WM-EX59

The WM-EX59 is a more premium interpretation of the same flat EX-series playback platform, distinguished mainly by its LCD-equipped remote earphone controller. It kept the auto-reverse transport, Mega Bass, Dolby B noise reduction, anti-rolling support, logic control, and slim single-AA form of the EX53/57 branch, but framed the listening experience around more elegant external control and a slightly more elevated user feel. The core machine remained compact and disciplined.

These are the kinds of models where Sony was clearly selling polish more than mechanical difference. The EX59 is the cassette Walkman was becoming subtly luxurious without changing its physical scale very much. That makes it a good example of how refinement was being packaged in the mid-1990s: not necessarily through radical engineering, but through better handling and better accessories.