Tag Archives: earphones

km5’s Neon Yellow CD Player Just Made the Circuit Board the Star

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Most brands spend their entire design budget hiding what’s inside a product. km5, the Tokyo audio label that’s been quietly rewriting how people think about CD players, just did the opposite. Their latest drop, released through bPr BEAMS, puts the circuit boards, the laser mechanism, the wiring, all of it, front and center. And it looks extraordinary.

The collection introduces three new color variations: the Cp1 in Neon Yellow, the Cp2 in Clear, and the Hp1 headphones in Clear. Available starting April 1st as an exclusive pre-sale at select bPr BEAMS stores and the km5 online shop, these aren’t just color refreshes. They’re a statement about what audio design can actually look like when a brand commits to a philosophy all the way through.

Designer: km5 and bpr beams

km5’s original aesthetic has always been rooted in rigorous minimalism, the idea that a CD player should be as easy to look at as anything else in a considered space. Their Cp1 was designed like an instant photo frame, built to display the album jacket as art. Their Cp2 had the silhouette of a slim hardback, something you’d be comfortable leaving on a shelf. The Hp1 headphones weighed just 103 grams and arrived with a polished stainless steel band that belonged in a gallery as much as on a commute. The design language has always been controlled, quiet, deliberate.

This new drop takes that same discipline and applies it to a completely different tension. The concept km5 describes as pursuing a contrast between “transparent” and “neon,” a play between the mechanical cool of visible engineering and the almost aggressive energy of neon light. It’s a bold shift in mood that somehow still feels entirely on-brand.

The Cp1 in Neon Yellow is the most immediately striking. The entire frame is cast in that charged, electric green-yellow, and when you look at it, you can see every component underneath lit by the color of the shell itself. It doesn’t look like a product. It looks like something you’d find in a design museum sandwiched between an Olivetti typewriter and an early Apple prototype. The edges illuminate in a way that makes it feel alive, like it’s doing something even when it’s sitting still.

The Cp2 Clear is the one I keep coming back to, though. It’s been a long time coming, because fans of the CP series have been wanting a transparent version of the speaker-equipped Cp2 since the model launched. Now that it exists, it earns every bit of the wait. The internal structure, the laser mechanism, the circuit boards, the speaker grille, all of it sits behind the clear shell in a way that reads more like an exploded technical drawing than a consumer product. It’s serious, it’s cool, and it’s genuinely beautiful in a way that no amount of matte white plastic could replicate.

The Hp1 Clear follows the same logic. The housing is stripped back to transparent, the internals are exposed, and then the lime yellow ear pads arrive as the whole color story’s punctuation mark. It’s a contrast that shouldn’t work as well as it does. The clear mechanical housing next to those soft, textured yellow cushions is the kind of pairing that reads as both street-ready and gallery-worthy at the same time. Techwear people are going to love this. Interior people are going to love this. That’s a rare overlap.

The thing km5 keeps getting right, and this drop confirms it again, is that they understand what the people who buy beautiful objects are actually buying. It’s not just function. It’s not even just aesthetics. It’s the feeling that the people who made the thing cared. That they thought about it all the way down to the part you’d normally never see. Making the inside visible is, in some ways, the ultimate expression of that care. You have nothing to hide when everything you make is worth looking at.

The post km5’s Neon Yellow CD Player Just Made the Circuit Board the Star first appeared on Yanko Design.

Cute earbuds concept look like tiny perched birds ready to sing a tune

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With Apple leading the way, the design of wireless earbuds has almost become monotonous as many manufacturers try to flatter the brand through imitation. There are, of course, a few outliers and there is definitely plenty of room for creativity, especially now that earbuds and earphones have almost become a necessity for anyone who uses a smartphone. Of course, ergonomics and acoustics still play the most important role in designing such audio accessories, but if there was more leeway in those areas, you might be able to come up with something a bit more imaginative, like these buds that resemble a pair of birds tweeting a sweet melody into your years.

Designers: Jinho Choi, Seunghun Jeong

The standard design for earbuds these days, whether they’re wired or wireless, consists of a bulging mass on the end of a short stick. The larger shape is designed to go into the ear canals, tapering at the tip while almost rotund at its base. With some imagination, it almost looks like a pudgy bird, which is what this design concept has made out of the silhouette of the buds. And not just any bird, mind you, but a bird with an astronaut helmet on!

That’s the almost comical picture that AI drew for this design, which works perfectly in this scenario. The tips of the buds can’t be sharp and small like bird heads, so imagining these two birds wearing translucent space helmets gives the design a playful character. These birds sit on top of the branch, represented by the stalk of the earphones, at least when you place them down in a certain way.

What makes this design concept extra fun is that everything revolves around this avian idea, including both the packaging and associated accessories. Rather than just have the buds lying on a desk or dangling from some hook, a special stand mimics a small tree trunk where you can insert the earbuds’s stem, creating the semblance of birds perched on a tree. It would probably be nice if you could also hear audio coming out of the buds while in this arrangement to complete the image, but that would require a more complex audio solution.

The TweetTunes buds concept also includes a specially designed box that’s more circular than boxy. Opening up the packaging reveals two birds sitting inside a nest, or at least the representation of a nest. It’s definitely a subtle but nice touch, with the attention to detail you’d expect from larger companies. There’s still the question of whether such a bird-like shape actually provides both comfort and sufficient sealing, but having adorable earbuds like that on your desk is probably worth just the decorative value, even if you barely use it.

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Campfire Audio’s Moon Rover In-Ear Monitors deliver surreal audio to match the striking cosmic look

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Choosing IEMs over TWS earbuds is a no brainer if you appreciate the good things in life. Campfire Audio has stood out amongst the sea of IEMs that promise reference-like sound signature. The premium audio company has won the trust of professional music creators with successful products like the Fathom and Andromeda. Now they have yet another IEM to reinstate their top position.

This striking in-ear monitor called Moon Rover is a limited edition creation that levels up the audio performance and design to become the prized collection of audiophiles. Only 888 units will be created of the Moon Rover, so you better gets your hands on them. The monitors are priced at a mind-numbing $1199 making them a choice for avid listeners with fat-pockets.

Designer: Campfire Audio

The brand claims that the pair has a neutral and analytical sound signature that’s better than any of their current IEMs. Moon Rover is identified by its crystal clear sound and wide soundstage, with exciting upper frequency, a balanced mid delivery and a punchy low end. This is made possible with a newly developed 12mm magnetic planar dynamic driver that has a fast delivery for peppy sonic sound. So, you can expect it to outperform the competition when it comes to playing hard rock or club beats.

Design of the IEM is not understated either in the shape of a hand-crafted, encased titanium shell that’s flame-treated for a distinct look. The awesomeness doesn’t stop there as they have a PVD steel spout and gold-plated screws. The namesake comes courtesy of the shell having a cosmic theme drenched in hues of blue, purple and yellow that change color depending on the amount of light falling on them. The monitors are bundled with a 3.5mm cable, silicone eartips (small, medium and large foam size)  and waxed leather case.

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Sony redesigns sports earphones with an ‘off-ear’ rendition to ensure comfortable running experience

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The running community is used to the regular wireless earphones with ANC and splash-proofing. For the first time, there is a company that thinks the runners – and those involved in active sports – need a specially tailored pair of earphones, which is a little more. And who better to do that than Sony!

The masters of good sound and design excellence have revealed the Float Run (available on Amazon), which forgoes the traditional in-ear design for an off-ear style that allows the earbuds to rest outside the ear while holding snug with a clip-on, over-ear extension and a flexible neckband.

Designer: Sony

Those who remember bone conducting earphones would recognize the design instantly. Sony Float Run is engineered to be worn outside the ear, somewhat like the bone conducting ones that are clipped to the ear lobe. I have used this type of earphones; the sound and efficacy are not compromised but there is a pain point, they tend to release the sound outward so people around can hear what you are listening to.

How much has Sony figured that out and plugged the pain point is going to clear up only with use – we were not able to find clear evidence to this – but what we are clear about is that the Float Run is a comfortable fit and delivers high-quality sound to the listener.

The speakers of the Sony headphones are designed to float in front of the ears so you can enjoy comfort and convenience while running. Since the ears are not stuffed with the buds, the runners or sportspersons do not feel pressure in the ear, even after prolonged usage. The interesting aspect of the Sony device is that it allows you to hear the ambient sound naturally when you are wearing them.

The sound from the outside is naturally heard, so it can be safely worn while walking on the trail, running on the road, or pumping your muscles in the gym. If the sound from the outside is allowed in, the earbuds have to maintain a good speaker standard. To that end, the Float Run come with large, 16mm driver that allows excellent sound, thick base, and treble; though slightly higher volume than usual may be necessary.

Provided with IPX4 Splash Protection, the Sony earphone, which runs for up to 10 hours on a single charge, would allow you to enjoy music when you are sweating or running in a sudden shower. The Float Run weighs only 33g and is powered through the USB Type-C connector. If you like the idea of an earphone that doesn’t make your ear feel constrained, you can think of taking these home for usage during sports, including running.

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