Sound maker for home office use?

[Electric_Andy]

My partner doesn't like working in silence either. So we always have music on. IME phone speakers sound tinny and horrible. BT speakers are much better but still lack a "big" sound. Any way of transmitting to some book-shelf speakers is IMHO the better option

 

[Time Waster]

So you aren't allowed to have mobile phones in the room either?

At work there's lockers for them, plus a load of other devices such as smartwatch. There's even a something they provide that you have to leave in lockers when visiting certain offices. You can take company provided phones but they're not common, usually only senior grades and others if they need one for the job.

If your phone has the assistant like siri or hey google you're supposed to disable the function. That's just a setting change. I have voice enabled functions disabled on my home phone anyway. I do that after I saw someone get into the Facebook account of someone's locked iPhone and posted dodgy comments when the person left they're phone on the desk. The guy who did it had just read about it and didn't think it would work!

 

[Time Waster]

The trouble with bbc sounds is its only BBC. I like a few commercial radio channels. I used to have apps like tunein on my old work laptop. It was great for us radio channels but the ones i like weren't on it. I think you have to stream from their website or perhaps they have an app.

For me I think there's an advantage with DAB+ radios for having it all on one device ready to go without fuss.

 

[richardfm]

They used to have FM tuners. Cant remember how many years since i last had one.
They used the headphones as the aerial. Mine wouldn't work without headphones and there was no option to output to speaker. Well, maybe bluetooth or lineout to a separate speaker, but NOT THE INTERNAL SPEAKER FFS!!!!

That's what my two or three year old Motorola does.
The FM radio is used exclusively for listening to football commentary that isn't on DAB or BBC Sounds

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

They used to have FM tuners. Cant remember how many years since i last had one.
They used the headphones as the aerial. Mine wouldn't work without headphones and there was no option to output to speaker. Well, maybe bluetooth or lineout to a separate speaker, but NOT THE INTERNAL SPEAKER FFS!!!!

And with soo many phones no longer having 3.5mm jacks the aerial is gone now

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Oh - mine is Motorola so it has one
my previous 2 phones were small Samsung - probably old models when I got them

so looks like tech has moved on

worth knowing anyway - I occaisionally need an FM radio!

 

[Time Waster]

Got BBC on my tablet in the background. With another person in the house in a meeting and I'm searching through files and records the buffering is terrible. I'm on the second fastest broadband available to me here. Iirc it's bt fibre 100. I don't think Internet anything will work for me. This is without our son in the house gaming.

My last house I could use my phone data but here the signal is H+ at best. I have to WiFi call most of the time here.

So I think there's only dab radio that's not going to make things worse. Unless I spend each night downloading the next day's listening. It might be on it's way out for home use but seriously until the government actually forces good connections everywhere some of us will have to find ways to reduce broadband demand.

BTW we're rural but not rural enough to get certain high speed rural networks support or services. We're surrounded by B4RN, the best UK domestic broadband network and the first successful UK rural community high speed network. Surrounded but they have no plans to come to half the village. They're only going into the other half because it's the fastest way between villages they are supporting.

Sorry! Needed to vent. I feel better now!

 

[cougie uk]

At work there's lockers for them, plus a load of other devices such as smartwatch. There's even a something they provide that you have to leave in lockers when visiting certain offices. You can take company provided phones but they're not common, usually only senior grades and others if they need one for the job.

If your phone has the assistant like siri or hey google you're supposed to disable the function. That's just a setting change. I have voice enabled functions disabled on my home phone anyway. I do that after I saw someone get into the Facebook account of someone's locked iPhone and posted dodgy comments when the person left they're phone on the desk. The guy who did it had just read about it and didn't think it would work!

Your work sounds interesting. What do you do ?

 

[ColinJ]

Your work sounds interesting. What do you do ?

For security reasons, he can't divulge that!

 

[Time Waster]

For security reasons, he can't divulge that!

No comment!

 

[Time Waster]

Seriously it's nothing special just we have strict rules on certain things for commercial reasons. For example our waste disposal has a whole series of process documents just to throw away our team lottery numbers!

 

[cougie uk]

Seriously it's nothing special just we have strict rules on certain things for commercial reasons. For example our waste disposal has a whole series of process documents just to throw away our team lottery numbers!

Can't be too careful!!

 

[Time Waster]

Can't be too careful!!

It's the human factor that's the weak link 80% of the time. I know a few tales about that!

 

[Time Waster]

Anyway, I'm looking at DAB+ radios. I think that's the best bet since we sometimes struggle with slow Internet when working and mobiles are patchy here.

So buying new, is there any point getting fancy? I mean Ruark seem a good brand but do I really need the best brand and features? If I get a lower cost radio from a mid range brand like Pure or Roberts will that be enough? It's only going to be on low volume as background anyway.

A simple shelf based radio, battery with plugged in mains option like the old fm kitchen radios. My parents got a good one when you could get them that looked like mini hi-fi units all boxy. Don't see many like that now.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I would go for a simple cheap one from a known brand

make sure it works off the mains - they use more electrons than the old FM radios so batteries will run out at an annoying rate!
I suspect the sound quality will imnprove with price
but unless you can try them out first them your can;t tell which ones are worth it