The History of Audio Players

  • Invention of the Phonoautograph

    Invention of the Phonoautograph
    Before the phonograph, there was an invention called the phonoautograph, which could record sound as soundwaves, but not play the sound back. This was invented by Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville, a Frenchman.
  • Invention of the Phonograph

    Invention of the Phonograph
    Thomas Alva Edison invented and patented the first machine to record sound and then play it back.
  • Invention of the Gramophone

    Invention of the Gramophone
    10 years after Edison invented the phonograph, Emile Berliner invented the gramophone, a device like the phonograph but improved. This instrument plays music on a record disk, instead of a cylinder.
  • Invention of the radio

    Invention of the radio
    Gugliemo Marconi invented the first and most basic radio that later led to morer advanced radios, but it wasn't until much later that the first audio broadcast was sent between 2 devices. Reginald A. Fessendsen accomplished this.
  • Invention of the record

    Invention of the record
    The first records were made of glass. Eventually, they were made of zinc and finally plastic. These record players had variable turn table speeds. Records eventually were the hip thing to have.
  • Invention of the Cassete tape

    Invention of the Cassete tape
    Koninklijke Philips N.V. invented the Cassete tape for storing audio.
  • The invention of the compact disk

    The invention of the compact disk
    James T. Russel invented the compact disk. This was the next major hit technology.
  • Invention of the mp3 player

    Invention of the mp3 player
    Tomislav Uzelac made the first successful MP3 player after Frauenhofer’s MP3 became a disaster. Seven years later, he managed to make a prototype as well and release the first MP3 in the US markets. This was the earliest 'mobile' player and was known as AMP MP3 Playback Engine.