Cheap Indulgence

[OnOff]

The wife likes to listen to music in the kitchen. My thinking is if she's happy she might spend longer in there!

At the mo she has an old style cd/radio/cassette that sits atop the worktop taking up space and often a pile of CDs sitting next to it. Anyway it's playing up. My first plan was to get one of those car in-dash, no CD MP3 players that fit in a DIN size slot and take a USB stick. Then to mount it under a wall cupboard. Add a 12V plug top psu. Then some car speakers (oval Ford Capri ones) in the kitchen unit kickboards. Aerial would have to go behind the tall unit with the cooker in.

At this point note neither of us have a smart, i-phone etc so that and a docking station is out as an idea.

The cheapest idea I can come up with is a cheapo tablet Velcroed to a wall cupboard door etc. We could then load it up with stacks of music, get radio via the wi-fi, she could even use it to study recipes but that's unlikely! Albums / tracks would be more easily navigable etc.

But............what to do for speakers? The tablet ones will be naff. Get a tablet with Bluetooth maybe? But then Bluetooth amps seem quite expensive...........I don't fancy having wires visible coming from the tablet. Back to the car one?

Any (cheap) suggestions appreciated.

Yours

A Tightwad.

 

[ProDave]

We have one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Intempo-RDI-docking-station-/321205170292?pt=UK_MP3_Player_Accessories_AudioDocks_Speakers&hash=item4ac951f074

Well we have two actually. One in the kitchen, and one in the ironing room.

I bought the first one cheap of ebay just as an ipod dock, but it also has a built in DAB radio, so I can get my Planet Rock fix in the kitchen as well.

for the size and price the sound is not bad. not hi fi, but perfectly acceptable 

Couple that with a PROPER old fashioned early ipod, the ones with a mini hard disk in them and a decent amount of storage, and virtually our entire CD collection is on the one ipod (these modernt tiny things with solid state storage and only a couple of GB just don't cut the mustard)

 

[OnOff]

Don't do i-ANYTHING!

Think I'll get one of these as I'm passing a store tomorrow:

http://www.richersounds.com/product/wireless-docks,-speakers-and-portables/roth/sof-a/roth-sofa

Then I can see how it works on one of the kid's phones/tablets.

Just got to find a cheap capacitive tablet with Bluetooth!

 

[kerching]

Take one HB pencil

ram it into wifes ears

problem solved....no sound system needed

well,its what i feel like doing to present wife at times!

 

[Sharpend]

Why waste a perfectly good pencil, use a heel instead!

 

[kerching]

Why waste a perfectly good pencil, use a heel instead!

Good call, that way it would appear to be self inflicted

just plotting

 

[kme]

I got the Mrs a bluetooth speaker for the kitchen at xmas - £20

Also bought a purpose intended bluetooth enabled mp3 player - it lives on a short charger lead hanging from a socket, on random play.

She doesn`t even know how to use the player - doesn`t matter. She turns the speaker on - music comes out

As far as she is concerned, its like a radio that only plays good stuff, without the irritating talking or adverts

Think she likes me now

 

[wozz]

Sonos is made for things like this , and the forum used to have a sponsor that did them at a really good price but it appears they are no longer a sponsor. 

 

[OnOff]

Sonos is made for things like this , and the forum used to have a sponsor that did them at a really good price but it appears they are no longer a sponsor. 

Aren't they for music streaming only?

I quite fancy one of these if I can track it down here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_EHWVjSlbg

 

[OnOff]

Just got the cheap (£20) Roth 2 SOF-a from Richer Sounds. Charging it up now............but NOT looking good, would have thought it would have switched on and paired with the phone whilst on the mains charger but seems not!

 

[OnOff]

Should have bought an iThingy :slap

Nope, not even if it means no music. Refuse to support anything "i".

Rang Richer Sounds tonight and said it was shot, the bloke said they had another in stock, he would check it and get back to me. He rang back and it seems the other one is naffed too!. He then offers me a Philips one with an iThing dock for £40 instead of the usual £50. Said no thanks and getting a refund. Would have done but for the iThing dock.

 

[OnOff]

Well...............took it back to the store, different bloke serving and he found another. Works a treat from the phone. Having aggro though getting it to work with the Bluetooth enabled Windoze PC. Under Xp Pro I I right click on an MP3 then "Send To" then "Bluetooth device" and basically it's not having it! Can't remember what the Bluetooth dongle make is etc.....maybe wrong driver?

 

[steptoe]

tesco had a load of bluetooth speakers on clearance today from 19£ upwards,

might get myself one at the weekend if they have any left, neer even thought about getting one today,,,,  :|

 

[OnOff]

tesco had a load of bluetooth speakers on clearance today from 19£ upwards,

might get myself one at the weekend if they have any left, neer even thought about getting one today,,,,  :|

That Tesco one, the Barcelona I think? Has a rechargeable battery too whereas my Roth one is mains only. Buy one, if I'd have seen it before the Richer Sounds one I'd have got that.

Saying that the Roth one looks "ripe" for modding into something like what I originally planned. Had the case off last night and there's very little in there tbh. A couple of 2 1/2" maybe 3" 8ohm speakers, a main PCB and a Bluetooth module. Thinking ditch the speakers for some slightly larger ceiling or plinth mounted ones. Then put the "guts" in a slim-line case under a cupboard. Pretty much invisible. The Roth one is surprisingly LOUD but distorts a tad at higher volumes. Bigger speakers would help. Quite bassy too but I think the case design helps that.

 

[ProDave]

... Had the case off last night and there's very little in there tbh. A couple of 2 1/2" maybe 3" 8ohm speakers, a main PCB and a Bluetooth module. Thinking ditch the speakers for some slightly larger ceiling or plinth mounted ones. Then put the "guts" in a slim-line case under a cupboard. Pretty much invisible. The Roth one is surprisingly LOUD but distorts a tad at higher volumes. Bigger speakers would help. Quite bassy too but I think the case design helps that.

That's why I recommended the intempo thing in an earlier post.  a fairly chunky pair of main speakers facing forward, and a woofer pointing backwards, and for it's price and size not bad sound, and it can go quite loud without distortion (though not loud enough for serious Planet Rock listening)

Of course you discounted that as it connects to an i-thingy

 

[steptoe]

That Tesco one, the Barcelona I think? Has a rechargeable battery too whereas my Roth one is mains only. Buy one, if I'd have seen it before the Richer Sounds one I'd have got that. Saying that the Roth one looks "ripe" for modding into something like what I originally planned. Had the case off last night and there's very little in there tbh. A couple of 2 1/2" maybe 3" 8ohm speakers, a main PCB and a Bluetooth module. Thinking ditch the speakers for some slightly larger ceiling or plinth mounted ones. Then put the "guts" in a slim-line case under a cupboard. Pretty much invisible. The Roth one is surprisingly LOUD but distorts a tad at higher volumes. Bigger speakers would help. Quite bassy too but I think the case design helps that.

Might just have a better look today, Im back that way this afternoon.

 

[OnOff]

Well that's weird......................my SIM in my Samsung Solid Immerse phone and the music over Bluetooth to this speaker sounds pucker, not audiophile fantastic but more than good enough for general listening. Stuck my SIM in the wife's phone, some cheap miniature Orange Lisbon thing and it sounds utterly dire and tinny..............didn't realise it made that much difference!

 

[Bruspark]

FYI there are loads of different Bluetooth services that support streaming and different versions Bluetooth dongle (1-4) implement different mixes of them. A2dp is the current streaming audio service but older devices and dongles sent music via headset profile which many current Bluetooth audio boxes nowdon't support. Usual blooming mess !

To stream audio the phone has to transcode mp3 or whatever to the Bluetooth format .. The quality of that process is linked to phone processor power and memory/software so it can vary greatly

 

[kerching]

Saw similar in my corner shop the other day

http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/level5/module.jsp?moduleId=cpc/680442.xml

as an example

if they are that good i think i will get one

 

[steptoe]

That Tesco one, the Barcelona I think? Has a rechargeable battery too whereas my Roth one is mains only. Buy one, if I'd have seen it before the Richer Sounds one I'd have got that.

Saying that the Roth one looks "ripe" for modding into something like what I originally planned. Had the case off last night and there's very little in there tbh. A couple of 2 1/2" maybe 3" 8ohm speakers, a main PCB and a Bluetooth module. Thinking ditch the speakers for some slightly larger ceiling or plinth mounted ones. Then put the "guts" in a slim-line case under a cupboard. Pretty much invisible. The Roth one is surprisingly LOUD but distorts a tad at higher volumes. Bigger speakers would help. Quite bassy too but I think the case design helps that.

well, I got one, the Paris one actually, its a tad bigger than the barcelona one and felt heavier, and bit better output seemingly,

sounds spot on for ther money, 19£ on shelf, but £17.50 at the check-out 

only 3w RMS though, woulda liked something a bit more pokey for the house tbh, but this is good enough for the shed.

what sort of output is the richer sounds one? couldnt find any info on the link.  :C