If you're living in the past and still using physical CD players, Muji's got a new wall-mounted version that will take a bit of the heat off your back. And it's got its own star appeal with a cameo in the trailer for "Objectified," the new design documentary from the heads behind the hit "Helvetica."
The way it works is pretty simple: you just mount it on any flat surface, load in your CD, pull on the string at the bottom, and your music plays out of the speakers built into the body. Pull once more to stop, and the volume and search controls on located directly on top of the device itself. Easy, right? Here's the hard part: like all things that look good, it ain't cheap; the CD player costs $180 bones.
The wall-mounted CD player is available at all three Muji New York retail locations and online as well.
PlayStation 3s, iPods, and Wiis are the toys of today's tots, but I still hold a soft spot in my jaded heart for Legos. Brick by brick, they taught me the value of patience and creativity, and you know what? They didn't cost $200. That's why I'll always support these toys, even when they release a boom box with a CD player and analog radio.
The boom box is 10 times the size of the classic eight-knob rectangle and features two 1-watt speakers on the front faceplate. The big knobs on top control the volume and tuning of the analog AM/FM radio and the CD player, and there's also an auxiliary-in jack to pipe in music from an external source. I'm about 75 percent sure right now that audio quality is going to be a few notches less than superb, but what do you expect out of a stereo that look like a giant Lego brick? Just don't try to eat it.
The Lego boom box hits stores this summer for $39.99.
(Via Engadget via Digital Blue)
(Credit:
Shanling)
If you're a company that makes equipment for a medium facing extinction, it's probably not a bad idea to keep trying something different with your wares. One way is unusual designs--and in that category, Shanling excels.
The Chinese company specializes in CD players that have unique looks, specs, and characteristics, as evidenced by its tube-
amplifying "MC-30 Music Center" and other models. Its latest offering is no exception: The CD-T300 Pro has four amplification valves, two remote controls, and gold-plated tube legs. But the most striking thing about it is the way it looks.
Boasting what Lussorian calls a "funky science-fiction styling," this beast is made of aluminum alloy and weighs more than 24 pounds. It emits a blue glow when touched, giving it the look of a UFO. Which, by the way, is particularly appropriate for an item with a stratospheric price of $12,000.
(Credit:
Fareastgizmos)
Stitch seemed relatively harmless when he debuted with Lilo way back in 2002, but things have changed since then--and he looks downright creepy now, at least in the form of Disney's new CD player and radio.
It doesn't help that it's made only of his head, which must bear the teeth of his trademark ginormous mouth to insert the disc. What kid would want to do that? It's probably just as well that this is destined for Japan, where children have been raised to be comfortable with mechanical beings practically from birth.
If nothing else, we've certainly redefined our notions of portability over the last 10 years.
(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET Networks)
In the '90s, when the MP3 was new, it was difficult to predict the medium's effect on the music industry and our culture. Today, the results of the MP3 revolution are starting to show, and I sometimes wonder what we won.... Read more
(Credit:
Meridian Audio)
Some Cravers out there had a few choice words for a $17,000 Blu-ray player we featured last week, so we can't wait to hear the opinions on this one.
Meridian Audio, also known for its Ferrari label products, now has a CD player that's selling for $16,000. That's right, just audio--no DVD video, no Blu-ray. You can read all the gory details here, though Luxurylaunches points out that the "808.2 Signature Reference" player has something called a "Resolution Enhancement System" and features "a novel digital speaker connector you can hook up to any of Meridian's compatible DSP speaker range." How nice.
If they're going to charge that much, the least they could do is give us something interesting to look at. In the meantime, that old boombox is looking better all the time.
Damn, it looks like it means business
(Credit: Burmester Audiosysteme)
Today in Las Vegas, Burmester Audiosysteme, Germany's legendary manufacturer of ultra high-performance electronics and speakers, is exhibiting its 069 Reference Line CD Player. This amazing machine draws oohs and aahs even before it makes a sound, it's that gorgeous.
The 069 CD Player is a cutting-edge digital playback system, created for well heeled connoisseurs of music and German industrial design. Its audiophile credentials come in the form of its proprietary belt drive motor system that spins the CDs (instead of the off-the-shelf direct-drive mechanisms other manufacturers use).
The 069 CD Player's spiked feet may be set directly on the its proprietary aluminum base (supplied as standard with the unit), and it uses special carbon-fiber spring pucks to isolate the sensitive electronics from external interference. The player also boasts newly developed and 96 and 192-kHz oscillators with minimal phase noise and high thermal stability. Burmester's 069 Reference Line CD Player is available with a silver housing with a chrome front panel at a suggested price of, whoa, $49,995!
(Credit:
Opera Audio)
Aside from the outlandish loudspeakers that seem to come out on a regular basis, some of the more interesting designs we've seen lately in musical hardware have come from an unlikely source: CD players.
Some are compact systems that are fitting for a SoHo loft, but others are destined for the serious audiophile market as well, such as the "Mini Droplet 3.1." Despite its unfortunate name, this is the most drool-worthy high-end player we've seen since the "Eagle"--and, according to Audio Junkies, it comes with some impressive credentials.
We would hope so, given that the latest version in piano-black lacquer costs just under $3,000. (Other finishes go for only $2,495.) All that is pocket change, of course, compared with systems that can approach--or exceed--$1 million.
Bryston's hand-made CD player.
(Credit: Bryston)Bryston doesn't believe automation has a place in high-end audio manufacturing. They still hand-build CD players, and their full line of preamplifier and power amplifiers at their Peterborough, Ontario factory. The BCD-1 CD player was conceived with the audiophile in mind, someone who appreciates exceptional build quality and outstanding performance.
Rather than rely on inexpensive, off-the-shelf chipsets, the Bryston player's audio circuits use "discrete" devices--individual transistors, resistors, and capacitors. Each part is hand selected and installed, every wire is cut and bent by hand, every connection is hand soldered. This strategy, while expensive to implement allows Bryston engineers to more precisely match the player's analog audio circuits with its digital-to-analog converters.
Bryston workers individually test each and every product they manufacture. Bryston claims its construction techniques are on par with military and aerospace industries. The BCD-1 is backed by a three-year parts and labor warranty and has a MSRP of $2395.
(Credit:
Guzer)
Perhaps you like the idea of an iPod Nike or even the "Code M" musical shoe. There's just one problem: Both require physical exertion. There may be a compromise in this idea for a sound shoe, which envisions a built-in CD player and speakers, as well as a volume knob and other controls on the side, according to Slippery Brick. Given that it's only a concept, we're curious why an MP3 player wasn't included--and a beer tap, for that matter.
