Author Topic: Music players for home use - cheap, simple and not streaming?  (Read 1006 times)

Music players for home use - cheap, simple and not streaming?
« on: 08 September, 2018, 04:57:38 pm »
There must be music buffs here, there must be people who know about music equipment and I'm hoping I'll get an a good suggestion from one of you.

I'm looking for something a little better than a jvc CD radio player but not looking at spending more than £75 if I can help it. Key needs are CD, radio of some sort and I'd like it to accept an ipod, phone or non-apple mp3/digital music player that's not a phone. Small, portable and looks good. Mains and perhaps battery too.

So far I've only seen £99 or more kit that looks good. Any suggestions? Where is a good retailer (online or physical shop / chain

Re: Music players for home use - cheap, simple and not streaming?
« Reply #1 on: 08 September, 2018, 08:50:37 pm »
if you want a basic CD boombox with a sniff of quality then Currys are presently offering a basic Roberts 'swallow' model for just £44.  But there is no DAB radio, only FM/MW/LW, and the aux input is a simple 3.5mm jack. Listen before you buy; it may be no better than a JVC.

You only need look at the other models in the Roberts range to get an idea that you can spend a lot more and also get a fair amount more.  You may or may not want more 'features' and you may or may not value better sound quality at the elevated prices they charge for it.

cheers



Re: Music players for home use - cheap, simple and not streaming?
« Reply #2 on: 08 September, 2018, 11:08:32 pm »
I've been looking online and found an interview on techradar website with a boss at a hifi manufacturer (IIRC called AVS and it makes components for other brands). What interested me was the way he was completely honest about how the industry is ripping customers off with the complicity of the magazines.

Stories like dolby 5.1 is available for £6.50 on a card for your computer but hifi brands charge a hell of a lot more for the same thing. Or his company make the innards of iirc an amplifier or speaker for £80 for one top hifi brand (exhibiting in a room at the hifi exhibition he was being interviewed at) charged £3000 for it.

What was interesting was how he said someone came to him with a power supply costing thousands but he the guy was annoyed by a humming from it. He opened it up and the contents cost £40.

So I am not sure higher price = better. There will probably be a price point at which added expense won't benefit us. We're not hifi buffs we're a family who occasionally listen to music. Say while painting the house, doing jobs about the house, while reading or just to entertain our young son.

The features most likely to be used are CD and radio. However my partner (who it's intended for) has an old ipod. A means to use this and phone could be useful. I've got an android phone so apple only connections are not useful. It seems to me there's a fair few that have apple docking station.

Re: Music players for home use - cheap, simple and not streaming?
« Reply #3 on: 10 September, 2018, 01:38:50 am »
hence the final arbiter of 'is it good enough' is to listen to it.

BTW a 3.5mm Aux input usually means anything with a headphone socket can be used (via a suitable lead which basically has a headphone plug at both ends) to input into a boombox. Just don't have the volume turned up high on your I-pod or phone when you do it.

cheers