Just get a cheap MP3 player.  That's what I did. 

I had a really nice (and expensive) iPod mp3 player. It crapped out on me after a few years... just up and died...refused to boot up. So I went out and bought the cheapest MP3 player I could find to replace it. I figured if it was only gonna last 2 years, why spend a bunch of money on it. 

I bought a Sansa Fuse for around $60 IIRC...  It's still going strong.... well, it is held together now with cellophane tape.... and the screen has a chip crack in it, and all the non-slip grip stuff is wore off, and occasionally it comes up with a white screen..... but in spite of all that, even the white screen..it still plays, you just can't see to navigate until it decides to display properly again.... usually in about an hour. 

I have a portable speaker system for it for listening when I am working out....and buds for private listening.... 

Works for me.   I'd probably lose something the size of a USB stick, but I don't see what that wouldn't work for playing MP3's on various computers. Just select the on board player, point it to the USB stick and hit play. I don't think I've actually tried that. I drag the files to the lappy or the DAW and play internally. 

Back and forth on various machines... my bigger concern would be unwanted hitch hikers on that USB drive..

I like wav files. I don't mess MP3. No reason to. 
Every CD is loaded on a a second hard drive and the CD is filed away. I really handle
them the same way I did my vinyl albums- record them and file them away. Just a
different recording method/media now.

I drag the music I want from there to a memory stick and play on my PC at work.

Now I'll be able to (hopefully, I don't have the player yet lol) to take the stick
to my shop and put the stick in and have music all day without having to mess with it.
Of course that's assuming that I can put in a memory stick holding over nine hours of
LZ and the player I picked will play it.
I'll give the memory stick and the new player a go after it arrives. It if performs then I'll
get an external hard drive and copy all my music to it for the shop or wherever.

If I get "hitch-hikers" on my memory stick then I have bigger problems with those that
made the CD I bought.
I don't download music. Matter of fact I don't download anything but programs I purchase
such as X2.
For the record- my DAW PC does nothing but recording. I have a great system for internet
and listening to music, etc.

Wasn't MP3 created just to save room? Is "room" really an issue anymore?
Well the only issue it was to me was having to use it to upload or share my music and
that isn't an issue anymore. I'll upload the best quality I can after all the crap I paid for
to make quality recordings and if I can't...just doesn't matter. I can still hear it.

I use a USB stick as a music library in one of the Ford 250 vans I work out of.  The in dash stereo serves as the player interface for the USB stick. Cool!!!

I think that sort of appliance is the future for many of the reasons you have stated.



With regards to workshop or patio audio: I use my android phone as a music player and I pipe the sound into a small powered stage monitor with a 1/8" TRS to 2x RCA cable. The speaker is a Yamaha something. It works fairly well but I'd love to eliminate the extra cabling.

I think a powered speaker appliance with a USB dock and a small playlist navigator would be very nice.

However, I also envision leap frogging that technology by having similar functionality via wireless. In other words I want a portable powered speaker appliance that will access my music off of a central home entertainment computer (HTPC) and let me play my tunes out on the patio, the bedroom, the work shop, my music building etc.

That stuff exists already but I have yet to make the leap.


all the best,
mike



P.S.  

Here's a new product by Roland that comes close, yet falls short of the mission. It was just introduced on Nov 1st... as if it's 1999 or something. It's perfect for the Ipod or Cell phone if you want to mess with a cable in 2012.

http://www.rolandconnect.com/product.php?p=mobile_ba

Apple Airplay...

Windows Share...

mike_mccue


Windows Share...

?

I'm planning on making the leap I referred to above by using Windows to "Share" my media wirelessly through out the house.

I've seen several small appliances that do it... I have not educated myself about the details and so I have yet to make a purchase.



I do agree that Apple's Airplay is the functionality I hope to emulate.


all the best,
mike

My view is why re-invent the wheel?  Airplay works, you can buy cheap speakers or high end HiFi with Airplay built in.

One of my favourite Saturday afternoon pastimes recently is to hijack the sound system in PC World with some Iron Maiden or Motorhead...     They have a very nice (and very loud) surround system setup for demonstration with the invitation to connect your own iPod/iPhone via wifi/airplay and test it out...    Idiots

I am open to your suggestion.

Will airplay work at my house? I don't own any Apple products although I greatly admire their engineering and focus on usability.

My wife owns an iPhone, which I think is a great item, but that's all we have.


Would the airplay appliances work with what I have?

Thanks.


all the best,
mike

I have AT&T fiber optic for internet, TV & phone

I can share folders on computers on the network using Microsoft sharing and play music on my harddrives from my TV's in the house.

that's similar to what you're talking about, I think.