WM-EX170

The WM-EX170 is a low-end EX-series cassette player that kept things simple, combining Mega Bass and AVLS in a basic plastic body powered by two AA batteries. It avoided auto-reverse, Dolby noise reduction, and most of the more advanced playback features found further up the EX line, keeping the layout direct and clearly cost-conscious. This model existed very close to the bottom of Sony's late cassette range.

A product like this tells you Sony was still protecting the entry point even at the end of the decade. The EX170 was not trying to turn cassette into a premium object or a fashion statement.