Music Player

A mid-year report has revealed vinyl sales in 2020 have surpassed CD sales for the first time since the mid-1980s. The report also reveals the COVID-19 pandemic hitting the physical media music market hard but streaming music subscriptions are up.

We've recently seen several different examples of high-tech portable cassette players, but is audio tape really making a comeback? Perhaps not, which is where Pl8ty comes in – it uses your smartphone as the cassette.

While rowing machines provide a good workout, they do require users to keep their hands on the handle at all times – this makes it hard to control a smartphone's music playback function. The ergRemote, however, puts a Bluetooth remote on the handle.

Though we have easy access to high quality music like never before, there's something strangely satisfying about the tinkle tinkle of a music box. With the Muro Box you can load up different tunes using a smartphone app, and even create your own.

Haptic feedback is becoming a bigger part of entertainment. Now, a German startup is launching the Feelbelt, which adds the element of touch to games, music, movies, and basically any other device that outputs sound.

The latest digital audio player from Astell&Kern is being pitched as the Korean company's most affordable high resolution player yet. The A&norma SR25 offers high res audio playback, long battery life and support for the LDAC Bluetooth codec.

T+A has announced the upcoming release of its latest Caruso all-in-one music system. Built for modern audiophiles, the 3rd generation unit is said to generate "a phenomenally well-balanced, natural and clear sound image in the whole listening area."

While many of today's digital audio players aim for a slick modern aesthetic, the Shanling Q1 goes back in time for inspiration – to the curvy, colorful 1950s. The cutesy device supports Hi-Res music playback, and has cooked-in Bluetooth.

Astell&Kern released the first portable audio player with dual DACs in 2013, and it's the design of the AK120 that has informed the overall look of A&K's latest offering, the SA700.

​Astell&Kern has been striking fear into the wallets of mobile music lovers for a few years now, putting out high-spec portable audio gear with a hefty price tag. And so it is with the company's A&ultima SP2000 flagship, which was launched at High End Munich last week.​

Mighty Vibe is a tiny, water- and shock-resistant music player that clips to your clothing while you exercise. Think of it as an iPod Shuffle for Spotify users – you fill it up with your playlists, then it streams to your wired or Bluetooth headphones for over five hours.

Sony has introduced two new additions to its high-end Signature Series. The IER-Z1R earphones sport a hybrid driver setup for the promise of audiophile-grade listening, while the Hi-Res DMP-Z1 digital music player features a gold-plated volume knob and exclusive price tag to match.