Sound Advice: Last-minute stocking stuffer ideas and CD player bargain

Don Lindich, Tribune News Service on Dec 18, 2024

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Here are three last-minute stocking stuffers under $30 to round out this year's holiday gift coverage.

Muzen OTR Magnetic Speaker, $21.99: This tiny, thin retro-styled Bluetooth speaker is a 3D refrigerator magnet. It reinforces the sound using the surface it is mounted on, and owners are attaching them to refrigerators, washing machines and toolboxes to bring sound to workspaces without taking up any room. Available in multiple colors, it makes a fun, stylish gift. It lists for $29.99, but the coupon code SAVEFOR8 on Amazon reduces the price $8 to $21.99.

Anker Nano USB-C Power Bank, $19.99: Never run out of power with this tiny, innovative power bank with a folding USB-C connector. I've seen it on sale for $15.99 in stores like Best Buy. Given the quality, convenience and price everyone should have one for an emergency charge. anker.com

Austere V Series Clean & Protect, $29.99: This perennial favorite is the best and safest product on the market for cleaning your electronics and display screens. It is allergen-free, antibacterial, streak-free, anti-static and comes beautifully packaged with a special cleaning cloth. It's great for car screens as well. austere.com

TEAC PD-301-X CD player/FM tuner for $299: Earlier this year I wrote about this excellent component that incorporates an audiophile-quality CD player and an FM tuner in a single, compact package. It's solid and stylish, a pleasure to use and sounds fantastic. At the $549 introductory price it represented very good value, especially since stand-alone FM tuners are hard to find these days and typically very expensive. Given few stereo receivers are sold now and the marketplace has largely gone to integrated amplifiers, the PD-301-X becomes especially compelling because it goes a long way towards completing a system. An integrated amplifier, a turntable and a PD-301-X are all the components most people will need besides the speakers.

Until Dec. 31, TEAC has the PD-301-X on sale for $299. That's pretty much unheard of for an audiophile quality CD player, and getting FM as part of the deal makes it even more of a standout bargain. With the prices also potentially going up in January due to tariffs and annual price hikes, it's even more compelling to snag one by year-end. teacusa.com

Q. I read your comments about the Bluetooth turntable last week and had to wonder, doesn't the introduction of Bluetooth to the otherwise analog system eliminate the supposed value of listening to vinyl? The analog signal mechanically transferred from the LP would become digital to transmit over Bluetooth, and that eliminates the supposed value of turntables and vinyl, doesn't it?

—R.B., San Jose, California

A. I don't think it eliminates the value of vinyl and turntables. Yes, having a system that is completely analog and wired from beginning to end is ideal. But even if Bluetooth is involved, the source itself is analog and vinyl records have a different sound than digital sources, which are often if not always compressed, cleaned up and modified for playback. Having a turntable also opens up the vast depth and breath of music that is available on vinyl, new and used. Much of this used vinyl is available very inexpensively, and once you have the turntable, collecting records is fun and inexpensive. Being able to use a turntable with a Bluetooth speaker opens up the hobby to many more people, and as noted in the last column you can use it wired with a stereo system and also connected via Bluetooth to a speaker in another room. It all adds up to a win in my book.

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