Editing CD player (section)

{{short description|Electronic device that plays audio compact discs}}
{{About|the electronic device|the software application|CD Player (Windows)}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2023}}

[[File:Panasonic SL-S250C with Philips LC0305 20110106.jpg|thumb|upright|A portable CD player]]

A '''CD player''' is an electronic device that plays audio [[compact disc]]s, which are a [[digital audio|digital]] [[optical disc]] [[data storage]] format. CD players were first sold to consumers in 1982. CDs typically contain recordings of audio material such as music or [[audiobook]]s. CD players may be part of home [[stereo]] systems, [[car audio]] systems, [[personal computer]]s, or [[portable CD player]]s such as CD [[boombox]]es. Most CD players produce an output signal via a [[headphone]] jack or [[RCA jack]]s. To use a CD player in a home stereo system, the user connects an RCA cable from the RCA jacks to a [[hi-fi]] (or other [[power amplifier|amplifier]]) and [[loudspeaker]]s for listening to music. To listen to music using a CD player with a headphone output jack, the user plugs headphones or earphones into the headphone jack.

Modern units can play audio formats other than the original CD [[PCM]] audio coding, such as [[MP3]], [[Advanced Audio Coding|AAC]] and [[Windows Media Audio|WMA]]. [[DJ]]s playing [[dance music]] at clubs often use specialized players with an adjustable playback speed to alter the [[Pitch (music)|pitch]] and tempo of the music. [[Audio engineer]]s using CD players to play music for an event through a [[sound reinforcement system]] use professional audio-grade CD players. CD playback functionality is also available on [[optical disc drive|CD-ROM/DVD-ROM]] drive-equipped computers as well as on [[DVD player]]s and most optical disc-based [[home video game console]]s.