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anotherfinemess · 17-08-2012, 09:30

After struggling for years with decrepit odds & ends of things to play my records, cd's & tapes (yes I'm that old!) on I've come to the conclusion that it's time to buy something proper. Thing is, what though? Can anyone recommend a make or model of somethng that will give a reasonable sound at a reasonable cost? I've also got an ipod, but this went rancid when I got rid of unbelievably irritating microsoft and went all linux instead. Clues, anyone?

Malice · 17-08-2012, 13:50

Leaving aside the puzzle of blaming Microsoft for woes with an Apple product, what exactly are you looking for? Are you looking for some sort of all-in-one tape, CD, MP3 player? Personally I just invested in a decent 5:1 speaker setup which connects to my computer. It does the job for movies, games and music. I rip all my CDs and play them through the computer. My tapes however are getting mouldy sitting in a few boxes in the attic.

Custardpi · 20-08-2012, 18:38

Do you want an all in one solution or would you look at separates (more expensive but a great investment if you look after them)? In terms of your records unfortunately the cheap usb turntables don't come close to doing them justice & can oftend damage them with their crappy stylus & plastic arms. A decent turntable will be required. In terms of tapes, don't bother unless they're particularly hard to find, in which case maybe try & rip them to the computer using Audacity software - I've done that with some concert bootlegs I had, with mixed results. There's a debate to be had (which I'm not 100% decided on myself) between the merits of cd vs vinyl but tapes are just crap audio wise.

If you wanted to go completely digital & have it all ripped to your hard drive you could get an audio sender kit (search on ebay) which transmits audio from a usb dongle on your computer to a receiver which you can then connect to an amp & speakers. I have a cheapo OneForAll model hooked up to my Nad amp that sounds surprisingly good. Apple do a higher spec device called "Airport Express" that's supposed to be great if you're using Itunes. Do you have a budget in mind for the system?

17-08-2012, 09:30	#1
anotherfinemess Registered User Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: W Cork Posts: 42 Adverts \| Friends	technoklutz musiclover question After struggling for years with decrepit odds & ends of things to play my records, cd's & tapes (yes I'm that old!) on I've come to the conclusion that it's time to buy something proper. Thing is, what though? Can anyone recommend a make or model of somethng that will give a reasonable sound at a reasonable cost? I've also got an ipod, but this went rancid when I got rid of unbelievably irritating microsoft and went all linux instead. Clues, anyone?

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17-08-2012, 13:50	#2
Malice Registered User Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Galway Posts: 14,371 Adverts \| Friends	Leaving aside the puzzle of blaming Microsoft for woes with an Apple product, what exactly are you looking for? Are you looking for some sort of all-in-one tape, CD, MP3 player? Personally I just invested in a decent 5:1 speaker setup which connects to my computer. It does the job for movies, games and music. I rip all my CDs and play them through the computer. My tapes however are getting mouldy sitting in a few boxes in the attic.

20-08-2012, 18:38	#3
Custardpi Registered User Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Dublin Posts: 771 Adverts \| Friends	Do you want an all in one solution or would you look at separates (more expensive but a great investment if you look after them)? In terms of your records unfortunately the cheap usb turntables don't come close to doing them justice & can oftend damage them with their crappy stylus & plastic arms. A decent turntable will be required. In terms of tapes, don't bother unless they're particularly hard to find, in which case maybe try & rip them to the computer using Audacity software - I've done that with some concert bootlegs I had, with mixed results. There's a debate to be had (which I'm not 100% decided on myself) between the merits of cd vs vinyl but tapes are just crap audio wise. If you wanted to go completely digital & have it all ripped to your hard drive you could get an audio sender kit (search on ebay) which transmits audio from a usb dongle on your computer to a receiver which you can then connect to an amp & speakers. I have a cheapo OneForAll model hooked up to my Nad amp that sounds surprisingly good. Apple do a higher spec device called "Airport Express" that's supposed to be great if you're using Itunes. Do you have a budget in mind for the system?