This CD player has my heart because it combines the two tech trends I’m absolutely on board with – transparency and retro-revival. Meet the MusicFrame M1 – a CD player that turns albums into art. Designed to look like framed art, the M1 is, in fact, a gadget that plays compact discs. Sitting within the frame is a transparent enclosure that houses a CD player. The components are bare-bones, giving you a gorgeous look at the player’s internal architecture. Place a CD in and the CD’s album art becomes the frame’s art.
It’s a strategy that the folks at CoolGeek know too well, having made a similar Vinyl player in the past that held the vinyl disc vertically for everyone to admire. Now that the vinyl resurgence is complete, CoolGeek’s moving to the next format of disc-based audio – the humble CD. For those of us who still remember untangling headphones or curating the perfect mix CD, there’s something undeniably sentimental about reviving these shiny discs. If you’ve got them buried somewhere in a drawer or a closet, this $99 player might just be the best way to play/display them!
Designer: CoolGeek
Click Here to Buy Now: $99 $179 ($80 off) Hurry! Only 160 of 500 units left
The CoolGeek MusicFrame M1 isn’t your dad’s bulky stereo system or even your old Discman. This stunning device reimagines the CD player as a floating frame that elevates both form and function. Designed with high-transparency acrylic, the MusicFrame is all about showcasing the CD as a visual and auditory centerpiece. When a disc spins inside the frame, it transforms into a dynamic piece of art, with its album artwork taking on a gallery-like presence. Spotify wishes it looked this cool…
What’s striking about the MusicFrame M1 is how it balances modern minimalism with vintage flair. Its clean geometric design looks at home in any space, whether mounted on a wall or perched elegantly on a table. The rotating disc sits perfectly in the center of the frame, with the player’s components behind it. a remote controls playback, and a seven-segment display on top gives you player information like song-length, track number, and player mode.
The CoolGeek MusicFrame M1 offers versatile playback modes to suit both modern and retro setups. While it’s primarily a CD player, it supports Bluetooth 5.0 and a 3.5mm aux input, making it compatible with wireless speakers and traditional audio systems alike. It doesn’t have built-in speakers, which emphasizes its role as a high-design accessory meant to integrate with your favorite sound setup. It also harks back to the Discman days when most disc players came with an aux cable and an understanding that you’d use your favorite wired headphones. For audiophiles, the MusicFrame is compatible with CD-DA, CD-R, CD-RW, MP3, and WMA formats, offering plenty of flexibility for revisiting music collections over the years.
Adding to its practicality is the inclusion of a remote control, letting you adjust volume, switch tracks, or change playback modes with ease. The player sports a built-in lithium battery (3.7V/2600mAh) ensuring it can run wirelessly, further adding to its versatility as both a functional and decorative piece. Measuring just 318 mm wide and 229 mm tall, the MusicFrame M1 just as easily sits on tabletop surfaces as it does hanging on walls. My only recommendation – choose a CD with gorgeous album art to add to the MusicFrame’s appeal – I hear Black Parade by My Chemical Romance is a great pick.
What makes the MusicFrame M1 truly special is how it taps into a collective longing for tangible connections in a digital world. Streaming platforms have given us the convenience of having the world’s music library at our fingertips, but they’ve stripped away the tactile joy of owning, holding, and displaying music. The M1 doesn’t just let you play a compact disc—it lets you celebrate it as an artifact of creativity and culture, bringing back the sheer nostalgia of the pre-MP3 era. Or heck, even the post-MP3 era when downloading dubious tracks on Limewire and burning them on CDs was a thing!
CoolGeek’s offering feels perfectly attuned to a broader design trend that values the fusion of art and technology. It’s not hard to see the parallels with brands like Nothing, whose transparent earbuds transform tech into something you admire aesthetically as much as you use functionally. Or Teenage Engineering, whose devices are as much about sparking nerdy joy as they are about performing well. The MusicFrame M1 belongs in that same category—a product that’s as much about the visual and emotional experience as it is about the sound.
The MusicFrame M1 starts at a mere $99, which is a pretty affordable price for the ultimate nostalgia trip. It makes for great wall or table art, or even the perfect gift for a millennial or a Gen-X kid. Heck, at that price it’s literally cheaper than Spotify’s yearly subscription! The MusicFrame comes in two colors – white or black, with global shipping starting in March 2025.
Click Here to Buy Now: $99 $179 ($80 off) Hurry! Only 160 of 500 units left
The post This $99 Transparent CD Player Frame Is the Ultimate Retro Tech Flex first appeared on Yanko Design.
