iPhone 8/Plus Music on BT external speakers

[AMSOS]

How do you listen to music on external speakers (e.g. bluetooth)? Do you just use the iPhone, iPod, or a dedicated music player of some kind?

I am having some difficulty in deciding which device I want to use to listen to my music on my external BT speakers. I am pretty sure I don't want to use the phone for this purpose.

Is the iPod my only option? Am I missing something?

Thanks for your suggestions!

 

[HDFan]

am pretty sure I don't want to use the phone for this purpose.

Why not?

Where is the music - iTunes library (ripped), Apple Music, Tidal, ... ?

For my HomePods I use pretty much all of them, including my iMac.

 

[AMSOS]

Why not?

Where is the music - iTunes library (ripped), Apple Music, Tidal, ... ?

For my HomePods I use pretty much all of them, including my iMac.

Well, it'll just mean using the phone for everything and I'll have to keep charging the battery. I plan to keep the phone for a few years and listening to a lot of music on a BT connection may not be the best idea there.

Mostly music from old CDs and DVDs that I had collected.

 

[cruisin]

Well, it'll just mean using the phone for everything and I'll have to keep charging the battery. I plan to keep the phone for a few years and listening to a lot of music on a BT connection may not be the best idea there.

Mostly music from old CDs and DVDs that I had collected.

Lithium batteries age whether you use them or not (and sometimes you get a dud). You can keep the phone on charge (either by cable or wireless pad) and once it hits 100% it will stop charging. But unless you plan on playing music for the whole day the phone shouldn’t drain battery much.

A separate device for playback will cost about the same or more as a battery replacement from Apple. Unless you have an old device that you will dedicate to music playback, you can use your computer for playback (plus a Bluetooth dongle if you don't have it built-in or see if the speaker has the classic AUX input). Unless you play by playlist or shuffle, look into how you expect to control your music and that should give you a hint on device choice. For example, you can use iTunes on your computer for playback, and use the phone as a remote, therefore not wasting any battery.

You can get a iPod/iPad for music, with an eye on using it as device around the home. Or you can get a cheap phone that can double as a phone for travel (the Moto G7 is decent if you don't demand much).

 

[now i see it]

Get a used iPod

 

[AMSOS]

Unless you have an old device that you will dedicate to music playback, you can use your computer for playback (plus a Bluetooth dongle if you don't have it built-in or see if the speaker has the classic AUX input)

Of course. But, I wanted something dedicated for playing my music and also more hands-on than my laptop. A phone or music player lying to one side that I could just scroll through while walking around the room/house.

Unless you play by playlist or shuffle, look into how you expect to control your music and that should give you a hint on device choice.

I almost always have my own playlist. But, not sure if this means I should be using a computer or a music player.

ou can get a iPod/iPad for music, with an eye on using it as device around the home. Or you can get a cheap phone that can double as a phone for travel (the Moto G7 is decent if you don't demand much).

Now, why didn't I think of that? This sounds like a good idea and since I already have an old Android phone it may just make sense to get the Moto and use it mostly to listen to my music.
But do you think getting a used or new iPod would still be better than getting a Moto?
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Get a used iPod

That's an interesting idea. But, why not instead get a used iPhone or Android, or even the SE?
Also, can you point reliable sellers where one could get used iPods?
Thanks!

 

[cruisin]

If you use a playlist (even on shuffle), you can press play on your computer and the music will stream to the speakers. This method is cheap and easy to setup. If you want to pick and choose songs you need a remote to control the computer (like iPhone controlling iTunes on computer) or a dedicated media player. It sounds like you are looking at either the remote or dedicated player option, with each having their pros and cons.

The classic iPods (pre iPod touch) are ancient nowadays (but work well for music although not all had Bluetooth) and the iPod touch is always using old hardware (the recently updated model in March comes with a iPhone 7 processor which will be 3 years old with the new iPhones in September). So if you were to go the iPod route then keep in mind the device is underpowered out of the box (and check for Bluetooth). For music it will be fine but it doesn't run apps like an iPhone.

For pure music playback it shouldn’t matter which device is used, as both can either use the built-in music player or get a few music apps. This is why I mentioned using a iPad for the home, as you get a device that can play music and use a pencil for drawing and a larger screen for reading or watching. If you go the phone route there are many phones with decent cameras that you can also use as a point and shoot camera on trips. The iPhone SE is only a touch slower than the newest iPod touch and it has a better camera. The recent and cheaper Pixel 3a has a very impressive camera that compares well against the newer iPhones.

You really should start with a budget and choose what your device should do. If it is just music then anything will work. The only limitation is music library size. Android phones can (sometimes) use a microSD card for extra storage (the recent models can support up to a terabyte card) and a computer can always add a hard drive. If you want a dedicated device, then see if your music library will fit.

For purchases, eBay is good as they give a bit of consumer protection. Keep in mind that if the device is old it might not have the best battery and might need to always be plugged in. Battery replacement requires a steady hand and is a delicate operation at the best of times so factor in the cost of a replacement service if the device is old and you want to use it away from the charger.

Hope this helps.

 

[Shirasaki]

Mostly music from old CDs and DVDs that I had collected.

Then use iTunes or some sort of media Center software. Don’t use iCloud music library unless you want to be surprised by how awful the music labelling is and you want your library be tampered by Apple.

That's an interesting idea. But, why not instead get a used iPhone or Android, or even the SE?

iPod or a music player is more dedicated to play music and control playback, while a phone is, well, more than just a simple music player. With that being said, it is perfectly ok to Have a phone that is used as a dedicated music player. You will also have a backup phone in a pinch.

But do you think getting a used or new iPod would still be better than getting a Moto?

Not really. For me your problem is platform-agnostic and you should not need to worry too much. With that being said, if you love full commitment to Apple platform and want a bit of interoperability, iPod makes sense.

I almost always have my own playlist. But, not sure if this means I should be using a computer or a music player.

Exporting a playlist to a music player other than iPod can be a bit annoying if you use iTunes. But if you use other software to mange your library, then it might not matter that much depending on the software you use.

 

[bransoj]

I used to an old iPhone as a music player in my car after i'd upgraded, worked fine although i've stopped doing it now as i use CarPlay all the time so i just use my main phone.