WM-BF22

The WM-BF22 is a stereo cassette player with AM/FM tuner Walkman manufactured by the Sony Corporation in Japan. Its main selling point was that it could use the "money saving" BP-700 rechargeable battery pack, which Sony sold at that time. The audio circuit uses the LA4570 IC manufactured by the Sanyo Corporation, and the sound quality is good providing you use a high-quality pair of headphones. The main innovations in this Walkman appear to be in its construction, as they have managed to eliminate metal screws thus reducing costs. Although from the outside it looks like a basic player, inside they are using a better PCB fabrication method, and a new motor drive design. This model has an iconic pattern on the cassette compartment lid, and at first sight gives the impression that perhaps they have installed solar cells to recharge the battery, but disappointingly, it is simply an imaginative pattern.

I compared the sound of this with my other Sony players, and surprisingly the sound on this is better, in particular, the tape speed is smooth and noticeable. This model does not have an Audio Volume Limiting System (AVLS), and consequently, is possible to have the volume very loud. One can usually tell if a player has a cheap DC motor, and one surprising aspect I noticed straight away was how constant the tape speed was, because the tape was being pulled smoothly through the transport mechanism. I could tell there was something special about this player, and we will find out more in the following sections of this multi-page article. With Sony, back in the time when Akio Morita was CEO, everything was first class and the headphones that came with this were of good specification for its time. The first thing I noticed was that distinctive 1980s sound that is very recognisable. However, headphone technology has improved much since that time and modern high-end ones produce a much better sound. I use vintage 1990s audio cassettes with my favourite 1980s and 1990s songs, and it sounds brilliant! This is pure luxury, because I put one of these on, lie back, relax with a cup of Earl Grey, and transport myself back to the 1980s.

Controls

I goes without saying that this is a basic cassette player, however the radio tuner has a lovely rotary tuning control for manually tuning into stations. There is also a volume control, and a switch to select between chrome, metal, and ferric tapes.

Cost / eBay

These players usually sell for around five pounds on eBay; however, the prices may rise due to inflation! If you can find one that is in mint condition then it is a nice bit of history worth having for your collection. If you get one, then keep in mind that this is just a very basic player, and back in its time would have been a budget-end model. It would have been mass-produced, and therefore a broken unit on its own, is not worth much. However, one in mint condition, together with the original headphones, box, and packaging, would be something collectors would be interested in. I would be interested at around twenty to thirty pounds for such a unit. If you are looking for one for your collection, then make sure you get a unit that is not worn out. I anticipate many will have a worn head and motor and will not sound very nice. However those two are the main things to consider.

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