WM-EX552

The WM-EX552 is a slim upper-mid EX-series playback Walkman built around a slim metal-and-plastic body powered by a single AA cell. It combined auto-reverse playback, Dolby B noise reduction, Groove bass enhancement, AVLS, AMS song search, blank skip, logic controls, hold, and remote compatibility, with an external battery compartment helping preserve flexibility without giving up the smaller profile. The overall machine was clearly built to feel lighter and more efficient than the upright two-AA models below it.

This is where the late EX line started feeling more resolved as an object. The EX552 is not a flagship, but it already carries many of the habits of Sony's better late cassette players: search, skip, remote use, compactness, and a body meant to stay tucked away while the listener interacts from the cord. It reads more as a serious everyday portable from the final mature phase of the format.