Is there a minimal, cheap device which just plays sound files from a small memory card?

Question

I've long been hunting in all the local stores and online but cannot find a single unit like this, which is baffling to me.

I'm talking about some sort of small audio player which consists of only one or two speakers, a volume knob, a power button, a pause/resume button, a "next" and "previous" button, and a memory card slot.

I can find ones which have a cassette player, radio, CD, etc., as well as a USB socket, but I don't want those for these reasons:

1. I don't need any of those features, so it takes too much space and costs too much money.
2. A USB socket is not the same as a memory card slot, even though they are basically the same technology, because an USB stick "sticks" (no pun intended) out from the unit in the front and thus both looks ugly and ruins the compactness.

It should support MP3 and FLAC files. If there is only one "track" (file) on the memory card, it should loop it perpetually.

My purpose of this would be to put on a 30-minute recording of the soundtrack of "Zora's Domain" from the 1998 video game Ocarina of Time to play constantly while I'm in the kitchen as a soothing background sound.

I currently have a white noise machine in the kitchen, but sadly it only has a few baked-in sounds that loop and no slot for a memory card (or USB). It eventually gets on my nerves to hear the white noise and such sounds.

Also, in Christmas time, I would replace the Zora's Domain file with some digitized classic Christmas music tracks from my childhood which can play instead.

I'm not looking for anything that uses "Bluetooth" or whatever and requires some other device to be "streaming" data to it, or which requires "wifi"/Internet.

Is this really such a niche concept that there is no such thing?

Answer 1

You should search for portable bluetooth speakers. Most units will include a memory card slot and enable playback of files directly, which should do what you want.

It's unlikely that you'll find a unit that ONLY includes a memory card slot and no bluetooth/radio/usb/etc. There just isn't enough demand to justify "simpler" devices and the extra cost associated with the features is likely minimal.

By doing a quick search for "Bluetooth speaker with memory card slot" on Amazon, I found several speakers that would accomplish what you need for a fairly low cost (around $30USD). No doubt that other vendors or brick-and-mortar stores will also carry a selection.

Sadly, if you absolutely do not want other features, you'll probably have to learn how to make it yourself or pay someone to do so.

Answer 2

I think you are over-complicating your requirements by looking for a single device that does everything. You can easily find what you're looking for in two devices.

An MP3 player with a microSD card slot, plugged into any speakers you like.

The MP3 player is a memory device anyway, so you don't need one with an SD card slot at all. (But many still do have microSD support). Most MP3 players will have the play/pause/next/prev buttons on them and support MP3/FLAC.

For the speakers, there are lots of choices out there and I think that some bluetooth speakers with a 3.5mm audio jack might still be worth looking at because they can be very small, battery powered (like the MP3 player) and reduce the amount of cables you have to deal with.
You can use a very short 3.5mm audio cable from the MP3 player headphone jack into the speaker and that may be the only cable you need at all, except when charging the devices.

If you happen to find a used iPod and dock then that might be one of the best solutions since they were meant to be used exactly like that: You plug the iPod into the dock with speakers and it has the playback controls on the dock for convenience.