Sound maker for home office use?

[Time Waster]

I work from home and my partner does too except for one day a week she goes into the office. I go into the office when needed. I need background noise to concentrate. Music ideally but news works too. It really helps me concentrate and work efficiently. It's the opposite for my partner I the other room.

I'm thinking a noise maker like a DAB+ radio on low volumes on the shelf above my desk might help. Not so loud that my partner gets distracted. I don't know if that's a good idea? Nothing too expensive.

Is there anything else?

One thing, I can't plug anything into my work laptop or download apps or stream anything. We're supposed to turn off smart speakers for security reasons. So I do need an independent box to make the noise.

Can anyone recommend something? A make and model of that something? Budget is small. It looks to me that you can't get decent DAB+ radios for less than £70. Roberts and Pure seem best brands but I don't know enough to be sure. Open to ideas.

 

[wiggydiggy]

DAB+ Radio is probably the easiest but I prefer something more versatile.

I'm sat here with a £35 Sony Stereo (thanks cash converters!) that has a little £10 bluethooth adaptor plugged into it, I stream from work laptop but if thats not an option for you it'll take any input via bluetooth so if I couldn't use that I'd use my phone. Plus it is also a stereo so I can just use radio, CD, etc on it.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Alexa unit of your choosing?

 

[The Crofted Crest]

Are headphones an option?

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

What about a cheap FM radio - plenty of channels available if you have reception

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

or stream/play something through your phone - presuming that you have one
they normally also have an FM radio - or can stream through wifi if you have it

 

[Electric_Andy]

I'm sat here with a £35 Sony Stereo (thanks cash converters!) that has a little £10 bluethooth adaptor plugged into it, I stream from work laptop but if thats not an option for you it'll take any input via bluetooth so if I couldn't use that I'd use my phone. Plus it is also a stereo so I can just use radio, CD, etc on it.

Me too. I got a Denon Amp 2nd hand off ebay for £25, and a little Bluetooth receiver for £12, and used some speakers I had in the garage...I think they were £40 on sale at Richer Sounds (Wharfdale Diaomonds). This setup can be as quiet as you want, or if you need to use it for parties it will blast the house down. I stream from my phone so you can use any digital radio station of your choice, or spotify etc.

The smaller alternative is to get one of these: I had one as my main hi-fi system for a long time and it's really good and packs more of a punch than the size and money implies.

 

[Time Waster]

Alexa unit of your choosing?

Can't have any listening device like smart speakers when working. Security is strictly. About half of my 25 plus hours of induction training videos and online courses involved security in some form or another!

Have you ever tried to find what smart devices have stored on you? Voice recordings that is? I did it with Google. You know how when you hear your own voice played back to you on a voicemail? Nobody likes the voice the hear back right, well my Google recordings were worse than voicemail recordings. I felt uneasy due to that voice hearing thing but then what I actually heard made me understand why my employer tells us to unplug smart speakers. I heard one recording of a conversation with a mate who was having personal issues which could have legal implications. Ours is near the TV, let it listen to the grand designs presenter!

 

[Electric_Andy]

Or maybe a better option to save space, get a pair of active speakers (speakers that plug in and have an amp in them) and just wifi your phone to them. Some come with Bluetooth, but if not then a simple Bluetooth receiver will do.

We also have an Anker Soundcore bluetooth speaker which is good. I just think any of these all-in-one devices sound terrible unless you pay a lot of money. A cheap amp, cheap bookshelf speakers only have to do one job each which is usually better than an all-in-one system where they skimp on the speaker quality on the cheaper end

 

[Drago]

I use Presonus studio monitors and stream music to them when I'm on the poster.

 

[AndyRM]

Have you still got physical media available? A handful of CDs/tapes/records and an old boombox/hifi are all you need, especially if there are security concerns. And if it's just background noise sound quality really doesn't matter. Won't set you back much more than £50.

I've got a Bose Sound Dock thing, which was discontinued in 2015. Still works grand with my ancient iPod, so that's an option too but you might be looking at it being a bit pricier (and having to have the right cables/ways to negotiate Apple's stupid aversion to them).

Streaming/smart speakers are always listening in one way or another.

 

[wiggydiggy]

Me too. I got a Denon Amp 2nd hand off ebay for £25, and a little Bluetooth receiver for £12, and used some speakers I had in the garage...I think they were £40 on sale at Richer Sounds (Wharfdale Diaomonds). This setup can be as quiet as you want, or if you need to use it for parties it will blast the house down. I stream from my phone so you can use any digital radio station of your choice, or spotify etc.

The smaller alternative is to get one of these: I had one as my main hi-fi system for a long time and it's really good and packs more of a punch than the size and money implies.

View attachment 722250

I've never even seen anything like that. I'm fully equipped in all rooms for music right now but next time something needs replacing I might get one, add a little bluetooth receiver and it could be quite a compact little system in a box I'd have a go at making.

Can't have any listening device like smart speakers when working. Security is strictly. About half of my 25 plus hours of induction training videos and online courses involved security in some form or another!

Have you ever tried to find what smart devices have stored on you? Voice recordings that is? I did it with Google. You know how when you hear your own voice played back to you on a voicemail? Nobody likes the voice the hear back right, well my Google recordings were worse than voicemail recordings. I felt uneasy due to that voice hearing thing but then what I actually heard made me understand why my employer tells us to unplug smart speakers. I heard one recording of a conversation with a mate who was having personal issues which could have legal implications. Ours is near the TV, let it listen to the grand designs presenter!

I've got Alexa's but they're not in my office, though as entirely scientific experiment I can control them through a closed door if I shout as I just tried it lol Not a microphone but I've always covered my camera when I'm not using it, don't trust someone not to be watching!

 

[Time Waster]

Most of us at work have the camera deactivated from new. It's locked off so we can't change it to use it. Seriously, they're all over the security!

 

[Electric_Andy]

I've never even seen anything like that

I used to have it in my garage, and to be honest I didn't detect much difference in volume or sound quality to my old Denon (which would have cost a couple hundred quid when new about 15 years ago I reckon). The only drawback is on the little ones there is sometimes no bass or treble control, and they only have 1 set of inputs. But if all you're using is a bluetooth receiver then it's fine

 

[Dadam]

All you need is a phone/tablet/other device and a bluetooth speaker, as cheap or expensive as you like.