WM-EX621

The WM-EX621 is a consumer playback Walkman from Sony's 2001 EX line, built around a compact upright body with a metal frame, automatic tape selection, and external battery support. It offers auto-reverse playback, logic controls, Automatic Music Sensor, blank skip, and a more aggressively processed sound profile than many earlier EX players, using Groove and Revitalizer-enhanced DBB modes plus a tonal equalizer instead of relying on Dolby noise reduction. The includes remote kept it aligned with Sony's established in-pocket listening habits, even as the sound tuning shifted toward a more late-period, effect-driven style.

This model reflects a subtle change in what Sony thought remaining cassette users wanted. By this point, Sony was no longer building around purity or mechanical prestige, but around making older tape collections feel more energetic and immediate through processing and convenience. It is a Walkman from the phase where enhancement had started to matter more than fidelity.