When humankind first made music, it was a communal pleasure, a dance around the fire. And so it remained, from the drum circle to the opera house to the arena-rock concert. We listened together, passed around our favorite recordings, bonded over the feeling. Ah, but now… with each of us streaming our algorithmically targeted playlists through our hermetically sealed noise-cancelling headphones, music serves more to isolate than to connect us.

But a growing cohort of music lovers are looking to revive that communal, tactile, real-world spirit - and for audio gear that facilitates those connections. Allow us to recommend a few recent arrivals.

Nobody should collect LPs just for them to collect dust. The Best Portable Record Player lets the DJ bring the party everywhere they go. (That’s you. You’re the DJ.) With pristine Audio-Technica sound and a dynamic balance system for added stability, this mobile turntable has won unanimous plaudits from professional reviewers and users alike. Just add speakers of your choice and enjoy rich, dynamic sound everywhere from a picnic in the park to your home listening room.

Remember mixtapes? Painstakingly hitting Pause and Record over and over to construct the perfect playlist to impress your friends - or someone you hoped might become more than friends? The Bluetooth Cassette Player & Recorder not only lets you listen anew to old tapes you’ve held onto - it also records directly to cassette from your phone or any other Bluetooth audio source. You’re just one button-push away from returning to the days when music meant more than ever. The retro '80s-style headphones are just the frosting on the tips.

Of course, most of us will still spend some time walking around listening to earbuds. But that doesn’t mean you need to be oblivious to your surroundings. The Stay-Aware Open-Ear Wireless Earbuds sit over your ears, not in them. So your music and podcasts come through loud and clear without shutting out the sounds of cars or neighbors. And you won’t get that plugged-up feeling in your ears - or your mind.

No doubt streaming music has brought convenience and choice to listeners. But it’s also weakened those bonds between us and the recordings, between us and each other. Getting back to music you can touch is a big step toward getting back to music you can feel.