WM-R707

The WM-R707 is a slim high-end cassette recorder built on the same mature late-1980s premium design language as Sony's better playback models, combining auto-reverse in both playback and record modes with Dolby B, Dynamic Bass Boost, logic control, and a built-in microphone in a compact metal chassis. It uses the same refined transport philosophy as its playback-oriented siblings but extended it into a machine built to capture as well as reproduce sound. The overall effect was more serious than most everyday recorder Walkman.

This model shows how far Sony had pushed the recorder branch away from the chunky utilitarian machines of the early 1980s. The R707 gave users real recording flexibility without forcing them into something that looked or felt like a field recorder. It sits within the point when the premium Walkman was no longer simply for listening, but for doing more while still staying elegant.