Home Audio - Melding new and old tech?

I have discovered that TW harbours incredible stores of information on a plethora of wide ranging subjects, ergo this very much non-Taco post....

So, I will preface this with full disclosure....I have NOT kept up on new tech for home audio. I still use my 1980 vintage JVC amp and receiver in my garage. That was the same year I tearfully retired my 8-Track player and replaced it with a cassette unit....in my 1973 Pinto. That was also the same era that my buddy bought a real high end home stereo...the one that was near the size of our Tacomas, with speakers the size of refrigerators.

Okay, I have left a few things behind, along with the feathered hair, elevator boots and bell bottoms....I moved all of my music onto my computer, and from there to a USB for that cool little plug in the Taco and the RAV4.

What I cannot find, anywhere, is something like the sound system in our Tacos, but for home, sans the amplifier. Ideally, I'd like to use an existing amp - it is old too, about 20 years, but cost me several car payments at the time, and produces great sound. Well, for me, anyway....40 years of loud engines, sirens and gunshots may have dimmed my senses a tad....

Is there a player that I can plug into my amp? Either with a USB socket, or even an onboard hard drive, either would be good. An interactive screen/control board from whence to choose music....? I'm wondering if my options are limited to dedicating a lap top...?

I perused Amazon at great length and was left feeling confused. I have walked into a couple of our local big-box audio/home/everything stores and tried to explain my needs to the non-gender-specific 12-year-olds working there, with absolutely zero success...Both times I was somewhat disdainly told I should actually be streaming music to my phone or a smart speaker. I left those stores just feeling old.

I'd welcome any suggestions....

Thanks to all!

 

@GHOST SHIP

You got anything to help with this?

I am interested, but just am not that deep into tunes to offer anything.

 

I was on a search for something similar for my home shop.

Long story short, you’ll need something with an interface- something that will manage the files and be able to sort them so you can play music as you see fit (by artist, album, genre, etc). While you might be able to find something that’ll take the USB drive, it’ll most likely be a secondary feature and not a stand alone unit so you’ll be paying for twice the machine than what you really need. An example would be a CD or Blu-ray player with a USB port and traditional RCA outputs. If that works for you, you’d be surprised what you can find on the cheap at Wallyworld and the like.

The quickest and easiest (most likely cheapest) way to do what you’re asking is with a music player. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Sony’s “Walkman” line still makes an MP3 player that is actually affordable:

Sony NW-A55/B Walkman NW-A55 Hi-Res 16GB MP3 Player, Grayish Black

Sony NW-A55/B Walkman NW-A55 Hi-Res 16GB MP3 Player, Grayish Black

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08286VLNB?_encoding=UTF8

Of course you’d need to move the music from the usb drive to the MP3 player with a computer but managing the files should be pretty simple afterwards including adding new music.

I have an old 5.1 surround sound (that’s about 25 years old) for music in the shop and have a simple RCA to 3.5mm jack going to my old iPod classic. It’s a pretty simple setup since I don’t require music streaming or even a remote to skip tracks.

 

Edit: just found this during a cursory search on Amazon:

Bluetooth Audio Receiver FM Radio,MP3 Digital Player,LED 4-Digital Display,SD Card/USB Playback 3.5mm Audio Output(Black)

$26 Bluetooth Audio Receiver FM Radio,MP3 Digital Player,LED 4-Digital Display,SD Card/USB Playback 3.5mm Audio Output(Black)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073PQWXMK


Looks like it’s exactly what you need. Has a 3.5mm output so you’d need the 3.5 to RCA jack and you’re golden.
Amazon Basics 3.5mm to 2-Male RCA Adapter Audio Stereo Cable - 4 Feet

$8 Amazon Basics 3.5mm Aux to 2 RCA Adapter Audio Cable for Stereo Speaker or Subwoofer with Gold-Plated Plugs, 4 Foot, Black

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D5H8JW0?_encoding=UTF8

 

I would go visit ~> https://www.audiosciencereview.com/ it can be overwhelming at times but has a really good scope of what works and what doesn't.

 

Thanks very much, Justin, greatly appreciated....I will take a look forthwith.

Cheers!

 

Cool, thanks so much for all the info, Brother...I appreciate your time and effort.

Take care, and be well!

 

turntablelab.com is also a good resource for this type of thing. i believe my buddy hooked up a record player and BT thingy to the same amplifier.

 

Copy, thank ya...will check it out.

 

Quick update, and a thank you to everyone who reached out with suggestions and assistance; my faith in the denizen....

I

A quick update and a thank you to GHOST SHIP a2lowvw, killthehippies

My faith in the denizens of TW was well-placed....

For the short term - and in case I couldn't get anything to work - I opted for the budget route and went with the the recommended little Bluetooth unit from Amazon. I confess to being somewhat underwhelmed when I opened the box and saw, literally, how tiny it was (A wise man would have actually read the specs/sizes clearly listed on Amazon.ca) but I diligently, if a trifle hesitantly, hooked it up to my elderly Yamaha amp and...

WOW.

Awesome.

I plugged the thumb drive from my Taco into it, and it immediately accessed the entire list and started a random cycling.

The unit lacks the detailed functionality (song lists and so forth on a screen, for example) that I would love to ultimately have, but for $30, including all the cables I could possibly need (that same wise man noted above would have actually read the 'what is included' list instead of ordering an extra cable) it is great.

I'll keep looking - now that I know where to look and what I am looking FOR) and suss out a bit higher end solution, but for the interim, again, this will work very nicely indeed.

Once more, thanks to all!

Merry Christmas everyone!

 

I have an AM/FM radio (not even Stereo) taken out of an '82 Buick - complete with mechanical presets - connected to a 12-V power supply, driving an old pair of bookshelf speakers in my barn. When the local Radio Shack closed, I got one of those FM Transmitter thingies to connect my iPod or whatever for almost nothing...

I do have an old Delco AM/FM Cassette with mechanical presets that I took out of a '78, but in my location, FM Stereo reception drifts in an out, and the mono radio offered better sound, so I just went with that. I don't need stereo sound when I am actively doing things and moving all over the place.

Best thing... these radios work in all temperatures...