FiiO has reimagined the old-school CD player, named DM13, which is set to drop in September.
According to The Verge, the portable listening device will cost $179 for hardcopy fanatics who want to dig out their collections.
What is a CD player?
For those who missed the hard disk era, the Sony Discman reigned supreme and was a battery-powered portable compact disk (CD) player. Older portable music fans would have to carry around a mid-sized pocket folio of their favorite artists.
They would also have to have a ready stock of batteries to keep the CD players turning, which seems unthinkable in the era of on-the-move and contactless charging.
“Skipping” was also a thing that music fans had to endure as any contact with the casing or the CDs caused the tracks to literally stall or skip.
FiiO DM13
The Chinese audio maker responded to the Verge on social media, saying the new features will be on display as early as this weekend (July 20):
We will show DM13 at Canjam London this weekend! https://t.co/8cJ2FUiTEy
— FIIO (@FIIO_official) July 19, 2024
Technological advancements have made enjoying music easier for our favorite tracks, but FiiO has incorporated a few ways to listen.
Wireless audio wasn’t a feature of the CD era, so the new DM13 supports modern buds, and caters to fans who want the traditional experience. The DM13 has a 3.5mm headphone jack and a 4.4mm balanced headphone connection.
There is also a desktop mode that allows the CD player to be incorporated to a home listening setup. The stationary mode will be chargeable and provides around eight hours of power to the rechargeable battery.
The model comes with electronic shock protection to stop tracks from the ill-fated skipping of years gone by. There is compatibility with MP3, FLAC, WAV, AAC, and WMA audio files burned onto a CD-R (a writable CD).
The homage to the yesteryear of portable music enjoyment comes in a choice of colors: silver initially, with red, blue, black, and titanium set to come to stores later.
Image: FiiO.
