RHYTHM — The Walkman the Smartphone Era Forgot to Build (Open-Source Music Player)
When you listen to music on your smartphone, messages and calendar alerts butt in even mid-song. RHYTHM is an open-source project that tackles this head-on by building a music-only device from scratch, borrowing none of a phone's other parts. The retro yellow-and-red color scheme and the physical buttons-and-dial operation really nail that old-school Walkman feel.
📊 Quick Info
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | TBD (open-source project) |
| Price | TBD |
| Materials/Specs | FLAC 96kHz/24-bit playback, Glyph player UI, physical dial and buttons |
| Key Features | Notification-free dedicated music playback, customizable open-source hardware |
| One-line take | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ Feels like it pulled just the music out of your phone |
✨ 3-Line Summary
- 👍 Best perk: A dedicated device that lets you focus purely on music, no notifications or messages
- 👎 Drawback: As an open-source DIY project, bulk availability and formal distribution are uncertain
- 🎯 Best for: Anyone who wants hi-fi sound quality while escaping phone notifications
📸 Product Gallery
Front view showing the Glyph equalizer and playback UI
The body's form seen from another angle
Detail of the physical button and dial layout
Side port and finish details
🔍 Why I'm Interested
A device built for music alone
Smartphones do everything, which also means plenty of distractions come along for the ride. RHYTHM has a clear direction — stripping away every other phone function to build a dedicated device focused solely on music playback.
FLAC 96kHz/24-bit hi-fi specs
It's not just chasing retro vibes; the actual sound quality specs are genuinely hi-fi-grade, which impressed me. Controlling volume with a physical dial should also feel satisfying in the hand.
The extensibility of open source
Being an open-source project is another interesting angle — anyone interested can assemble or customize it themselves, which is a different kind of appeal from off-the-shelf audio gear.
🤔 What Gives Me Pause
Accessibility concerns
Given its nature as an open-source DIY project, there may be a barrier to entry for average consumers looking to just buy and use it right away. I'd want to check the assembly difficulty and how parts are sourced first.
Unclear distribution and pricing
Right now, there's no confirmed price or word on official sales as a finished product, so it could take a while before you can actually get your hands on one.
📋 Product Features (Subjective Rating)
- Design: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Portability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
- Practicality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
- Value for money: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ (price unconfirmed)
🛒 Before You Buy
✅ Recommended for
- Anyone wanting to escape phone notifications and focus purely on music
- Anyone who wants both retro vibes and hi-fi sound quality
- Anyone curious to get hands-on with open-source hardware
❌ Not recommended for
- Anyone who wants a finished product without any DIY or assembly involved
- Anyone who needs smart features like streaming app integration
🎯 Final Verdict
As convenient as smartphones have made listening to music, they've ironically made it harder to truly focus on the music itself — a paradox this project points straight at. RHYTHM tries to reverse that with physical buttons and dedicated hardware.
Being open-source DIY, it's not something you can pick up at a store just yet, but if you want both that Walkman nostalgia and hi-fi sound quality, this project is worth keeping an eye on.
Source: Yanko Design product page
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