<p class="bodytext">Last week, stuck in Bengaluru commute, I slipped on my headphones to escape the noise. But my phone would not stop buzzing. Notifications from WhatsApp, Insta, and news apps kept popping up. I found myself switching every two minutes, doomscrolling, even jumping to music apps. Total distraction—now the norm.</p>.<p class="bodytext">I craved offline music: just pick a playlist and zone out. No ads interrupting, no data drain eating into my balance. Then I saw the Sony NW-ZX900 leak online, hinting at a fresh digital Walkman. Funny coincidence—around the same time, my mom dug out my old MP3 player while cleaning. She blew off the dust, handed it to me and asked, “Does this even work anymore?”</p>.<p class="bodytext">Those were the glory days of the Walkman and iPod. Back in the 1990s and 2000s, everyone had one clipped to their belt or stuffed in a pocket. I remember walking to college with my chunky Walkman CD player—a big palm-sized gadget that never fit into my pocket. It stayed in my bag while I fished out the headphone wire without tangling it into knots and somehow got it to my ears without tripping over. Still, flipping through CD albums and hitting play felt like magic.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Then the iPod changed everything. That sleek white wheel spinning through thousands of songs felt like pure joy, a pocket of music freedom. Just when we were settling in, smartphones arrived and killed them all. Why lug an extra gadget when your phone could play music, radio and stream anything? By 2015, MP3 players looked like dead dinosaurs.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Now, they are stirring again. Audiophiles crave better sound – hi-res audio that streaming services don’t always deliver properly. Streaming fatigue is real. Big platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and JioSaavn push subscription models hard. Pay for premium or endure ads blasting every few songs and sound stuck at low quality. Those free plans control everything; algorithms pick your playlists you didn’t ask for and shove suggestions you did not want. You lose control over what you actually love. Folks are fed up renting music forever from these giants. They want that old feeling of owning their tunes again.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Today’s digital audio player (DAP) scene looks promising. Sony is still pushing the digital Walkman lineup, like the A306 and ZX707, which are selling well thanks to hi-res audio codecs and long battery life. ZX900 rumours have better chips and processors for smoother play of high-quality audio, which has got everyone talking. Small brands are jumping in too. FiiO with M27 and Shanling M0s are both available in India. Not huge startups but nimble ones filling the gap with cool portables. These players pack features like balanced outputs and app support, making them perfect for local tastes from Hamsalekha to Taylor Swift to global indie.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The market in this segment is growing about 12% year-on-year, added to the sales of high-quality headphones. Gen Z loves the retro vibe too; they collect vinyl and are now eyeing digital players for that old-school feel mixed with modern sound. Social media is buzzing with unboxing videos by young creators pairing them with IEMs for that authentic soundstage.</p>.<p class="bodytext">This matters to me. On hectic days or leisurely drives, music helps me unwind and find calm. Pure sound from a DAP lets you connect deeply with the tunes, without distractions pulling you away. In India, rising middle-class audiophiles may also skip steep subscription bills from constant streaming services. But will people truly take ownership of their music again? That remains to be seen. Still, it’s an exciting thought– phones losing their grip, just a little.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Later that day, I charged that old MP3 player my mom found, and guess what? It started working fine. I plugged in, scrolled through those long- forgotten songs –Green Day’s American Idiot and Savage Garden – and smiled at memories.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It almost felt like a small rebellion against nonstop screen life – always on, always connected, always interrupting. In 2026, I hope this trend gathers steam. Not everyone will ditch phones, of course, but maybe the DAP can return as a sidekick for quiet moments of pure escape. Funny how dusty <br />old gadgets can spark something new. What’s next–the typewriter?</p>
<p class="bodytext">Last week, stuck in Bengaluru commute, I slipped on my headphones to escape the noise. But my phone would not stop buzzing. Notifications from WhatsApp, Insta, and news apps kept popping up. I found myself switching every two minutes, doomscrolling, even jumping to music apps. Total distraction—now the norm.</p>.<p class="bodytext">I craved offline music: just pick a playlist and zone out. No ads interrupting, no data drain eating into my balance. Then I saw the Sony NW-ZX900 leak online, hinting at a fresh digital Walkman. Funny coincidence—around the same time, my mom dug out my old MP3 player while cleaning. She blew off the dust, handed it to me and asked, “Does this even work anymore?”</p>.<p class="bodytext">Those were the glory days of the Walkman and iPod. Back in the 1990s and 2000s, everyone had one clipped to their belt or stuffed in a pocket. I remember walking to college with my chunky Walkman CD player—a big palm-sized gadget that never fit into my pocket. It stayed in my bag while I fished out the headphone wire without tangling it into knots and somehow got it to my ears without tripping over. Still, flipping through CD albums and hitting play felt like magic.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Then the iPod changed everything. That sleek white wheel spinning through thousands of songs felt like pure joy, a pocket of music freedom. Just when we were settling in, smartphones arrived and killed them all. Why lug an extra gadget when your phone could play music, radio and stream anything? By 2015, MP3 players looked like dead dinosaurs.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Now, they are stirring again. Audiophiles crave better sound – hi-res audio that streaming services don’t always deliver properly. Streaming fatigue is real. Big platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and JioSaavn push subscription models hard. Pay for premium or endure ads blasting every few songs and sound stuck at low quality. Those free plans control everything; algorithms pick your playlists you didn’t ask for and shove suggestions you did not want. You lose control over what you actually love. Folks are fed up renting music forever from these giants. They want that old feeling of owning their tunes again.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Today’s digital audio player (DAP) scene looks promising. Sony is still pushing the digital Walkman lineup, like the A306 and ZX707, which are selling well thanks to hi-res audio codecs and long battery life. ZX900 rumours have better chips and processors for smoother play of high-quality audio, which has got everyone talking. Small brands are jumping in too. FiiO with M27 and Shanling M0s are both available in India. Not huge startups but nimble ones filling the gap with cool portables. These players pack features like balanced outputs and app support, making them perfect for local tastes from Hamsalekha to Taylor Swift to global indie.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The market in this segment is growing about 12% year-on-year, added to the sales of high-quality headphones. Gen Z loves the retro vibe too; they collect vinyl and are now eyeing digital players for that old-school feel mixed with modern sound. Social media is buzzing with unboxing videos by young creators pairing them with IEMs for that authentic soundstage.</p>.<p class="bodytext">This matters to me. On hectic days or leisurely drives, music helps me unwind and find calm. Pure sound from a DAP lets you connect deeply with the tunes, without distractions pulling you away. In India, rising middle-class audiophiles may also skip steep subscription bills from constant streaming services. But will people truly take ownership of their music again? That remains to be seen. Still, it’s an exciting thought– phones losing their grip, just a little.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Later that day, I charged that old MP3 player my mom found, and guess what? It started working fine. I plugged in, scrolled through those long- forgotten songs –Green Day’s American Idiot and Savage Garden – and smiled at memories.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It almost felt like a small rebellion against nonstop screen life – always on, always connected, always interrupting. In 2026, I hope this trend gathers steam. Not everyone will ditch phones, of course, but maybe the DAP can return as a sidekick for quiet moments of pure escape. Funny how dusty <br />old gadgets can spark something new. What’s next–the typewriter?</p>
