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That sounds great, @Fire_and_Ice_Returns! I'm curious about smart devices, but as of now I don't have any kind of smart speakers/devices. Ideally I want a smart device that I can somehow connect to my vintage (and not in any way smart) speakers/amps – via RCA for example. Don't know if that's at all a possibility though.
I got the Echo Dot for £22 on Black Friday, after a few hours of use I ordered another for my gym room lol I can connect it to any Bluetooth speaker I have and my PC. I looked at similar tech a few years ago though was not impressed now its really good I am surprised by the things you can do with it.
I can just say play Live and Let Die movie, then say play Live and Let die song it instantly switches between the two. You can use a command to start a routine, a routine can be Lights on, TV and speaker on, News and sport Bulletin and weather then play a song for example.
Interesting! I guess the quality of the voice recognition softwares etc. have become much better with recent models than those that were released only some years back. That was kept me from getting a device initially.
For me, I guess the primary feature with a smart device would be to play music by voice commands – maybe films too. Don't know if that feature is enough to justify the price of purchasing a device, but it is tempting!
I use Spotify mainly to discover new music, and because I can't buy everything lol.
I do like to listen to CD's still too, even though they're a bit "out of fashion" in 2019. And I agree with Spotify; it's a great way to discover new music!
How does Google Play compare to other streaming services?
It can take quite some time for me to grow to like music I haven't heard before. I need to listen to it several times, and give it some time to sink it, until I really get its appeal.
I'm sometimes like that for me as well when it comes to listening outside, @mattjoes. If I'm on a train or something like that (which technically isn't outdoors), I prefer listening to music or podcasts. I'm no audiophile either, so when I'm not listening to CD's/vinyl through my vintage setup, I just listen on my Macbook with headphones or earbuds.
Unless it's music from artists I already know and really like, I too might need a few times of listening to be able to appreciate music I haven't heard before. I'm quite settled on genres and such though, so there's a limit as to how much new music I even care listening to.
But I have limited myself to buying only CD's of artists that I already have. I only have Bluesrock, Hardrock & Metal, the rest went straight to Itunes. And of course I put a selection of my CD's on there too. Very practical when you have a musical taste that's quite eclectic haha.
My IPod is 7 years old and still sounds wonderful.
My CD purchases are very limited these days; I only buy music on a physical format of artists I really enjoy. As the format isn't popular anymore you can get CD'a at low prices – especially if the release isn't a recent one! Vinyl on the other hand, isn't always cheap…
My old iPod Touch also still works perfectly, and if I'm not streaming music from my iPhone, I tend to use the iPod. I mainly use it to listen to old downloaded records that aren't all available on streaming services.
Though I still have three racks of CD's in my lounge and alot of CD's in storage.
I've never had any luck with charity shop finds, but I've sometimes found CD's at discount prices. It's been a while since I last bought a CD, so prices might've become even cheaper in the meantime.
CD's take up a lot of space, don't they! I've placed the majority of my collection in plastic sleeves which fits the cover artwork, and that's made a lot of difference.
Yeah the CD towers I find never go with anything else in my lounge, my Bond CD's I should display really maybe in a wall CD sleeve or something. My living room/movie room looks more like Blockbusters with all the movie stuff and tech in there.
Yeah, CD towers can be quite difficult to match with any interior. I managed to downsize my collection to a couple of wooden crates when placing the CD's in sleeves, so I can easily store it all away if needed.
Sorry about the late reply, @BondStu! I currently only stream music through Spotify, but I might consider a different streaming service like Google Play as well – at some point. Spotify does have a lot of music available, but now and then you're unable to find what you're looking for.
I have a Bose sound bar for my TV, they do make quality speakers
Changing speakers can make a lot of difference. I had a set of Creative PC speakers too. Can't remember what happened to them as it's was a long time ago, but I think they just stopped working. They were cheap ones though, if I remember correctly.
The ones I had followed the computer.The power button started cheating eventually. It took a few efforts to get sound.
I seem to remember something similar happening to those I had before they stopped working, though those were bought separately – not following the computer.
I have good experiences with Creative products too though. My Creative MP3 player (which must be 15 years old or more) works perfectly still.
Those look nice! What kind of amp do you run them through?
I small portable amp I picked up, it's OK for playing music through my PC it gives the sound that extra kick and volume when needed. Can't remember the make off top of my head though it was £15 maybe £20 so cheap.
Interesting! What kind of of inputs does it have (RCA etc)?
Just an audio jack, I did look at software that boosted the sound etc though the pricing was a joke so bought an amp instead. I also have two sound bars, a portable Bluetooth speaker on my computer desk and an Amazon echo all in my lounge so I can alternatively send PC sound/music via Bluetooth to those.
I see. I guess it's still a good price though!
That's the way I play music from my Macbook whenever I prefer something more than the internal speakers or listening through my headset/earbuds; either via my Marshall Bluetooth speaker or through some of my vintage gear if I connect a Bluetooth device.
I have a pair of small, wooden bookshelf speakers I've not been able to use as much as I want to, so I'm thinking of maybe getting a small amp I can connect to my Macbook one way or the other – and then connect the speakers to the amp. It might be a little impractical with all the speaker wires etc, but I figure the sound will be good.
It should be easy enough to rig your wooden speakers to your Macbook, I have always used external speakers for any computers I have had, internal speakers just don't cut it, I do the same for the tablets I have set up in my lounge and kitchen.
I used to have an antique wooden lp player I often regret throwing it away as it was a great piece of furniture also, I swapped it for a plastic hifi system I was about 12 at the time... We live and learn.
Sorry about the late reply, @Fire_and_Ice_Returns! Yes, it looks to be simple enough to get the small wooden speakers up and running with my Macbook, but I'll need a suitable small amp though. I could use one of the vintage ones I have, but they take up a bit of space and are better suited to be placed in a media console rather than on top of a desk. Will have to do a bit of research, but I'm sure I'll find a good small amp eventually!
Do you remember which type of record player it was that you swapped?