Bluetooth Speakers
- Thread starter Traut
- Start date
I bought a UE Boom 4 months ago and really like it. I'm not a audiophile either, but like the versatility of the Boom. It's battery powered, but I only charge it once every two weeks, while listening 1-2 hours/day during the week and 4-5 hours/day during the weekend. I don't charge it until it's actually out of juice, and it only needs a few hours to fully charge. I bring it outside for BBQs and stuff as well. It's not cheap, but I've been very happy with it. I can seamlessly bluetooth from my phone, laptop, and ipad.
I have one of these: http://www.amazon.com/ECOXGEAR-Waterproof-Wireless-Bluetooth-Speaker/dp/B008MG5V80 which is great if you think you're ever going to bring it somewhere where it could get wet. It's perfect for bringing to the beach, pool, kayaking trip, out on a boat, etc. Really good battery life and impressive sound quality too.
If you're going to spend $200, I would would recommend a Sonos Play:1. Portability and the ability to use it outside/away from electrical outlets are really the only reasons to favor a Bluetooth speaker in that same price range.
I have a UE Boom. It's fine for a drag-around speaker to use at cookouts and stuff. I definitely wouldn't want it as a primary indoor listening speaker, there's a lot better sounding stuff in that range (e.g. the monoprice studio reference monitors).
I'm saving up for some Sonos units - 2 Play:1's, a Playbar, and a subwoofer. Can't swing the $1800 for that set right now, though (hint, hint Secret Santa 
)
A buddy of mine bought one of those $19.99 ball-shaped bluetooth speakers at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and raved about it for months before taking it with us to Costa Rica this past Spring. I couldn't believe the quality of the sound (I'm not an audiophile). It was plenty loud enough to entertain everyone at a party we had one night.
Jambox, UE Boom, etc all have solid reviews, but if you're just looking to get a cheap but better-than-expected speaker, you could do a lot worse than one of the cheapie ones at BB&B, Wal-Mart, etc.
)A buddy of mine bought one of those $19.99 ball-shaped bluetooth speakers at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and raved about it for months before taking it with us to Costa Rica this past Spring. I couldn't believe the quality of the sound (I'm not an audiophile). It was plenty loud enough to entertain everyone at a party we had one night.
Jambox, UE Boom, etc all have solid reviews, but if you're just looking to get a cheap but better-than-expected speaker, you could do a lot worse than one of the cheapie ones at BB&B, Wal-Mart, etc.
The Harmon Kardon Onyx is incredible, and a speaker that I can't recommend high enough. At $150, it's a steal:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/harman-kardon-onyx-studio-wireless-bluetooth-speaker-black/6677169.p?id=1219231142534
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/harman-kardon-onyx-studio-wireless-bluetooth-speaker-black/6677169.p?id=1219231142534
Similar to the UE Boom, we've had the JB Flip for a while, and it works well. It's less than $100. You're obviously not going to get the base response you would from other systems, but for everyday use it's been perfect for us. Love the fact it can go room to room while I leave my iPhone in my pocket, streaming music via Bluetooth. (I saw recently that there's a new JB Flip with LEDs that sync to the music, which initially looks cool but probably gets annoying fast.)
SumnerH said:
I like good speakers as much as the next guy, but it works fine for streaming music in small rooms/ casual stuff. I use it in my home office much of the time, or when I'm outside hanging out. But right, its not the speaker I would typically use for stuff like parties, serious music listening. You can only get so much from one speaker.
Edit:
I know you can double them up to get a true stereo sound. Too expensive for my taste, but I'm intrigued with what it would actually sound like.
I liked this one too. Ultimately I went with the Marshall as it just sounds incredible,and looks like an old Marshall amp. Though it needs to be plugged in so if you need something where there is no power then it wouldn't be an option.Poulsonator said:
Oh I like it for what it is. It's pretty awesome, great battery life, fine volume. I just wouldn't get it for in home use as a primary speaker; there are lots of better choices for that. But as a travel speaker/BBQ party speaker/etc, it's a great choice.foulkehampshire said:
I bought a Bose SoundLink II on Amazon* a couple of weeks ago. The sound is fantastic, especially the bass response.
The negative (and I can't yet confirm if it's a flaw in the device or a problem with my also-new Lenovo x140e notebook that's running Win7) is that no connection is maintained between the speaker and my system. If it's left idle for, say, 10 minutes with no audio playing from my notebook, the bluetooth icon stops flashing and it disconnects -- even though my computer still shows that it recognizes it and that it's connected. In order to reconnect and actually resume playing audio again, I have to get up, walk over to it, and manually hold down the bluetooth button for 3 seconds. Then I have to return to my notebook's device control panel, click "connect" and wait for the little beeps on the SoundLink that confirm the connection.
If I could solve that, and have the speaker be automatically and continuously connected to my computer whenever I'm logged on, I'd be golden. But until I figure it out, I can't endorse this product.
*Yes, Bose came out with the SoundLink III back in February, but based on the demos I heard on both units I didn't see anything on the new one that justified spending $100 more. The SoundLink II that I purchased is a brand new unit.
The negative (and I can't yet confirm if it's a flaw in the device or a problem with my also-new Lenovo x140e notebook that's running Win7) is that no connection is maintained between the speaker and my system. If it's left idle for, say, 10 minutes with no audio playing from my notebook, the bluetooth icon stops flashing and it disconnects -- even though my computer still shows that it recognizes it and that it's connected. In order to reconnect and actually resume playing audio again, I have to get up, walk over to it, and manually hold down the bluetooth button for 3 seconds. Then I have to return to my notebook's device control panel, click "connect" and wait for the little beeps on the SoundLink that confirm the connection.
If I could solve that, and have the speaker be automatically and continuously connected to my computer whenever I'm logged on, I'd be golden. But until I figure it out, I can't endorse this product.
*Yes, Bose came out with the SoundLink III back in February, but based on the demos I heard on both units I didn't see anything on the new one that justified spending $100 more. The SoundLink II that I purchased is a brand new unit.
I have the Bose Soundlink Mini here and I think its fantastic. Its very portable, it has a long battery life (I had it playing for about eight hours on Thanksgiving) and the sound quality is very good, though its a touch heavy on the bass. Can't recommend it enough, especially given the price.
I generally hate Bose speakers, they're wildly overpriced and don't sound great in the home stereo/surround sound/headphone market. But their car systems and mini portables are fine options. I personally avoid them on principle because they've long been the Monster cable of speaker manufacturers, but objectively on their own their portable lines are worth looking at.
A lot of great options. Yesterday was the first time that I saw or listened to these speakers (aside from my ex partners using a large portion of my draw to purchase a top of the line multi room sonos system).
We're just looking for something better than listening to music on our TV, phones or iPad. I have young kids who love Taylor Swift.
I bought this from Bestbuy. For the price it seems like the right fit for us.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/jbl-charge-portable-indoor-outdoor-bluetooth-speaker-gray-white/8506107.p?id=1218878102927&
We're just looking for something better than listening to music on our TV, phones or iPad. I have young kids who love Taylor Swift.
I bought this from Bestbuy. For the price it seems like the right fit for us.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/jbl-charge-portable-indoor-outdoor-bluetooth-speaker-gray-white/8506107.p?id=1218878102927&
I know Traut found a unit, but if others are still contemplating what to get I found a pretty inclusive review:
http://9to5mac.com/2014/12/15/best-bluetooth-speaker-2015/
http://9to5mac.com/2014/12/15/best-bluetooth-speaker-2015/
I'm with Sumner H on the question of Bose, but my wife is completely snookered by their image/reputation and won't accept anything else. So we have a Soundlink. It's OK. The best thing I can say about it is that Costco sells it at a discount, so the ripoff factor is lower. In case you wife really wants Bose for Christmas, that's a solution.
Bought 2 of these (one to leave down in my basement gym) and love them.
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-984-000304-Boombox-Wireless-Bluetooth/dp/B0094S35QU
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-984-000304-Boombox-Wireless-Bluetooth/dp/B0094S35QU
I got the Big Jawbone Jambox and absolutely love it. It's expensive ($300) but the sound is huge and the thing is durable as all hell. It has fallen out of multiple moving golf carts (yes we listen to jams when on the course) and still cranking along with no problems. Battery life is outstanding and the bluetooth connection is strong. Highly recommended.
Bump. Just wondering if anybody had any recent recommendations and/or additional reviews? I'm looking to purchase Bluetooth speakers that are portable and preferably under $100.
Thanks!
Thanks!
I bought a highly reviewed one off of Amazon for like 40 bucks by Photive and I love it. I've used it for a few years now and have had no issues whatsoever.
http://www.amazon.com/Photive-Portable-Wireless-Bluetooth-Speaker/dp/B00D6OHHEE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1426636307&sr=8-2&keywords=photive+bluetooth+speaker
http://www.amazon.com/Photive-Portable-Wireless-Bluetooth-Speaker/dp/B00D6OHHEE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1426636307&sr=8-2&keywords=photive+bluetooth+speaker
Klipsch sells a speaker that's similar to the Bose Soundlink, at a lower price point. Gun to my head, I guess I'd say the Bose is slightly better, but for me, the difference wasn't worth the price premium.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FFH4O9Q
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FFH4O9Q
