WM-60

The WM-60 is a compact cassette player that sat near the upper end of Sony's 1986 non-radio lineup, building on the earlier WM-2-style formula while adding a surprising amount of control without growing much in size. It features auto-reverse with selectable repeat or stop behavior at the end of a side, Dolby B noise reduction, and a five-band graphic equalizer whose sliders are built directly into the cassette door. Dual headphone jacks remain for shared listening, while the metal door and chromed transport keys give it a sturdier, more polished feel than many ordinary midrange players.

This model shows Sony beginning to treat portable listening as something users might want to actively shape rather than just consume. The equalizer alone pushes it beyond the usual play-and-go logic of earlier Walkman, but without turning it into a radio hybrid or specialist machine. It is a compact player for users who already know what they like and want a little more control over how their tapes sound on the move.