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If you’re like most people, it’s probably been a while since you’ve heard the sweet click of an iPod’s touch wheel. As iconic as Apple’s slick MP3 player was, things change, and in the iPod’s case, that change was Spotify. There’s no doubt that music streaming flipped the world on its head, and a lot of that shift was for the better. It gave anyone with a phone and a deep enough subscription budget the ability to instantly play almost any artist and any song on demand, making your music library theoretically unlimited. Spotify also made music discovery easier than ever, even if algorithms aren’t your preferred method.
But you know what? As convenient as services like Spotify have been, they’ve also become equally as crappy. Spotify, for example, is generally bad financially for artists, especially those not on a Taylor Swift level (aka almost everyone). It’s also starting to become a minefield for AI slop thanks to the interminable march of generative AI in music. Some purists might even argue that the platform has lost its way philosophically, becoming diluted with podcasts and other non-music content that not everyone wants to listen to. If you agree with any of the above assessments, you may find yourself yearning for the old days—a simpler age, when you controlled your library of music and how you listened to it, regardless of the strength of your internet connection at the time. And on that front, I have some good news: MP3 players are back.
While most of us have been nose-deep in the interface of streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, or Amazon Music, digital audio players have been making moves, and there are arguably more (and better) options now than there ever were. I’ll give you a new example: Snowsky’s Disc digital audio player. This tiny little rectangle has a lot going on, including a round touchscreen for controlling the UI, several different ports (including a 3.5mm and 4.4mm jack, as well as a more modern USB-C), and a formidable amount of storage—Snowsky says this little guy can pack up to 2TB with microSD, which is a lot more than the iPods of my youth. It also supports Bluetooth in case you do wanna connect AirPods or your favorite pair of wireless headphones. The best part? The Disc is relatively affordable at 499 Chinese yuan, or about $70.
And Snowsky’s Disc is far from the only option. Digital audio players from companies like FiiO and HiBy offer a similar experience that feels nostalgic but also raises the bar for audio quality. One thing that most of these devices offer is a dedicated digital-to-analog converter (DAC) that helps better process audio signals and power your chosen audio gear, whether it be a pair of wired earbuds, over-ear headphones, or speakers. While your phone already has a DAC, the kinds inside digital audio players often deliver better sound; the components are often superior, and the signal isn’t muddled by all the other stuff found in your phone, like Wi-Fi or a cellular modem.
Hiby M500 × Hatsune Miku – or as I've been calling it: The Miku DAP#hibydigitalm500 #hibym500 @hiby_digital @hiby_music pic.twitter.com/J0E4GqaZjl
— Naruhodon't 🔺(なるほどんと） (@naruhodon_t) December 3, 2025
Then there’s the more philosophical side of things. Even if you’re not nostalgic about iPods, there’s something to be said for separating your music hardware from your phone. Maybe you just want to listen to music and not be distracted by the army of apps vying to steal your attention. In this way, digital audio players bring a similar appeal to the table as retro handhelds like the kind made by Anbernic. Those, at least in theory, are a way to put your phone down and actually get lost in a game—no emails, no calls, no lively group chats you feel pressured to respond to.
Then there’s all the practical stuff. Maybe you want to actually use wired earbuds or headphones without carrying around a dongle. Maybe you have a library of music at home that you prefer to listen to locally, without having to be tethered to an internet connection, or maybe you literally just want to save some phone battery for once. Pick your perk, and there’s probably a digital audio player for you—maybe even one that looks like a tape player if that’s your jam.
Don’t get me wrong, digital audio players aren’t for everyone; downloading your own music or ripping CDs is a hobby in and of itself, and nothing will ever beat the convenience of being able to load up an app and stream instantly. But convenience isn’t the only metric that matters, and if audio nostalgia has taught us anything, it’s that sometimes doing things the old-fashioned way is worth dealing with a wire or two.
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