Streaming Radio

[rcoop23]

I am looking for a streaming radio for my 12 year old son to listen to in his room. He does not have a phone and we do not allow computers or iPads in his room, so I want an independent device.

I tried calling Sirius and they told me that I should get the Onyx and pay a subscription. In my research I think there are streaming radios that can piggyback outr internet Sirius more streaming that is included in our subscription.

I wish there were parental controls on this, but I am guessing most people do not use it for kids.

 

[llokey]

You might try here, at least this is the manufacturer I use - Grace Digital

For more opinions and discussion try here Internet Radio Forum

Make sure you notice that any radio that uses Reciva no longer functions. You can read about that on the forum.

 

[TheKrell]

I tried calling Sirius and they told me that I should get the Onyx and pay a subscription.

I pay for one car radio for $5 (or maybe $6?) per month and get free streaming which I use with my many Echos all over my house. You can buy used Echos for as low as $12 (2nd gen Dot) or $18 (for 1st gen Echo) and play it all day.

Even if you don't sub to SiriusXM, you can listen to ad-supported Internet radio with these smart speakers.

 

[harshness]

SiriusXM radios require a satellite connection and don't use the Internet at all.

To access stuff over the Internet, you need an "Internet Radio". Grace Digital makes excellent stuff but I'm concerned about their long-term stability. Other options include models from Sangean (a well-respected radio brand) and Ocean Digital.

I'd suggest doing an Amazon search for "internet radio" to get some perspective on what's available.

Speaking of Amazon, if you have an Amazon Prime account, an Echo of some kind might be a solution and it may give some control over what stations are available as stations are added using a web or device app.

 

[JosephB]

SiriusXM radios require a satellite connection and don't use the Internet at all.

Not completely true. SiriusXM does have models that are internet-only. This is the most current model, although it is out of stock at SiriusXM, it may be available from other retailers: Shop SiriusXM - Save more with exclusive offers on radios for your home and car.

 

[harshness]

Not completely true. SiriusXM does have models that are internet-only. This is the most current model, although it is out of stock at SiriusXM, it may be available from other retailers: Shop SiriusXM - Save more with exclusive offers on radios for your home and car.

I wasn't aware of this model. The SiriusXM Soundstation bears a stunning resemblance to the Grace Digital Mondo .

I can't see spending that kind of money just to get my radio over the Internet given the many free alternatives (some of which may offer one's local stations).

 

[JosephB]

I wasn't aware of this model. The SiriusXM Soundstation bears a stunning resemblance to the Grace Digital Mondo .

I can't see spending that kind of money just to get my radio over the Internet given the many free alternatives (some of which may offer one's local stations).

There's a lot of content on SiriusXM that is exclusive to the service, and if you have a subscription for a car it almost definitely has free streaming included. A lot of people say the same thing about television content, to each their own, I prefer SiriusXM to anything "free" which usually has ads

 

[TheKrell]

I prefer SiriusXM to anything "free" which usually has ads

Same here. I gladly PAY to avoid the damn ads.

 

[harshness]

I prefer SiriusXM to anything "free" which usually has ads

That may be true of some of the stuff on IHeartRadio and other big indices but lots of the stations are solid content with perhaps an pre-roll ad when you first tune the station. Finding ads on HD subchannels has been pretty rare for me.

 

[harshness]

There's a lot of content on SiriusXM that is exclusive to the service, and if you have a subscription for a car it almost definitely has free streaming included. A lot of people say the same thing about television content, to each their own, I prefer SiriusXM to anything "free" which usually has ads

Here were are trying to meet the needs of a pre-teen and those are significantly different from the needs of you or I.

 

[Don in CT]

Here were are trying to meet the needs of a pre-teen and those are significantly different from the needs of you or I.

Pre-teens are using YouTube.

 

[harshness]

Pre-teens are using YouTube.

The one's I've seen are using Spotify, Amazon Music for streaming music and Vevo for videos though I don't get out much. Vevo is NOT YouTube (although both are owned by Alphabet).

Among all age groups, Spotify owns 32% of the market and Apple owns 16% but the Apple offerings practically demand an Apple device.

 

[rowlette_weiss]

I been using SirusXM over 20years for my vehicles, since they own Pandora you basically have both streaming venues in the SirusXM app without commercials.
Here's how I setup my listening.
You need a SirusXM subscription and Amazon Prime.
I use a phone or tablet with wifi ability to setup your favorites stations SirusXM , Pandora streaming stations that I select under a certain theme.
Write down the names of each station/ just remember each station name.
Amazon Echo or Show is needed for this next step.
Ask "Alexa play 90s to Now Country on SirusXM" which is a Pandora station. Off it plays. I have to say, this is better than slice bread.
You also for example Alexa play any SirusXM station by it's number or name.
Note- if you do have Amazon Prime, they also have free streaming service with their membership.

 

[harshness]

I use a phone or tablet with wifi ability to setup your favorites stations SirusXM , Pandora streaming stations that I select under a certain theme.
Write down the names of each station/ just remember each station name.

This violates the primary condition of this thread which is that there be no phone, computer or tablet (since not all tablets are iPads) involved in playing the content.

We hopefully all get how music streaming works but here we're striving to avoid using anything that can go deeper into the Internet.

 

[rowlette_weiss]

The streaming is through Amazon Echo/ Show, the phone or my Amazon Tablet/ TV just for the SirusXM app to locate the standard stations, Xtra stations, Pandora streams. So no streaming through the Amazon phone or Amazon Tablet, or Amazon TV app.

 

[rcoop23]

Thank you for all the information on the radios. I agree with the Xm radio subscription for home. I know if my son had an iPhone we could stream XM radio off my DH’s XM subscription to a Bluetooth speaker for free. However, that brings in the electronic screen interface again.

As far as the Amazon echo goes, I really have been enticed by one, but it defeats the purpose of being able to relax as there is still internet access.

I do not want him to take his computer upstairs to his bedroom- it is screen free. It is supposed to be a relaxation zone.

 

[harshness]

As far as the Amazon echo goes, I really have been enticed by one, but it defeats the purpose of being able to relax as there is still internet access.

There's pretty much nothing you can connect to the Internet that can't somehow reach the wrong content but the Echos are relatively hobbled in terms of finding and accessing such content without access to your Amazon account using a computer, phone or tablet.

There are a couple of free services on Amazon that play relaxation sounds or music that I've used in the past to unwind.

 

[rcoop23]

There's pretty much nothing you can connect to the Internet that can't somehow reach the wrong content but the Echos are relatively hobbled in terms of finding and accessing such content without access to your Amazon account using a computer, phone or tablet.

There are a couple of free services on Amazon that play relaxation sounds or music that I've used in the past to unwind.

We don’t have any Amazon devices. Does the echo allow you to ask Alexis stuff or can it just be used to turn off lights and listen to music?

 

[TheKrell]

Does the echo allow you to ask Alexis stuff

Yup.

or can it just be used to turn off lights and listen to music?

That too. I use mine to listen to music and turn on/off my lights, and ask impertinent questions when I'm nowhere near a computer. There are Echoes with displays that can also show videos, but I don't expect you want one of those.

 

[rcoop23]

You might try here, at least this is the manufacturer I use - Grace Digital

For more opinions and discussion try here Internet Radio Forum

Make sure you notice that any radio that uses Reciva no longer functions. You can read about that on the forum.

Thank you. Other than parental controls this appears to be exactly what I am looking for. It appears to be sold out, but it looks like I can get the mondo elite classic. it even allows us to load songs he likes on a usb thumb drive. We might just get that.