Home speaker gadget thing

[Deft]

As I embark on my Google research, I thought I'd throw it out to you nerds to help me.

My mum wants some kind of audio system with main criteria:

 

Small, unobtrusive (i.e. doesn't want hifi separates and two speakers).

Can do digital radio

Can play her CDs (in reality most likely I will just rip them for her, so it needs some kind of digital file playback interface - and probably not streamed from a server or some other nerd bullshit).

She has Wifi etc. so it could happily be internet connected, but she doesn't really use a traditional PC in her house, just an iPad mini. I don't really want her to have to bluetooth a separate iPod or iPad to play things, will be too much hassle I think.

 

 

Does such a thing exist? Amazon echo / google home things spring to mind, but I've found them a ball-ache with drop-outs for streaming radio channels - and getting a personal music library working with them a bit convoluted.

I'm also thinking a nice little touch screen interface would be nice. I don't want to pay a subscription either. Just set up her library and leave it be.

[Deft]

7 minutes later I see these Ruark Audio jobs that look pretty nice and seem to fit the bill.

https://www.ruarkaudio.com/products/r2-streaming-music-system

Moderately expensive though.

[Deft]

Turns out my mum is pretty much the average consumer, there's loads of these things.

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/audio-and-headphones/audio/hifi-systems-and-speakers/panasonic-sc-hc2020ebk-wireless-flat-panel-hi-fi-system-black-10180920-pdt.html

 

However, I worry that plugging a USB stick in the back will be fucking shit to navigate around with some crappy remote.

[Steve]

The Revo SuperSystem is supposedly excellent, but it's even more pricey than the Ruark R2: -

 

https://revo.co.uk/products/supersystem/

 

It might be overkill/too big for your mum's needs though. This is supposed to be good too: -

 

https://europe.yamaha.com/en/products/audio_visual/desktop_audio/tsx-b235d_g/index.html

 

That's cheaper than the Ruark/Revo and has a CD player.

 

There's stuff like this on Amazon, but I have no idea if it's any good: -

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07K2GMS64/ref=psdc_10395621_t2_B07JP11HQQ

 

The low price tends to put me off things like this, rather than make them more attractive.

 

You could do with something with a hard drive that also allows you to rip CDs. I dunno of a stand-alone product that does that though - only hi-fi separates.

 

Maybe ask over at AV Forums.

[Deft]

Cheers Steve those all look like good options. Seems like a pretty crowded market. I'm thinking Bluetooth via her iPad and iTunes library wouldn't be a disaster, as at least choosing the album to listen to would be familiar. Equally I reckon she could live with a decent app which allowed navigation through a connected USB stick. I'll have to figure out whether she actually needs a traditional CD player. She probably will. I could also live with a NAS on her router if I really had to.

Ultimately she'll probably choose based on looks / colour in the end.

[djdiggla]

I was gonna say Echo or something in that family. I dont have the dropouts you are talking about but of course that would ruin the whole point. Wouldnt help with the CDs but thats whatever. Another option would be a Sonos speaker with a CD player and Alexia dot off somewhere out of sight.

 

Edit: or I guess if she has a smart phone she wouldnt need the dot.

[Deft]

Yeah she has an android phone so an app for main use and controls is probably OK. She is comfortable enough poking around on her iPad but is definitely no computer whizz. That's why even pissing around with Bluetooth could be an aggravation too far.

[Deft]

We are edging towards the white Yamaha model. The UK model has a wooden top panel but shares the same model number as that EU site. Can't seem to find an obvious online retailer. I'm going to have to go old skool and ask a real shop FFS what is the world coming to.

[Deft]

Well the happy end (almost) to this saga is that I:

 

1) Drove in a car to a Hifi shop a few miles away

2) Had to walk into a shop and speak to a real person face to face

3) This person then had to ring someone on a hard wired telephone and see whether the thing existed. I think this person was a distributor

4) Distributor says they are basically discontinued but there is 1 white one left

5) I order it

6) I have to go BACK to the shop next week and pick it up myself

 

I felt like it was 1990.

 

If this thing is shit Steve, I'm going to set my mum on you.

 

The shop also had those Ruark and Revo things on the shelf in the flesh. They do look quite nice I must say.

[Steve]

Haha, hopefully she likes it!

[TBearOne8III]

if that dosent work, then get one of these: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lasonic-i931-bt-only-shipping-for-the-48-States-USA/254202369319?epid=94178909&hash=item3b2fa45527:g:P4wAAOSwcGtcXjFk

i got one at the house. dosent play cd's though. oh well

[Deft]

I set the Yamaha jobbie up at the weekend. Funnily neither picture was particularly accurate, it has a pretend wooden top panel which neither looks quite wooden or white.

The thing looks pretty OK in the flesh and most importantly fitted the surrounding decor well. Everything worked and sound quality was pretty decent for a small box. I'm not sure £330 was amazingly good or bad value.