What Audio Equipment?
 

When we move back to the UK next year we are planning to buy new audio equipment. It's dawned on me, due to another thread, that it might be cheaper to buy some equipment here, providing it is possible to get a UK power adaptor.

The problem is that I'm baffled by the latest technology. I'd appreciate some advice.

TV. We don't have a HD TV at the moment and want to get one for the UK. We don't want one with a huge screen, because we don't watch much TV, and we don't want "home theatre" either. TVs seem to be a bit cheaper in Canada than the UK, but would a HD TV bought here work in the UK?

Audio. Currently we are using a little Sony CD player and tape deck. We haven't had any means of playing our LPs while we are in Canada, and our UK turntable and amp are elderly and need replacing.

We also have a few MP3s downloaded onto our Mac laptops and iPads.

This is where I get very confused about what is possible. My ideal would be to have one system that would play all our media: LPs, CDs, tapes and MP3s, but I'm not sure that such a thing even exists.

What do other people use to play music, and what would you advise me to buy here in Canada or in the UK?

Re: What Audio Equipment?
 

Well that was a waste of time!

Re: What Audio Equipment?
 

Aw sorry! I don't recall even seeing your post until this morning (old age has set in!) and I won't be any help anyway as I have no idea how much stuff costs in Canada! I'd have thought that buying Duty Free is usually a good move though apart from the odd warranty issue. There are issues with buying tvs I believe (there are from Aus anyway) as they don't tune in to UK channels and you have to have cable/set top box to play them.

You can convert your vinyl to mp3 and pop them all on your MP3 player of choice eg http://www.amazon.co.uk/ION-Profile-...xp_grid_pt_0_0. Which sort of appeals to me but then I realised I don't listen to music any more (audio books all the time now and usually through some nice in ear bud headphones). No idea about the quality of conversion. There's a tape equivalent too.

I do cast covetous eyes at smart tvs I must admit (they seem to imply they will do everything except stack the dishwasher but I haven't gone into much detail because I'm not in a position to use one) and also at Bose equipment but probably more because of the simple lines than anything else. Meanwhile, I have a dab radio with an iphone dock that does me - i rarely listen to it tbh as I'm more likely plugged in directly into headphones but i do like the dab radio as it means that I can tune in to radio4extra if i feel like it. I sort of wish I had waited and got a wireless one eg http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sonos-PLAY-B...ef=pd_sim_ce_3but it doesn't have a dab radio. I guess it all depends on what you want to do with it.

Good luck!

Re: What Audio Equipment?
 

I brought my Logitech portable speakers with me and they work perfectly on my 32" flat screen telly (which is a small TV according to OH). They also have an iPod docking station which I don't use unless we are travelling. As these speakers are designed for travelling all I needed to do was plug them in via a plug adapter.

Got rid of the vinyl before leaving Canada, but most of the albums had already been replaced by CD. I copied all of my CD's to the PC and I now play radio and music through iTunes player on the PC via my iPad and Air Play wireless speaker (bought in the UK). I can now control which speakers to turn on/off, create playlists etc without leaving my chair (that is not a good thing for the waistline) The speakers that I bought were quite pricey, but I am very pleased with them. I also bought a cheaper speaker for use in the office area and it is just fine.

I bought mine at John Lewis so you could check out their prices and compare. Other places that sell electronics are Curry's, Argos, Asda, Tesco etc. There are also Bluetooth wireless speakers available, but I don't have any experience with them. I am considering adding Apple TV, based on a friends recommendation, but I need to determine what value it would give me before I go down that road.:)

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I don't know about Canada what is the TV protocol there - is is NTSC or PAL? The UK is PAL. We bought back a TV from the US (which is NTSC) and have got it working, but it's a bit of a Heath Robinson affair :) We have a step down transformer to take care of the voltage difference and then a converter box which translates from NTSC to PAL. We also have a freeview box in there too...

The other thing to consider, is that new tvs in the UK are pretty much all sold with inbuilt digital tuners for the free to air channels. I doubt something bought abroad would work here.

In short, in your situation, I would probably wait and get a new TV here in the UK :)

Re: What Audio Equipment?
 

There's a very competitive market for TVs and hi-fi in the UK. I don't think you would save much by buying in Canada and you will have difficulty with frequencies e.g. digital TV; freeview.

Why not get the move done, settle in and then buy what suits your surroundings? Richer Sounds will probably cover most of your needs and I've always been pleased with their back-up on the odd ocassion I've needed it.

Re: What Audio Equipment?
 

Thank you everyone for your replies.

I've decided that digitizing our CD collection makes sense. I started doing this a couple of years ago, but gave up after around 3 CDs because it was going to take forever. That was before we switched our computing to Apple. The Asus external cd drive I was using is not compatible with our Macbook Airs, so I'll have to get an Apple cd drive. There, at least, I can make a saving by buying in Canada.

I still haven't made up my mind what to do about the LPs. They are my actual youth, and I wouldn't want to throw them out even if I digitized them. I think I might wait until we get back to the UK and then invest in a good quality turntable and amp.

Re: What Audio Equipment?
 

If you have bought CDs from Amazon over the years, you may find that they have already been digitised for you via Amazon's 'autorip' facility... http://www.amazon.co.uk/b/ref=amb_li...d_i=auto%20rip

Re: What Audio Equipment?
 

Thanks for the tip. Auto-rip doesn't seem to be available in Canada, which is because you can't download mp3s from Amazon in Canada either. "Not available in your region" should be Canada's national motto (Oh I'm going to be so glad to get out of here).

We only have around 200 CDs, a fairly small collection for someone of my generation, so digitizing them is not an impossible task. When I tried it before, however, the cd did not always record correctly and had to be 'ripped' again. Since then we've swapped a Linux/Dell system for Apple, so with better quality equipment the job might be less tedious.

A few days ago I invested in a bluetooth speaker. That's been a success. We're very pleased with the sound quality.

Re: What Audio Equipment?
 

It is a tedious job, but I made it bearable by copying some most days while doing paperwork etc and listening to BBC Radio. I then got rid of lots of CD's. I did keep a couple of hundred, but got rid of the jewel cases and put the CD's into a wallet from Staples to save on space.

Re: What Audio Equipment?
 

I am a recent convert to iTunes (as in, in the past 24 hrs). I am currently downloading some of my 293 CDs via iTunes and each one is taking < 5 mins. If you have an Apple computer (I have a rusty 5-year-old Dell) it would be even more automatic and quick.

I just bought an iPod Classic today and am looking forward to being able to carry all of my music with me. I anticipate listening to it a lot more, too.

Re: What Audio Equipment?
 

I've eschewed physical media and have moved to spotify :)

I love it and will never again have to redo ripping CDs when I change/upgrade devices...

ETA - although I guess these days with everything 'cloud' based, you probably only need to do it once anyway...

Re: What Audio Equipment?
 

A friend who uses iTunes (and who showed me how to do the whole ripping process and a 1-hr demo of the iPod Classic) said that once you have your CDs ripped via iTunes, you could always put them on anther device (e.g., if you upgrade your iPod).

I can't get my head around the implications for copyright - what's to stop you putting your CD collection from iTunes onto your 20 pals' iPods, too?

Re: What Audio Equipment?
 

There's probably a limit to how many devices you can hook up to the same itunes account.... I'm sure an expert will be along soon to tell us exactly.

We were relatively early adopters of mp3s and pre-cloud days, ripped cds were just stored locally on the pc. At one time I had a sony mp3 player and making the move over to apple was initially a pain as I had to re-rip everything.

Re: What Audio Equipment?
 

I think there is a limit to how many devices can be associated with your iTunes player, but you can change delete and add devices. When I upgraded my PC, before leaving Canada, all files including my music were just copied over to the new hardrive. I also have a portable backup drive so if I lose data or upgrade I can just copy from the portable drive.

I was reluctant to put all my music on the iTunes player, but I am quite happy with it. I like the Genius feature as it saves me having to make up playlists if I don't want to. Now I am considering paying the annual fee for icloud so that I can access my music remotely.

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I don't think I could actually afford to replace all my cds with mp3 downloads from iTunes. The purchases I've made already were rather expensive -- about the same as buying the cd.

Re: What Audio Equipment?
 

Maybe I am misunderstanding DR's post, but I think he is copying his CD's to his PC via iTunes and not downloading from iTunes. If he is downloading 293 CD's from iTunes then I need to purchase some shares in Apple.:lol:

Re: What Audio Equipment?
 

Yes, I am using the iTunes software to upload my CDs, and will then sync them to my new iPod. So far it is working very smoothly.

Re: What Audio Equipment?
 

Have to say that I am not an Apple fan, and definitely not an Itunes fan. It's all too Apple controlled. I shall be copying all of my CDs to an external hard drive that I will take with me. I have used a Sansa Mp3 player daily for years (different models), can download any music that I want from MP3 Rocket and also use my Mp3 to listen to books and watch the occasional video. We can download audiobooks from our local library and imagine you can in the UK too. I had an IPOD (received as a gift)... nothing but problems and quickly defunct. If I need to translate file types, Sansa has a program (Sansa updater). I use a tape adapter in my little stereo here to plug in my Mp3 but newer stereos will have a plug-in.

I also have a component stereo system but it's so old hat that I will be lucky to sell the components and wouldn't take them to the UK. I am more interested in compact and the quality on small stereo systems has really improved over the years.

In short, when I go to the UK, I will buy a TV and mini-stereo system there, take my MP3 and the external hard drive with me, and the laptop handles the rest.

I am wondering though if all laptops are able to be used in the UK with just a change of cord. Anyone know?

Re: What Audio Equipment?
 

On the laptops -- you probably need to research your individual model, but you should be OK using it in the UK. My old Dell used to work with just a plug adaptor. Apple sell a travel pack for their devices.

The house we've bought in the UK is in an area with poor broadband speeds. For the last couple of years i've been backing up onto a cloud, either the icloud or Dropbox. That's not going to be so practical in Devon, so I'm intending to invest in an Apple Time Capsule which will do the same job on our home network.

Re: What Audio Equipment?
 

Yes, Apple does pull you in, but I do like their products. Although, I still use my trusty PC. It seems to be the way of the world with large corporations influencing our lives. On the laptop, yes, you just need an adapter plug. I was also able to bring my PC hardrive from Canada as their is a little switch at the back which changes the voltage.

Re: What Audio Equipment?
 

Have a look at the power pack on your cord and you should see a label listing specifications, CSA certification etc. There should be a voltage spec there 120-240 volts. This is true of most if not all (be sure to check first to be safe) small appliances with separate plug-in power supplies these days including camera chargers, compact printers etc. That being the case, all you need is a plug adapter available where electronics accessories are sold, I think mine was about five bucks if that.

Re: What Audio Equipment?
 

This has to be the funniest bump I have ever seen!:lol:

...............but the feedback is very handy to know.

Re: What Audio Equipment?
 

Sorry to pull the thread slightly OT, but can you tell me the following:

Importing CDs via iTunes - does it make a difference whether you import them as MP3 files or the iTunes default ACC file format? It seems MP3 would be best (because it is more widely readable - correct?) but I was wondering if there is some advantage to importing as ACC (e.g., does this work better on an iPod, make functions like creating playlists, etc., or using the new Genius feature more straightforward)?

Also, what bit rate is best/most practical? Seems from what I have read that you can select 32, 160 or 320 ...

I am about 50 CDs into ripping my CD collection and it struck me that if I find I am doing it wrong, it would be a pain in the 'arris to do it all over again.

Re: What Audio Equipment?
 

Dunroving, Sorry I don't know if I can answer your question. When I copied my CD's to my PC via iTunes, I don't remember selecting a bit rate or choosing between ACC or MP3, so I assume I just imported using the iTunes standard. The sound is fine to my ear, but I am no audiophile.

Unless the iPod has changed, you should create your playlists in iTunes on your PC before syncing with your iPod. I don't think you can create playlists on the iPod, but I believe you can sync them from your PC. I don't have an iPod. However, maybe the version you have is more like the iPad, in that you can create playlists and Genius mixes directly on the iPad. Clear as mud? Today, I broke down and got an iPhone. So, I am now well and truly on the slippery slope:)

Re: What Audio Equipment?
 

Thanks for the info folks. Yes, my laptop power pack shows 100-240v so that answers that.

My external drive is just a USB connection to my laptop so doesn't need separate power.

Re: What Audio Equipment?
 

I found some information online and by exploring my iTunes software. In particular, I found this page helpful. The comments (link at the bottom of the page) are all interesting to read, too.

The iTunes software defaults to downloading as an AAC file. This is a newer file format than MP3 and although it is not an "Apple" format, it can only be read currently by a limited number of devices (mainly Apple devices, Zune and Sony Playstation), not on most media players like the Windows Media Player.

The article seems to imply that AAC files will become the standard file but no indication when.

I have already ripped about 50 CDs and am swithering whether to start all over again. MP3 formats will work on iPod, etc., and as long as you select a high bit-rate, the quality is hardly different ... choices, choices.

Re: What Audio Equipment?
 

Thanks for the info. Have fun ripping those CD's. it's worth it in the end.

Re: What Audio Equipment?
 

Thank you all for your contributions, which have given me a few ideas.

I like the idea of converting all our cds to mp3s and then getting rid of the jewel cases and storing the cds in folders. I'll get a new optical drive that is compatible with my Mac Air and try to covert all our cds before we leave next year. It means that we won't need to replace our cd player once we get to the UK.

For our LPs I'm now planning to invest in a new turntable, amp and speakers when we get to the UK. It will be pricey, but I think it will give us more pleasure than converting all the LPs to mp3.

A couple of weeks ago I bought a bluetooth speaker. It's a "supertooth disco 2". We are very pleased with the sound quality, even though it only cost CAD 100, and we will be able to use it in the UK with a plug adaptor.