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About to head out to Bisbee, AZ for a week with Dad. He's been bitching about the lack of radio under his metal roof and wanted to know about internet radio. He's got a stereo out there with open RCA jacks, so all I need is a device to convert Wi-Fi streams to audio line-out. I did a fair piece of Googling but can't seem to find anything that isn't made by Grace Audio. Any time one mfg has the first 2 pages of a Google to themselves is not a coincidence.

Looking for a basic streamer with a few presets. He's 73, has no hearing over 4-6 kHz due to a lifetime of target shooting competitions before anyone thought to use muffs/plugs and the "stereo" is a 10-year old Sony all-in-one. Not at all looking for audiophile here, looking for simple functionality. NPR built-in presets (especially for the classical channels) would be a big plus.

Old iPod touch?

Your dad's age seems like more of the challenge than the internet radio to RCA. For the latter, all you need is a headphone to RCA cable adapter. Heck, you could even use that on a smartphone.

The hard part is finding a device/method that's easy enough for him to use. Not sure how tech-savvy he is.

Alternate option: That metal roof ought to pick up a ton of radio stations if you connect an antenna wire to it. #ProblemistheSolution

Dad's plenty computer savvy, so no issues there. Just wondering what other brands of appliances are out there at reasonable prices.

And in Bisbee, AZ, connecting the metal roof through the stereo to the house's wiring system would sooner or later be a Very Bad Idea^TM.

I don't see the problem with installing an outdoor antenna and running a suitably-protected line into the house.

Captain Ned wrote:

connecting the metal roof through the stereo to the house's wiring system would sooner or later be a Very Bad IdeaTM.

bthylafh wrote:

installing an outdoor antenna and running a suitably-protected line into the house.

This is what I was getting at. Does he have a TV antenna on his roof?

If he's tech savvy and he has a smartphone/tablet/computer, just buy the $3 cable and you're done.

DPete27 wrote:

This is what I was getting at. Does he have a TV antenna on his roof?

If he's tech savvy and he has a smartphone/tablet/computer, just buy the $3 cable and you're done.

Not sure. Haven't been there in 12 years.

No smartphone/tablet, but does carry laptop. Knowing him, he'll want a stand-alone unit to plop on the stereo so he can twiddle with it. Probably end up grabbing one through Amazon Prime and shipping it out there.

I was given a Grace Mondo and I like it a lot.
It's possibly a bit overpriced ($170) but I am impressed with its attractive design and build quality.
It has Aux and USB in, and stereo RCA out.
Has around 10 presets and a very nice display.
A bit fiddly to set up the wifi.
Pretty decent sound as a stand alone. (mono speaker only)

Placing Google Chrome Bookmarks widget on it's own panel(?) on my $80 MSI Primo 81 tablet gives me 30 bookmarks displayed on screen using the default zoom (you'd obviously bookmark radio stations). And there's always Pandora or similar. Not sure what it would be if you used large text/icons (for the visually impaired), I just tried it this morning before I walked out the door.

A docking station or cradle would keep the tablet upright and charged. **Note: the Primo 81's microUSB port is actually backward. The wide side of the port is toward the screen**

I'm happy with my Primo 81 for the price. It was an exploratory purchase to see if I'd even need/use a tablet (I sit in front of a computer all day at work, have an HTPC, laptop, and gaming desktop at home, not to mention my phone). Sure, it's not the fastest tablet in the world (could REALLY benefit from 2GB RAM), but if you're even mildly patient, it's not a big deal. If you need everything to be instantaneous, feel free to spend 2-4x more.