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Customer Reviews for Sony Walkman Cassette Player with Digital AM/FM/Weather Band Tuner
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Sony Walkman Cassette Player with Digital AM/FM/Weather Band Tuner
Model: WM-FX290W
SKU: 8692444
UPC: 027242735408
Experience the nostalgia of your favorite audio cassette tunes when you listen to them with this cassette player that features a digital AM/FM tuner with 33 station presets and 4-band weather updates. The Mega Bass sound system delivers crisp, clear audio.
Average Customer Rating:
4.3
out of 5
(17 Reviews) 17
Rating Snapshot 17 reviews
5 stars
8
4 stars
7
3 stars
1
2 stars
1
1 star
0
94% of customers would recommend this product to a friend
(
16 out of
17)
Customer Reviews for Sony Walkman Cassette Player with Digital AM/FM/Weather Band Tuner
Review 1 for Sony Walkman Cassette Player with Digital AM/FM/Weather Band Tuner
Sony Walkman WM-FX290W Cassette Player
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
5.0
Sound Quality
5.0
Durability
5.0
Features
5.0
What's great about it: Excellent Radio Reception, Reliable Cassette Playback Operation
What's not so great: No Auto-Reverse Playback
Preset Tuner Controls. Digital Synthesized Tuning. Digital LCD Display. Extraordinary FM/AM Radio Reception. Weather Band Forecasts. Cassette Tape Playback. Pocket Size. Effortless Sound Reproduction. The Sony Walkman features first class audio components and accurate radio reception for musical entertainment to go. A poignant moment at the end of an audio book. A Punk Rock portable audio experience on Hollywood Boulevard. Hard Rock on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Classic Rock on Victory Boulevard. R & B on Hylan Boulevard. Country music on Rodeo Drive. Sports talk radio on the bus ride to work. The Sony Walkman WM-FX290W FM/AM/WB Cassette Player is an ideal selection for playback of your cassette tape library at almost any location where portable audio equipment is an appropriate entertainment choice. The Sony Walkman is a wonderful accessory upgrade for any car stereo system that does not feature a tape deck. This unit’s cassette playback performance is outstanding, dependable, and a superb choice for any portable audio audiophile. Love songs, contemporary music, jazz, country, and classical music play brilliantly through this unit’s included stereo headphone speaker drivers. The Sony portable cassette player presents a simple control panel interface for cassette playback and perfect FM stereo radio reception reproduction. AM band news and talk radio programs are received clearly with high quality voice reproduction. The built-in tuner easily offers excellent sensitivity and selectivity reception performance across the FM/AM/WB frequency spectrum. This Sony Walkman delivers a realistic and professional quality audio performance. Weather Band reception is a great feature because I always feel well-informed if an emergency weather situation becomes imminent or develops unexpectedly. The latest meteorological forecast is always there for me at any time. This is a great item to have if an unfortunate development occurs, such as a power outage or natural disaster, to stay up-to-date with late breaking news broadcasts on the AM band. The Sony Walkman Cassette Player operates efficiently on one AA battery. This unit offers an exceptional selection of portable audio amenities that any cassette tape fanatic or outdoor enthusiast will appreciate. Those premium portable audio features include: FM/AM/WB reception, digital synthesized tuner for drift-free reception, 33 FM/AM/WB band station presets (24 FM Band stereo presets, 5 AM Band presets, and 4 Weather Band presets), Channel 1-7 digital Weather Band reception, FM/AM band selector button, FM band frequency range: 87.5-108 MHz, AM band frequency range: 530-1710 kHz, FM band channel step tuning: .1 MHz, AM band channel step tuning: 10 kHz, WB channel step tuning: 1 channel, FM stereo reception, menu system controlled tuner operation, FM and WB Local/DX menu control for clear reception of FM/WB stations that are interfered with by strong radio waves, FM/WB headphone cord antenna, built-in AM ferrite bar antenna, FM/AM/WB digital auto preset station scan (D.A.P.S.) for approximately 5 seconds, auto station scan preset memory input, manual preset station selection, manual seek tuning, preset station replacement and cancelation options, Sony MDR-023 open-air stereo headphones with 3.5mm mini plug connector, adjustable headband for maximum comfort, 3.5mm stereo headphone jack, 4 track, 2 channel stereo cassette player, single-direction playback, pull open/push close cassette compartment door, cassette door open indicator, cassette tape transport controls including: Rewind, Play, Fast Forward, and Stop recessed side panel buttons, Type I normal bias cassette playback, cassette player frequency response: 40-15,000 Hz, Mega Bass enhancement feature, Mega Bass menu function on/off control setting, AVLS volume distortion reduction system, hold function to prevent accidental operation, on/off hold slide switch for tuner operation buttons only, menu button, enter button, preset/manual tuning +/- controls, radio off button, WB band selector button, multi-function digital LCD display, 4 item menu control system (Mega Bass, Tuning Mode, FM Mode, and AVLS menu adjustments) battery life indicator, one AA cell battery operation, 1.5 V DC power rating, battery compartment cover, bottom panel slot-loading battery compartment, DC battery terminals, thumbwheel-style rotary analog volume control, button press beep confirmation, soft carrying case with clear plastic overlay over front panel tuner controls, tape transport controls and battery compartment cutouts, Velcro closure strap, and attached rear belt clip, compact design, robust build quality, attractive silver/black exterior finish, and it comes with operating instructions. The Sony Walkman Cassette Player also utilizes an Automatic Volume Limiter System (AVLS) volume distortion reduction system. The Sony Walkman portable cassette player does have a hold feature to prevent an accidental button press of the Menu, Set, Preset/Tuning +/-, and Enter buttons. The Sony Walkman WM-FX290W Cassette Player includes a 90-day labor and 1 year parts limited manufacturer warranty. The product dimensions are as follows: Height: 4-1/2”, Width: 3-3/8”, Depth: 1-1/8”, and system weight: 5 ounces. The LCD includes the following status information: Menu system cursor, Mega Bass indicator, Tune Mode Preset/Manual indicator, FM Mode Local indicator, AVLS ON indicator, Hold indicator, remaining battery life indicator, FM/AM/WB band indicator, FM/AM station frequency, and FM/AM/WB station preset number. This unit will play pre-recorded cassette tapes and homemade cassette tapes with music or voice content from your personal collection. The Sony Walkman can’t record off the built-in 3-band digital tuner. Please note that the Sony Walkman does not feature auto-reverse playback, cassette tape erasure, a digital clock, and it can’t be operated on AC power. The Sony Walkman does not offer TV band sound or a built-in speaker. This unit automatically finds local market FM/AM/WB radio stations from low to high frequencies in each frequency band when setting up memory station presets. The tuner automatically stops at each received station for 5 seconds to allow the user time to store the station into memory if desired for later retrieval. The digital auto preset scan feature enables the user to find programming of interest across the broadcast radio bands by listening to each preset station for a short time. When the user finds desired content on any particular station, the D.A.P.S. feature can be suspended by pressing the FM/AM or WB band selector buttons. The digital auto preset 5 second scan feature does not function if there are no FM/AM/WB presets stored in this unit’s memory. All of my cassette tapes play with clear, detailed, and nuanced sound quality on this portable audio system. The Sony Walkman’s tape transport mechanism is reliable and very smooth. Make certain to press the Stop button after the tape has been completely wound or rewound. The Sony Walkman shows a 3-stage battery life indicator in the LCD (Full battery, Weak battery, and Depleted flashing battery icons). The battery should be removed from this unit when the Sony Walkman is placed into storage for an extended period of time. The LCD is always active as it displays current system menu settings. The Sony Walkman remembers the last radio station tuned to when it’s powered off. This Sony Walkman’s included stereo headphones are very comfortable to wear and they provide natural sound reproduction. I must admit that I am thoroughly entertained for every minute that I am listening to my Sony Walkman WM-FX290W Cassette Player. Whether it’s at the beach, on the road, in a hotel room, a poolside private listening session, the local park, on the boardwalk, the library, the morning jog, or at the sidewalk café, the Sony Walkman produces a memorable concert quality presentation. The Sony Walkman performs admirably at home and it can deliver quality audio during a minor inclement weather event as well. Good Luck. Enjoy.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+13points
16out of 19found this review helpful.
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Review 2 for Sony Walkman Cassette Player with Digital AM/FM/Weather Band Tuner
Good product, Misleading Online Order Info
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: Giacomo2222
from Melrose Park, IL
on 06/30/2011
What's great about it: Affordable pocket radio.
What's not so great: No TV band. Cassette player is superfluous b/c cassette tapes are practically a thing of the past.
I have purchased several of these products in the past. They work well. My issue, however, is with the photo associated with the item (WM-FX290W) on Best Buys web site. The picture shows a model with "TV" imprinted on it. A buyer who is not looking closely would conclude that this Walkman has a TV band in add'n to AM/FM & Weather Band. Not true. Buyer beware.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
2out of 3found this review helpful.
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Review 3 for Sony Walkman Cassette Player with Digital AM/FM/Weather Band Tuner
Light duty, but serves the purpose.
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: Phoenix1652
from Wash., D.C.
on 01/25/2011
Value for Price
4.0
Sound Quality
4.0
Features
3.0
What's great about it: Light weight, simple to operate
What's not so great: Casing feels flimsy.
I own upwards of 100 audio books on tape. I may eventually have to convert them to mp3s (or buy mp3 replacements), but in the meantime, I NEED a functioning portable tape player. I've owned three Sony Walkmans and bought this one bec/ of a report that Sony is going to stop making them. My 5-yr-old, much better "Sport" model, with auto-reverse and heavy-duty casing, still functions (new, it's selling for as much as three hundred dollars--and I paid only about sixty dollars for it!!!!!) and is a much nicer, more substantial player than this model. Still, this less expensive, lighter weight model does get the job done. The sound quality is sufficent for books on tape, although, I doubt it would be satisfying for music. So for anyone who likes to listen to books on tape, I'd encourage you to stock up now! At the price, it's a good value.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+3points
3out of 3found this review helpful.
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Review 4 for Sony Walkman Cassette Player with Digital AM/FM/Weather Band Tuner
A Good Walkman
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: Ggma2
from Windsor, California
on 12/03/2010
What's great about it: Good Sound
What's not so great: N/A
I have been promising myself to get a new one since I have a lot of cassettes. So when I heard they were not going to be made anymore I decided now if the time. Glad I did. Good product. Works great. Clear sound.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+2points
2out of 2found this review helpful.
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Review 5 for Sony Walkman Cassette Player with Digital AM/FM/Weather Band Tuner
would recommend
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: magenta42
from Miami, FL
on 10/04/2010
Value for Price
5.0
Sound Quality
5.0
Durability
5.0
Features
4.0
What's great about it: see my comment
Although I seem to be 30 years behind the times, It has comfortable earphones, plays my old cassettes, is run by battery power and will be a great addition to my hurricane / power outage supplies.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+6points
6out of 6found this review helpful.
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Review 6 for Sony Walkman Cassette Player with Digital AM/FM/Weather Band Tuner
Good Walkman For Travelling and Bus Stops
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: gccradioscience
from Virginia Beach
on 09/21/2010
Value for Price
4.0
Sound Quality
5.0
Durability
2.0
Features
4.0
What's great about it: Weather Band, FM/AM, Tape
What's not so great: No Auto Reverse feature, No TV analog band for LPTV services, battery door breaks easily.
This Walkman is good for traveling and for listening to music waiting for the bus. I have had this Walkman for a long time, the FM reception is mediocre overloads in strong signal areas, so it's best to use headphones with a shorter cord. The AM band is good, but does not pull in all semi local stations like other Walkmans I have had before. The weather band does not work well in my area, they need to make the weather band more narrow like scanner reception Narrow FM, if they do that it will come in better. The weather band is set to WFM. The cassette player is good, but no Auto Reverse feature so when you are jogging you have to stop and flip the tape over. Still the Walkman is good and suitable for the price. Another problem I had was the battery door on the Walkman when one of my friends did something to upset it it broke and it will not click. Still when is Sony going to come out with a ATSC tuning feature on their next set of Walkmans? Still the TV band is good for LPTV stations and full service analog TV stations in your area. There is only one station in my area that is analog and that is channel 5 and is still on the air.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+6points
6out of 6found this review helpful.
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Review 7 for Sony Walkman Cassette Player with Digital AM/FM/Weather Band Tuner
Nice cassette player
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: rockman211
from Knoxville, TN
on 01/11/2010
Value for Price
4.0
Sound Quality
5.0
Durability
5.0
Features
5.0
What's great about it: Sounds great, fair price
What's not so great: Price could be lower
This is a nice player for the money. Bought it for books on tape and it does a good job for this purpose. Music is ok but not great.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+8points
9out of 10found this review helpful.
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Review 8 for Sony Walkman Cassette Player with Digital AM/FM/Weather Band Tuner
Just what I needed
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: cindyjd
from Aiea, Hi
on 01/05/2010
Value for Price
4.0
Sound Quality
4.0
Durability
4.0
Features
4.0
What's great about it: am now able to listen to my cassette tapes from the '70 and '80 will on the go
What's not so great: no way to plug it into ac/dc when at home
I am really enjoying this. Just what I was looking for and believe me it was not easy to find. I am so glad Best Buy continues to carry things for us older generation.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+6points
6out of 6found this review helpful.
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Review 9 for Sony Walkman Cassette Player with Digital AM/FM/Weather Band Tuner
Good Radio, Bad Battery Door
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: Norman4ever
from Gilroy, CA
on 01/03/2010
Value for Price
5.0
Sound Quality
5.0
Durability
3.0
Features
5.0
What's great about it: Easy To Work, Good Functions
What's not so great: Battery Door Comes Open After Drops, Scratches Badly
I have bought three of the SONY WALKMAN WM-FX290W's from Two stores in different locations. The radio got scratched and battery door breaks after falls. I am using the Radio with ease.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+6points
6out of 6found this review helpful.
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Review 10 for Sony Walkman Cassette Player with Digital AM/FM/Weather Band Tuner
Sony Walkman
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: TN1
from Newton ,Ks
on 11/22/2009
Value for Price
5.0
Sound Quality
5.0
Durability
5.0
Features
5.0
What's great about it: The features and the price.
What's not so great: Nothing
I've owned several Wlakmans before. This one come with a case to carry it on your belt. I also like to several bands for weather. I'm glad I purchased iit. Portable tape players/recorders are hard to find.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+6points
6out of 6found this review helpful.
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Review 11 for Sony Walkman Cassette Player with Digital AM/FM/Weather Band Tuner
Short In Headphones After A Few Months
Customer Rating
3.0
Posted by: DaffyD
from Seattle, WA
on 09/10/2009
Value for Price
4.0
Sound Quality
4.0
Durability
1.0
Features
3.0
What's great about it: Great sound and FM reception
What's not so great: Headphones shorted out.
I used to be a big Aiwa fan but they're not around anymore and so I had to buy a Sony Walkman. The sound is good but I wish they had designed separate preset buttons for the radio stations instead of the setup the Walkman uses. AM/FM reception is pretty good, and I'm also able to get at least one of the weather bands. My biggest gripe is that one of the channels in the headphones went out after about 4 months of use. I haven't contacted Sony yet to see if they'll replace them under warranty. I can update my review after I talk with them. I can recommend the product on the basis that it's the only small portable unit I know of that will play cassette tapes.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+5points
5out of 5found this review helpful.
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Review 12 for Sony Walkman Cassette Player with Digital AM/FM/Weather Band Tuner
SONY WALKMAN DIGITAL WX
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: ReidJr
from MUNCIE, INDIANA
on 05/15/2009
Value for Price
4.0
Sound Quality
4.0
Durability
4.0
Features
5.0
What's great about it: Cool Design Gobbs of Features
What's not so great: Weather receiption weak but live far from NOAA transmissions.
Overall great performance need to study instructions. Toy with the functions to make use of the digital & audio radio buttons and its display. If you change batteries you loose programming. Then reboot the memory. Yet its a fine audio device. I also have the analog walkman is easier to use. Both are fun on the go radio cassette walkmans.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+3points
3out of 3found this review helpful.
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Review 13 for Sony Walkman Cassette Player with Digital AM/FM/Weather Band Tuner
Poor Quality and Performance
Customer Rating
2.0
Posted by: TJ1234
from Sacramento, CA
on 12/11/2008
Value for Price
3.0
Sound Quality
2.0
Durability
3.0
Features
5.0
What's great about it: About the only casette Walkman left
What's not so great: FM tuner and Wether Band have very poor performance
Bought one of these and could not receive the local Weather band. Also could not receive any FM stations below 94.7 and the station at that frequency bled over all the lower frequencies. After about a month the unit had trouble receiving the local 50,000 watt AM station. Returned it to Sony for repair or replacement - Cost $26 exchange and shipping to do a warranty exchange (Unit cost about $35 plus tax). New unit no better. My 20 year old Sony Walkman was much better but cassette deck gave out.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
+3points
4out of 5found this review helpful.
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Review 14 for Sony Walkman Cassette Player with Digital AM/FM/Weather Band Tuner
blast from the past
Customer Rating
4.0
Value for Price
3.0
Sound Quality
3.0
Durability
3.0
Features
2.0
What's great about it: plays my old tape collection
What's not so great: sound quality
needed something to play my old analog audio cassettes, so picked this up. it will have to do until i convert or replace my collection with digital ones
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1out of 1found this review helpful.
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Review 15 for Sony Walkman Cassette Player with Digital AM/FM/Weather Band Tuner
great player
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
5.0
Sound Quality
5.0
Durability
5.0
Features
5.0
What's great about it: price
What's not so great: sound
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.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+3points
3out of 3found this review helpful.
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Review 16 for Sony Walkman Cassette Player with Digital AM/FM/Weather Band Tuner
Great Purchase
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: BryanBuyThingsLots
on 07/20/2008
What's great about it: Very High Tech! Loved it.
What's not so great: I only have 2!
Great product, easy to use, and just the right amount of techness.
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
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Review 17 for Sony Walkman Cassette Player with Digital AM/FM/Weather Band Tuner
Good Purchase
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: Bucko
from Columbus,Ohio(Go Bucks.)
on 04/19/2008
What's great about it: Easy to use;
What's not so great: Belt clip should be attached to unit and not carrying case.
It works and is easy to use.I enjoy being able to listen to all my old tapes or radio stations.This suits my purposes.I am not caught up in all high tech gadgets.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+5points
5out of 5found this review helpful.
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