The 'Portable CD War': The 20-Year Battle Between SONY and Panasonic from Discman to CD Walkman
November 1984.
In an electronics store in Ginza, Tokyo, a crowd had gathered around a small machine.
"Can you really carry a CD around?"
When the clerk pressed the play button, a small disc began to spin silently.
What flowed from the earphones was not a record or a cassette, but a crystal-clear digital sound.
It was the moment the future of "carrying a CD" became a reality for the first time in the world.
The name of that machine was the SONY D-50.
It is the origin of the "Discman," which would later be loved all over the world.
However, this story is not just a success story for Sony.
Panasonic, AIWA, KENWOOD, CASIO, Philips—the fierce technological competition waged by Japanese and overseas manufacturers for over 20 years created the perfected form of the "portable CD player" that we know today.
Chapter 1: The Era When People Said "CDs Won't Catch On" (1982)
October 1, 1982.
The Compact Disc (CD), jointly developed by Sony and Philips, appeared on the market.
Sony released the world's first home CD player, the "CDP-101."
Although the CDP-101 is now spoken of as a historic masterpiece, its reception at the time of release was by no means a "guaranteed victory."
Many audio enthusiasts at the time loved records.
Records offer the joy of looking at the jacket, the ritual of dropping the needle, and the warm sound unique to analog.
On the other hand, the appeal of CDs, other than the fact that they had 'clean sound,' had not yet been fully conveyed.
Furthermore, the price was about 170,000 yen.
It is a high-priced product that would be considered close to 400,000 yen in today's terms.
In other words, CDs were products aimed at a select group of audiophiles.
However, Sony was convinced.
'Digital music will definitely become popular in households.'
The problem was, 'How do we deliver it to the general public?'
Chapter 2: The Impossible Order of 'Four CD Cases'
There is a famous story behind the development here.
What the Sony development manager placed in front of the engineers was a single wooden model.
13.4 centimeters square.
About 4 centimeters thick.
It was exactly the size of four CD cases.
'Make it in this size.'
Today, we have CAD and 3D design.
But back in 1983, it was different.
Circuit boards were large, and ICs were not as high-performance as they are now.
The motor to spin the CD.
Servo circuits to control the laser.
DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter).
Headphone amplifier.
And battery power. Four batteries were needed to obtain sufficient power.
Fitting these into a limited space was a task where there were more 'reasons why it couldn't be done' than not.
The development team rebuilt the circuit boards many times, adjusted component placement by the millimeter, and reviewed the circuits from scratch to reduce power consumption.
One engineer later recalled, 'It was days of laying out parts on the desk, taking them off, and laying them out again.'
This obsession would lead to a later revolution.
Chapter 3: 1984, The Birth of the World's First Portable CD Player
November 1984.
Sony releases the D-50.
The price was 49,800 yen.
It was less than half the price of a stationary model.
Looking only at the specs,
Weight: approx. 590g
About the size of 4 CD cases
Battery powered
Today, you would likely feel it is 'heavy'.
However, in 1984, the very fact that you could carry a CD around in this size was a miracle.
It is said that at in-store demonstrations, people would take turns listening to the earphones.
'Can I really hear sound like this outside?'
The surprise was beyond imagination.
What is interesting is that the early D-50 did not have the 'Discman' logo.
The catalog referred to it as a 'CD Compact Player'.
Later, it was given the brand name 'Discman,' which became the symbol for the entire series.
Chapter 4: The Reason Panasonic Became the 'True Rival'
Seeing the success of the D-50, there was one company that felt the most sense of crisis.
Matsushita Electric (now Panasonic).
However, Matsushita did not fight the same way as Sony.
That is where the difference in corporate culture lies.
Matsushita's design philosophy was consistent.
'If you use it every day, it should be lighter.'
Considering that students would put it in their bags every day, they focused thoroughly on weight reduction and long battery life.
In this way, the SL-S series became the standard CD player for commuting to school.
From here on, for about 10 years,
'Sony for sound, Panasonic for ease of use'
became the established dynamic.
Chapter 5: Even the Advertising Was a War
Looking at catalogs from the 1990s, the personality of each manufacturer is surprisingly different.
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SONY
Urban.
Futuristic.
Sophisticated.
A metallic device against a black background.
'The freedom to carry music with you.'
That was their worldview.
Panasonic
Bright colors.
Students.
Everyday life.
'Use it every day.'
Just by looking at the advertisements, you can understand the company's philosophy.
Not only the products, but even the strategy of 'who to sell to' was different.
Chapter 6: The Greatest Enemy Was 'Skipping'
If you were a user back then, you probably remember.
Walking.
Going down stairs.
Running.
And then the sound would skip.
It is hard to believe now, but that was truly the case with early portable CD players.
The greatest enemy was not a rival manufacturer, but
the laws of physics.
that was the case.
SONY's turnaround with 'ESP'
Sony changed its approach.
'If it's going to shake, we should just read it ahead of time.'
This was ESP (Electronic Skip Protection).
It was a technology that could be called the ancestor of the 'buffer' used in today's streaming.
Thanks to the read-ahead memory, the sound became much less likely to stop even while walking.
Panasonic also advanced its shock-resistant design and developed DSSP. The competition to prevent sound skipping became increasingly intense.
Chapter 7: The Sound Quality War was a 'DAC War'
Once sound skipping was improved, the next battle became one of sound quality.
From here on, it was an era that audiophiles were passionate about.
SONY's masterpiece models
D-555.
D-Z555.
These are legendary models that aimed for sound quality approaching that of stationary equipment.
They adopted the CXD series DAC and are still traded at high prices today.
Panasonic's MASH
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Panasonic countered with the 1-bit DAC 'MASH'.
It achieved both power efficiency and high sound quality, making it an excellent match for portable devices.
The legend of Philips
Philips DACs, such as the TDA1543 and TDA1545, remain popular in vintage audio today.
By this time, some people even began choosing models based on 'which DAC was inside.'
There were DACs with distinct personalities, such as those with expansive sound or lustrous sound.
Chapter 8: AIWA and KENWOOD, Their Respective Ways of Fighting
AIWA competed through youth culture.
Heavy bass.
Colorful.
Fashionability.
It became popular as the 'first CD player to buy'.
On the other hand, KENWOOD remained a sound quality enthusiast until the end.
It was not flashy.
However,
'If it's sound, it's KENWOOD.'
Smooth and pleasant sound.
It was a manufacturer that received such an evaluation.
Chapter 9: The Day 'Discman' Disappeared
1997.
Sony changed the Discman in Japan to
CD Walkman
as its name.
This was a brand strategy.
Walkman.
MD Walkman.
DAT Walkman.
CD Walkman.
They unified portable music devices into a single premier brand.
In 2000, it was unified under the Walkman brand worldwide.
The name Discman disappeared.
However, it did not disappear from people's memories.
Chapter 10: The Last Golden Age
The 2000s.
The CD Walkman reached its final form.
MP3 CD
ATRAC
G-PROTECTION
Ultra-thin
100-hour class battery
Digital amplifier
It was a different beast from the 1984 D-50.
However, around that time, a new enemy appeared.
iPod
MP3 player
Smartphone
The era shifted from discs to data.
The Discman was not just a 'machine,' but an 'era'.
There is a reason why the younger generation is picking up the Discman now.
Choose a CD.
Insert it.
Press PLAY.
Wait a few seconds.
Hear the spinning sound.
And then the music begins.
This 'waiting time' turns music into a special experience.
This sound is unique, moving, and unlike anything else.
Smartphones offer overwhelming convenience.
You can play your favorite songs instantly.
And with ultra-high resolution and high sound quality.
Even so, we must not forget.
Deep at the foundation lies the fact that in 1984, Sony released the D-50, the world's first portable CD player.
As well as the technological competition with Panasonic.
And ESP.
And MASH.
And the D-555.
And the CD Walkman.
The Discman is not a product that existed for only a fleeting moment in time.
It is proof that Japanese engineers spent 20 years seriously competing to be the best in the world regarding sound and portable performance.