Hey all,
I really have no clue what the hip thing for this is now. I really dont need something flashy just something that will work. My wife and I still have flip phones so it does not need to be "I" this or "I" that.
What I really need is an MP3 player and a dock that will play the music about like a portable CD player would or maybe a little better. I am getting her this for her birthday ( so don't tell her) ,but it still needs to be a "budget" item of reasonable quality.
Any help is appreciated.
How much $? Ipod accessories are the easiest to come by, so maybe a used ipod nano? I’m normally an apple hater, but they’re a decent buy on the used market.
I can link you with a really good player + speaker setup. Just need to know what’s your budget and intended use! (Outdoors, indoors, need to be wireless, portable, etc)
I would really prefer to stay under a hundred bucks on this. $50 would be better LOL!
She wants to use it at church during prayer meeting. The auditorium is good size, but its fairly quiet. In the past we have used just a standard size portable CD player and it has been plenty loud. There is a plugin there if it matters. It would be rare if it ever got used outside.
Cats meow, shop craigslist…
I got an ipod nano (4th gen i think) for my mom on craigslist for $30. Then you can spend $20+ on a dock that suits your needs. A different mp3 player with speakers that have line-in would probably be a few bucks cheaper, but the whole package wont be as clean.
If you manage to get an used ipod nano, last gen or past gen (with the touchscreen and bluetooth) for under $50 then these are good speaker options for the price. Otherwise I suggest raising your budget a bit, you will not regret spending a bit more for a good mp3 player (like an ipod nano with bluetooth). Dock nowadays are not as common as a couple years ago, as you may have noticed almost all docks have been discontinued, because bluetooth is the new standard.
- Under $30:
Bluetooth, rechargeable, acceptable sound:
http://www.amazon.com/SoundBot®-SB571-Hands-Free-Speakerphone-Rechargeable/dp/B00MITLPX2/ref=pd_cp_422_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1QQCB3FCVWXRRJP60FM9
Pretty much as the one above
http://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-TaoTronics-Definition-Microphone-Profiling/dp/B00TMRUKQG/ref=pd_sim_107_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0SJAV2S4RDHCQ5H1D3HA
- Under $40:
Nice brand dock with lightning port for ipod & iphone, decent sound, not rechargeable, non-bluetooth. probably the best dock you can get at this low price, because it has been discontinued.
http://www.amazon.com/JBL-Micro-Lightning-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B00AWRPIWQ/ref=pd_sim_422_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0SMB843Y2GF27EDT8XVX
Bluetooth, rechargeable, brand, good sound. Price has been lowered to half because product is discontinued. A great deal here:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I8IJBMY/ref=twister_B00JTGW07M?\_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Bluetooth, rechargeable, brand, decent sound, single speaker:
http://www.amazon.com/Philips-Wireless-Bluetooth-SB2000B-37/dp/B00HJSCZ22/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1438063363&sr=8-17&keywords=philips+bluetooth+speaker
- Under $50-$80:
This is by far the best bluetooth speaker you can get for under $80. Good sound quality and battery life.
http://www.amazon.com/JBL-Portable-Wireless-Speaker-Black/dp/B00GAJ2OK4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1438063391&sr=8-2&keywords=jbl+bluetooth
A less expensive option but with good volume, sound quality and battery life.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ES2BQ7M?psc=1
Very similar with the above, with different design and cheaper:
http://www.amazon.com/Inateck-Portable-Wireless-Bluetooth-Precision/dp/B00PFDT07Q/ref=pd_sim_sbs_422_22?ie=UTF8&refRID=1NZ7QM995PYX76EZJSQC
- Under $120:
This is the best speaker avaiable at this price. It competes with more expensive ones like bose soundlink mini. Excellent sound quality and battery life.
http://www.amazon.com/JBL-Charge-Portable-Bluetooth-Speaker/dp/B00KHXWZHQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1438064315&sr=1-2&keywords=jbl+bluetooth+speaker&pebp=1438064322233&perid=0Q1NN9QZAG284AC5QEC7
Hope this helps.
Unfortunately, the .mp3 player market has pretty well dried up since everyone already has smartphones.
Now, Apple has what’s left of the market pretty well tied up. I used to really like the Sandisk branded players, but they started going downhill a couple of generations ago. Other than the Sandisk Clip mp3 player , I don’t think they have a lot to offer any longer. The docks and accessories are available for Apple Devices, but I’m not aware of any others, except for maybe the Zune.
Everything else is just cheap off-brand players.
I’m not an Apple fan because of their forced reliance on iTunes. The hardware is nice, but I don’t want to install software just to copy some files onto an external device.
I eventually bought an extremely cheap ~$35 4.7” Android tablet, installed Music Folder Player (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.zorillasoft.musicfolderplayer&hl=en) and use that as a dedicated .mp3 device. Audio quality isn’t the best, but it works well enough for what I do.
I really like the sound and the output of this! Amazon.com
The BOSE Soundlink Mini II isn’t that shabby either
EDIT: I realized these aren’t that budget but in vesting in these wont hurt… FWIW the sound quality of the creative is better with more features and a lower price compared to the Bose 
How ‘plug and play’ are you wanting this, and are you wanting to have MP3s on it, or use the radio… what exactly is the use?
It will be MP3s mostly.
Right now I am kinda leaning toward getting a gen 4 ipod touch and one of the blue tooth speaker sets will linked like this
Gen 4 ipod 50 bucks speaker set another 30 ish... not sure yet though.
i really wasnt looking for a bluetooth speaker, but since you have done all the research for me, and sounds like you know what your talking about, i trust in you that you have chosen the best of the best!
thank you and thanks to the op for this thread!
Which did you decided to get? I have more experience with bt speakers above $100, but sometimes the cheap one can perform surprisingly well. The thing is, it’s difficult to decide judging by the reviews because they are very subjective, most of the times people either say it’s the best or worst speaker they’ve heard. One has to dig through the specs and many reviews and compare them all at the same time. I hope my recommendations are actually good, sound quality is a very subjective matter, even more than brightness.
Ok, I ended up getting the gen 4 ipod touch, and the soundbot speaker. Also ordered earbuds and charger. Total cost $74.56.
Not too shabby I'd say. Thanks again everyone!! .
Here are the links to what I got if anyone is interested.
Ipod
Speaker
http://www.amazon.com/SoundBot%C2%AE-SB571-Hands-Free-Speakerphone-Recha…