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Thread: Frugal music options??

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    Frugal music options??

    Our ancient combo CDplayer/radio/cassette player finally bit the dust and I am missing music. I have no clue what options there are today to listen to music since our device was probably twenty years old and everything has changed. Please recommend best inexpensive options. Right now I am just playing you tubes on the desktop computer but need a way to set something up downstairs.

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    Senior Member bae's Avatar
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    How good is your hearing?

    Do you mostly want to listen to things streamed over the Internet?

    What is your budget?

    (I've switched to Sonos speakers in the house, and have been reasonably happy with the ability to play music from almost all the major streaming options on them.)

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    Senior Member catherine's Avatar
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    We have an Amazon Echo. You can get them really cheaply now--about $25 and up. I also have an $8 a month subscription to Amazon Music, which gives you almost anything you would ever want to hear. All you do is say, "Alexa, play Billy Joel music" or "Alexa, play 60s folk music," or "Alexa, play the original Broadway cast album of Rent." I think there are actually cheaper plans than $8, but I love not having to buy CDs, which you can get sick of and which take up space. We are pretty addicted to Alexa.

    Edited to add: I checked, and the basic price is $3.99 a month to Amazon Music. That's under $50 a year for millions of music choices.
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    Senior Member razz's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bae View Post
    How good is your hearing?

    Do you mostly want to listen to things streamed over the Internet?

    What is your budget?

    (I've switched to Sonos speakers in the house, and have been reasonably happy with the ability to play music from almost all the major streaming options on them.)
    Ditto for me using my wifi. i do listen to CD's in my car. I have looked at a new boombox so that I can play some really lively favourites that I have on hand when I want to dance-cercise to a fast beat. They are too pricey as the reviews of the cheaper models are not positive.
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    Quote Originally Posted by pinkytoe View Post
    Our ancient combo CDplayer/radio/cassette player finally bit the dust and I am missing music. I have no clue what options there are today to listen to music since our device was probably twenty years old and everything has changed. Please recommend best inexpensive options. Right now I am just playing you tubes on the desktop computer but need a way to set something up downstairs.
    Pandora. Choose your favorite band. Then you can expand from there to get a mix you like. You can create as many "channels" as you have moods. I do the free account. I don't mind the occasional advertisement.

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    Senior Member bae's Avatar
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    If you aren't looking for hi-fi, I've also been very happy with this bluetooth speaker from Bose:

    https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/...nk_micro_black

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    Senior Member SteveinMN's Avatar
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    Unless you have a passion for something like South American throat singers of the mid-20th century, just about any of the big streaming companies (Amazon, Google, Apple, etc.) will be able to supply what you want to listen to. Not saying that you can't find South American throat singers of the mid-20th century on a streaming service, but, well, you'd have to be a little lucky.

    A couple of options (which may or may not apply to you):
    - If you have a "smart TV" it may be able to play (selected) streaming services. Poke around in the menus.
    - If you have a smartphone, there are apps out there, for streaming services, to emulate your local radio, to listen to (commercial) radio from other places. Minimal cost but you will be using your phone and may want a speaker or two (Bluetooth will get rid of a cable).
    - If having Google or Amazon know too much about you is a turn-off, Roku and Apple have streaming devices, too, which you can buy for a one-time cost (sometimes pretty darn cheap). Hook up to your Wi-Fi and use your TV to choose from hundreds of Internet radio stations that carry just about any genre of music you'd want to listen to, including South American throat singers of the mid-20th century. Again, you may want a pair of speakers for better sound. Or a TV soundbar.

    We use an Apple TV hooked up to our TV and to an amplifier (for better sound) and can listen to just about anything we want through it. The only drawbacks are 1) stations change their broadcasting techniques from time to time, so an older (essentially hardwired) streaming device may not be able to load the new method, leaving you unable to listen to that station. Usually, however, there is at least one other station that carries music similar to what the other station played, so just switch; and 2) some of these stations are ad-supported and the ads, though nowhere near as ubiquitous as ads on commercial radio, tend to be the same. every. darn. time. For no more than the cost of the Apple TV ever, though, I can live with that. If it really bothered me we could look at a newer model ($$$) or go with a Roku or some other streamer. Not that important to us.
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    We have gone the opposite direction and hooked up a turntable, receiver, an speakers, and we play vinyl. Some are left over from our youth, and some we find here and there.

    The streaming suggestions are amazing--especially 50 dollars a year for all that music!

    But we do love our vinyl records and our 70's speakers, which we got at a high end estate sale from somebody who kept everything boxed up in the original boxes.

  9. #9
    Senior Member JaneV2.0's Avatar
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    You can check the thrifts for boomboxes and/or components.

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    Yikes....so many choices!

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