Sony relaunches 1979 Walkman MDR-3 headphones as MDR-3R with USB-C and Stranger Things edition

A near copy of the 1979 headphones

Sony has unveiled the MDR-3R, a wired headphone model that revisits the MDR-3 pair sold with the original Walkman in 1979. Reports from Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States describe the new set as very hard to tell apart from the original. It keeps the silver headband, the slim aluminium frame and the signature bend just above the earpiece, and the packaging and instruction manual were redesigned to resemble the 1979 box and inserts. TechRadar says it saw the old and new products side by side at a briefing, and Sony says it returned to its hand-drawn 1970s diagrams to rebuild the drivers.

Sound and design

The sound is the other half of the copy. The MDR-3R uses the same 23 mm transducers as the original, with the audio tuned to resemble the 1979 pair, according to The Independent. La Stampa gives the weight as 38 grams and reports that Sony describes the sound as warm and natural. The box holds two pairs of interchangeable ear cushions, one orange and one blue, and the orange foam cushions match those that came with the original headphones. Sony also kept the perforated earcups, which the company says form part of the acoustic design rather than being purely decorative.

What changed from 1979

The main update is the connector. Instead of a 3.5mm headphone jack, the MDR-3R connects to smartphones and other devices via USB-C. An in-line microphone handles calls, and a remote on the cable controls playback and track skipping. Europa Press reports that Sony presents the cable as the selling point, an alternative to audio gear that needs charging and pairing.

Prices and the Stranger Things edition

Prices differ by market. Europa Press reports 59 euros for the standard model, available from November, while The Independent gives £49 and Bloomberg lists $60. A Stranger Things edition, inspired by the headphones Max wears in the series, carries an engraved logo and Upside Down packaging. It costs 69 euros in Spain according to Europa Press and £59 according to The Independent, and TechRadar puts it at $20 or £20 more than the standard model.

A wired-audio revival

Sony frames the launch as part of a wider revival of physical audio, which TechRadar calls newtro, a blend of new and retro. Bloomberg describes the $60 MDR-3R as an inexpensive pair of wired headphones joining a growing trend. Circana, a market research firm, says US wired headphone sales fell for five consecutive years before rebounding in the second half of 2025, and that revenue from wired models rose 20% in the first six weeks of 2026.

The launch also follows the release of Sony's first new flagship Walkman players since 2022, the NW-WM1AM3 and NW-WM1ZM3, which feature touchscreen displays, music streaming and prices up to £4,299, according to The Independent. Europa Press also notes that the blue and orange pads let owners change the look of the headset, so the retro styling can be varied without changing the hardware.