Music system to store and play all much loved CDs

EssexExile

Cornucopia wrote: »

Speakers and an amplifier, or mains-powered amplified speakers.

The Brennan & the Cocktail both include an amplifier.

Cornucopia

EssexExile wrote: »

The Brennan & the Cocktail both include an amplifier.

But no speakers?

Things are rather less rosy when using the X10’s own amp, which lets the side down with an uncannily thin balance and strangely old-fashioned sound. As this is the way that the Cocktail is most likely to be used then its something of an issue.

RumRat

Rip them to Google Play music and just have a couple of decent active speakers with an aux in and use with Chromecast audio....

kwikbreaks

The Brennan solution can be approximated for a fraction of the cost....

First step as for all solutions is to rip the CDs to digital format. Depending on size they need to be put on either a portable hard drive or USB stick. Keep backups to avoid the need to repeat the ripping excercise.

Then take a look at RuneAudio - you just flash a microsd with the software and use it in a Raspberry Pi. Control it from any browser - smartphone tablet or comptuter.

It requires virtually no technical expertise and just costs a Raspberry Pi starter kit and whatever disk the CD's will be stored on assuming you already have something that runs a browser. I tried it on a spare Pi 1 I had and was very impressed.

You will need to plug it into either a HiFi or some amplified PC speakers.

Cornucopia

Okay, so we need to know:-

- Whether the OP can rip her own CDs, or get someone to do it for her?

- How many CDs we are talking about?

- What form factor is desired, or in other words, where will it be used, and how much space is available? How will it be used - hifi mode with a remote, or mp3 player mode with a small screen, or something else like a tv screen?

- How much they want to spend?

- Whether any existing equipment could be pressed into service? e.g. a TV with USB port, a DVD player, a DVD player with USB port, any vacant USB sticks or memory cards (large capacity), Chromecast, Roku, Now TV box, etc. etc.

- What PC/Laptop the OP has, if any?

In the case of the cost question, I should add that equipment with genuinely good sound quality for CDs/Digital covers a huge price range. For portable MP3 players used with headphones or separate amplified speakers, even the very cheapest have good sound quality. For amplified speakers, devices from £30 upwards have good sound quality. Beatboxes and standalone radios, I would want to test for sound quality before buying.

chipp

I bought a Brennan B2 relatively recently and I'm finding it more than satisfactory. It's compact and it looks and sounds good.

Contrary to what another poster said, it DOES play CDs if you don't want to put them on its hard disk, but for me the hard disk was the attraction. My entire cd collection is on it and I'm now adding my vinyl and cassettes. If the OP doesn't have space for the record deck and/or cassette recorder alongside the Brennan (and it sounds like she doesn't) that's not an issue, just connect the deck/cassette player to a computer, do the digitisation and clean-up if necessary there (I use audacity - free software) and then upload the results using the Brennan web UI. Easy peasy.

Whilst I have no doubt that a similar setup could be built by someone with the necessary skill and inclination, if that's not you and you're not on a tight budget I'd recommend Brennan. Their website gives a link to a YouTube "what it does" presentation and if you have specific questions, use their contact form.

beardiedog

morganlefay wrote: »

Please don't shout at me: I'm an old lady and not at all techie.

I expect the OP is probably quite bamboozled by now :eek:

Cornucopia

beardiedog wrote: »

I expect the OP is probably quite bamboozled by now :eek:

Yes - choosing stuff these days can be tricky. Typically you get the kind of issues we have here: a diversification away from a single technology into a series of possible solutions, often not directly compatible with each other, and in some cases with no easy/obvious differentiation between them.

Unsurprisingly, the expensive end of the market has the money to market their stuff very effectively. However, it doesn't mean that it is necessarily the only solution (and once you factor in VFM it may not even be the best solution).

Personally, I much prefer the cheaper end of the market - mistakes work out much less expensive that way.

I_have_spoken

OP could just as well go for a micro all-in-one like the Denon M40DAB and to save space on storing a "huge library" of CDs, take them out the jewel-cases and store in sleeves for 5-1 reduction in space needed.

Ainsley1

Morgan legacy:
I hope you have not been put off by some of the technical responses!
I have sent you a p.m (personal message) that you can read and reply to.