WM-F550C

The WM-F550C extended the sound-focused WM-550C formula into the radio category, combining FM, AM, and TV reception with Dolby B and C noise reduction, an EX Amorphous head, Dynamic Bass Boost, and auto-reverse in a compact horizontal body. The metal shell and slim proportions kept it feeling closer to a premium playback machine than a bulky tuner-driven hybrid, while the extra circuitry gave it broader everyday use without fundamentally changing its character.

This is a very typical late-1980s Sony move in the best sense: take a well-defined non-radio player and make the radio version without compromising what made the original appealing. The F550C is more than "the same one with a tuner," but a good example of how Sony managed to build parallel families that still felt coherent at every level. It sits within the branch for listeners who wanted quality first and flexibility second, but still wanted both.