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
$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.
$149 ($22 off at checkout). Hurry, Post-Cyber Monday sale ends in 24 hours!
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