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Phil Thien
07-12-2009, 7:27 PM
The Phillips ShoqBox looks interesting to me.

[Link Here] (http://www.amazon.com/Philips-ShoqBox-Personal-Sound-System/dp/B0007TJ50A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1247440985&sr=8-2)

But the memory seems limited. My perfect radio for use in my shop would have AM/FM, built-in speakers, would run off AC power (being able to use batteries sometimes a plus), would play MP3's, would NOT (NOT) have a built-in CD player, but WOULD allow me to plug-in flash drives with additional MP3 content (so I don't have to drag the radio to the computer to download content).

Any suggestions?

Jim O'Dell
07-12-2009, 10:08 PM
My first thought was an old computer and add a speaker system to it. Maybe one with a subwoofer. Then I followed the link to the portable. Might still work if the computer didn't cost you anything. If interested in this route, ask your friends to watch out for an old computer that is ready for replacement. I have a old old computer waiting for the shop that a friend was throwing away. I had to steal the monitor off of it when my house system monitor died. You could store a lot of music on even a small hard drive. If USB wasn't built into it (my old E System unit actually has a port on the front) you can get a PCI card to add USB for 10 bucks or less. If you have the capability of adding internet, then, if wired, that could be done for the price of the wire and a jack. The radio station I listen to is available on the internet. In fact, that's how I listen at work.
I'll have to do wire less for my shop when I get to that point. Don't know what that will set me back, or if it will even be worth it. Right now I listen to FM on an old 1987 Mazda RX-7 indash AM-FM-Cassette that has 2 amplifiers, one being hooked up to a pair of home bookshelf speakers, the other I'm hoping to hook up to a 10" DVC sub I have built a box for. Just need a couple coils.
Lots of things that can be done on the cheap. I think I paid about 80.00 for my Boston Acoustics 5.1 powered speaker system I use on my house computer. My wife's business computer has an old Alpine 4 channel amp, one channel of which was burned out so therefore it was being thrown away (I'm an old car audio installer, can you tell??:D ) and a pair of Bose 301/II home speakers I won from Bose back in the mid 80s. Pretty decent sounding computer system!! Jim.

Pat Germain
07-12-2009, 10:24 PM
I would suggest cruising your local thrift stores; Salvation Army, Goodwill,etc. I often see older stereo components and speakers at those places. Some of them are pretty nice hardware. I've seen large boom boxes as well.

Shoot, you could probably get yourself a nice receiver and some decent speakers very cheap. Just put the speakers on shelves up high in your shop to get them out of the way. Then you could plug whatever you wanted into the receiver. For example, you could get an iTouch and upload hundreds of hours of content to it. Plug the iTouch into your Franken-Sytem and you're Rockin'!

Phil Thien
07-12-2009, 10:44 PM
I'd love to add an old computer or a full-sized stereo. But I just don't have the room. I'd like something small, easy to move, and I'd really like something that can read flash memory (although that may be reaching).

It doesn't need to be loud. I just wanna listen to news and Cartalk and stuff. I don't need to be able to hear it over the machines.

Pat Germain
07-12-2009, 10:57 PM
Sounds like you'd be good with a set of Work Tunes. They're headphones with built-in hearing protection, AM/FM radio and an auxiliary input where you can plug in an MP3 player. And they take up very little space. Especially when they're on your head. :)

Casey Gooding
07-12-2009, 11:03 PM
Gotta tell ya...everything I've had with Philips on it has wound up in the trash within a year. My second home theater by them crapped out in less than a month. Took them three months to send me the correct replacement parts (in about eight tries of sending the wrong parts). The new one then died within another few months.
Needless to say, I've sworn off Philips forever!!
I'll step off my soapbox now.

Pat Germain
07-12-2009, 11:12 PM
Casey does have a point. Anything with the name Phillips on it is pretty much disposable.

Terry Achey
07-12-2009, 11:29 PM
Hi Phil,

This may not be for you, but I just purchased an XM Boombox for the shop. I wanted portability so I could use it in the shop, yard and virtually everywhere else. The cradled XM radio can also be unplugged from the boombox and then into the home or car. Has a remote control and decent sound. Boombox and radio combo cost around $140 together. Plays on std. 110v. or 8 batteries.

Downside is the monthly XM charge. Gotta real enjoy commercial-free radio to spring for this set-up.... and I do.

Terry

Steve Rozmiarek
07-13-2009, 1:38 AM
I agree with Terry, XM sure is easier then messing with a huge file of mp3s. I guess if you want to listen to podcasts then you need them, but for me, it's not worth the hassle. Pretty cool to go from Vivaldi, to Zepplin, then maybe a little Sinatra or Static-X. Love xm.

Larry Browning
07-13-2009, 7:42 AM
If you have an internet connection in your shop, look into a Roku soundbridge. I have one and I just love it. It plays internet radio (you can get NPR for Tom and Ray), plus, it can play music stored on any pc on your home network. They make a version that has a radio already built in to the unit or you can also get one that is like a component that plugs into the aux jack of your stereo.

just got to www.roku.com. (I am not affiliated with them at all, just a satisfied customer)

Stephen Musial
07-13-2009, 11:32 AM
I have these:

http://www.amazon.com/Unlimited-Wireless-Speakers-Remote-SPK-VELO-001/dp/B000N5WINO/ref=pd_bxgy_e_img_b

The controller plugs into the computer and the speakers work within 150' (just plug them into any outlet or run them off batteries). Then I can stream Slacker, Pandora, XM, streaming radio, etc. or play my MP3's and listen to them anywhere.

Phil Thien
07-21-2009, 9:09 AM
If you have an internet connection in your shop, look into a Roku soundbridge. I have one and I just love it. It plays internet radio (you can get NPR for Tom and Ray), plus, it can play music stored on any pc on your home network. They make a version that has a radio already built in to the unit or you can also get one that is like a component that plugs into the aux jack of your stereo.

just got to www.roku.com (http://www.roku.com). (I am not affiliated with them at all, just a satisfied customer)

The Roku intrigues me. I already have a SLIMP3 (now owned by Logitech) and use that for my stereo system (it is similar to the M1001 from Roku) in my living room. The Roku would be a good addition to my shop and I could even stream the same music my SLIMP3 streams. But I primarily want it for listening to all the NPR programs I miss (Marketplace, Cartalk, etc.).

One thing that is odd is at Roku charges $200 for the Radio, but Amazon charges $341? The product looks identical. Hmmm...

Also, when I search Amazon, it came up with this: Link (http://www.amazon.com/Aluratek-AIRMM01-Internet-Radio-built/dp/B00192VWVY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1248181247&sr=8-2), which also looks kinda interesting. Wouldn't stream from music collection, but I could download whatever I want to listen to onto a flash drive. Probably good enough.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions!

Carlos Alden
07-21-2009, 9:36 AM
an inexpensive boom box with a 1/8" stereo jack? Then buy an iPod and download your fave podcasts as well as any music you want, and plug it in. I have an iPod I use for this and while I'm woodcarving catch up on shows and programs as well as learn lyrics for tunes I'm going to perform (I'm a musician.) Plus the iPod is portable and I listen to it while driving. Doesn't have to be an iPod - there are lots of other MP3 players that work, and many are a lot cheaper and less fuss than iPods. Bascially like a flashdrive with a volume control and headphone jack.

But I'm also a big fan of talk radio. :) I listen to it all, covering the political spectrum as well as money shows, garden shows, advice shows - it's incredibly entertaining. I produce radio part-time for a local station and just plain like the medium.

Carlos

Larry Browning
07-21-2009, 11:57 AM
The Roku intrigues me. I already have a SLIMP3 (now owned by Logitech) and use that for my stereo system (it is similar to the M1001 from Roku) in my living room. The Roku would be a good addition to my shop and I could even stream the same music my SLIMP3 streams. But I primarily want it for listening to all the NPR programs I miss (Marketplace, Cartalk, etc.).

One thing that is odd is at Roku charges $200 for the Radio, but Amazon charges $341? The product looks identical. Hmmm...

Also, when I search Amazon, it came up with this: Link (http://www.amazon.com/Aluratek-AIRMM01-Internet-Radio-built/dp/B00192VWVY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1248181247&sr=8-2), which also looks kinda interesting. Wouldn't stream from music collection, but I could download whatever I want to listen to onto a flash drive. Probably good enough.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions!
I just noticed that Roku has dropped the price of the sound bridge to $129.
http://soundbridge.roku.com/soundbridge/index.php

Also, these are always on CL and ebay for around $75 or so.

I've been thinking about getting another one to hook up to my home stereo.

Gary Click
07-22-2009, 2:19 AM
Eico HF-81, or AF-4.