Streaming to Bluetooth or cd player

olb81

What is cheapest or what do you prefer

My two choices are

Use my smartphone or tablet to stream using trials or cheap subscriptions to a decent Bluetooth speaker

Or buy 2nd hand cds and play through a stand alone cd player?

flaneurs_lobster

Depends what kit you already own.

A £50 stand-alone CD player will almost certainly have inferior sound quality to a £50 Bluetooth speaker.

If not considering sound quality then cheap/free streaming beats bought CDs and clearly gives an infinite choice over limited collection and what can be sourced.

Need storage space too. Can't old CDs suffer from recording medium decay/dropouts?

olb81

I own nothing ATM

To add the flat has free Internet

So would alexa be worth considering?

Or any other Bluetooth speakers that connect direct to streaming services?

flaneurs_lobster

You have an internet-connected phone/tablet, there's a significant premium (and complication) in having a "smart speaker" as opposed to a dumb Bluetooth one.

Any application/use that would give more credence to buying something like an Amazon Echo Dot (about £55 new)?

£40-50 will buy you a decent Bluetooth speaker from the likes of JBL.

olb81

I have been impressed with JBL in the past.

I'd like decent sound, I've always fancied a hi-fi setup one day like from Richer Sounds, with the amp and bookshelf speakers.

For now I want something close to that but a little cheaper and less permanent.

flaneurs_lobster

What is your budget?

olb81

I guess my budget is anywhere up to 200 it's not fixed exactly. I just want hi fi quality sound. Not to play loud but to here the instruments clearly.

oldernonethewiser

There are loads of Bluetooth speakers. If you want a pair of reasonably sized ones have a look at the many that are on Amazon, for example, and check out the reviews.

Richer Sounds sell such speakers too but a bit higher than your price point.

flaneurs_lobster

Here's what I'd buy

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/audio-pro-addon-c10-mkii

and here is a deal from the manufacturer on a refurb

https://uk.audiopro.com/products/c10-mkii-black-grade-a?