Think CD players died in the 2000s? These 9 wonderfully weird new models prove otherwise

Ruth Hamilton

Sun, August 23, 2026 at 1:00 AM UTC

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Three CD players. — Credit: Mixx / Bang & Olufsen / km5

Physical media is making a comeback, and if you fancy dusting off your CD collection, you're spoiled for choice when it comes to what to play it on. Your megablaster or discman — if it's survived over the decades (I regret to inform you, it is decades) — won't cut it, I'm afraid. Below, I've rounded up nine of the most intriguing, innovative, and downright cool CD players, including ones that have hit the market in recent months.

There's a 2-in-1 CD player and turntable that we dubbed "the turducken of hi-fi". Yamaha has a 5-disc CD changer that'll let you party like it's 2002. While not quite on the market yet, we've got our eye on this Kickstarter campaign for a transparent player that lets you showcase your CD like a piece of art.

My personal favorite is the Bang & Olufsen Beosound 9000 , a labor-of-love, limited run reimagining of its classic 1996 CD player, which uses actual components from the original products. The originals were sourced at house sales, warehouses, and auctions, painstakingly disassembled, the components re-engineered, and given a new lease of life in the updated model. Really, who can put a price on that kind of craftsmanship? (Each one is $55,000).

Scroll down for a closer look at the coolest CD players around — click the More Details button to find out more about each one, then vote for your personal favorite in the quiz at the bottom, and leave a note in the comments if there are any suggestions I've missed.