If a teenager loves music now

[Sunshineandbluesky]

When I was 12 I really got into music. I had a tape recorder, a portable cassette player and taped the top 40, bought Now Music tapes and explored all sorts of music by buying tapes.
My 12 year old is now at this stage and I love it. He has Spotify on his phone but what else can I buy him (for his birthday) to help him get maximum enjoyment? I haven’t a clue so any ideas gratefully received thanks.

Tuition on his favourite instrument?

Tickets to a concert or gig - with you and a friend?

Something more ‘advanced’ than a phone to listen to music on? Take him to spend an hour in a decent hifi shop with knowledgeable staff. Be prepared to spend a fortune.

When you say something more advanced what do you mean? This is where I get stuck 😁.

How about a record player and some vinyls?

Decent headphones/ear buds?
Bluetooth/smart speaker.

Hmm a speaker maybe. Thanks.

I love the idea of a record player and vinyls - that would be a brilliant hobby.

He already has lessons in an instrument.

Am I missing something - is a phone and Spotify just how it’s done these days? I feel he’s missing out on something but maybe it’s just me not understanding.

I have 2 teens that love music. One only uses Spotify on her phone and whilst she has good earphones, refuses all offers to get something better. Her brother, also uses Spotify, mainly on his phone but does have a good Bluetooth speaker he will blare music out of.

My husband is a bit of an audiophile and has vinyl and good speakers and a good amp, he would love to set them up with a system when a bit older.

I’d go with a good speaker to start with.

Mine loves music but it's really tricky now as there's nothing to physically buy. Even a few years ago you could give CDs but they're obsolete now. We did try to buy him a record player last bday but the ones in our price bracket are absolute junk - we ended up sending two back and gave up! I think you need to spend £250+ really or get secondhand.

A decent Bluetooth speaker is your best bet. I bought myself a Marshall one for £100ish recently which is really cool and we've also got a Bose which is great.

Truthfully no proper idea myself - though I used to be dragged to places like

https://www.oxfordaudio.co.uk/

Or Richer Sounds!

Just aware the expert advice is that it doesn’t matter how good your speakers or headphones may be, you’ll get relatively crappy sound from a phone.

My daughter listens to Spotify but for her favourites she loves physical vinyls.

They generally come in colours etc now to make them more collectible - they are not a cheap option to buy now but she loves them.

Phone and headphones is standard. We have family spotify so everyone can have their own playlists. You could get better headphones or a speaker. My ds still likes cds of his favourite stuff to really own it.

These are brilliant answers. Thank you to everyone. Just what I needed to know.

Bluetooth speaker.
DS2 was keen on music from very young. I gave him my old vinyl collection when he was 12 and we found a record player in a charity shop.
He's 25 now and has the most eclectic taste in music ranging from his dad's favourite 60s tracks to my Ziggy Stardust, to classical piano.

Good Bluetooth speaker
headphones
decent (not crossley) vinyl player (my Ds and his mates love vinyl)

I bought a decent stereo receiver system (Denon) that I plug my computer to play through and a semi-decent set of Q acoustic speakers.

The sound is great. I can connect via Bluetooth (as can any visitors so they can share music easily) but I choose to wire the system up to my computer using the headphone socket.

Dear Mumsnet, AIBU to judge people who say “vinyls” instead of “records” – they make my teeth itch

CDs aren't obsolete. My dd is very into music and I still buy her CDs so she can physically own music

Sonos?