Want to listen to music on the go- What should I be looking into?

[High Plains Drifter]

So... Keep in mind that I'm like a billion years old and have never gotten into this before.

But I want to start listening to music when I'm outdoors doing yard-work and stuff. And I have no idea what I should be considering. I want a cheap as possible solution but not bottom tier quality as I'd like to be able to crank up and drown out the neighborhood noise without compromising quality sound. What do y'all recommend? I'm looking for simplicity too. I assume I'll have to do the Spotify thing but I have no clue. I need a little walk-thru and what device I should be looking at as well as advice regarding ear-buds or whatever they're called.

BTW I don't want to use my phone. It's bulky and cumbersome when I'm working so that's why I mentioned a "device"... ipod... dunno. But it needs to be small so that I can tuck it out of the way in a pocket or something.

Thank you guys.

 

[The Monster With .]

I'm not much help, as I use my old phone with headphones.

I will say though, I recently went through a bunch of the music streaming services, and I wasn't a fan of the sound quality of Spotify. They also don't pay the artists very well fwiw.

For me it came down to Tidal and Apple music. I stuck with Apple music, even though I don't have an iPhone. Android app works well.

 

[High Plains Drifter]

Well I appreciate you weighing in here regardless. Man.. I never realized how out of date personal music devices are now. It's all Smartphones/ apps aside from a handful of seemingly strange and sorta outdated products like the ipod touch, shanling pro, etc.

Thanks, man for your input. It all helps.

 

[MFB]

I mean, MP3 players do still exist and you can use wired headphones with them; if you own all the music already, just check it onto an SD card and throw it into the smaller version of this, otherwise, for $60 to get 32GB, no real reason not to? I pay for Spotify + unlimited data so I can have all my obscure random music at my fingertips from like some musical dragon hoarding it, when in reality this would work for my needs too.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sandisk-clip-sport-go-32gb-mp3-player-black/6333135.p?skuId=6333135

 

[High Plains Drifter]

@MFB This really helps. Can't thank you enough for chiming in. Got me heading in the right direction I think.

 

[MFB]

@MFB This really helps. Can't thank you enough for chiming in. Got me heading in the right direction I think.

I bought one years ago with the intention of keeping more of my music on me so I wasn't so reliant on streaming, and it lasted all of like, a month before I was like, "fuck it, I got the coin," and went back.

 

[Riff the Road Dog]

I've been using this for running for thepast couple years after my old iPod Shuffle was no longer supported:

AGPTEK G02 8GB Clip MP3 Player with FM Shuffle, Portable Music Player with Sweatproof Silicone Case for Sports, Blue https://a.co/d/0HZX2vU

It's small and easy to use controls by feel. It's not bluetooth, which is fine by me. Only problem I've had is the first one I bought remembers your song list order but with the second I bought for a backup a year later it is impossible to order songs, it shuffles all the time. Surprisingly holding up well, I really didn't expect that from something called a. Agptek from Amazon. The Shuffles I had were more durably built but didn't last long.

i have a SanDisk Clip Jam, too, but I don't use it much as you have to take it off and look at it to change any controls and creating playlists for it is weird and tedious. I don't want to stop running to mess with stuff.

I use wired headphones and will not pay much for them. Tried expensive ones, like some Sennheiser/Adidas joint supposedly made for athletic, sweaty use that didn't last a couple runs. One channel always cuts out eventually, sometimes after only one use. Best I've found are the Panasonic Ergofit for about $9 a pair, both for sound and fit. They last me about a year of weekly runs if I'm very lucky.

 

[Xetplion]

I have a $200 samsung phone that is only for playing mp3s. For me, it is just the ultimate mp3 player because the screen is so much nicer than any mp3 player I ever had.
Soulseek forever. I have never considered streaming for a moment. Can't beat browsing someone's collection

Totally agree on cheap ear buds too. I love these shitty $10 walmart ear buds better than my beyerdynamic DT 770s. They are basically disposable too for the price. Any ear buds I have ever tried all sound the same and all sound awesome if fully in your ear.

Even the bluetooth consumer speakers I thought would sound lame have sounded amazing that I have heard. Actually the opposite. I house sat last summer for my parents and looked forward to listening on my father's baddass old speaker setup from the 70s/80s but the speakers sounded ridiculously scooped to my ears now.

 

[High Plains Drifter]

@Xetplion Thanks much for the suggestion. I could see maybe going that route at some point. For now though, size/ weight/ bulkiness are factors meaning that anything close to typical phone specs would be of concern.

Not sure how long either of these will last but I went ahead and picked up the AGPTEK "brand" U5PL player and a set of Boloxa U81 wireless ear-buds ( on Amazon, of course). Wireless wasn't a big deal initially but I eventually considered that having corded ear-buds would likely be an issue as I'll be moving around a lot while wearing these.

The player is fairly small making it a bit challenging to read and to navigate but it's manageable I guess. Size is 3.1 x 1" and weighs only 25g so I can clip it wherever without much concern that it'll be too heavy or in the way. Features: 64GB USB MP3 Bluetooth 5.3 FM 2.0 port/ phone supported.

Sound quality seems pretty decent although I haven't yet tried them outside for any extended amount of time so we'll see. The design is certainly comfy enough and the fit is surprisingly secure. I like that the ear-buds are tethered together around the back of the neck so that when I pop em in and out they'll be less likely to get lost.

My biggest concern at this point is how these tiny electronics will hold up to prolonged perspiration since I'm planning to wear these throughout the summer months outdoors. Other than that, time will tell if this was a good investment. Total cost was under $50 fwiw.

 

[wheresthefbomb]

When I lived in a cabin in the woods, I used like 15' of speaker wire on my stereo speakers so I could just drag them to the front door when I was doing yard work. It was tedious, but the ideal solution IMO.

Other than that, I have been using shitty wired earbuds for like 20 years now. My secret is to run them up the inside of my t-shirt and clip them to the neck hem with a little mini binder clip, with just enough slack to turn my head side to side. They don't stay in perfectly, but then again neither will anything else. I take that setup running, skiing, biking, etc. I have a really nice (well, really expensive, anyway) pair of Sony WH-1000XM4 that I take on walks, but they're kinda scoopy and bass-heavy. I laugh every time some dork loses one of their airpods. Can't relate.....

 

[High Plains Drifter]

Reminds me of 'back in the day' when my mom was gone, I would set my dad's KLH speakers on the front porch and crank up whatever weird shit I was into at the time. We had a decent sized parcel so I never thought that I was bothering the neighbors until one day my mom came to me all pissed off that our closest neighbors had complained to her about the music. Around that time I was listening to albums like Ummagumma, Saucerful of Secrets, Bad Music for Bad People, Soft Machine, etc so I dunno what set those folks off but I'm sure it was anywhere from pretty strange to fully disturbing.

Oh, thanks for the idea regarding the wired buds.

 

[Riff the Road Dog]

@Xetplion Thanks much for the suggestion. I could see maybe going that route at some point. For now though, size/ weight/ bulkiness are factors meaning that anything close to typical phone specs would be of concern.

Not sure how long either of these will last but I went ahead and picked up the AGPTEK "brand" U5PL player and a set of Boloxa U81 wireless ear-buds ( on Amazon, of course). Wireless wasn't a big deal initially but I eventually considered that having corded ear-buds would likely be an issue as I'll be moving around a lot while wearing these.

The player is fairly small making it a bit challenging to read and to navigate but it's manageable I guess. Size is 3.1 x 1" and weighs only 25g so I can clip it wherever without much concern that it'll be too heavy or in the way. Features: 64GB USB MP3 Bluetooth 5.3 FM 2.0 port/ phone supported.

Sound quality seems pretty decent although I haven't yet tried them outside for any extended amount of time so we'll see. The design is certainly comfy enough and the fit is surprisingly secure. I like that the ear-buds are tethered together around the back of the neck so that when I pop em in and out they'll be less likely to get lost.

My biggest concern at this point is how these tiny electronics will hold up to prolonged perspiration since I'm planning to wear these throughout the summer months outdoors. Other than that, time will tell if this was a good investment. Total cost was under $50 fwiw.

The player I have comes with a silicone boot thing that I use mostly when it's raining. The trick is to take that thing off right away when you come in and dry it out or you'll likely be one of the reviewers crying about why it crapped out right away. Then I wrap the player and earbuds with tissue paper to absorb the sweat until the next time I use them. Since I've been doing that I've gotten way more life out of them. This one simple practice has saved me a bunch of money.

I also have a clip to attach the wired earbuds to my shirt collar in back of my neck at the thicker junction piece and run the wire down my back and around to an inside pocket in front or down my arm to an armband in the summer. The wire in those is like the thickness of a hair and managing the stretch keeps them working longer, too.

 

[jaxadam]

So I don’t know if this is gonna help but here goes…

We have 4 Sonos “zones” and one is outside and the speakers are installed in the ceiling of the lanai. I use a Sonos Connect:Amp and Episode speakers. The Sonos app lets me stream pretty much any service, and that setup lets us listen to anything we want and it can handle it all even over the background noise of the pool’s water features.

If we want decent portable sound, we also have one of these for the garage when we work out.

WONDERBOOM 3

Dance to the beat of your own tunes with the WONDERBOOM 3! This portable speaker is like a mini jukebox in your pocket, delivering big bass and a petite form factor, so you can take your tunes wherever you go. Pair two and party on!

us.ultimateears.com

I am in the midst of a trial of Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon Music Unlimited and so far Apple is winning by a long shot.

The only qualm I have with Sonos is that a few years ago they discontinued the use of allowing you to play music stored directly on the phone. But that is actually a very good thing for me now because for some reason every time I activated the patio zone it always automatically started playing “Law” by Yo Gotti and that was not a great look and I’ll just let you look that one up and see how it starts out. I mean no warning…

 

[SalsaWood]

Sometimes there are people in your life you meet who give you advice you did not want, but will eventually come to see their advice as mentorship. I have come, today upon you, for this reason. Heed my detractions to your impulses, Old Tree Beard of the Wilds.

My Son, you need your phone. Why would you pay for a phone and a seperate device to store and playback music? This is not logical. Do you work for money or do you turn tricks? I have not turned tricks, but I have slept with female friends to make it weird afterward so they leave me alone. Do you have the pockets they had? Are you so sultry you cannot make room in your profile for a modern cellular phone?

Usually we do things because they are in our own nature, but we must always ask should they be in our own nature? Often we err. The tactic of dumb luck and persistence may be a vital evolutionary advantage, but here it will part a fool with their wealth just as easily. Adopt the modern cellular telephone device as your cure-all for digital mobile needs. Forget the allure of individualism and redundancy in this regard. There is a reason nobody except hipsters use MP3 players. They are stupid. You are smart, if not because you are here. Good wireless headphones go a long way as well. The time of the future is now. Look how shiny things are.

Consolidate your leasures, but never your needs.

 

[Crungy]

Primo advice and I got a good laugh in the process, thank you majestic wizard!

 

[jaxadam]

Sometimes there are people in your life you meet who give you advice you did not want, but will eventually come to see their advice as mentorship. I have come, today upon you, for this reason. Heed my detractions to your impulses, Old Tree Beard of the Wilds.

My Son, you need your phone. Why would you pay for a phone and a seperate device to store and playback music? This is not logical. Do you work for money or do you turn tricks? I have not turned tricks, but I have slept with female friends to make it weird afterward so they leave me alone. Do you have the pockets they had? Are you so sultry you cannot make room in your profile for a modern cellular phone?

Usually we do things because they are in our own nature, but we must always ask should they be in our own nature? Often we err. The tactic of dumb luck and persistence may be a vital evolutionary advantage, but here it will part a fool with their wealth just as easily. Adopt the modern cellular telephone device as your cure-all for digital mobile needs. Forget the allure of individualism and redundancy in this regard. There is a reason nobody except hipsters use MP3 players. They are stupid. You are smart, if not because you are here. Good wireless headphones go a long way as well. The time of the future is now. Look how shiny things are.

Consolidate your leasures, but never your needs.

I would just like to add, make sure it doesn’t mysteriously always have “Law” by Yo Gotti cued up.

 

[AwakenTheSkies]

When I worked on a construction site for a short time the guys there would bring a portable speaker and use that with their phone, either Bluetooth or wired. Usually it's Bluetooth. It was definitely loud enough considering we were using really loud tools and you could still hear the music just fine.
I don't know if you have this where you live but a lot of teenagers do it too, on the beach or wherever they're hanging out they'll have a speaker that fits in their backpack and they'll blast their music in public for everyone to hear. It's the same idea.
There's better and worse portable speakers, but I've never bought one myself so I can't recommend one.

 

[Riff the Road Dog]

Hipsters... lol. I always thought those were the guys doing a five mile run with a brick strapped to their arm. Wait ... just got a text. Do hipsters even run? Not sure.

 

[TedEH]

I still know some people who keep individual devices for everything and refuse to get a modern smartphone. I don't understand why. There are not fewer privacy concerns because disparate hardware is used for each - if anything, maintaining multiple platforms is more risk. It's not less distraction, because now you have multiple devices to distract you. It doesn't reduce screen time, you've just not consolidated that time into one screen.

I know a guy who keeps a flip phone for calls, and old iPhone/iPod for music (with no sim card), a separate digital camera, and of course caries a laptop everywhere. Who are you kidding? You're as connected as anyone else.

I think I'm also not convinced that "sound quality" is a big concern on a cell phone. I use a Pixel phone and sony earbuds - and I think the same applies to mobile music as with at-home setups: the speakers are usually the weakest link, so just don't skimp on that part, and you're golden. If you're paying for your Spotify, you're generally getting high bitrates - unless you're sitting there scrutinizing in a great listening environment, you're not going to be able to tell much of a difference, IMO. It's an expectations problem - if you're sitting in a treated room with thousands of dollars of monitors or something, sure, you want the best source material to put through them. But if you're just drowning out your thoughts while doing chores or groceries or mowing the lawn or whatever, then the "quality" of the streaming service is not the weakest component in the chain.

 

[Riff the Road Dog]

P

I still know some people who keep individual devices for everything and refuse to get a modern smartphone. I don't understand why. There are not fewer privacy concerns because disparate hardware is used for each - if anything, maintaining multiple platforms is more risk. It's not less distraction, because now you have multiple devices to distract you. It doesn't reduce screen time, you've just not consolidated that time into one screen.

I know a guy who keeps a flip phone for calls, and old iPhone/iPod for music (with no sim card), a separate digital camera, and of course caries a laptop everywhere. Who are you kidding? You're as connected as anyone else.

I think I'm also not convinced that "sound quality" is a big concern on a cell phone. I use a Pixel phone and sony earbuds - and I think the same applies to mobile music as with at-home setups: the speakers are usually the weakest link, so just don't skimp on that part, and you're golden. If you're paying for your Spotify, you're generally getting high bitrates - unless you're sitting there scrutinizing in a great listening environment, you're not going to be able to tell much of a difference, IMO. It's an expectations problem - if you're sitting in a treated room with thousands of dollars of monitors or something, sure, you want the best source material to put through them. But if you're just drowning out your thoughts while doing chores or groceries or mowing the lawn or whatever, then the "quality" of the streaming service is not the weakest component in the chain.

Pretty simple for me.

If I'm running I want something small and light that I can control by feel without stopping to look at it. Something cheap I can replace if I drop or otherwise break it.

If I'm editing photographs I want a desktop or a laptop, minimum , with a calibrated monitor and a mouse or stylus.

Same for taking pictures - my usage demands more control (and specialized interchangeable lenses) than any current smart phone can offer.

Different uses demand different devices.

Most folks will get by with a phone.

In my case I'm also a cheapskate with an older phone that's pretty much maxed out and want to wait as long as possible to spend $1k on a new one.

The simple answer is not the right one for everybody.