WM-R2

Efforts to add stereo recording to the compact WM-2 frame led to the WM-R2, a model that attempted to build a recorder upward from Sony's smallest playback design. Engineers produced the first Walkman with a stereo microphone, dual headphone jacks, and a manual transport in a housing close to WM-2 dimensions.

The proportions stayed familiar, now in an all-metal shell topped by a distinctive stereo mic. The silver mesh and tape counter gave the unit a level of precision unusual for a recorder this small.

It was a refined design, a sign that Sony wanted to test how much capability could fit into a frame of this size. Inside, the limits became clear. Recording levels were automatic, erase used a permanent magnet to save space, and recording worked only with ferric tape. Playback supported chrome and metal, but recording did not, and there was no Dolby noise reduction.