Recommendations :: Shop Radio / Stereo

[dgaddis]

Looking to the vSalon for some recommendations. The radio/stereo in my shop is dead. It sucked for a while, but it was free, so I've been using it, but today it won't turn on. Here's what I'm looking for:

• Good radio antenna (current one sucked, only picks up about half the local stations)
• Solid bluetooth connection (current one sucks, have to unplug it every morning for it to reset so it'll connect, and lately it would just drop the connection randomly
• Under $100

That's really it. Size isn't a big concern, smaller is obviously better though. Decent sound quality of course, but I'm not an audiophile so I'm not that picky. My shop is small and I share a wall with a real estate company so I don't need a lot of volume either.

Whatcha got?

[mmoore]

I would go to a second hand shop and get a home theatre receiver and a pair of speakers. then buy a Bluetooth adapter if you need it. I've never been happy with anything like the Bluetooth speakers you can get now.

I bought my wife a "UE Megaboom" (they sell smaller, cheaper units) and its supposed to have radio but I have never bothered with it. They sound OK and will last all day on a charge if you want to bring it somewhere.

[dgaddis]

This is what I've got now. It sits on a shelf under my checkout counter, so you can't see it. My dad bought it for me as a Christmas gift two years ago. But now it's dead.

[AngryScientist]

little more than 100, but i've got one of these Bose units in my office and it's really good. really pretty good room filling sound, especially for its size.

[j44ke]

Since you need bluetooth, I assume you aren't playing broadcast over the air music from a radio station in your store. That will get you in trouble with ASCAP. Our shop ended up being fined $10,000 for playing the local album rock station. But that was back in the early 90's. Maybe with the current admin they don't give a whatever.

Anyway, if the sound is good out of the box, then just plug in a bluetooth audio adapter and run off of that, bypassing the bluetooth built-in to the box. I have an Amazon Basics model that works fine.

Edit: I see that the box is dead. Then the same applies. Run the bluetooth audio adapter connected to any sound producing electronic and speakers. An old receiver plus some analog speakers.

[rec head]

I would hit Craigslist first. An old receiver and speakers as mentioned would be great but there will be the all-in-ones too.

Otherwise go for Amazon reviews.

[Saab2000]

I would second the Bose speaker option. I have a smaller one than pictured and it easily connects via Bluetooth. I play podcasts with it. The sound isn't exactly concert hall sound, but it's not bad either.

[dgaddis]

Since you need bluetooth, I assume you aren't playing broadcast over the air music from a radio station in your store. That will get you in trouble with ASCAP. Our shop ended up being fined $10,000 for playing the local album rock station. But that was back in the early 90's. Maybe with the current admin they don't give a whatever.

Anyway, if the sound is good out of the box, then just plug in a bluetooth audio adapter and run off of that, bypassing the bluetooth built-in to the box. I have an Amazon Basics model that works fine.

Edit: I see that the box is dead. Then the same applies. Run the bluetooth audio adapter connected to any sound producing electronic and speakers. An old receiver plus some analog speakers.

Dang, I never thought about the legallity of playing either radio or any other music. That said, my 'store' is more shop than store, most of my customers are online, I get a few locals in every week, but not that much. I have been playing the radio, often on NPR 'cause it's one of the new stations the stereo will pick up. If not radio I'm playing music I've purchased on my phone thru bluetooth, I'll stream podcasts, and I'll play spotify as well when I get bored of my own music. Apparently that's not allowed either...unless I argued I was playing it for my own personal use, which I am since most days I'm the only person in the shop except the FedEx and UPS delivery men who stop by. Gotta listen to something, too quiet to be here all day by myself otherwise!

Does a Local Business Need Licenses from ASCAP, BMI and SESAC to Play My Radio or TV Station on Their Premises? | Broadcast Law Blog

[roseyscot]

You have internet in the shop? Get a Google Home device and you can tell it what to play, have it do calculations for you, set timers, etc. Sound quality is nothing special, but the hands free convenience would be great in your situation where you are almost always using both hands for work.

[jtbadge]

I second the notion of picking up a second hand stereo/HT receiver, plus one of these:


http://www.bestbuy.com/site/logitech...?skuId=5294033

[dgaddis]

I really don't want a big system with a receiver, separate speakers, plus a bluetooth receiver. While I'm sure I'd get better sound quality it's just a lot of stuff, I want one box, not three or four.

The shop does have internet, but it's slllloow (and cheap!) streaming music makes the web painfully slow. I've got unlimited data on my phone though, so I can stream that way. I usually download the station at home though so I'm not using a ton of data.

[j44ke]

Our "radio" is a pair of Bose Companion 2 computer speakers. They are plugged into an older iPad that can't do much of anything except stream music. We can stream music from various services, listen to WNYC, ESPN Radio, and my wife's brother-in-laws radio station in Richmond VA, WRIR, with no worries about antennas, reception, etc. We still have an Airport Express and a bluetooth audio adapter attached to them, but the AE is just extending the network (poorly) and the bluetooth is there for when company is over and someone says, "Oh you should hear..." Otherwise it is just the rusty old iPad spinning the tunes. The speakers sound very good, far better than they should.