Advice on a music systems for the woodshop

[Mike Dowell]

Thanks Mike.....you nailed it...woodworking is my hobby so no concern about the mortgage from that standpoint. I find that I like to listen to live performances on Youtube as well as full albums of various artists. No plans for a recliner in my shop.

Do you have a recommendation for a soundbar?

Cheers, bob

Well, I don't have a sound bar, but I would like one for my shop. I can tell you just make sure not to go real cheap with it. I have heard good things about the Vizio ones, but have never experienced them. One very important thing for this purchase: Make sure that your TV has "optical audio output" and that your sound bar has "Optical audio input". That's the best way to do sound, and it's actually a little fiber optic cable that you connect the two with - very cool stuff. see here: http://www.howtogeek.com/241828/what...ould-i-use-it/

When I shop for stuff, I almost always go to Amazon to see which products are most popular. For example, https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...ords=sound+bar is a search for sound bars, and I normally will look to see which product has the MOST reviews. That's a good signal to me, and then out of the products with the most reviews, I just make sure it has a high rating, generally 4.5 stars or more. Just make sure to get a sound bar which is comparable in size to the TV, otherwise it looks funny, but that's just me being picky.

In terms of TV's, You can't go wrong with a Vizio. They are attractively priced, and I've never heard a single bad thing about them. Originally, when Vizio first started, they had SONY guts inside the tv's. Not sure if they still do though. Just make sure it is a Smart TV(just means it has applications), with the applications you want, like Youtube, Pandora, etc. As someone else mentioned, if you get a TV that doesn't have those applications, you can always add an Amazon FireTV(about $100) box or equivalent, which will have everything you want.

Checklist:

- TV with the most reviews - preferably Smart TV - MUST HAVE optical audio output
- Soundbar with most reviews - preferably same size as TV - MUST HAVE optical audio input
- Optical audio cable
- Possible TV box such as Amazon FireTV, AppleTV, Roku, etc.

Lemme know how it goes!

[David Freed]

When I'm in the shop, I'm making noise, so sound quality isn't important. Volume is.
This works great for me.

[Kris Cook]

At our house if someone is awake there is probably music playing somewhere. We have a SONOSs Play:1 in the kitchen, and SONOS Connect in the living room. This arrangement allows us to listen to two different setups at one time. I ran RCA patch cords out of the Yamaha in the living room to the garage. I have a 100 watt Technics amp in the garage connected to Bose 201s. Been using this amp/speaker arrangement for about 15 years. The amp lives in an enclosed cupboard I built. I leave the amp on all the time and keep my glue next to it so it doesn't freeze if I turn off the heat in the garage. The SONOS is awesome. I have a laptop on a raised stand which I use for videos and SMC surfing etc. I can run the SONOS from the laptop or my phone. Have had the SONOS system for about a year and a half and we love it.


Kris

[john snowdon]

I find having an older iMac with a 27" screen computer in my basement shop incredibly valuable. I order supplies right when I think about them, look up topics on the Creek, and watch HD quality YouTube videos of sharpening techniques (D-Way lathe tools) or when trying a new project. The iMac also has an excellent wireless range and easily sees the wireless router 2 floors away at the other end of a large house. It also has all of my music on it, plays Pandora and Spotify and can play instructional DVDs or send music to my bluetooth headphones. I just place a cloth over the air vents and have not had a problem tho' I always have a Jet air cleaner running and religiously use my DC and shop vac when making dust. I must admit, while the computer is on whenever I'm in the shop, I only listen to music when puttering rather than trying to listen when machinery is on. I'm evidently loosing my hearing and use in-ear plugs AND sound dampening ear muffs when the tools are running. Starting to rethink how I do some of my woodworking and now buying more hand tools. Two ways to skin a cat!