Camper's/Hiker's portable sound system.

[demorphica]

Hi friends,

I am an avid hiker and barbecue specialist, and I love to enjoy God's own beauty during the rains in Lonavla/Khandala when me and friends head out to have a days hike on the hills and set up shop with lush beauty and hot skewered stuff :yahoo:

Imagine sitting on a cliff with a wide vista in front of you with a hearty fire and friends, with the smell of freshly barbecued and wood smoked food. You get the picture.

The only ingredient that's always missing is the sound of some ambient/vintage/instrumental music in the silence, that would make this a truly unforgettable experience.

Do you guys know of any compact, cheap and portable audio sources which could ideally be rechargeable with a few hours of music off a USB flash drive?

The specifics would be:

1. Light weight and compact. (We already have a load of around 40Kg wood, a couple more of coal, food, drinks, and metal barbecue containers etc to make life difficult till we settle down on a spot.) For a feel imagine 20 times the volume (cubic not sound) of the iPOD for a starter for the unit.

2. The silence makes for even a mid/low volume to be heard very clearly. So that's not a concern.

3. Weatherproof. ( I mean the unit should withstand a little humidity and wetting though it would of course be a priority to protect it from such harm. Still, better safe than sorry). I could put it inside a waterproof camera bag or something if that's the only option

4. Budget no more than 10K, though the cheaper the better. I'm not looking for heavy bass reproduction here, just audible, clear sound that's not very tinny and flat.

5. Rechargeable with a few (~4 hrs) of playback.

6. Rugged. (This isn't your carpeted listening room. More like wet grass, rocks and a tarpaulin shelter.

Would really appreciate it if you know any such systems in the market. I could buy from 20north/get from the US if not locally available.

btw, if anyone from Pune is interested in accompanying us, you're welcome. Just think of the experience as being more "Man vs. Wild" rather than "Upscale Trip To The Country" hyeah:

 

[gobble]

Sorry. Please do not pollute the silence of nature on hikes with the trash that humans generate by comparison. Invariably in a group the choice of music will boil down to filmy music and you will not have any control.

I had a race once trying to reach out of range of a hiker with your ideas, carrying a 2-in-one blasting music. I planned the trek for months with great eagerness, and then this idiot spoiled the whole nature experience all the way blasting music and trying to look cool imitating some other creature he had seen on TV. The 3 day trip was spoiled because I could not top it with a blissful inner experience on the way back. Please understand the cost to others who take time off with great difficulty and journey overnight sitting in a bus without sleep to make a trek. That opportunity to make peace with nature cannot be recovered once the moment is gone.

So KINDLY DESIST from such ideas. And be prepared to be abused or to have your system smashed one day on a trek. :indifferent14:

Just a friendly warning.

 

[santhosh]

+1 to Gobble's thoughts.

Best thing about an activity like the one you are so fortunate to participate and enjoy is the silence and beauty of nature. So, please do not let a speaker based system take that away from you.

Again, like Gobble mentioned, all your peace will be lost simply because not everyone can respect the fact that different people have different music tastes. I, for one would be very uncomfortable in such a situation.

Still, if you must listen to music and your group has similar music tastes, get one or more of these and listen with your favourite headphones without disturbing wildlife or anyone else camping close by

 

[venkatcr]

+ 2 to Gooble's ideas.

The very need to go on a hike/trek is to get away from our activities of everyday life. This includes our roads, office, phones, TV, and of course music. Instead it makes more sense to listen to nature and follow nature's rules - get up at sunrise and go to sleep as soon as it gets dark. Learn to enjoy the silence (believe me, it is very hard to come by), the chirping of birds, the sound of animals calling far away, maybe a water gushing somewhere, and the beautiful sound of winds flowing through the trees and the leaves. And, if you and your friends can, see if you spend a whole day without talking.

Just to give you an idea, a Japanese musician called 'Kitaro' spends months in the wild recording these sounds, and then compose music around that.

Cheers

 

[stevieboy]

+3 to gobble!

i stay in lonavala and many a time have i walked up to a lake and found trash littered around bottles, plastic bags, bones etc. i hope you picnic responsibly taking the trash you generate with you to dispose off in a garbage bin.

having said that i can understand one wanting to listen to music (hopefully softly and not blaring and disturbing the peace like most city hikers tend to do). tons of ipod self powered speakers you can find on ebay.in

regards

 

[suri]

+4

the incomparable luck that the OT has should not be destroyed by man-made music!

 

[Hiten]

+++++ Gobble

i stay in lonavala and many a time have i walked up to a lake and found trash littered around bottles, plastic bags, bones etc. i hope you picnic responsibly taking the trash you generate with you to dispose off in a garbage bin.

You will find such behaviour everywhere stevieboy. Even our politicians agree, Who are in denial about such problems and shows us phony picture of India becoming superpower...
India can win Nobel for filth, says Jairam Ramesh - India - The Times of India

 

[demorphica]

Sorry. Please do not pollute the silence of nature on hikes with the trash that humans generate by comparison. Invariably in a group the choice of music will boil down to filmy music and you will not have any control.

I had a race once trying to reach out of range of a hiker with your ideas, carrying a 2-in-one blasting music. I planned the trek for months with great eagerness, and then this idiot spoiled the whole nature experience all the way blasting music and trying to look cool imitating some other creature he had seen on TV. The 3 day trip was spoiled because I could not top it with a blissful inner experience on the way back. Please understand the cost to others who take time off with great difficulty and journey overnight sitting in a bus without sleep to make a trek. That opportunity to make peace with nature cannot be recovered once the moment is gone.

So KINDLY DESIST from such ideas. And be prepared to be abused or to have your system smashed one day on a trek. :indifferent14:

Just a friendly warning.

hyeah: Strong thoughts indeed!

Well, let me assure you that our aim is not to pollute nature but to enjoy the experience to the fullest. and it's not about blasting Himmesh bhai on the hilltops but to listen to bhimsen joshi in the fog.

Why don't you accompany us on a trip sometime to appreciate the more gentlemanly qualities we have and to fully understand the nobility of our spirits? Do PM me for our schedule

 

[demorphica]

+++++ Gobble


You will find such behaviour everywhere stevieboy. Even our politicians agree, Who are in denial about such problems and shows us phony picture of India becoming superpower...
India can win Nobel for filth, says Jairam Ramesh - India - The Times of India

Well, you are right to point this out, and let me say again, please don't judge me as such before you see me boozing on the hilltops and crapping all over the place.

Believe me, there are people who sometimes take pains to even clear up the trash left by other people so they can come back later and find the place even cleaner than they left us. I personally see it as a kind of tax I pay to enjoy the continuing stillness and magnificent beauty of God's creation.

PM me for our schedule if you really want to really find out my group's conduct on our treks

Who knows, you might change your mind and come back for more.

If I may add, an overdose of reality shows is what I feel prompts youngsters today to act the fool in public and treat the world like their toilet bowl.

 

[demorphica]

I have a BOSE AWMS (Acoustic Wave Music System) purchased in 1986, the year they launched it. It comes with a AM/FM Radio & a Cassette-deck. It also has AUX IN. Optional attachment was a special bag that had a Battery Case placed at the bottom of the case. Placing the AWMS in its bag, you could use it with AC, Re-chargeable batteries or the Cigar Lighter off your car.

Fortunately - this Bose unit doesn't sound too bad but have to say that the newer updated units of the same, having the CD drive instead of the older cassette-deck now weigh much less and also sound poorer! Wonder why?

This is what I lug when I travel with family/friends.

Thanks audio_engr !

Well, Bose seems to me like overkill for the job, and it's surely not going to fit in the budget of <10K :sad:

 

[suri]

hi demorphica,

i apologise for my previous post - it actually has nothing to do with your question - and yes, like you say, your group must be aware of it's responsibilities as much (or more) than any one of us. - SORRY!

regds suri

 

[gobble]

hyeah: Strong thoughts indeed!

Well, let me assure you that our aim is not to pollute nature but to enjoy the experience to the fullest. and it's not about blasting Himmesh bhai on the hilltops but to listen to bhimsen joshi in the fog.

Why don't you accompany us on a trip sometime to appreciate the more gentlemanly qualities we have and to fully understand the nobility of our spirits? Do PM me for our schedule

Thanks. All I can say once more is use headphones.

Regards

 

[demorphica]

Wow!

It seems like most people are filled with negativity at the prospect. :sad:

I can understand that, as most people who go on these trips are there just to use, and not to preserve and protect. And everybody else gets judged on the same scale because of these stupid and selfish people. Makes me really sad.

On the same scale of judgment, it should also be taboo to take a guitar on a campfire, as it will also pollute the stillness and drown out the chirping of the birds and the tinkling of the stream. Unfortunately my guitar is not weatherproof and I treat it with the respect a good musical instrument deserves.

Likewise the shepherd plying his flute on a sultry meadow in Shakespeare is also a hooligan who has scant regard for the calm repose of nature's beauty.

Well, that was just my 2 cents on the topic , no offense meant to anyone.

Like I said brothers, it is all about having a small rugged and portable system which can output low volumes for ~4 hours of music, not a sound blaster belting out Bollywood on full steam.

PM me for our schedule to find out how we do things differently.

In the meanwhile, don't judge the responsible with the hooligans. :lol:

 

[demorphica]

I know of just the thing. It'll cost you not 10K, but 1,000 bucks - fits into a coat pocket, and the battery lasts an hour or so. Takes an SD-card, or a USB flash drive, and not loud enough to disturb others. I don't know where you would find one in Pune or Mumbai, but they sell by the hundreds in the local market.

Here's one to get you started (without USB capability though):

DealExtreme: $26.98 FiiO S3 Portable Rechargeable SD/SDHC Card MP3 Playing 2.4W Speaker with Line-In/Out (White)

These guys ship free to India. Enjoy.

Thanks!

26.98 usd in inr - Google Search

tells me:

26.98 U.S. dollars = 1 242.45913 Indian rupees

YouTube - FiiO S3 Portable MP3 Speaker

tells me that the sound is not too tinny from what I can make out, check out 00:59 for a view of the volume capabilities.

Very nice indeed!! :yahoo:

# FiiO S3 Specs
# Dimensions: 156 x 65 x 26 mm
# Weight: 155 grams
# Colors: White, black
# Output: 1.2W+1.2W
# Memory: SD, SDHC
# Battery life: 8 hours (read below for more info)
# Supported formats: WMA (non-DRM), MP3
# Data connection: MSC (Linux/Windows/Mac compatible)
# Power source: 2x AA batteries, USB

FiiO S3 Portable Speaker/MP3 Player Review | Gadget Reviews

has a review which shows off the sound quality pretty well.

I also got to know about the Logitech mm28 portable speakers while going through the review, but nothing beats free worldwide shipping

Finally cracking!!

 

[Hiten]

Well, you are right to point this out, and let me say again, please don't judge me as such before you see me boozing on the hilltops and crapping all over the place.
PM me for our schedule if you really want to really find out my group's conduct on our treks

demorphica
That was my general point of view and definately not about you. Sorry for misunderstanding.
I have highest regards for punekar
cheers, Thanks for inviting
Hiten

 

[prash2k01]

HI
I have been enjoying panasonic portable speakers when I am travelling............with my mp3 sensa player.

Amazon.com: Panasonic Folding Travel Speakers (RPSPT70): Electronics

Cost is >2k and available in Landmark. (I brought from Chennai store.)
Thanks!!

 

[stevieboy]

Well, you are right to point this out, and let me say again, please don't judge me as such before you see me boozing on the hilltops and crapping all over the place.

Believe me, there are people who sometimes take pains to even clear up the trash left by other people so they can come back later and find the place even cleaner than they left us. I personally see it as a kind of tax I pay to enjoy the continuing stillness and magnificent beauty of God's creation.

PM me for our schedule if you really want to really find out my group's conduct on our treks

Who knows, you might change your mind and come back for more.

If I may add, an overdose of reality shows is what I feel prompts youngsters today to act the fool in public and treat the world like their toilet bowl.

congrats demorphica! really good to know a responsible hiker. once went hiking with an austrian and he was picking up litter left behind by indians. quite ironical! might join you if am in the area sometime

regards

 

[moktan]

though this may sound completely out of place here in this genteel thread...out in the wilds two sounds create a special music...the roar of a twelve bore (or a .22 or an air pistol depending on what you are authorized to carry with you.... ) and the crackling sound the fire makes as it caresses your kill(sorry this word has been used purely for its alliterative effect) and warms you...
the last one will also pleasure your sense of smell and taste...though not necessarily in that order....

 

[gobble]

demorphica

I wasnt making any personal judgements. The fact is that the most common behavior humans indulge in is imitation. There will be that day when somebody sees your setup and says "Boss, aapun ko bhi mangta hai" "kidhar milega ye?"

The crackle and pop of twigs or murmur is one thing. Steady Noise from a portable player however beautiful it may be (call it music) might disturb a creature 50 meters away that might decide not to nest or live there anymore in the already shrinking habitat.

Observe the reaction of your pets to music - one of total bewilderment mostly. (Although I've had cats that tapped their tails in time with music and sitting right in front of the speaker without prompting believe it or not!) Birds and animals will not appreciate our music.

Moving OT, see this story in today's news Panther cubs wait in vain for mother - Mumbai - City - The Times of India


And the laughable statement "The BMC, however, denied that the dam work was causing disturbance in the belt. BMCs water supply projects chief engineer P R Ajgaonkar said, We are working at the site since two years and have obtained all permissions, he said. "

The human was arrogantly talking as if they took permission from the leopard mother to create disturbance in the area.

So I believe you should become an even better role model like you already are, for others to imitate. And carrying headphones instead of a speaker set is one of them.

Anyways good luck on your search.

cheers

 

[kaushik]

Where are the recommendations..?
apart from crankys Fiio...

Ok lets concentrate some thing that is useful..
battery powered and runs long ..

One can consider the SD Card players available in 500Rs .
Small ,battery powered and with speakers

. The 2000mAh Nicad batteries will
last 12+ hours . . .dont think of quality at this price!

I still remember the picnics days when we used to take stereo 'deck's with automobile batteries ..all people wanted were big bass hehehe