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Help me with my daughter

Jazzbolito

Jazzbolito

Active Member
:yes: My daughter has returned to the US.

This is what she's (and spouse and seven year old daughter) are looking for, and I quote:

"What we need is something to listen to our IPod and Iphones on while downstairs (kitchen, living room, dining room). No radio or CD player needed... Ideally it would have good sound and not be tooooooo huge"

I thought a Bose Champion 3 or 5 wouldn't have the quality she needs. Anything else in this catagory that would meet her needs and not break the bank???

Instead, I was thinking of putting together an amp of some sort with good speakers and a dock. I thought I could do this for considerably less than the above and of much better quality.

What I have would be a bit too big (see below)

All suggestions appreciated. Vintage is preferred if appropriated.
 
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Although we probably abhor the fidelity, get her one of those ubiquitous speaker docks that are sold everywhere for under $100.
She won't want to screw around with any of our real audio stuff, which will be much bigger, more complicated, not charge her device, and not sound any better to her.

Any big box retailer will have several to choose from.

Or you could get her a dock or cable with RCAs on it and hook it up to any vintage stuff you have, but it will probably be too dated and clumsy for them.
 
For cheap, cheerful, small and far better than the price would suggest...how about the Dayton Audio DTA-1 amplifier and B652 speaker bundle?

If components are OK, these are small and the amp runs on batteries.

I've been very happy with mind. Did a review on it, but my web server is down right now due to serious connectivity issues.
 
Andyman said:
Although we probably abhor the fidelity, get her one of those ubiquitous speaker docks that are sold everywhere for under $100.
She won't want to screw around with any of our real audio stuff, which will be much bigger, more complicated, not charge her device, and not sound any better to her.

Any big box retailer will have several to choose from.
Click to expand...

+1

You can get ones that sound ok and since I assume her current baseline for sonic quality are those pathetic white earbuds it will probably sound great to her.
 
I'd get any old stereo receiver you can find, hook it up to any half decent pair of bookshelf speakers. Then get a 3.5mm to RCA white/red cable and run that from the MP3-player to the receiver. All she has to do is turn on the receiver and the MP3 player. Pretty simple if you ask me.
 
I put a Sansui 221, Minimus 7w speakers and a Rotel CD player in my daughter's playroom and it sounds pretty good, especially considering it cost about $22. The Sansui is pretty small, and adding a dock instead of a CD player would work great. I also had the same system in the garage for awhile with different speakers. First with PSB Alphas(another good budget choice for speakers) and then with some Mordaunt-Short bookshelves. Honestly, there a quite a few smallish Sansui units that would work. I also have an AU555a and an AU3900. They would work nicely in place of the 221 if a tuner isn't needed.
I would personally vote against one of those dock/speaker things. The family all pitched in and bought one with an ipod for my mother in law and it just sounds awful. Maybe there are some that sound decent, I don't know. If somebody can figure out how to use an ipod, they can figure out a simple vintage receiver. If all they are using it for is the ipod then it could be set up as simply as turn it on, adjust the volume.
 
A dirt cheap T-amp (+psu {an old laptop one is best})
+
Minijack<>Minijack cable, dock cable or a dock.
+
Vintage speakers (Or if they want new+tight budget, why not these?)
+
Some speaker cable (I use one cat wire per speaker terminal, bare ends)
=
:)

Replace the Iphone with a BB and you've got my setup.
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Thanks folks. Your suggestions are great. Now I have to do my research. BTW, I hooked up a cable to my wife's IPhone both her music and Pandora, as well as my Nano. It works just fine w/my sx850 powering my cd, cassette deck as well. That's the route. When I get a chance I'll look up your items.
Thanks again, Jazzbolito.
ps: What's a T-Amp?
 
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