WM-172

The WM-172 completed the 17X playback trio with the same compact internal platform as the WM-170 and WM-171, retaining auto-reverse, Dolby B noise reduction, Dynamic Bass Boost, the EX Amorphous head, and a manual tape selector. What set it apart is its titanium-colored finish, which gave the player a slightly more technical and gadget-like presence than the black or pearl variants despite sharing the same underlying construction. The controls and body proportions remained deliberately simple.

By then Sony understood that not every variation needed to be functional to be meaningful. The WM-172 was the version for buyers who wanted their Walkman to look a little more modern or engineered without paying for a more advanced branch of the lineup. It was a compact but useful reminder that late-cassette Sony was often selling mood as much as mechanism.