Tag Archives: cd player

Concept CD player for Bang & Olufsen brings quality design and idea

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In case you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know that CDs have made a comeback the past years, thanks in part to the Japanese and Korean music industry. A lot of fans have been buying CDs (sometimes multiple copies) of their favorite artists and Gen Z in particular has a particular fondness for something they actually weren’t alive yet when it was popular. The older generations buy it for the nostalgia. Both are benefitting from the audio quality of uncompressed music. However, the quality of CD players are not on par with what we were used to back in the day.

Designer: Anthony Chupp

Most of the big name audio brands have not been producing CD players but what if someone like Bang & Olufsen comes up with one? A designer came up with a concept for the Beosound Compact after studying the design and quality principles of the brand. What he came up with is a sleek and minimalist portable CD player that seems worthy of the brand that he created this concept for. It also brings back nostalgia feels for those who brought their Sony Walkman CD player around, although this is much more classy and shiny.

To reduce the need for an LED display, the player uses turntable styles for its volume controls and actual touchable buttons for its play controls. It is also textured to highlight the touchpoints that you need to access various controls. But the player can also be connected to the Bang & Olufsen app on your smart device in case you’re away from the CD player. There is Bluetooth connection as well to your headphones or wireless earbuds of choice as well as analog and optical output.

As someone who owns several CDs but still don’t have a CD player, I wouldn’t mind having something like this if Bang & Olufsen eventually decides to produce one. Having a quality CD player is just as important as having quality music from these CDs. Hopefully brands will catch on to this “trend” as it may be here to stay, for at least a few more years.

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If MUJI met Teenage Engineering: This wall-mounted CD player is retrofuture minimalism at its best

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Believe you me, just the way vinyl made its glorious comeback, CDs too will see a resurrection in popularity… and when they do, the Cp1 CD Player will stand out as the most sophisticated-looking player of our time. Combining age-old technology with a clean, minimalist, design-driven aesthetic, the Cp1 is a wall-mounted compact disc player that doubles as wall art. Its all-white design with clear lines and subtle detailing makes it blend perfectly into modern Japandi-style homes. Dieter Rams and Naoto Fukasawa would be proud.

Designer: Tatsufumi Funayma

Click Here to Buy Now: $135 $159 (15% off). Hurry, only 67/100 left!

“Streaming may be all the rage, but it often eclipses the holistic experience of a full album,” says the Cp1’s designer Tatsufumi Funayma. “While artists pour their souls into their albums, streaming emphasizes single tracks. NEW Cp1 nudges you to revisit the magic of entire albums, offering a chance to truly understand an artist’s intent and narrative, all while enjoying the accompanying art.” A billion CDs are still produced annually, yet the only way to buy a CD player today is to search for one at a thrift shop, on eBay, or go garage-sale hunting to grab a second-hand one for dirt cheap. The Cp1 changes that by hat-tipping an existing technology that doesn’t get enough credit, and is heavily due for a nostalgic resurgence.

At first glance, the Cp1’s design is a striking balance of retro and modern aesthetics. Look at it and you’re instantly reminded of a Polaroid film with the way it’s designed. It has a border on all four sides, with a thicker one at the base, like an instant photo. The center is where the magic occurs, where you can either observe the CD playing through a clear window, or slide the CD cover’s artwork in, transforming the player into a large retro-style relic of your eclectic music collection. The minimalist front, dominated by the disc tray and tiny display for track-number, exudes a no-nonsense attitude towards music playback. Look on the top edge and you’ll see the Cp1’s controls – simple self-colored tactile buttons that are easy to understand with zero text or labeling, reinforcing the Cp1’s clean design.

Despite its retro functionality, it’s equipped with modern connectivity options like Bluetooth 5.1. This means it can easily integrate into a variety of audio setups, from traditional home stereo systems to more contemporary multi-room setups. A 3.5mm audio jack encourages you to use wired headsets or speakers (as any audiophile will rightfully suggest), a built-in li-ion battery gives the Cp1 portable playback, and a USB-C port on the base lets you charge your CD player (never thought I’d say those words in 2023!) If you DO choose to mount your Cp1 on a wall, each CD player ships with a wall-mount that lets you attach the device temporarily, removing it whenever you wish like you would a wall-hung photo frame.

The Cp1’s transparent window is suitable for displaying photos and pieces of art too. Whether it’s abstract art you’ve created, images off the web, your own photos, or NFTs you may have regrettably invested in. You can slide a print right into the player, allowing it to serve as a larger-than-life Polaroid that sits on your desk or your wall. The Cp1 comes in white and even black variants, although the former is clearly a personal favorite. Even with its built-in battery, it measures a mere 26mm (1 inch) in thickness, which means it won’t occupy much real estate on your wall. The 1800mAh battery offers 7-8 hours of playback on a full charge – that’s roughly 10 or more albums for you to listen to while you relish the music as well as the art on the front facade of your gorgeous CD player from a minimalist future!

Click Here to Buy Now: $135 $159 (15% off). Hurry, only 68/100 left!

The post If MUJI met Teenage Engineering: This wall-mounted CD player is retrofuture minimalism at its best first appeared on Yanko Design.

Minimalist wall-hanging CD Player visualizes your music in a unique way

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Although digital music, especially through streaming channels, has become the most common way to listen to music these days, they are hardly the only options available. Vinyl has made a comeback in the past years, and audio CDs haven’t really disappeared despite their lower sales. Physical media such as these still have their advantages, especially when it comes to the jackets and sleeves they are packaged in. These usually have images and art that were carefully chosen to visually complement or represent the collection of music the album contains. For convenience’s sake, these jackets and sleeves are often set aside once the discs start turning, but this rather charming portable CD player gives them a special spot so that you can enjoy the art of both the music as well as the cover wherever you go.

Click Here to Buy Now: $179 $199 (10% off at checkout).

Anyone who has used a music streaming service or media player app will probably be familiar with how these display the album art associated with the currently playing track. In a sense, these have replaced those jackets that come with physical CD cases, though the irony is that there is no physical equivalent to the way they function. Once you pop a CD into a player, the case and the jacket are practically forgotten until it’s time to put away the CD again. While practical, it loses the unique flavor that these CD jackets provide by adding a memorable visual element that can be associated with the music.

This minimalist CD player delivers a rather distinctive listening experience that combines the pleasure of audio with the impact of visual art. Rather than having to set aside the CD jacket or sleeve, you can slip it inside the specially-designed pocket so that you can show it off to anyone in view. It’s like the physical equivalent of displaying digital album art, except you have the opportunity to boast about owning the physical original CD, especially if it’s a rare, limited run.

What makes this unique CD player extra special is its portability. It has a built-in 40mm full-range speaker as well as a woofer unit, ensuring that you can listen to your favorite albums wherever you are or wherever you place it in your room or home. The 1,800mAh rechargeable battery promises 7 to 8 hours of playback before you need to plug it in again. Of course, you can still connect an external speaker via the 3.5mm headphone jack or Bluetooth 5.1, but those would probably be the exception rather than the norm.

Despite the addition of a speaker and a battery, this Portable CD Cover Player retains a simple, minimalist, and thin design at only 27mm thick. Thanks to this and its wireless operation, the player can even serve as a piece of decoration, whether standing on a shelf or hanging from a wall. With this ingenious and elegant portable CD player, you get to enjoy your favorite music not just with your ears but also with your eyes.

Click Here to Buy Now: $179 $199 (10% off at checkout).

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CD-inspired Swipe bag brings aughts nostalgia to your arm

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Over the past years, we’ve seen a lot of “old” things becoming hip again. For young ones who weren’t even born when certain fashion items became popular back then, they found these things to be cool and cute. Even gadgets and devices from the 90s and aughts are enjoying a resurgence, even though the current purpose is much more different than the original. We’re seeing items designed like cassette tapes, vinyl players, and now, even the classic CD player has been repurposed.

Desginer: Coperni

The Parisian designer label Coperni has looked to the aughts for design inspiration for their latest Swipe bag iteration. The CD-PLAYER Swipe bag looks just like the silver metallic CD players that became popular back then when we still had CDs to play our music. But this one won’t be able to bring your old Britney Spears CD to musical life even though the bag does come with wired headphones.

The handbag has the faux CD player as its main body with a metallic plated handle so you can carry it around. There are also realistic looking buttons and a small display to really make it look like the CD player, although what these buttons do remains to be seen. And as mentioned, it comes with wired headphones to complete your retro look. But it also is not clear what the headphones are for.

The bag also has a USB-C-chargeable battery so maybe there is indeed a music component that will be revealed. My main concern though is what can actually fit in the bag since the CD player compartment is pretty small. But those who have been using the iconic Coperni Swipe bags are those that can fit everything they need in tiny purses anyway.

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Sleek CD Player Enables Display of Cover Art like a Picture Frame

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While vinyl records have seen a resurgence in recent years, CDs appear to have largely fallen by the wayside. The advent of streaming services and digital music collections, marked by convenience and virtually limitless capacity, has made CDs seem outdated. Despite this, there remains a niche market of music aficionados who cherish their CD collections. Catering to this demographic, a new minimalist CD player has emerged that combines functionality with aesthetic appeal, offering users the freedom to enjoy their CDs anywhere.

Click Here to Buy Now: $139 $159 ($20 off at checkout). Hurry, deal ends in 48 hours.

Digital music introduced the concept of album art as a digital iteration of the traditional CD jacket. This visual accompaniment to music has largely been lost in the CD format unless the listener keeps the CD cover handy. The ability to display album art on the playback device is almost non-existent, especially in the case of portable CD players that prioritize compactness.

The CD Jacket Player disrupts this trend, presenting itself as a minimalist piece of art. Its boxy shape, akin to a picture frame or an oversized Polaroid photo, features a transparent middle section. This design element reveals the CD’s spinning bed, which is also the ideal spot to insert the CD’s cover jacket. In essence, the device brings back the physical experience of album art.

Beyond its primary function as a CD player, the device also serves as a decorative piece, especially when you hang it on walls. Its built-in rechargeable battery negates the need for unsightly wires, except during charging periods. This feature also allows for portability, providing listeners the freedom to enjoy their favorite CDs at their convenience. For audio output, the device offers a 3.5mm jack for wired headphones or speakers, along with built-in Bluetooth support for wireless devices.

While this CD player may not introduce any groundbreaking features for CD playback, it does take a unique approach by encouraging users to manually insert cover jackets to mimic the digital album art experience. This design highlights how music appreciation can be a multisensory experience, elegantly placing the visual artistry of CDs on display.

Click Here to Buy Now: $139 $159 ($20 off at checkout). Hurry, deal ends in 48 hours.

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This sleek CD player lets you display cover art like a picture frame

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Vinyl records have been revived in the past years, but ironically, the younger CDs seem to have fallen out of fashion almost completely. Not only have streaming services and digital collections (legally acquired, of course) made the limited capacity of audio CDs pointless, the physical medium doesn’t offer any distinct audio flavor as old-school records do. That said, CDs continue to be made and sold, and there are people that still hold onto their library of collected albums in this disc format dearly. It’s definitely possible to still listen to them, but most CD players these days come in large boxes that stay at home or peripherals that connect to computers. This minimalist CD player, however, offers the freedom to listen to that kind of music anywhere you go and also gives you the opportunity to flaunt that CD’s cover, just like album art in music apps.

Designer: km5

Click Here to Buy Now: $127 $149 ($22 off at checkout). Hurry, Post-Cyber Monday sale ends in 24 hours!

Digital music created the concept of album art as a digital counterpart to the CD cover jackets of old. It’s a visual experience that you lose when you listen to CDs unless you have the jacket in front of you all the time. You definitely can’t display it on the device you’re using to play the CD, especially if it’s a portable CD player that covers everything up to create a compact form fit for traveling.

The CP1 CD Player breaks away from the mold with a device that in itself is a work of minimalist art. The plain, boxy shape of the player looks like a picture frame or an enlarged Polaroid-style photo. The middle of the device is transparent, showing the bed where the CD would lie and spin. As it is, it is already quite striking in its bold transparency, but it is also the perfect place to insert the CD’s cover jacket. In essence, the player lets you create the experience of album art in physical form.

More than just a CD player, this device also becomes a piece of decor, especially when you hang it on walls. It has its own built-in rechargeable battery, so you don’t have to worry about ugly wires until it’s time to recharge it. Of course, that same battery lets you carry it anywhere so that you can listen to your favorite CDs anytime you want. There is a 3.5mm jack to plug in headphones and speakers, but you can also enjoy the music through wireless audio equipment thanks to its built-in Bluetooth support.

This photographic CD player doesn’t really add any advanced features for playing this physical medium. In fact, it even takes a small step back by making you manually insert cover jackets to get the same effect as album art on music apps. It does, however, hone in on how appreciating music also comes with other treats for the senses, and it does so in a very elegant way that puts a CD’s art proudly on display.

Click Here to Buy Now: $127 $149 ($22 off at checkout). Hurry, Post-Cyber Monday sale ends in 24 hours!

The post This sleek CD player lets you display cover art like a picture frame first appeared on Yanko Design.

This PlayStation concept lets you switch between games using an integrated CD player!

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Concept designs will always fascinate me, I don’t think any concept design is bad because they are all born out of the need to solve a problem – sure some are feasible and some are fantasy, but if we can passionately support Iron Man then we can passionately support design ideas too! On that note, I love this conceptual Playstation design which integrates the functions of a CD player so that you can play multiple games with ease. Simple and effective.

Gaming enthusiasts will always have a large collection of games and most people will alternate between games throughout the day. When you play on Playstation and want to switch to another game, you have to insert another CD and wait for it to load. What this concept design does it combine a CD player with a Playstation so you can change the game CDs like changing tracks in a playlist and you also don’t need to put CDs into individual cases. It reduces the steps in a process which makes gaming a smoother experience and also helps you organize your collection/playing time a little better.

“It has a different appearance from a typical Playstation; it is more angular to be shown as a CD player and I wanted to express its analog sensibility. Unlike the usual method, when you insert a CD, the hidden speaker comes out to make a sound out of the main body. Its back has a simple design to make it easy to change HDD. It is designed to keep dust out of the console while you are changing the CD,” explains Yeo. Personally, I like the console a lot more than the ones that exist – it is less router-box-like and more on the lines of a modern audio setup. The Playstation x CD player is sleek and efficient, it has the potential to be the next big console upgrade ever!

Designer: Jaewon Yeo

A portable DVD player+display designed to make binge watching easy for the elderly

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The digital age was already booming but ever since the pandemic hit, it has reached a whole new level. Now everything has to be done digitally – working, ordering groceries, attending weddings, and even your doctor’s appointments. While most of us are well-versed with using apps for everything, we often forget about the elderly who don’t consider their smartphones as an extension of their body. This is a difficult time for them since they are more at risk but doubly difficult because gadgets are not their best friends. Keeping this in mind, Designer Chen Zhigang (ZJ-DDG) created DVDISC which is a conceptual device aimed at letting folks binge watch without Netflix!

DVDISC is for many of us who still have their old DVD/CD collection but mainly for those who just want to watch a movie without operating a laptop or an app they are not comfortable with. The goal of this design is to make using the device a super simple task, so the UI and UX revolve around that. It has simple physical buttons that are shallow dips in the physical surface and are all labeled which makes it very easy to operate. It literally tells you where to put the DVD or CD and if you need to ‘click’ or ‘press’ a certain button and exactly what it will do. Another important thing was to include a cost-effective display that doesn’t reduce the quality of the image. All you have to do is insert the DVD or CD in the slot and flip it over to watch on the screen. It truly makes watching content easier for the elderly or even those who may experience forms of mental disabilities. After all, everyone deserves a good binge-watching session in quarantine! I would call this a smart design instead of a smart device.

Designer: Chen Zhigang (ZJ-DDG)

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This modern minimal CD Player will make your CD collection the next big thing!

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I think CDs are the new vinyl records just like playlists are the new mixtapes. While vinyl records will always be classic, the millennials will have a more nostalgic connection with CDs. I still have my collection and even though it wasn’t too far back in time, having walkmans or CD players in your laptops seems like something from a different lifetime. I don’t want to throw away my collection, it means a lot to me, so I am going to look for CD player like this conceptual CDend instead and tell future generations how you had to simply choose from 12 tracks.

CDend is a CD player that also serves as a modern bookend…or a CD end (make the connection?). Most of us have the habit of starting the day with our favorite morning playlist, well, this gives you just a little bit more – its the difference between brewing your cup of coffee with fresh beans vs pressing a button on a Keurig. The flat CD player is attached to a JBL tube-like speaker which can be charged with a UDB cord. The control buttons are on top of the CD slot and the CD slides in and out from the side opening. The form of the device is modern and minimal, it fits into any setting of your home and elevates the corner it is put in. It’s sleek and to be honest, it doesn’t look like a CD player at all which means it won’t stick out visually in your space.

We probably won’t throw out our CD collections because of the emotional value, but something like CDend could revive the CD culture and blow it up again! CDs bring back so many memories and a device like CDend will be our personal time capsule.

Designer: 250 Design

3D Print your own music!

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I just adore the Prinpl. You know why? Let’s first take a look at the name. It’s a lovely amalgamation of PRINt and PLay. It also sounds like Pimple, which does make sense once you get to know what the Prinpl does. That’s the second reason why I adore the Prinpl. It takes one of my favorite toys and gives it a modern twist. Designed as a New-Age MusicBox, the Prinpl actually reads 3d printed discs with braille-like bumps on them. The bumps then interfere with prongs on a fabricated piece of sheet metal, plucking at it to generate a tune. The cool thing about Prinpl is that you can now effectively 3D print your own tunes and play them on the Prinpl’s hypnotically soothing inbuilt-instrument. The catch is that this phenomenon only plays short, looped pieces of musical data, but the ability to print your own tunes means you can generate your own mini-library of music. Prinpl doesn’t however limit itself to just 3D printed discs. It also reads conventional data and mp3 CDs, making it an instrument at some times, and a music player at others. Versatile!

It also comes with an app, allowing you to remote-control the playback features. Color me impressed!

Designer: Jeongdae Kim

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