Brennan JB7 For My Father?

[Alec]

Hi all.

He has just called asking about these, after considering the ipad as a pure music server (yes i scratched my head too).

I've searched for discussions here and, trying to be as objective as I can, I guess there's little wrong with it...

Basically, I just wondered what alternatives there are for similar money and with similar simplicity (he won't want to get too involved with using a computer).

I'm trying not to impose my own prejudices but I'm having trouble. See, I'd advise him to get the biggest HDD one just because, but I personally wouldn't buy a blue one, I'd want to fiddle with tags sometimes, not everything I have will be in databases...

Maybe an ipod plugged into his current hifi, or a smaller, sexier new one? A laptop/netbook just using WMP for ripping, with powered speakers plugged straight in (but there'd be no remote in the first option and would th ehifi's remote work in the second...nno of course not...)? I think that may already be too complex as he'd then have to know about "proper" tagging as opposed to just using built in databses etc...

Hmmm. It looks like the Brennan but I'd love to hear alternatives.

Any thoughts will be most gratefuly recieved.

 

[manicm]

Spec says 'Stores 210/420/630 CDs uncompressed on 160/320G/500G (worst case)' depending on model. As an all-in-one with amplification it's very attractive for those who battle with technology.

On the other hand the top dog model is £541.00 including speakers, what is your budget? If your dad already has decent speakers for this price you can get him the Marantz, and he can connect his iPod directly to get him going.

 

[Alec]

The Marantz?

How much would the Brennan store in 320kbps?

 

[manicm]

In that case you can go for the cheapest - I think it's 160GB which is plenty for MP3s.

 

[Alec]

Yes actually the cheapest may do it. I just spoke to him again and he currently only has aroundd 30 albums, he said (though he would slowly acquire more).

How would getting downloads onto it work? I mean, im used to everything happening via the miracle of a mouse...

 

[kena]

To play downloaded music you need to copy it to a USB stick then plug that into Brenan to copy the Mp3'S over..

 

[Alec]

And the Brennan has a nice self explanatory button marked "copy" or somesuch?

 

[Anonymous]

And the Brennan has a nice self explanatory button marked "copy" or somesuch?

it'll probably give you options once you stick in the usb stick.. import, play etc..

 

[Andrew Everard]

it'll probably give you options once you stick in the usb stick.. import, play etc..

Or, if you want it with facts...

"JB7 is compatible with USB mass storage class devices in- cluding MP3 players, iPods, USB memory, USB hard disks and many MP3 mobile phones. (Note that iPods will only play music loaded into them by iTunes).

"JB7 lets you treat an attached USB device as a separate source of music or as an extension to the internal hard disk."

"If HDD+USB is selected on the remote then track search will search the internal disk and the USB device and play tracks from both.The Rip button on the remote transfers the current track to the USB device. The USB, PLAYLIST, ALBUM and CD menus support other functions like ripping a whole CD to the USB device.

"Only MP3 files may be transferred to the USB device. If a track has already been compressed this is quite rapid but will be slower if ripping direct from CD or from an uncom- pressed raw track on hard disk."

 

[Alec]

Thanks Andrew.

So it will copy from CDs and WAV files, but only MP3s apart from that? Do I also take it that external HDDs could be added to increase the storage, and behave as part of the unit? And that there is a way to copy everything in a folder on an external hdd (or, rather, to copy a number of tracks rather than the one currently playing)?

No one has mentioned anything other than the Brennan really, so its likely I'll report back that its a goer in our opinions.

 

[Alec]

Hmmm. Seems to be plenty of folks over at Gramophone who aren't impressed by it.

 

[amcluesent]

>Any thoughts will be most gratefuly recieved<

Old folks simply don't have the 'mental model' of how s/w driven devices work and so very little hicup is a 'show stopper' for them.

My father rants about everything being 'over engineered' these days while managing to find utterly incredible ways of mucking up his Windows PC.

I really believe you can't teach an 'old dog new tricks'.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't think you're being fair to "old folk" here. My father is nearing 75 and has spent the first few years of his retirement digitizing his entire collection of tapes and (mainly) vinyl. Not just the recording part, but also waveform editing, dehissing, and tagging the files. Initially, he saved everything on cd but he's now using pure harddisk storage (me buying a nas and showing my htpc must have helped). He has recently done the same with old VHS tapes, and is now ripping and transcoding his DVDs for digital storage.

Recently, he has developed an interest in DLNA and is now looking for ways to get files from his NAS to a (yet to purchase) hdmi projector. Of course he asks me for advice (I'm a network engineer), but he really does everything himself and actually knows current market developments in that area sooner than I do.

On the other hand, my mother is not so quick. The whole concept of on-demand streaming is lost on her: for her, media is either "stored" (on cassette, dvd, hard drive) or "aethereal" (broadcast at a specific time), which means you'll have to record it yourself. She doesn't yet grab the fact that it can be stored elsewhere and then broadcast at your request.

 

[manicm]

>Any thoughts will be most gratefuly recieved<

Old folks simply don't have the 'mental model' of how s/w driven devices work and so very little hicup is a 'show stopper' for them.

My father rants about everything being 'over engineered' these days while managing to find utterly incredible ways of mucking up his Windows PC.

I really believe you can't teach an 'old dog new tricks'.

I'm an IT professional for 15 years now, and my knee-jerk reaction would be to agree with you. But my intellectual parents are well into their 70s and have always been technologically challenged with PCs and cellphones. You would think a Windows or Mac PC is easy to use until you see someone trying to get to grips with them.

Trust me, as an observer, you'd realise that most operating systems, be it Win or Mac, are incredibly difficult, stupid and cryptic to use. Even the latest versions. A palpable example - by default Office 2010 hides the print button (my father by necessity has to print). Other examples: On a Mac to browse the net you need to click on an icon called Safari, why not just call it Internet? Similarly on Windows they should have a link called Email instead of Outlook or the name of the email software. You'd think software designers are on hard drugs.

It's not a case of teaching old dogs new tricks, it's a case of teaching their technology masters some fundamentals.

 

[chebby]

Similarly on Windows they should have a link called Email instead of Outlook or the name of the email software.

On a Windows desktop I can rename the shortcut icons to whatever I like (Highlight the icon press F2). So Outlook could be changed to 'Email' and Firefox renamed to 'Internet'.

(I haven't tried it on our iMac but I'm sure it must be possible. I'll try it later once my wife has finished with it.)

 

[manicm]

Of-course you can, but a more thoughtful default approach would have the end-link always display 'Email' or 'Internet' and the ability to tinker behind the scenes to point to whichever client you wish to use.

 

[Alec]

>Any thoughts will be most gratefuly recieved<

Old folks simply don't have the 'mental model' of how s/w driven devices work and so very little hicup is a 'show stopper' for them.

My father rants about everything being 'over engineered' these days while managing to find utterly incredible ways of mucking up his Windows PC.

I really believe you can't teach an 'old dog new tricks'.

Well, as you point out, I did say "any thoughts" but, well...

But no. Me mum is older than dad and is much more knowledgeable than he on things like this.

 

[Alec]

Similarly on Windows they should have a link called Email instead of Outlook or the name of the email software.

On a Windows desktop I can rename the shortcut icons to whatever I like (Highlight the icon press F2). So Outlook could be changed to 'Email' and Firefox renamed to 'Internet'.

(I haven't tried it on our iMac but I'm sure it must be possible. I'll try it later once my wife has finished with it.)

Oooh, I never thought of that, though I do agree with manicm's next post, i think...

 

[nopiano]

Hmmm. Seems to be plenty of folks over at Gramophone who aren't impressed by it.

Yes, indeed! Enough to put anyone off, I reckon. A shame, as the concept is great...

Is an Olive 03 HD too pricey?

 

[Alec]

Yes, far too pricey I'm afraid, he even considered the Brennan pricey.

However, I asked him if he would be listening in the same room as the PC, and he said yes. So I suggested he just use the PC. I had originally thought (my erroneous assumption) that he wanted to avoid the PC, but this was not the case (he just didn't realize the options) and it now seems to be his favoured method, though we haven't talked about it much lately.

I figure if he then gets a decent set of powered speakers he can get sound straight form the Pc's onboard connections...

 

[Fuzzy Bear]

Hello

I went through the same with my pop recently. Now 67 he is going into semi-retirement and decided to treat himself to something and kept asking my thoughts on the Brennan.

How much music does your father have? My dad has about 200 CDs

My solution for my dad was 64gb Ipod Touch to Airport express connected to his existing Av Receiver via Airplay.

Itunes is fairly intuitive, the CD appears when you put it in the computer asks if you wish to record, then just drag across to ipod.

Someone mentioned the user interfaces of modern technology and nailed it about new users, Safari sounds like some kids game. SO on my dads Ipod I moved all the widgets off the home screen and now he only has the Music button - It's all he sees so no mistakes prodding the wrong app.

Costs - Ipod touch 64GB - 275, Airport Express - 75 Optical wire from AE to amp 8ish Pretty close to price as Brennan although only 64GB

Cons being, computer needed and Airplay has been fussy for once or twice, but he does have 4 AE set up, You need a wireless router as well.

 

[Alec]

Thanks for the thoughts Fuzzy Bear, I'll put your idea to him, but I think our combined limitations might leave us with simply attaching speakers to a PC.

 

[David Hunter]

Why not look at the Bose Soundlink System,simple to set set up with a small amount of space needed for the unit.Just play from your PC.

 

[Alec]

Thanks gents.

They have a lot on right now around 6 weeks before moving in, so its on hold at the moment, but I'll post back when there's anything to report.

 

[Anonymous]

Why not look at the Bose Soundlink System, simple to set set up with a small amount of space needed for the unit.Just play from your PC.

It's not quite the same thing. Granted that it's a pretty simple means of setting up a streaming system if that's what you want, but Bose systems (I have one) are essentially integrated, and I wanted a player which I could use in my pre-existing audio system and which was not tied to the computer or a network.

The Bose also has a limitation in that you cannot use it with both the DAB module and the Soundlink system; if you have Soundlink, you will need to use that and (presumably) a computer to stream digital radio as well as your stored media to the music system. I'd guess that, for this reason alone, Bose sell a lot more DAB modules than Soundlink systems.

David