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Each of my kids has a CD player in their room that they like to listen to music when they go to bed. I think we've been through about 5 cd players of varying quality and brands and all of them have failed at some point. So, we now have 5 radios, some of them have tape players - but they're mostly useless for their intended purpose. Two of the kids have birthdays coming up and rather than flush another $50 or so down the drain trying to get another CD player that will last a year, I'm wondering what ideas you guys have as an alternative. I would say the budget is $100 or less and ease of use would be paramount (has to be manageable for my wife and/or children).

I've thought about something like a sqeezebox, but that misses on both the budget and ease of use side of things.

Also, if anyone has experience with a particular model of boombox that they've had good luck with, I'm all ears as well.

Rip all their CDs to a cheap MP3 player like a Sansa Clip and get them any cheap set of computer speakers to output the sound to. Should be doable for $50.

I like JJCDAD's concept, except that computer speakers can be unwieldy. For greatest flexibility, find a boombox that includes an auxiliary input jack, and feed it using a Sansa Clip. The mp3 player takes the bulk of the use, saving the CD player for those occasions when someone forgets to charge the mp3 player's battery, or someone gets a new CD and you haven't had a chance to rip it yet.

One of the kids does have a memorex player with an Aux. input and I do have a sansa laying around somewhere unused, but that responsibility falls to me to get the music on it and update it. Any other ideas out there?

In short, what you really want is exactly what you've got now, except with spinning mechanical hardware that doesn't eventually wear out?

That device doesn't exist. I still have a Sony Car Discman from 1998 (one of the last models that was still made in Japan, AFAIK) that cost a whopping $300 of cumulative gift and work money. Even with very good care and the highest build quality on the market, it started acting loopy after about four years of semi-regular use. And I doubt there's much of anything on the market for under $1000 these days which is built to the same standards as that Car Discman.

The only long-term solution is to get the moving parts out of the equation, and go fully digital.

garage sales or craigs list... cheapest you'll find them. cd players are going to be extinct like cassette players already are.

Another vote for a Sansa Clip and some computer speakers. If you don't like the fact that they're in multiple pieces and have dangling cables, just stick them together with double-sided foam tape and tidy up the cables with cable ties.

Newegg frequently has refurb Clip players for cheap; I use one in the car (with one of those line to cassette adapters since my car is too old to have a line in on the car stereo).