It started with the record player and the vinyl revival. Suddenly, there has been demand for some of the obsolete formats of the past to return and it’s resulted in a slew of companies launching new versions of old products to cash in, complete with retro-look headphones, Bluetooth speakers and more. Perhaps the thirst for simpler gadgets is simply because other tech has got ever more complicated.
Despite clear drawbacks in terms of sound quality, cassettes seem to be in vogue for some collectors (helped by artists releasing numerous formats of their albums) but we’ve seen Sony Walkman-style portable players emerge from the likes of Fiio and We Are Rewind.
Fiio has even launched a Discman-style CD player and surely it’s only a matter of time before CDs become properly collectable as vinyl gets more and more expensive. (Vinyl prices have already gone up significantly since the start of the vinyl boom – which saw 43.6 million vinyl records sold in the US last year and 6.7 million vinyl albums sold in the UK during the same period.)
MiniDisc? It’s a great format, but it was always more about recordability rather than artists releasing music on them.
Boomboxes are also making a return and as well as we’ve seen a pair just announced from Philips under its classic Moving Sound brand.
There are four Moving Sound products appearing in the middle of 2026. The Tube (MS80) and The Roller (MS50) are Bluetooth speakers. (Additionally, there are The Buds (MS5) wireless earbuds and The Bingo (MS1) on-ear headphones.) The Roller is the pick of the bunch with a very recognisable design that apes the original D 8007 product.
But the incoming Philips Moving Sound products raise a question – do we want this tech to just look retro but do modern stuff or do we want the full retro experience? The Tube and The Roller are essentially digital players which show an amination of a tape going round on the front as you can see in the images here.
Another case in point is a Walkman-style case for Fiio’s M21 MP3 player. It brings up a tape-style animation, but doesn’t actually add anything in terms of functionality.
That doesn’t do it for me. I like retro products to be fully functional and not just existing to give off that retro vibe.
Nothing’s square Headphone 1 is a positive example of a retro-inspiration done well, but better stll is what classic brand Aiwa have been up to. It showcased a fully-laden boombox at CES Las Vegas in January and it’s available in the US. It has tape and CD on board in addition to being able to stream from Bluetooth devices. It’s the whole package. Likewise this one from Roxel even has DAB on board as well as FM/CD/cassette.
Now, that’s what I’m talking about – classic look, old formats done right and modern connectivity. What’s not to love about that?
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