Digital audio player for old-school stereo receiver.

[Good E Nuff]

I’m looking for a product that must exist, so maybe I’m entering the wrong description in the Amazon and Parts Express search bars.

I need a device that can play MP3s from an SD card or USB stick that can be plugged into the line level tape monitor or aux RCA jacks on a stereo receiver. Ideally it will sit on a shelf and be powered from a wall plug, and not be a repurposed portable media player. It will be used by some older folks who would rather have real buttons to push, rather than a touch screen. An old iPod touch is doing the job, now.

What am I missing?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Galu]

I can find coaxial/optical digital to RCA analogue converter boxes

However, I have had no luck finding USB to RCA converter boxes as per your requirements.

 

[jplesset]

Any player/tablet/phone with a headphone socket will work fine.... Most have SD capability. Even a chromebook will work for you, or an old laptop.

 

[Galu]

It will be used by some older folks who would rather have real buttons to push, rather than a touch screen. An old iPod touch is doing the job, now.

Note these particular requirements and the present mode of use.

 

[rfbrw]

Try searching under retro radio/mp3 player. They might be a bit large though.

 

[Extreme_Boky]

The laptop can be turned ON (that's a single push of a button), and then once the OS is up and running, it can execute the little batch file, which can start the player of your choice. The playlist can also be prepared for random play. The little mobile phone apps can adjust the sound level, skip the track. Very simple. But not really required if there's a volume pot on the amp.

 

[Extreme_Boky]

.... an old mobile phone (with memory card expansion option) can be used exclusively as a music player.

My kids use the retired Note 3 as a music player, works like a charm with 3.5mm socket and a 3.5mm plug-to-RCA's adaptor cable.

 

[phase]

Or something like this;

Portable MP3 Lossless Sound Music Player FM Recorder Support 64GB Micro SD Card | eBay

 

[Good E Nuff]

Try searching under retro radio/mp3 player. They might be a bit large though.

Thanks! That search string did the trick.

It turned up a few items like this one:
Amazon.com: Compact MP3 Player with FM Tuner - Line Output Player - USB and SD Card: MP3 Players & Accessories

They look a little cheaper than I hoped they would, but the reviews are good enough on most, and for $10 - 20 I might try two or three of them.

The plan is to hook one of these guys to the Tape Monitor input of their old Sony receiver, load up a big SD card with their entire MoTown collection and set one of these devices on shuffle and leave it on 24/7. When they feel like a taste of Hitsville, all they have to do is press the “Tape Mon” button and enjoy. When I go there for Thanksgiving, I’ll switch out the SD card for their favorite Christmas classics, and them switch the SD card back at their New Year’s Party.

 

[Good E Nuff]

Any player/tablet/phone with a headphone socket will work fine.... Most have SD capability. Even a chromebook will work for you, or an old laptop.

The laptop can be turned ON (that's a single push of a button), and then once the OS is up and running, it can execute the little batch file, which can start the player of your choice.

.... an old mobile phone (with memory card expansion option) can be used exclusively as a music player.

All those will surely work. My own solution is a 10 year old iMac in the den and an old 3rd Gen iPad in the bedroom.

However, the folks I’m sourcing this for are not real comfortable with devices with operating systems. They are using my old iPod right now, but they don’t like it, so they end up just playing the five CDs that happen to be in their changer for weeks at a time. I’m hoping the find a simple solution to bring their huge CD collection back to life.

Or maybe we’ll try Alexa.

 

[Andersonix]

What about one of those 200 or 300 CD jukebox carousel players? I passed on a Sony in a thriftshop for $15...

 

[Good E Nuff]

What about one of those 200 or 300 CD jukebox carousel players? I passed on a Sony in a thriftshop for $15...

They might like that, but I'm not sure they would have room for it. I'll keep my eye out for one of those.

 

[rsavas]

I designed a Portable radio media player that uses a Rohm BU9458 chip. I am amazed that Digi-key is still selling the part. One part I used, a Maxim MAX9729 went obsolete so I would have to re-design the analog 3:1 mux and headphone amp circuitry again to resurrect the design. It was cool as I used a TI PCM2902B USB codec as well so I could stream music from the PC.
I did the design because I did not see a unit with the features that I wanted.

 

[tsmith1315]

They might like that, but I'm not sure they would have room for it. I'll keep my eye out for one of those.

They are large, mine is 19" deep. Works great if you push the play button and let it run. If you happen to remember a disc # you want to play, that's simple, too. Otherwise, finding specific music is likely more trouble than they'd want to fool with.

rsavas, did you share your design here?

 

[Good E Nuff]

They are large, mine is 19" deep. Works great if you push the play button and let it run. If you happen to remember a disc # you want to play, that's simple, too. Otherwise, finding specific music is likely more trouble than they'd want to fool with.

Yep... I think that’s going to be too big.

Also, with a digital player rolling 50 CDs worth of music without a display and with simple playback controls, finding a specific song is going to be impossible... worse than with a CD jukebox. However, with the digital player running ripped tunes from an SD card, the original CDs will be available to drop in the regular player... if they want to hear a particular tune.