WM-EQ7

The WM-EQ7 is a low-end Beans-series cassette Walkman that kept the line's signature rounded plastic body and bright translucent styling while simplifying the overall package into an easy casual-use player. It offers auto-reverse playback, automatic volume control, manual tape switching, and standard earbud listening powered by two AA batteries, with a belt strap reinforcing its role as something meant to be carries and handled lightly. Mechanically it stayed close to the most basic side of the late Walkman spectrum.

What makes the EQ7 interesting is that it shows how Sony was still willing to sustain a design-driven cassette branch even when the hardware itself had become very simple. Here, not a machine built around technical distinction, but around mood, color, and ease of ownership. It reads as the kind of Walkman bought because it looked fun to live with.