What modern technological device will fill my needs?
October 25, 2017 7:01 PM Subscribe
I have a 15-year-old under-the-cabinet radio/CD player in my kitchen. It's on its last legs and I need something new. I know I could buy another just like it, but maybe there's something new that fills this niche now? My needs inside.
I want to be able to:
-- listen to the radio, non-negotiable
-- if I could somehow listen to what I have in iTunes (my music + podcasts) that would be great
-- podcasts are higher priority than music, so if I needed to listen to them outside of an iTunes environment that would be fine
I have:
-- a single plug available
-- a Mac family
-- wi-fi in the kitchen
But:
-- I have very, very minimal counter space. That's why the under-the-cabinet thing worked so well for me.
-- If it's something that sits on the counter, it has to be as minimalist as possible.
So what do I want?
I want to be able to:
-- listen to the radio, non-negotiable
-- if I could somehow listen to what I have in iTunes (my music + podcasts) that would be great
-- podcasts are higher priority than music, so if I needed to listen to them outside of an iTunes environment that would be fine
I have:
-- a single plug available
-- a Mac family
-- wi-fi in the kitchen
But:
-- I have very, very minimal counter space. That's why the under-the-cabinet thing worked so well for me.
-- If it's something that sits on the counter, it has to be as minimalist as possible.
So what do I want?
I'd like to suggest a Sonos.
You can listen to your local radio, you can listen to iTunes, you can listen to your podcasts. The sound quality is great, and the usability from mobile devices and desktops (we're a Mac family as well) is fantastic.
We love ours and frequently move it to different rooms of the house, or outside on the patio when we have people over or parties. We'll be putting it on the front porch for scary music for Halloween.
posted by erst at 7:08 PM on October 25, 2017
You can listen to your local radio, you can listen to iTunes, you can listen to your podcasts. The sound quality is great, and the usability from mobile devices and desktops (we're a Mac family as well) is fantastic.
We love ours and frequently move it to different rooms of the house, or outside on the patio when we have people over or parties. We'll be putting it on the front porch for scary music for Halloween.
posted by erst at 7:08 PM on October 25, 2017
Bluetooth battery powered speaker and a smartphone (preferably). The Bose Revolve is amazing, if pricey, but you really can't go too far wrong.
posted by Sebmojo at 7:09 PM on October 25, 2017
posted by Sebmojo at 7:09 PM on October 25, 2017
Response by poster: We do have an extra iPod touch. We have an iPad but it's frequently in use by others. (Also both are seriously old, many generations back.)
posted by BlahLaLa at 7:11 PM on October 25, 2017
posted by BlahLaLa at 7:11 PM on October 25, 2017
ipod touch does spotify, but you might need to plug it in.
posted by Sebmojo at 7:33 PM on October 25, 2017
posted by Sebmojo at 7:33 PM on October 25, 2017
One of the smart speaker things. Apple has the homepod that would integrate well with your ecosystem. The Alexa is a lot cheaper and not quite as nice, but much more popular.
posted by bonehead at 7:40 PM on October 25, 2017
posted by bonehead at 7:40 PM on October 25, 2017
Echo dot is my kitchen radio and does all of this. Also works as a timer and for grocery list, weather forecast etc.
posted by The Toad at 8:10 PM on October 25, 2017
posted by The Toad at 8:10 PM on October 25, 2017
I too have an Echo Dot; it takes up very little space and needs only a plug and wifi. As a bonus, it'll give you any amazon notifications (yellow light-ring-- ask it "what did I miss?"). I ask for radio stations by name (well, call-letters in some cases); if your radio station of choice doesn't stream, well then this is not a solution for you.
Music, though, can't be played directly from iTunes; you'll have to make it visible to Amazon, either by uploading to Amazon Cloud or something. This article attempts to explain.
You can add more Echo Dots to other places and get the same functions elsewhere; the power is just a USB connection, so you can throw it on a battery and take it in the backyard if you have one.
posted by Sunburnt at 8:26 PM on October 25, 2017
Music, though, can't be played directly from iTunes; you'll have to make it visible to Amazon, either by uploading to Amazon Cloud or something. This article attempts to explain.
You can add more Echo Dots to other places and get the same functions elsewhere; the power is just a USB connection, so you can throw it on a battery and take it in the backyard if you have one.
posted by Sunburnt at 8:26 PM on October 25, 2017
We bought Alexa for the same purpose, and it's nice.
posted by The otter lady at 8:30 PM on October 25, 2017
posted by The otter lady at 8:30 PM on October 25, 2017
IMHO the speaker on the Echo Dot is atrocious. I’d strongly recommend looking at the regular Echo if you’re considering that path. I don’t particularly like mine (independent of the sound quality), but I know many others do.
posted by primethyme at 10:17 PM on October 25, 2017
posted by primethyme at 10:17 PM on October 25, 2017
I got one of these wireless charging station/Bluetooth speaker devices for $25. It's considerably more useful than I expected, and the sound is good for its size. Even if you don't have a Qi-compatible phone or iDevice now, your next one has an increasing likelihood of being compatible, and the best thing about this arrangement is that the station doesn't have to be in a convenient or accessible listening position (or even in plain sight), since the speaker is small and you can pick it up and put it wherever is most convenient at the moment; similarly you can leave the phone on the charging pad or keep it in your pocket.
$50 seems to be the best price at the moment. There are competing devices that are cheaper though I don't know how good they are. That might be a bit steep for something that doesn't provide wifi access or is a smart device. On the other hand, one upside is that it's going to be a much more secure, privacy-friendly thing than a hijackable smart device on wifi.
posted by ardgedee at 5:30 AM on October 26, 2017
$50 seems to be the best price at the moment. There are competing devices that are cheaper though I don't know how good they are. That might be a bit steep for something that doesn't provide wifi access or is a smart device. On the other hand, one upside is that it's going to be a much more secure, privacy-friendly thing than a hijackable smart device on wifi.
posted by ardgedee at 5:30 AM on October 26, 2017
You might also take a look at the $35 Chromecast Audio - one review here: https://www.computerworld.com/article/3033923/personal-technology/chromecast-audio-revisited.html
posted by ElGuapo at 7:00 AM on October 26, 2017
posted by ElGuapo at 7:00 AM on October 26, 2017
I have an undercounted radio/ CD player/ kitchen timer. It has an audio in and nifty shelf to hold my phone. My fancy Bluetooth speaker in the next room gets used a lot less.
posted by Valancy Rachel at 8:40 AM on October 26, 2017
posted by Valancy Rachel at 8:40 AM on October 26, 2017
Since it is in the kitchen I suggest a reasonably-priced bluetooth speaker. I have a Sonos (heavy in a sturdy way) with good sound but may be too big and bulky for kitchen use. I also have an Echo (gift, I didn't request) and hate the eavesdropping and constant interruption. Watching a movie and constantly being interrupted by Echo saying things like "I heard you want to listen to some classical music" when I did nothing of the sort. Then I either have to find my phone and get the Alexa app opened to put on DND, or get up to turn off the microphone. Also, the speaker is shit.
You mention that you are a Mac household. Perhaps wait and see what the HomePod is like? It is expected in December. Unlike Amazon product, it will only listen for "Hey Siri" before doing something. That's what I am doing.
Then the Echo is going to our tannery so my wife can listen to audio books.
posted by terrapin at 8:54 AM on October 26, 2017
You mention that you are a Mac household. Perhaps wait and see what the HomePod is like? It is expected in December. Unlike Amazon product, it will only listen for "Hey Siri" before doing something. That's what I am doing.
Then the Echo is going to our tannery so my wife can listen to audio books.
posted by terrapin at 8:54 AM on October 26, 2017
If you are up for listening to the radio via an app or streaming service, the JBL Flip 4 is an excellent Bluetooth speaker, small, and has great sound for it's size.
posted by slogger at 10:45 AM on October 26, 2017
posted by slogger at 10:45 AM on October 26, 2017
Response by poster: Thanks for all the answers so far. Will be checking things out and will let you know which I choose.
posted by BlahLaLa at 4:47 PM on October 26, 2017
posted by BlahLaLa at 4:47 PM on October 26, 2017
<shill>That Bluetooth/Qi speaker that I mentioned in my earlier comment is available for $25 from meh.com today, plus $5 shipping. Meh is a one-day-deal site (run by the guy who started Woot and sold it to Amazon, discussed previously on MeFi), so this offer is only available today until midnight US EDT, assuming they don't run out earlier.</shill>
posted by ardgedee at 4:00 AM on October 27, 2017
posted by ardgedee at 4:00 AM on October 27, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
That's how I'd do it, anyway. I'd bet if you already have the device, a speaker + radio app would cost you less than a replacement standalone stereo.
posted by sailoreagle at 7:07 PM on October 25, 2017 [1 favorite]