This might not be the best place to post but I figure there are a lot of like-minded tinkerers here who may have a solution, whether DIY or store bought.
I'm trying to figure out a way to set up a very basic and simple to use speaker/media player for my special needs kiddo to use in her room. Something akin to a '90s boombox with a burned CD inside of it but with modern features like Spotify connectivity and a smaller package.
Ideally, this would have a speaker and minimal controls like play/pause, skip, FF/RWD. My goal would be to have a basic device that she could use to play a dedicated Spotify playlist (or MP3 files to simplify but less preferable) without having to pair devices, load an app (apart from the initial configuration), turn multiple devices on, or basically do anything other than turning the device on and hitting play.
I've been using HA for a couple years now and have recently tried setting up the Spotify integration (and third-party add-ons like Spotcast) with the hopes of cobbling something together but found it's pretty clunky and doesn't even load my playlists or start playback half the time.
The end product doesn't need to be smart or connect to HA, so I'm willing to entertain any potential solution.
Bluesound is great IMO, no built in microphones which was important for me, good sound, integrates well with HA.
I've got a smaller speaker in the kitchen and a larger one in the lounge.