Solutions? Music in teen bedrooms - without phone

grazer

iamtony wrote: »

https://m.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/8656353/Trail/searchtext>Amazon+echo.htm

This new echo dot sounds good for its size. It might be enough and it's on offer for €37 if you/they already own speakers or headphones even, there's a 3.5mm headphone jack so you can plug it into any speaker and the music will play through that if the sound isn't good enough for them.That's what I'd be going with. It can also connect to any Bluetooth speaker.

If it could be shut down to just give access to music as per a previous poster's advice https://protectyoungeyes.com/content/amazon-echo-parental-controls/ then it looks like a reasonable solution. How does it access music? Through Spotify?

iamtony

grazer wrote: »

If it could be shut down to just give access to music as per a previous poster's advice https://protectyoungeyes.com/content/amazon-echo-parental-controls/ then it looks like a reasonable solution. How does it access music? Through Spotify?

To access music you link it to Spotify and they you just say alexa play a certain artist, song, album etc.
The messages part isn't really an issue. Set it up to your amazon account and your phone and the only one they would be able to message or call are your contacts who also have the echo and you would also have to enable messages.

3DataModem

elfy4eva wrote: »

Forgive me if im being an eejit as im not familiar with ipods/iphone but could the op pick up an old generation iPod without net features and sync it with their iTunes?

If they are using Apple Music or Spotify, then no.

3DataModem

grazer wrote: »

Also, he thought the more recent iPods are enabled with a lot more internet / gaming stuff than the older ones used to be - we might be into the same problem with iPods as with phones.

You can set up restrictions on ipod that lock down everything other than music. You hold the password. Problem solved.

3DataModem

Deleted User wrote: »

Just for Spotify..if there's 3 of them in 3 different rooms playing music at the same time you'll need 3 different Spotify accounts..

Or a family plan. You set up a separate sub account but only require the one 15 per month subscription. Same as apple music.

grazer

3DataModem wrote: »

Or a family plan. You set up a separate sub account but only require the one 15 per month subscription. Same as apple music.

Don't mention the war! We have family sub for Apple / Apple music. Have had to re-set and re-set so that imessage texts don't appear on other family phones; I can see all my daughter's photos on my phone (no bad thing); she can see mine (I curate carefully!); at one stage any imessage I sent was appearing on my husband's phone and my daughter's phone. We all had to tread very carefully for a while! Think it's all resolved (imessaging switched off) except for the photos. It's a tangled apple web.

3DataModem

The way to avoid this is simply to ensure all devices ONLY use their own Apple ID (you can set up for kids and link to your own account). Never login using your ID to another device. Just never.

facehugger99

Sonia Purple Pancreas wrote: »

You need a phone to control it. Kids couldn't give 2 hoots about sound quality either.

You don't need a phone - they're voice controlled.

iamtony

endacl wrote: »

Couldn’t agree more. I teach plc students on a music performance course. Bear in mind, Music students. Into music. Plan to do it professionally. Their preferred source? Ripped YouTube audio, play through either the crappy phone speaker or cheap as possible Bluetooth earbuds.

Its the parents fault ha. I've bought my teen the best Bluetooth speaker money could buy after he got over is rap is deadly and everything else is crap phase. Now I enjoy the music blaring from his room!

Milly33

mmm not pointing out the obvious but could you not get a CD player, with MP3 player?

Noodleworm

Google Home is pretty good. I have several of them and have gifted them to family.
https://store.google.com/product/google_home

It's basically a smart speaker - like the Alexa people are talking about.
I think it kay be cheaper and I find its more compatible.
They are voice controlled can be connected to music streaming like spotify, and can also do very basic googling. Things like tell you the weather, set a timer or alarm, answer simple questions.
You have a few options too. There are also some with screens, such as the Theres the google home mini, a small one thats about 40 euro. The regular sized one has better sound.

You may also like the Google home hub, thats one with a screen, but no camera or real access to social media. It can be connected to youtube but your still really limited to voice control. Theres no way to type, so while its handy for finding a recipe or music video its not very simple for browsing. It sort of makes the experience of using a smart speaker easier, because you can see what it's doing.
I got it for my older parents for that reason.
here's an ad for it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxuHbgz1UtI

eskerman

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Going to go out on a limb here but how about a mini hi-fi, surley kids these days must think big speakers are still cool https://www.richersounds.com/pioneer-x-em16.html

I think this is a fantastic idea - let them buy CDs and or Vinyl that they will own for ever - not MP3 files that are nothing but code and can be deleted in a spit second - no value at all. Buy your music in physical format and then you are getting value and its a great way to listen to it

grazer

An update after a year after I first asked the question on this thread.
We got an Amazone Echo Dot for each of the teenagers' bedrooms. Great price, great solution. They can now stream music and play from our Apple music playlists. And do all the rest of the stuff the dots do.
Thanks for all the suggestions through this thread.