CD player with Bluetooth?
June 4, 2024 1:14 PM   Subscribe

We have a Sonos setup in our house. We want to add a CD player to it. Any recommendations?

Yep, pretty much that.

I need a CD player that has Bluetooth connectivity, so we can start using our CD's again. "Just rip all your CD's and set up a Plex server" isn't a practical solution for us - we have about 6,000 CD's between the two of us, and we have neither the spare time or inclination to do it ourselves, nor the money to pay someone to do the job for us. So I'm back to "I need a bluetooth CD player". Basically:

- It doesn't need to be audiophile-quality (it is going to a Sonos, after all), but I don't want cheap throwaway crap, either. It just needs to be decently durable and have Bluetooth connectivity, and I don't need any other real features (don't need a full stereo setup/components, just the CD functionality)
- Bonus points for a Bluetooth CD changer, although in my cursory checking, that may not actually be a thing?

Any recommendations? Or should I just buy the cheap thing at Best Buy and call it good?
posted by pdb to Technology (16 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
I don't think a bluetooth CD player is actually what you want.

I think what you're looking for is actually a Sonos Connect, and then any CD player (with line outputs) of your choice.
posted by kickingtheground at 1:27 PM on June 4, 2024 [3 favorites]


Why not simply connect your NORMAL CD player to your Sonos via a Bluetooth transmitter?

EDIT: Or that Sonos Connect thingie.
posted by kschang at 1:28 PM on June 4, 2024


You could get a cheap Bluetooth transmitter that will connect to any CD player and then transmit to any Bluetooth-receiving speaker.
posted by eschatfische at 1:28 PM on June 4, 2024


We have a Sonos setup in our house. We want to add a CD player to it.

I assume you've checked that you don't have a Sonos product with a Line-In port that you can use with your existing CD player?
posted by zamboni at 1:28 PM on June 4, 2024


Response by poster: Sorry, I should have clarified: I have a Sonos Roam, through which we currently use an Audio-Technica turntable to stream LP's via Bluetooth to the rest of our Sonos setup. I do not currently have a CD player, and I'm looking for something to replicate the LP idea for CD's.
posted by pdb at 1:34 PM on June 4, 2024


In that case the Sonos thing is a bit of a red herring - you just want a Bluetooth CD player or line-in transmitter you can pair to the Roam?

Sonos Connect
While pdb has clarified what they're looking for, note that the Connect is EOL - the newer equivalent is the Sonos Port. (I'm not sure it matters for anything other than Sonos' S2 app, but  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

posted by zamboni at 1:50 PM on June 4, 2024


Response by poster: you just want a Bluetooth CD player or line-in transmitter you can pair to the Roam?

Yep. I mention Sonos just because the Roam is what the Bluetooth CD player would connect to.
posted by pdb at 2:28 PM on June 4, 2024


Well, this one is about $30 on Amazon...
posted by kschang at 2:35 PM on June 4, 2024


My only advice is think about where you will keep it, because fancier ones with a built-in amplifier and whatnot have temperature limitations, so I can't keep my Sony CD player in my garage (where it's wired for outdoor use) because my garage is often too hot and it shuts down. But I can keep a small cheap one out there.
posted by The_Vegetables at 2:57 PM on June 4, 2024


zamboni is correct that my Connect recommendation was out-of-date and their link to current Sonos products with a line-in port is better.

OP - to clarify: you own multiple Sonos devices, and currently connect a turntable to a Roam, over bluetooth, to then listen to vinyl throughout your network? Is that correct? If so, then my advice would still be a wired connection between any CD player's line-out to the line-in input of any Sonos device that has one.
posted by kickingtheground at 3:09 PM on June 4, 2024 [1 favorite]


I don't have any specific recommendations, but if you are looking for a basic/midrange CD player it is worth also looking at combo CD / DVD players, they tend to have better quality/features for about the same price.
posted by Lanark at 3:37 PM on June 4, 2024


2nding kickingtheground- The sound quality will be much better (probably both in terms of stability and definitely in actual audio quality) if you connect the output of a normal CD player to a Sonos product with line input. The Port is pretty pricey though, so a bluetooth solution would definitely be less expensive and might be good enough for your needs. Yamaha and Onkyo/Integra still make 6 disc CD changers which can connect to a bluetooth transmitter or Sonos line inputs. The Yamaha is definitely the quality piece of those listed brands. (I am an electronics technician who has repaired both)
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 4:14 PM on June 4, 2024 [1 favorite]


Best answer: kickingtheground: I think pdb just has the Roam, no other Sonos gear.

A lot of this is going to depend on budget, and your tolerance for hassle.

If you're just sending Bluetooth straight to the Roam, you may be able to go with something like this six disk changer (a lower-end Onkyo, like LDS mentions), and a bluetooth transmitter with optical input. There will likely be some fussing when you change which Bluetooth device is paired with the Roam.

If you wish to give Sonos a bunch of money and your turntable has a line-out jack, you could get separate Sonos Ports for the CD player and the turntable, then switch which device is sending audio to the Roam with the Sonos app.

Another option with less fuss is to have the turntable and cd player sending audio to a receiver, but at that point you might as have the receiver/amp plugged into actual speakers.
posted by zamboni at 4:21 PM on June 4, 2024


OP says: I have a Sonos Roam, through which we currently use an Audio-Technica turntable to stream LP's via Bluetooth to the rest of our Sonos setup. (Bold added by me)
You can transmit bluetooth audio to a Bluetooth equipped Sonos product and then bounce that audio to the rest of your Sonos system (via WiFi) by grouping the players.
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 5:44 PM on June 4, 2024


Response by poster: @larry David syndrome: yes, this is what I currently do with records via our Bluetooth turntable, and what I'm looking to do with a good-quality CD player.

@zamboni: no, we have: a Roam, a Playbase, and a Sonos One (sorry, should probably have specified that in the post). And will probably add more Sonoses (sonii?) in the future, first up at some point soon being probably a replacement for the Playbase. Would I need both the player and the transmitter that you list?
posted by pdb at 7:28 PM on June 4, 2024


Best answer: Would I need both the player and the transmitter that you list?

You'll definitely need a CD player - the Onkyo I linked would probably be fine, but I'd maybe take advantage of Larry David Syndrome's experience and pay a little more for a Yamaha?

Now we need to get the audio from the CD player to the Roam.

The 'throw money at it' solution is to get a Sonos product with line-in, and let it get the audio stream to the Roam. That could be the Port, or if you want to upgrade from the Sonos One, an Era 100 connected via adapters. (Distastefully, for the Era 100 or similar, it looks like you'd have a RCA to 3.5 mm adapter plugged into the CD player, then plug the 3.5 mm into a Sonos line-in adapter.)

The budget option is a Bluetooth transmitter like the one I linked. I think that Monoprice one would be fine, but I don't have direct experience with it. BT hardware is often a crapshoot, but at least it's cheap. Make sure you get a transmitter, not a receiver.
posted by zamboni at 7:16 AM on June 5, 2024 [1 favorite]


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