Relive Your Walkman Days By Getting Ready With Freddie

A classic Sony Walkman portable cassette player on display at the ‘I Grew Up 80s’ exhibition at Dorset Museum.

Getty Images

Are you old enough to remember when the original Sony Walkman that was launched, way back in 1979? Unfortunately, I am old enough and I can distinctly remember their MDR-3L2 headphones with vibrant orange foam earpads and a flat metal headband.

At the time, anyone wearing a pair of headphones in public must have resembled an alien. Before then, there was no way of listening to headphones without being tethered to a hi-fi system in the home. Only hi-fi buffs and airline pilots used headphones.

I recall the first time I used my Walkman in public; it was on a train traveling between Düsseldorf and Dortmund, in West Germany. You would have thought I’d sprouted a pair of green antennae by the way everyone on that train stared at me. These days, almost everyone wears a pair of headphones or earbuds in public and we don’t even notice.

If you hanker after a pair of those early Walkman-style headphones, you’re in luck because We Are Rewind has expanded its growing range of retro audio products by launching the new Freddie wireless headphones. The EQ-002 headphones are designed to complement the We Are Rewind’s popular WE-001 series of personal cassette players, which launched last year.

Back To The 1980s

Inspired by the iconic Sony Walkman headphones of the late 1970s and early 1980s, the new We Are Rewind Freddie headphones combine a lightweight vintage aesthetic with the latest Bluetooth wireless technology.

The new headphones include Bluetooth 6 connectivity and can be used to listen wirelessly with We Are Rewind’s WE-001 cassette players as well as Bluetooth-equipped devices like smartphones or computers. The headphones also ship with a 3.5mm wired cable for listening to legacy devices with the full analog experience. Maybe you even have an old Walkman cassette or CD player in your attic.

These new headphones are designed for easy, everyday use and weigh just 66g. A full charge of the built-in battery can deliver up to 14 hours of playtime between charges. Integrated controls on the headphones offer access to music playback controls and they can be used to receive or make phone calls using the built-in microphone.

Pricing and Availability:

The new Freddie wireless headphones from We Are Rewind are available now and priced at $59 / £43 / €49.

Tech Specs:

• Drivers: 36mm.
• Frequency response: 20Hz – 20,000Hz ± 3dB.
• Sensitivity: 106 ±3dB SPL/mW.
• Impedance: 32Ω ±10%.
• Total harmonic distortion (THD): < 2%.
• Bluetooth: Version 6.0.
• Wireless range: approx. 10m.
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 6.0 wireless mode, Wired mode via 2.5 mm to 3.5 mm jack cable (120 cm included).
• Charging: USB-C connector.
• Battery power consumption: 5V / 200mA.
• Charging time: approx. 3 hours.
• Battery life: approx. 14 hours.
• Weight: Approx. 66g.
• Materials: Stainless steel, plastic, foam.