It’s time to dig out those CD folders you’ve been meaning to part with. Chinese audio equipment maker Fiio is releasing a $179 portable CD player in September that brings modern upgrades the Sony Discman never had, including support for the wireless headphones that weren’t around in the Discman’s heyday.
The DM13’s most welcome upgrade is a Bluetooth connection that supports the AptX, AptX HD, AptX Low Latency, and SBC codecs, allowing the player to connect to wireless headphones. For compact disc purists who don’t want to subject their ears to Bluetooth’s audio compression, the DM13 also includes a standard 3.5mm headphone jack plus a 4.4mm balanced headphone jack.
A rechargeable battery provides approximately eight hours of playtime on the go, but the DM13 can also be integrated into a home stereo system. Analog, SPDIF and USB audio connections are included, and the rechargeable battery can be bypassed while the CD player is in “desktop mode” and connected to a permanent power source.
Electronic Shock Protection can be activated to buffer music and prevent skipping while the DM13 is being carried around, but it is not limited to CD playback alone. It is also compatible with MP3, FLAC, WAV, AAC and WMA audio files burned onto CD-R.
At launch, the Fiio DM13 will only be available in a silver finish, but four additional colors will be introduced later: red, blue, black, and titanium.