Sony released the first CD audio player on this day in 1982
Sony launched the world’s first CD player on this day in 1982, kickstarting the compact disc digital audio era.
On this day in 1982, Sony introduced the world's first CD audio player, the Sony CDP-101, marking the beginning of the compact disc digital audio era. The CD player was initially launched in Japan at a price of JPY 168,000, which translates to approximately $1,060 today or $3,700 adjusted for inflation. Sony planned a worldwide launch on October 1, 1982, but faced a delay as their tech partner Philips did not have the CD100 ready in time.
Consequently, the initial launch was limited to Japan. The CDP-101, although not perfect, featured a single DAC for both left and right audio channels, leading to a slight synchronization issue between the stereo channels. Prior to the advent of CDs, home hi-fi systems were primarily based on vinyl records and compact audio cassette tapes, with additional components like radio tuners, amplifiers, and speakers.
Users of these older formats had to deal with audio imperfections caused by factors such as dust, scratches, warping, and wear on vinyl records, and variable tape quality in cassettes. CDs promised numerous advantages, including digital music data, laser reading technology, and features like near-instant track selection, skipping, and replay.
However, it would take several years for CDs to gain widespread adoption, as consumers had to wait for the price of player hardware to become more affordable and for CD albums to replace vinyl and cassettes as the norm for new releases and classic remasters. Sony collaborated with CBS to stock 50 CD albums when the CDP-101 debuted in Japan, but the initial worldwide launch in 1983 featured only 16 titles.
It wasn't until the mid-1980s that landmark DDD (Digital Disc Digital) releases and reduced player prices made CDs a staple in hi-fi setups. The same period also saw the emergence of computers with built-in CD-ROM drives, which became commonplace in the early to mid-1990s, ushering in the multimedia PC era. For those interested in obtaining a Sony CDP-101, eBay listings indicate that these 1982 vintage CD players are currently available for prices ranging from $600 to $800.
Written by urgent.news from Tom's Hardware's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
