MP3 players are here to stay, but they aren't about to kill off the popularity of CD players. All those downloaded tracks end up burned onto CDs eventually. If you want to get more boom from your portable CD player, TDK's I'MASPEAKER could be just the thing for you. It's a powered speaker system that turns your portable player into a boom box.

The idea isn't new. What makes this interesting is that the speakers come hidden within a CD case: a square case with one speaker can hold 12 CDs, and a rectangular case with two speakers can hold 24 CDs. The additional weight is minimal. It feels so much like any other case, you'd be tempted to treat it like one. Feel free. (This thing has been party tested: It can be thrown across the room and still work fine.)

The device relies on the CD player's volume control, so there aren't any hard-to-reach controls. Powered by two AA and three AA batteries respectively, the single-speaker model should last eight hours while the two-speaker unit is supposed to last seven hours. (During my testing, over several days, I have yet to drain the batteries.) Best of all, the batteries don't wear out if you forget to turn off the unit — it only consumes juice when music is playing.

The sound is decent. It's smooth and even with maybe a tad too much treble, but fine for Barenaked Ladies genre. Crank up some 50 Cent and you will get distortion on the low end — even where it is unintended. Will I'MASPEAKER take the place of a boom box on the beach? Yes, and with less danger of being ruined by sand. Will it work well in a hotel room? Absolutely. But will I be able to DJ a party using just these AAA-battery-powered CD-case speakers? It really depends on how raging your parties are, but don't count on it.