South Korean boutique electronics maker das_POD has started selling the CD-ROM Player 01, a self-assembly kit that turns an old IDE optical drive into a standalone CD audio player. The basic idea is pleasingly blunt: take the beige tray-loading hardware many people left in a closet after the SATA era arrived, put it in a new enclosure, wire it to a controller and power board, and make it play discs without a PC.
The kit starts at $190 and ships worldwide, according to das_POD’s online store. Buyers do not get an optical drive in the box. They supply a compatible IDE CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive themselves, or buy one separately from das_POD’s store.
That distinction matters because the drive is the machine here. The CD-ROM Player 01 is an enclosure and electronics package for a decades-old PC part, not a conventional new hi-fi deck with a built-in transport. das_POD says compatible IDE drives can be found in old computers, second-hand markets, recycling centers or storage boxes. The company frames the project around repair, ownership and the physical handling of music, which is marketing prose wrapped around a useful bit of upcycling.
What the kit includes, and what it does not
das_POD says the CD-ROM Player 01 uses a laser-cut enclosure and a custom PCB, and that assembly does not require soldering. The product is sold in two finishes: a powder-coated orange model priced at $190 and an anodized semi-gloss white model priced at $220, according to the store listings.
The kit does not include an IDE optical drive, an AUX cable or a 12V power adapter. das_POD sells the missing cable and power adapter separately, and those accessories appear to add roughly $25 to $30 at checkout. That makes the advertised entry price a partial number unless the buyer already has the rest of the needed parts.
das_POD also lists refurbished IDE drives for buyers who do not have one on hand. The store includes drives priced from $5 up to $40, with listings graded by output, sound quality and physical condition. One listed Samsung drive, the Drive_24, is priced at $35 and described with an A+ output grade, A sound-quality grade and C condition grade.
The maker angle
The interesting part is not that an IDE drive can play an audio CD. PC optical drives have been doing that job for a long time. The product is the packaging: a case, a front-panel-friendly layout, power handling and the control electronics needed to make an old drive behave like a small standalone component.
Some social media commenters have pointed out that one key piece appears similar to generic CD/DVD-ROM optical drive controller boards sold through AliExpress for about $30. If that comparison is right, the harder-to-replace part of das_POD’s kit is the custom power board and the finished enclosure design.
For buyers with a laser cutter, 3D printer or CNC machine, that invites the obvious DIY comparison. For everyone else, das_POD is selling convenience, a finished look and the minor luxury of making a discarded IDE drive feel intentional again. Whether that is worth $190 before the drive, cable and power brick depends on how much affection the buyer has for tray-loading nostalgia and how allergic they are to bare circuit boards on a desk.
This story draws on original reporting from Tom's Hardware.
