Patent ID: 7700867

Claim:
An apparatus to play back an audio signal, the apparatus comprising: means for acquiring in advance a plurality of exercise tempos of a user when the user is performing exercise; storage means for dividing the plurality of exercise tempos of the user into a plurality of groups based on frequencies of occurrence of each exercise tempo from the plurality of exercise tempos and storing the plurality of groups and digital audio data concerning music pieces, the digital audio data being associated with the plurality of groups; a playback circuit that plays back the digital audio data; detecting means for detecting, after the plurality of exercise tempos have been divided into the plurality of groups and the plurality of groups have been stored in the storage means, a current exercise tempo of the user; and a control circuit that reads out the digital audio data from the storage means to supply the readout digital audio data to the playback circuit, wherein the control circuit determines which group, among the plurality of groups, the current exercise tempo detected by the detecting means belongs to, and reads out digital audio data concerning a music piece associated with the determined group from the storage means to supply the readout digital audio data concerning the music piece to the playback circuit.