This Sony "Walkman" portable tape player dates from the early 1980s. Originally introduced in 1979 as the “Soundabout,” two people could listen simultaneously while a small microphone permitted them to converse without removing their headsets. Powered by a 9-volt battery, the recorder sold well until the decline of the cassette format in the mid 2000s. Until the middle of the twentieth century portable recording equipment could be quite heavy. The introduction of small transistor radios in 1954 marked a new era in portable entertainment. Philips’ invention of a compact recording cassette in 1962 provided a convenient medium for music distribution.
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Sony TPS-L2 "Walkman" Cassette Player
- Description
- This Sony "Walkman" portable tape player dates from the early 1980s. Originally introduced in 1979 as the “Soundabout,” two people could listen simultaneously while a small microphone permitted them to converse without removing their headsets. Powered by a 9-volt battery, the recorder sold well until the decline of the cassette format in the mid 2000s.
- Until the middle of the twentieth century portable recording equipment could be quite heavy. The introduction of small transistor radios in 1954 marked a new era in portable entertainment. Philips’ invention of a compact recording cassette in 1962 provided a convenient medium for music distribution.
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
- maker
- Sony
- date made
- ca 1980
- Credit Line
- from Sony Corporation of America
- Physical Description
- plastic (parts material)
- metal (parts material)
- Measurements
- player: 5 1/2 in x 3 1/2 in x 1 1/8 in; 13.97 cm x 8.89 cm x 2.8575 cm
- Object Name
- magnetic recording device
- tape recorder
- cassette player
- Other Terms
- tape recorder; Audio Devices
