Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[cascius]

Hello guys,

Here's the deal: I play outdoor volleyball with my friends every weekends and use my ipod connected to a boombox via a tape adapter. The sound quality is less than acceptable and I'm looking for a new alternative. Most of the time we play at a location where power supply is available, there fore several options come to mind:
- Boombox with an AUX-IN + my Ipod
- Boombox that supports MP3 CDs playback
- 2.1 PC speaker set + my Ipod

Some of the issues (or not) to keep in mind:
- I don't feel like spending tons of money on this by the way (<$150)
- I need a fairly powerfull amp as the music has to be projected to a fairly big outdoor area
- Power supply isn't an issue as there are outlets where we play.

Right now I'm tempted to go for a 2.1 speaker system. But it's not very convenient to move around...

Any thoughts/suggestions on what to buy? Have you guys tried any of those mp3 boomboxes that support MP3 CDs? I wonder how good the navigation system is, and if they support playlists, genres, etc... So feel free to suggest brands & models and share your personal experience.

Thanks,

-Cascius

[cascius]

Any thoughts?

[JimH]

A boombox with aux in and mp3 CD.

[JimH]

If I could jump without injuring myself, I'd stil be playing volleyball.  We used to have a game every Saturday out by the ocean at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.  Man it was fun.  Then we'd go for cheeseburgers afterward.

[Alex B]

Have you heard about the SounpaX cardboard speakers? They can be folded for transporting.

The sound quality is amazingly good and they are cheap: The list price is $69 for a speaker pair with a small battery driven stereo amp. There is an optional AC-adapter.

Here are some links:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5404920/
http://www.itreviews.co.uk/hardware/h305.htm
http://www.si-5.com/si5_html.html
http://www.nxtsound.com/industries/ind_caseStudies.php?f_id=16&MODE=MERC

Though I don't know if they are loud enough. Otherwise they would be perfect for that purpose, I think. Perhaps two or more pairs...

[cascius]

Thanks for the info guys.

Jimh: I used to play volleyball in the marina in SF. I haven't tried in the Golden Gate Park yet. Maybe I should next time I'm up there. (I live in LA) Maybe we should play a game together one of these days.

Alex B: Those speakers sound quite interesting, but I won't go with them for 2 reasons:
- It requires an amplifier
- I'm afraid they would get distroyed the first time they receive one of our amazing (yeah right!) spikes...

I think I'm just gona go for a 2.1 PC speaker system and incorporate it in a bag to make it more handy to transport. Some of my friends are product designers so I might challenge them to come up with something cool looking based on a 2.1 system. We'll see...

Anyway, thanks for the comments guys,

-Cascius

[Nolonemo]

Hello guys,

Here's the deal: I play outdoor volleyball with my friends every weekends and use my ipod connected to a boombox via a tape adapter. The sound quality is less than acceptable and I'm looking for a new alternative.

BTW, I suspect that the problem is with the boombox itself rather than the tape adaptor.  You should be able to get a kickass PC 2.1 system for $50 or so if you shop the specials and closeouts on the web.

[meehawl]

- Boombox that supports MP3 CDs playback

Philips do a good line of mp3-enabled boomboxes.

On the low end you can get something like the Soundmachine, that plays back mp3s on CD.
http://www.consumer.philips.com/consumer/catalog/catalog.jsp?fhquery=fh_secondid%3Daz2537_17_us_consumer%26fh_location%3D%2F%2Fconsumer%2Fen_US%2Fcategories%3Ccatalog_us_consumer%2Fcategories%3Cportable_entertainment_gr_us_consumer%2Fcategories%3Ccd_soundmachines_ca_us_consumer%26&productId=AZ2537_17_US_CONSUMER&activeCategory=PORTABLE_ENTERTAINMENT_GR_US_CONSUMER&fredhopperpage=detail.jsp&language=en&country=US&catalogType=CONSUMER

On the higher end, you could try their shelf/boombox Streamium, which will stream MP3 and Internet audio as well. They are a lot pricier though and probably beyond what you need.

[tlongacre]

Just thought I'd point out that they've started shipping the new Booombox for iPod (it's a boombox that you stick your iPod into).

See www.ipodlounge.com for the announcement and links to their site.

[cascius]

Thanks for the new info guys,

I think the Iboom looks like an expensive piece of crap, lol. On the other hand, the Phillips boomboxes look real sexy. I will definitely keep it in mind even though I'm most likely going to go for a 2.1 sound system.

Thanks again,

-cascius