What if Sony Walkman came back as wireless headphones in 2025?

(Credit: km5)

• 🎧 These headphones look a lot like the ones for the Sony Walkman, but modern

• 🛜 They feature wireless connections, noise cancellation, 24 hours of battery life, and a design that weighs just 103 grams

• 🇯🇵 They’re made by a Japanese company called km5

• 💰 The Lightwear Headphones Hp1 are available for $189

If you don’t like the way modern headphones are designed, like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra or Sony WH-1000XM5, perhaps these Walkman-inspired cans will suit you.

The headphones are made by a company called km5 out of Japan, and they’re essentially hyper-futuristic Sony Walkman headphones with all the modern conveniences that technology affords us. The best part? They’re pretty affordable.

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Originally available through a crowdfunding website, the Lightwear Headphones Hp1 look a lot like the headphones that came with the Walkman and various portable audio players sold 25 years ago. The design weighs just 103 grams (less than half of Sony’s XM5s) and is much less prominent, while still sporting an eye-catching exterior. They sort of give Fantastic Four vibes.

(Credit: km5)

km5 made the Hp1 headphones customizable. While the stainless steel head band remains in place, the ear pads are magnetic, so you can swap them out for different colors if you want. It’s a great little bonus to the unique design language.

The Hp1 headphones come with 40mm drivers for sound and Bluetooth 5.4 for a completely wireless connection to your device (in addition to USB-C wired connections). They also support noise cancellation and transparency mode. I’m not sure how well either will work since the cans themselves sit on your ears instead of around them, but I’m looking forward to giving it a go.

These headphones also come with 24 hours of battery life on a full charge, dual microphones, dual connectivity, and USB-C charging. You can also talk to your phone’s voice assistant with the microphones built into the headphones.

Surprisingly enough, the Hp1s are priced at $189, which is pretty affordable for these unique headphones. You can buy them now on km5’s website, and orders are already starting to ship out.

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Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut. He’s been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.