(SOLVED) Smartphone dumb and don't care to learn (AUDIO)

[hepme]

I have zero knowledge with using my laptop to drive speakers so please guide me along- THANKS

I have Linux Mint on my old laptop computer that works very well. My desire is to be able to play LOUD music when necessary to drown out a neighbor's Obsessive Compulsive Disorder with noisy gas-powered lawn maintenance tools he uses daily at supper tome (really!) One source would be from a USB thumb-drive.
That said, from what I gather I could use either WiFi or Bluetooth to drive some speakers from the laptop and play something like Wagner's Return of the Valkyries at an appreciable/formidable volume. I'm thinking wireless (obviously) speakers with an AC power to possibly give it some 'oomph'.
I would like to keep the price down on the speakers as much as possible but get the best possible quality for my buck.

So; My head is an empty vessel- fill it with meaningful data

[hepme]

No takers must mean it is not 'do-able'
THANKS for looking!

[BenTrabetere]

No takers must mean it is not 'do-able'

In my case, "no takers" meant you do not need my help, I think the topic really does not belong in Sound, Multimedia & Codecs, I could not figure out how this relates to smartphones, and because "Ride of the Valkyries" really does not sound very good when played at high volume. (Ionisation (Varèse) would be a better choice if you want classical music; "I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am" (Herman's Hermits) if you prefer Pop/Rock.)

Your problem is "do-able", but most likely the solution is not in the direction you want to take. You are going to need speakers with at least 200w output to drown out gas-powered lawn equipment. There are Bluetooth speakers like this, but the good ones are not cheap.

Regardless, it is unlikely your neighbor will notice. If he is smart he is wearing ear protective gear. If he is not wearing ear protective gear he would not hear the roar of a jet engine over a leaf blower.

My advice ... talk to your neighbor.

[antikythera]

I talked to my neighbour where we used to live who was cutting the same hedges every 7 days, it worked out. He asked why I found it a nuisance and I told him because at the time I was going through chemo and needed to rest. I think it was the novelty of having a new toy rather than OCD driving him though.

He did it once a quarter like the rest of us after that.

I guess it depends on the neighbour concerned and how reasonable they are. They certainly won't hear the music but it may help you. An alternative would be noise cancelling earphones playing your favourite music at a more comfortable level

[hepme]

Thank You Gentlemen- "No-Takers" To me has always meant, No one is available/able/or willing to take on a situation. But that is not the issue..

Discussion with the neighbor is a waste of time. He has an admitted affliction with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder(OCD) and it is obvious he also has Restless Leg Syndrome(RLS). Akin to a flea on a hot skillet. He is predisposed to anything powered by gasoline that makes exhaust noise and it seems to be a "fix" for his condition just as "H" is for a junkie. He is deaf and wears a hearing aid but always uses ear protection (why now?). Mentally afflicted would come to mind and reasonableness and consideration toward others is not in his conscious future. So that is no solution. Probably a psychology forum would have been a better place to post the question, but they probably would have thought a Linux Mint was something for indigestion.

I only mentioned "Smartphones" as anything I could find was with a smartphone App and I figured there must be another way WITHOUT using a smartphone. I am an old-school pay telephone booth kind of guy, figured out computers and have an old flip-phone. Nuff 'fo me..

Have a Great day!

[cliffcoggin]

No takers must mean it is not 'do-able'

It means nothing of the sort. It means your neighbour's neighbour is an irrational fool.

[hepme]

And, This is helpful, how?

[JoeFootball]

That said, from what I gather I could use either WiFi or Bluetooth to drive some speakers from the laptop and play something like Wagner's Return of the Valkyries at an appreciable/formidable volume. I'm thinking wireless (obviously) speakers with an AC power to possibly give it some 'oomph'.
I would like to keep the price down on the speakers as much as possible but get the best possible quality for my buck.

There are certainly many options of Bluetooth speakers out there, of many different wattage and quality. In my experience, there is a direct correlation between power/sound and price. i.e., you typically get what you pay for.

[hepme]

No takers must mean it is not 'do-able'

In my case, "no takers" meant you do not need my help, I think the topic really does not belong in Sound, Multimedia & Codecs, I could not figure out how this relates to smartphones, and because "Ride of the Valkyries" really does not sound very good when played at high volume. (Ionisation (Varèse) would be a better choice if you want classical music; "I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am" (Herman's Hermits) if you prefer Pop/Rock.)

Your problem is "do-able", but most likely the solution is not in the direction you want to take. You are going to need speakers with at least 200w output to drown out gas-powered lawn equipment. There are Bluetooth speakers like this, but the good ones are not cheap.

Regardless, it is unlikely your neighbor will notice. If he is smart he is wearing ear protective gear. If he is not wearing ear protective gear he would not hear the roar of a jet engine over a leaf blower.

My advice ... talk to your neighbor.

(New to me) lonisation sounds like K.P. Duty in the Military- "Scary"

[hepme]

That said, from what I gather I could use either WiFi or Bluetooth to drive some speakers from the laptop and play something like Wagner's Return of the Valkyries at an appreciable/formidable volume. I'm thinking wireless (obviously) speakers with an AC power to possibly give it some 'oomph'.
I would like to keep the price down on the speakers as much as possible but get the best possible quality for my buck.

There are certainly many options of Bluetooth speakers out there, of many different wattage and quality. In my experience, there is a direct correlation between power/sound and price. i.e., you typically get what you pay for.

Thanks for the response Joe- Much appreciated.

[Dark Owl]

For my DJ'ing I run a pair of 300W powered speakers (ie self-contained with the amp and PSU built in) from the headphone output jack on my notebook (Windows, admittedly, but there's nothing that would stop Mint doing the same... or indeed a smartphone or tablet). I also have a mixer in between, but that's not essential. Frankly, any sort of wireless connection is awful for that kind of job.

Nothing cheap is going to be loud, or at least if it is cheap and loud... it will also be crap.

As far as loud music goes, I recommend Toccata from Widor's 5th Organ Symphony - that has to be loud to truely appreciate it.

[hepme]

For my DJ'ing I run a pair of 300W powered speakers (ie self-contained with the amp and PSU built in) from the headphone output jack on my notebook (Windows, admittedly, but there's nothing that would stop Mint doing the same... or indeed a smartphone or tablet). I also have a mixer in between, but that's not essential. Frankly, any sort of wireless connection is awful for that kind of job.

Nothing cheap is going to be loud, or at least if it is cheap and loud... it will also be crap.

As far as loud music goes, I recommend Toccata from Widor's 5th Organ Symphony - that has to be loud to truely appreciate it.

Would a Behringer B112 MP3 work as a stand alone unit to play music from a USB thumb drive?

[JoeFootball]

Would a Behringer B112 MP3 work as a stand alone unit to play music from a USB thumb drive?

From what I read, that appears to be the case.

[Dark Owl]

Would a Behringer B112 MP3 work as a stand alone unit to play music from a USB thumb drive?

I find it hard to understand why you think it might not, assuming you bothered to read any of the specifications and information published about this unit. Eg:

What a great speaker! Sounds great, a whole lot of power and it will read and play MP3 music right off a USB memory stick.......Nice deal here folks!

[carum carvi]

A simple cable from your computer's headphone connection to your stereo would do:

https://www.amazon.com/headphone-jack-a ... udio+cable

You connect the one part of the cable to your headphone connection, the other part to the stereo with speakers that you have. If you dont have a stereo, see the alternative options below...

I have lived in an industrial area for years and I got frustrated by the constant noise. I could not change the outside industrial noise, but I did find ways to live with it. I simply bought a good headphone and good earplugs. Those two combined, earplugs and on top of my ears a headphone, that combination would counterbalance any irritating noise from outside.

The earplugs will filter the lawnmower sounds and those lawnmower sounds that still can be heard will be drowned out by your favorite music on your headphone.The best earplugs I could find can be bought below (and I have been using earplugs daily for over 30 years). These earplugs are incredibly comfortable and are terrific at filtering noise.

https://www.amazon.com/Moldex-Pura-Fit- ... B000MGQEYI


Talking to your neighbor in a friendly way, which was already suggested, would be the first step to potential success though.

[Dark Owl]

Or even noise-cancelling headphones.

Talking to your neighbor in a friendly way, which was already suggested, would be the first step to potential success though.

I thought about my approach to this non-"issue", and concluded this forum is not about counselling so decided to answer the technical query presented (albeit not on-topic for this section). Give him the tools, let him suffer his own consequences.

[carum carvi]

Might I offer some soothing sounds to the original poster during supper time?

Earplugs in, (only for the short duration when your neighbor is actually mowing his lawn) and then put on your headphone. With a smartphone and a headphone ANY noise from outside can be drowned out with wonderful, pleasant sounds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5qImpBxzrI

#stay calm #stayathome

[hepme]

Would a Behringer B112 MP3 work as a stand alone unit to play music from a USB thumb drive?

I find it hard to understand why you think it might not, assuming you bothered to read any of the specifications and information published about this unit. Eg:

What a great speaker! Sounds great, a whole lot of power and it will read and play MP3 music right off a USB memory stick.......Nice deal here folks!

Indeed it APPEARS to be the ticket. But have you ever spent some big bucks for something you knew NOTHING about only to discover you screwed-up because there was something you did not understand? Probably not you, but for me a stupid queston is easier to deal with than the fooling around getting it returned and the money back if I'm wrong.
Sorry I asked this forum now as there are people here who are more impressed by talking down to others than to honestly try to educate them- {Why many of us are here anyway, To learn something meaningful!} You were 50% helpful and 50% PITA

[Dark Owl]

Indeed it APPEARS to be the ticket. But have you ever spent some big bucks for something you knew NOTHING about only to discover you screwed-up because there was something you did not understand?

Sure, but we can only read the product information the same as you. If I need to ask questions because something is not clear, I ask the supplier because then the supplier has a liability.

If what is supplied doesn't do what it says on the tin, or doesn't do what the supplier says it will do, you have every right to get your money back. There is no such guarantee if you purchase based on third-party advice from people on a forum, but if you just ask on a forum surely it should be a forum dedicated to that particular thing?

Sorry I asked this forum now as there are people here who are more impressed by talking down to others than to honestly try to educate them- {Why many of us are here anyway, To learn something meaningful!} You were 50% helpful and 50% PITA

The same applies to your question. This forum is about Linux Mint, not about escalating disputes with neighbours. If you want to do that, go ahead, but it's nothing to do with me.

[Moem]

You were 50% helpful and 50% PITA

I suggest that you focus on what/who is helpful, and ignore the rest. 50% is not a bad signal to noise ratio, for a question that's only partially on topic.