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There are solid, affordable, sub-$150 options that deliver the best of old and new, though. Below is a list of some of the best and most interesting new CD players, starting with a couple that I own and enjoy myself.
Most of my old CDs are housed semi-permanently in a large Sony CX555ES 300-disc CD changer I picked up, refurbished and serviced, from eBay in early 2025. But my whole collection (roughly 450 discs at this point) doesn’t fit in that machine, and I often want to listen to my more recent purchases someplace other than my living room.
That led me to buy the Fiio DM13 last year, around the Black Friday deals season. If you haven’t heard of Fiio, it’s a Chinese consumer electronics company that has made a name for itself over the last decade-plus, churning out all manner of audio gear that typically sounds and performs well for its price bracket.
This CD player features dual CS43198 DACs for solid sound, a nice metal frame, an ample 3750mAh battery, and Bluetooth 5.2 (although pairing is kinda clunky).
The DM13 has a nice metal frame and sounds great, thanks to dual CS43198 DACs and a SGM8262 op-amp, and sports a USB-C rechargeable 3750mAh battery that lasts a solid 7-8 hours. It also supports Bluetooth 5.2 (SBC, aptX, aptX Low Latency, and aptX HD) for wireless connectivity, and has a balanced input for high-end headphones.
I briefly considered the more premium FiiO DM15 R2R (better DAC and Bluetooth chip, and a better screen, plus a disc window — but it didn’t feel different enough, and I didn’t really want to spend $250-plus on a (second) portable CD player. That’s when I heard about the recently announced Fosi Audio DISC Nano CD player. And mere moments after seeing it (and reading that it was priced at $99), I knew I wanted one.
Yes, it’s a CD player that’s smaller than a CD, with two edges of the disc exposed while it’s playing. Yes, Sony did this with its D-88 Discman in 1988 . Yes, it’s mostly a gimmick. But yes, I still bought one and (mostly) love it.
Fosi Audio is a newer company (founded in 2017, also in China) that typically makes budget-focused gear. I’ve been using the company’s $89 Audio Box X4 Phono Preamp for going on four years, and it’s performed flawlessly.
The Nano’s display is a simple two-digit design, and the battery life is short, at around two hours of listening between charges (via USB-C). But it also has a magnetic back for attaching to accessories. And so far (I’ve only had it for a few days), I’ve enjoyed popping it onto my fridge while listening through my various Bluetooth speakers, and have no complaints about the sound output or pairing.
It does have an old-school slide switch for turning the player on and off (there is no auto-off), which feels a bit crude. But for me at least, the unique design and magnetic back make it fun to use.
There are, of course, several other modern desk, desktop, and portable CD players on the market. And several are on sale for Prime Day. Below are some of the more interesting and affordable options we could find.
Yes, this is a no-name CD player with questionable sound output. But if you're looking for something that stands out, it's hard to beat a player that looks like a mini arcade cabinet, plays CDs vertically behind a translucent door, and even sports RGB lighting. The CD211 makes do with Bluetooth 5.1 if you don't want to use the built-in speakers, and there's even an FM radio for more retro audio vibes.
The CP1 from Japan's KM5 is a fairly standard portable CD player in terms of features, although you do get Bluetooth connectivity. But the main draw with this model is its transparent "Neonyellow" shell. Few things scream retro 90s nostalgia meets cyberpunk harder than this player, and I love it.
If you like showing off your hardware and music and want a CD player that's designed to be a functional piece of art, look no further. The M1 is a transparent frame with a floating CD player inside. You'll need to slide the front cover off to swap CDs, but you can connect to speakers via Bluetooth 5.0 or aux, and the battery is rated for up to 8 hours of playback.
Looking for something more traditional that won't force you to get up and swap discs every 74 minutes or less? This six-disc changer from Onkyo is one of the very few of these old-school-type carousel players still being manufactured. It doesn't have Bluetooth, and it isn't portable, but I do like the retro green display and the idea of creating a "playlist" of my six favorite CDs.
This 80W complete stereo system is a nice mix of old and new. Aside from the pair of speakers, you get FM radio, USB/MP3 playback, and Bluetooth 5.4 Auracast for simple device pairing. Sure, it will take up a fair amount of shelf space, but this is a dead-simple way to breathe new life into your old CD collection, or start a new one.
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