CD and mp3 player that isn’t dogshit but is also not scarily expensive ?

[Otterly]

As title really. I have most of my music on my computer after years of ripping CDs but now no laptops have CD drives, the sound quality is crap and I don’t like earbuds or earphones in all the time.
So I want a desktop CD player.
-I do not have a hifi stack any more so it has to have speakers
-it must absolutely not be any of the smart speaker nonsense like an Alexa
-it must have OK speakers
-it must play CDs
-it must be able to play music from an mp3 source like an iPhone
Budget max couple of hundred quid but cheaper is better if it exists. Must be available on line this side of the pond (euro side.)
Yes there’s a hifi shop in town but it’s just so darn expensive. They didn’t have anything and got a bit sniffy when unexplained what I wanted
Any ideas?

 

[The Mass Shooter Ron Soye]

There have to be tens of millions of boom boxes at thrift stores for playing CDs. Some of these may actually play MP3 files, something I remember from this video, but you would probably want a USB port to make it easier, and the user interface may be trash.

Another option could be to use an external DVD drive ($15-20?) plugged into your laptop's USB port. Could get in the way though, probably coming attached to a short cable, and deprives you of a USB port. But you could play your gigantic collection of DVD-Audio discs using it. Then you plug speakers into the 3.5mm on your laptop.

 

[BradeRunna]

Get an external optical drive and connect it to your laptop or PC. Any of them should work.

Play the CD's through a DVD player on your TV. I think some of them can do this.

I think there are some portable radios that play MP3's. People call them a Boom Box.

Get a set of speakers for PC and connect them to your smartphone using the headphone jack and just play music from YouTube.

 

[CallmeCicada]

Get a PS1.

 

[oldTireWater]

It's probably not worth the investment seeing as how MiniDisc is the future. They're recordable you know.

However, form-factors like this seem to be a dime a dozen. They can be had from many reputable manufacturers such as LONPOO, Gueray, or MEGATEK.

 

[Billy_Sama!]

Its been tough but CDs are get popular so you can get a decent micro hifi CD player with aux ooutput. If you check used stores, you can find a older JVC or Yamaha micro hifi for a decent price.

 

[Grub]

There have to be tens of millions of boom boxes at thrift stores for playing CDs.

This. Thrift stores are the best places for shit like that. I picked up a full technics stereo system, turn table, CD player and tape decks for like $50 for everything a few years back.

 

[sasazuka]

There have to be tens of millions of boom boxes at thrift stores for playing CDs. Some of these may actually play MP3 files, something I remember from this video, but you would probably want a USB port to make it easier, and the user interface may be trash.

As someone who still primarily listens to music on CD, nearly everything I play them on today has been a thrift store/charity shop purchase.

I know from first hand experience that electronics purchased from thrift stores can be a crap shoot (I've had more luck than not) but most halfway decent thrift stores will have an electronics testing area with several outlets and no shortage of CDs which you can use to test the player (assuming it's a portable stereo with its own attached speakers).

 

[Pee Cola]

I agree with everyone who says to buy a secondhand micro hifi system or boom box from the '00s. or early '10s. As long as it has a CD player and aux input, you're golden. USB MP3 is a bonus.

If you want a specific recommendation, look for a Pioneer X-HM21. I bought one of these for Junior Pee about 12 years ago. It's his first and only stereo, and still works fine. Not my photo:

Try searching for "pioneer micro hifi" on eBay, there should be quite a few on there. Also try searching for "Philips micro hifi", as Philips (or at least someone using the Philips name) still makes micro hifi systems to this day. Probably won't sound as good as an older Pioneer, but it's 100x better than shitty laptop speakers or a so-called "boom box" from Amazon.

 

[sasazuka]

One thing about Sony portable stereos and also CD Walkmans from the mid-2000s is that many of them offer MP3 playback but that's with the caveat that you have to burn the MP3s to CD, there's no USB port or SD or Micro SD card slot on them, or at least not on the ones I have.

Still, there is a point to burning MP3s as files to CD instead of just converting them to CD tracks in the CD burning software in that you can get several hours of audio, potentially even over a dozen hours if you have low bitrate MP3s, on to a single disk..

 

[Cougar Pump]

You can still pick up mini HiFi systems for just over a hundred quid new from places like Argos. They'll fit on a desk and you can position the speakers to your liking.



Looks like it'll do what you want. Modern bluetooth audio protocols are also pretty great so as long as the unit you get supports them, you should get really high quality playback from digital sources over bluetooth too.

 

[Otterly]

Get an external optical drive and connect it to your laptop or PC. Any of them should work.

Already have one, for the ripping if CDs onto the laptop, but the speakers on laptops are shit.

Play the CD's through a DVD player on your TV. I think some of them can do this.

The TV is downstairs and I want the CD player upstairs so I can put it in the box room I use as an office. Also have to share the TV with the family and I doubt they’d appreciate my taste

It's probably not worth the investment seeing as how MiniDisc is the future. They're recordable you know.

I know you’re joking but goddam I miss minidiscs. They were great

You can still pick up mini HiFi systems for just over a hundred quid new from places like Argos

Ah now this is more what I’m after. I didn’t think of Argos. I’ve actually looked in the charity shops near me but there wasn’t anything.

 

[Cougar Pump]

Ah now this is more what I’m after. I didn’t think of Argos. I’ve actually looked in the charity shops near me but there wasn’t anything.

Another way of doing it if you have a lot of music on the PC up there is to buy a decent set of powered 'bookshelf' speakers. They connect to your PC via USB and present as their own sound device, so your PC's poor audio won't impact them. Also, they can accept direct bluetooth connections from phones etc to play music as well.

I have this exact model of Edifier speakers on my desk and strongly recommend them: https://hmv.com/store/technology/speakers/edifier-r1700bt-black-active-bluetooth-bookshelf-s
I was blown away with how good they sound for the price, they're on par with some much more expensive setups I've owned, and punch well above their weight. Also one time I went into a charity store and noticed the music they were playing sounded surprisingly high quality, I look over and what are they playing it with? This set of speakers.

Edit: my PC doesn't have a CD drive anymore but I picked up a USB CD drive cheap and it works like a champ any time I need to play or read a CD. If your computer doesn't have a drive anymore this is an easy way to add one.

 

[Otterly]

That’s not a bad idea. Lap top has no cd drive so I’d prefer just a cd/mp3 bookshelf speaker hifi thing.
I want a 3.5mm headphone output too. Lots don’t seem to have that.

 

[BradeRunna]

Already have one, for the ripping if CDs onto the laptop, but the speakers on laptops are shit.

The TV is downstairs and I want the CD player upstairs so I can put it in the box room I use as an office. Also have to share the TV with the family and I doubt they’d appreciate my taste

I know you’re joking but goddam I miss minidiscs. They were great

Ah now this is more what I’m after. I didn’t think of Argos. I’ve actually looked in the charity shops near me but there wasn’t anything.

If you have an office I am going to take it you also have a PC. Just play your MP3 files through your PC. If you have a PC then just get an external optical drive that plays DVD's or Blurays and play the CD's through your PC.

Get a PS1.

This isn't a bad idea and PS1's are still popular as music players last I heard. They had music playback capability that was on par with some high-end devices from the time. The only issue is you would have to find something that still accepts the old RCA composite cables. The PS1 would have no built in display that lets you know what track you are playing like an actual radio would so you would need to hook it up to a TV. You could use one of those composite to HDMI converters. I don't know what that would do to the sound quality though.

The biggest problem is finding a PS1 that is cheap enough and still works to use as a music player. Those things are like 30 years old now.

 

[Otterly]

Just play your MP3 files through your PC.

I have a work laptop and the speakers are dogshit. My computer is a Mac (don’t hate me, started using them because some Fluorescence microscope image analysis software I needed 25 years ago would only work in it and never moved over to PC like the rest of humanity….)
I don’t fancy going the route of getting a load if bits and plugging them in to each other tbh. I often clear the work shit off my desk and use it for sewing or drawing so I’d always be moving things.
It’s very rare I go the consooomer route but I’d just like a little mini hifi with ok speakers and Bluetooth and a headphone jack. I’ll keep looking, but i do appreciate the answer

 

[Poppavalyim Andropoff]

these are sold worldwide under various brands. cd player + bluetooth + usb + cards ect

 

[Kiska]

these are sold worldwide under various brands. cd player + bluetooth + usb + cards ect

The CD and cassette mechs on those things are pure shit (cassette usually far worse mech than cd) not to mention speaker quality, please just get a used piece of HIFI equipment from a reputable brand like Sony, Pioneer, Victor and the like that end up in thrift shops everywhere.

 

[ParasiteSteve]

I echo what other people here have said, second hand is REALLY easy to grab some nice bargins that do the trick. I have one of those Panasonic HiFis you see from argos and places like that. Does CD (and mp3 CD), bluetooth and AUX so it doubles as my mico PC speakers that I use for my main TV for movies and shit. Nice pair of large speakers, decent enough sound. Think I paid 130 for it at one of those pawn shops, I forget the name, but like the old Cash Convertors. You can often find real bargins if you look for second hand shops and trade in shops in lower economic areas, as people often buy good shit when they are flash with cash, then have to sell it once they need more weed. Sometimes you need to clean stuff a bit, or in my case remove a "Happy Hardcore for LIFE!" sticker some retard stuck on it, but its a really nice unit I have had for years.