Modular media player concept brings iconic Winamp design to the physical world

Posted on 27/04/2024 by JC Torres

With almost everyone owning a smartphone these days, the need for dedicated media players has plummeted significantly. That’s not to say they’ve completely disappeared, especially those types that can be placed and displayed on desks or shelves. The retro design craze has breathed new life into old products like turntables, but these aren’t the only designs from bygone ages that deserve to be rediscovered. Some of these old-school designs come from the digital realm, where some software have achieved near immortality thanks to their distinctive user interfaces. Winamp is one of those iconic faces when it comes to music player applications, and this concept turns that into an actual device that, just like the digital original, can somewhat be configured to suit your needs and moods.

Designer: Eslam Mhd

By modern standards, the original design of the Winamp media player app is clearly outdated, but it remained a darling until recently because of its flexibility. It supported using different skins to personalize the software’s appearance, which naturally led to hundreds of designs, some of which might even make you want to gouge out your eyes. At the very least, Winamp followed a LEGO-like design where you can move parts of the app around or even remove them completely, depending on your needs.

This concept design for a device of the same name follows the latter aspect of Winamp’s design, particularly the ability to move its three main panels around or even leave one out. Like the original Winamp, the media player device has a component for the actual media controls with a single-line display for the current music, one for the equalizer, and another for displaying album art and the playlist. All three can be stacked together for a tall device that is propped up on a desk using the built-in kickstand of the equalizer. Or you can switch them around leaving only two components visible, as long as the equalizer is there to act as the base.

You can, for example, only have the media controls and the equalizer if you don’t mind not seeing the list of tracks and the album art. Or if you already have a fixed equalizer setting, you can put either the media player or the album display above it and then snap the other component in front of the equalizer to hide it. You can even show only the media player itself, with the other two hiding behind it. These components connect using strong magnets, so no rewiring is needed to make instant changes to the combination. And at the end of the day or if you want to take the device with you, you can simply collapse all the components in a sandwich and carry it around.

What’s interesting about this particular design is that it uses physical controls like sliders and buttons instead of simply employing a touch screen to offer the same interface. It’s like reverse skeuomorphism, where the digital user interface mimics the appearance and behavior of physical controls. Of course, this more physical design means you don’t get to use skins anymore, but it’s a small price to pay for such an intriguing device.

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Astell&Kern SP3000T is a modern music player with retro vacuum tube amps

Posted on 06/03/2024 by JC Torres

It’s not unusual these days to see plenty of retro-themed designs and products, all trying to capitalize on the strong emotions that nostalgia can bring. Most of these simply slap on a facade that mimics the aesthetic from decades past, but some do try to also recreate the experience by using what would be considered vintage technology or components. Of course, it’s not enough to just use old-school technologies, they also need to be properly integrated into today’s features. That’s the kind of balance that Astell&Kern’s latest portable music player tries to deliver, bringing a modern device that not only looks retro on the outside but partly on the inside as well, blending the present and the past in perfect harmony.

Designer: Astell&Kern

It might come as a surprise in the age of smartphones, but there are still companies producing music-playing devices that do only that. It allows the brand to focus solely on perfecting the listening experience without having to worry about cameras, cellular networks, and apps. As far as those portable music players go, Astell&Kern’s existing SP3000 is already quite distinctive with its hard, faceted, and angular design, giving it an almost industrial aesthetic, especially with its stainless steel body and 99.9% pure silver plating.

The SP3000T, however, gives that design a retro twist by adding dual vacuum tube amplifiers on the back of the device. These aren’t just for show, though, as they actually function the way the tube amps did in the past, using modern techniques and materials, of course. The tubes bring not just an analog appearance but also an analog sound, delivering a unique audio quality that can be best described as warm and soothing, qualities that are difficult to achieve simply using digital sound.

What’s even more interesting is that listeners won’t have to choose between one or the other. Yes, the SP3000T lets you switch between these analog tube amplifiers and the digital op-amp mode, but there is also a third hybrid option that mixes the two together. What you get is a combination of the precision and high-resolution output of the digital amp mixed with the warm tonal qualities of the analog vacuum tubes.

The Astell&Kern SP3000T also carries the brand’s latest audio technologies, including a digital-to-analog converter that promises a complete separation of digital and analog signals for the cleanest sounds. It also has 8GB of memory, boasted to be the highest in digital audio players, for smoother operations. And, yes, it also has a touch display, almost like a smartphone, that lets you enjoy not only album art but also themes, adding a bit of joy to this retro-modern listening experience.

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Samsung Music Frame turns your speaker into a work of art

Posted on 12/01/2024 by Ida Torres

When you have a speaker in your house or in your office, it’s easy to see that you have a speaker. Most are designed to be aesthetically pleasing but still you know that they are speakers. But then there are also speakers that can masquerade as something else, in case you wanted something that would blend in with the look of your room. Samsung announced at the recently concluded Consumer Electronics Show 2024 that they will be launching their newest “incognito” device, The Music Frame, which may soon be the latest addition to your wall.

Designer: Samsung

The Samsung Music Frame is a music speaker that can also camouflage as a picture frame for aesthetic purposes. It comes with a physical frame where you can place your photo or painting to hang on your wall and you can just surprise people that audio will be playing out of the frame. Unlike some of the similar products in the market, there is no digital part in the flame so the print that you’ll display is fully analog and can be changed whenever you want to since the notches that secure the print are easy to remove and attach.

The frame itself measures 12.9 x 12.9 inches but the space for the print is 8 x 8 inches. It is able to hide six speakers inside of its frame, including two woofers, two tweeters, and two midrange drivers. There are also waveguides included so the sound can be spread out in a bigger room. These speakers use intelligent audio processing so you get “premium audio experience”. If you pair it with Samsung TVs and soundbars, the Q-symphony technology will be able to give you surround sound. There is of course a thin power cable to connect it to an outlet but otherwise, there are no other wires needed as you connect it to your source device through Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

This isn’t the first time that Samsung has brought a device that can double as decoration. They previously released the Frame TV which has customizable bezels, a matte screen, and artwork that can appear on the screen when you want to use it as a display. There are no other details released yet like release date or price range but already there is a lot of interest generated after the announcement and demo at CES 2024.

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Industrial design influenced music player impresses with transparent body shell

Posted on 21/12/2023 by Gaurav Sood

For audiophiles the craving to hear the smallest little detail can lead to purchases that otherwise might seem pointless to normal music listeners. In times dominated by wireless audio solutions, a wired solution seems pre-historic but it does deliver superior audio. That’s why you can still find enthusiasts yearning for Sony, Shanling, FiiO, Astell & Kern or iBasso.

This Cyberpunkish MP3 music player concept is designed for geeky audio listeners who love to own gadgets that are a league apart. The transparent aesthetics expose all the hardware inside, letting you connect with the intricacies of the micro equipment like none other. This holds merit in a space where all the high-resolution MP3 players follow a predictable design language.

Designer: Alex Casabò

The interface of the music player induces elements of the famous Winamp player that ruled every geeks personal computer way back in the late 2000s. That’s mixed perfectly with the diffused amber LED lighting reminiscent of the Cyberpunk world. Use of metal inserts in X-shape to the bottom front section enhance its industrial appeal. While the designer doesn’t detail-in about the reinsertable part on the top behind the screen, I assume it’s the memory storage that can be connected to your PC for easy data transfer.

The Device is functional with a pair of AA batteries or can be charged up with the USB-C connector. To ensure seamless connectivity with you DAC’s or other audio equipment, there are ports on the left side. The whole design bears a raw industrial look – right from the menu buttons to the volume toggle buttons. There’s no clarity about the audio formats supported by the gadget – all we know is it atleast comes with plug-and-play MP3 support.