounding: Board and rear chassis bolt straight to the main chassis with gold-plated, low-resistance screws.
• KIMBER KABLE internal wiring: Thick-gauge cable runs from the amplifier to the 4.4 mm balanced jack.
• Dual solid-polymer capacitors: Independent power reserves for the digital and analogue blocks, fed by a direct OFC battery cable.
• S-Master HX with look-ahead noise shaper: Three selectable types for faster transients and tighter bass.
• DSD Remastering for every app: PCM converted to 11.2 MHz DSD on wired playback, now including streaming apps.

Customer Benefits

The ZM3 is about the details that sit just under the music: the breath before a vocal line, the decay of a piano note, the silence between tracks. Sony spent its effort on grounding, power and materials, with 34 % more copper in the milled shielding block and a 4N copper coil in the balanced output filter. You still get a modern player: a 5.5-inch Full HD screen, Android 16 with your streaming apps, DSEE Ultimate upscaling and up to 33 hours of 96 kHz FLAC playback in Sony's music app.

Quick Specs

• Storage: 256 GB (approx. 207 GB available) + microSD/SDHC/SDXC slot
• Display: 5.5-inch (13.7 cm) Full HD 1920 × 1080 touchscreen
• Outputs: 4.4 mm balanced, 3.5 mm stereo mini-jack; USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 1) with USB DAC mode
• Formats: DSD up to 11.2 MHz, FLAC/WAV/AIFF/ALAC up to 384 kHz, MQA, APE, MP3, AAC, WMA
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax, 2.4/5/6 GHz), Bluetooth 5.4 with LDAC, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, aptX, AAC, SBC, LC3
• Battery: Up to 35 h MP3, 33 h FLAC 96 kHz/24-bit (W.Music app); approx. 4 h full charge
• Dimensions: 86 × 157.6 × 23.2 mm
• Weight: 670 g

What's in the Box

• Sony NW-WM1ZM3 Walkman
• USB-A to USB-C cable
• Headphone jack caps (4.4 mm balanced and 3.5 mm stereo)
• USB-C port cap
• Operating instructions and reference guide

Ideal For

Owners of high-end balanced headphones and IEMs, collectors of the WM1Z line, and listeners who want one source for home and travel.

Compatibility

Compatible with Android music and streaming apps, wired headphones and IEMs (4.4 mm or 3.5 mm), LDAC and aptX Adaptive wireless headphones, and Mac/PC as a USB DAC.

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros:

• Copper chassis front and rear with KIMBER KABLE wiring
• 256 GB built in, plus microSD
• Same modern platform as the AM3: Full HD screen, Android 16, Wi-Fi 6E

⚠️ Cons:

• 670 g is heavy for a portable player
• EU-spec headphone outputs are rated at 0.4–1.1 mW (32 Ω), so hard-to-drive headphones may need an external amp

The Sony NW-WM1ZM3 is what happens when Sony stops counting grams and builds a Walkman purely around sound. If you have headphones worth this kind of source, it is the most complete portable player Sony makes, and the Soundium team is happy to help you pair it with the right cable and headphones.