A solid sounding, affordable Bluetooth speaker?

You will like the RIVA.

 

I've been researching portable bluetooth speakers so hear's what I've learned in case it helps someone:

The Fugoo (comes with Sport, Style, and Tough outer jackets, I like the Sport) seems to get the most consistent praise for the combination of sound quality, portability, ruggedness (waterproof to 3 ft for 30 mins, like my Moto G3 phone) and battery life (rated 40 hrs at half volume). Currently $135 on amazon and possibly cheaper on ebay. The thing I really like is the 360 degree sound since the way these types of speakers are generally used, few if any people are in the sweet spot and off-axis the sound quality usually drops considerably on most of them. The biggest complaint is with top volume level so the Fugoo is not for big parties, although there was a firmware update that added a louder volume option.

Fugoo review | TechRadar »

Fugoo Bluetooth Speakers review »

This outdoor speaker has a whole wardrobe of 'jackets' to help weather the elements »

Fugoo (Style, Sport, Tough) review »


For sweet spot listening the Denon Envaya Mini seems like it is the best-sounding portable bluetooth speaker on the market, check amazon reviews for possible reliability issues.

Denon Envaya Mini vs. Fugoo sound comparison:



Anyone in the market for a bluetooth speaker should really check out the videos from that guy ('clavinetjunkie' ) on youtube, who gives thorough reviews including freq response graphs and head to head comparisons and uses quality binaural mics so if you use good headphones you can get a good idea of the sound quality of the many bluetooth speakers he tests/demos.

Here's another example, the UE Boom vs. Fugoo rotating 360 degrees:

Fugoo vs. UE Boom - sound and loudness test »


He even has a database where you can compare any two speakers side by side (unfortunately the Fugoo is not in the database but it is in some comparison videos like the one above). In one video somewhere he says he sold the Fugoo after hearing the Denon, but again, for me the 360 deg capability of the Fugoo outweighs the Denon sweet spot sound quality:

Oluv's interactive speaker audio database »


As mentioned in posts above, the Riva S gets good reviews for sound quality also but it is bigger than the ones I mentioned. I believe clavinetjunkie has videos for that one as well.

The UE Boom gets a lot of good reviews on the net including on Wirecutter but for me all you need to do is listen to the comparison above or one of the other comparison videos that include that one to hear that it has a very boosted upper bass and sounds a bit muffled, although it is loud if that is the key concern.

 

Just realized the video I said was for Fugoo vs Boom 360 rotation was actually the loudness test between those two.

This is the rotating test:

 

I heard the SONY SRS -X55 at a small wedding this week and liked the way it sounded....l looked up some reviews and they were very favorable yet no mention of it here, which of course gets me thinking before I make a purchase. Anyone have, or heard one of these?, and your opinions please....

 

Love the look of the Marshall Amp bluetooth speakers they sell at Costco and Amazon. Not sure how good they sound though!!!!

 

Can't speak to the Sony or the Marshall, but the Riva S models I ended up getting sounds fantastic. Good bass, beautiful mids and nice highs. They sync up to play in real stereo, too. Think I saw a price drop down to $99. I picked these little babies up for $199 for the pair. Totally worth it.

 

I just got one. Trying to figure out how to use it. FOr instance, how do you know when it needs to be charged?
How do you use it with the app? Any hints are appreciated.

 

There's a battery indicator with five LEDs that tells you how much juice you have left.

In terms of using it with apps, it works about as easily as any other BlueTooth gadget I've used - you click the bluetooth button on the side and then find it and pair with it using your phone or computer or whatever. Any sounds on the paired device will go through the speaker. We use it with both our phones and our laptops...and I have been known to answer phone calls using it while in the shower...makes my business partner feel super awkward when he calls and I tell him that, I love it.

 

I've already used it to tease my son's by playing various sound effects from Spotify and hiding the speaker

 

Yup. Just saw Riva dropped their prices.

 

I first had a Jawbone Jambox speaker, it was ok, but I found it was a little too muddy without eq (and especially over bt, I almost exclusively use the headphone jack input). I now have a bose soundlink color which is miles better and has more of a balanced sound. Also not too expensive. Depends on budget, but I only have experience with the lower priced bt speakers.

 

I'm just now starting to research this stuff for an extra speaker for my office. My Aunt and Uncle have a Bose Soundlink Mini, and at a backyard party this weekend I was really impressed with the sound, even though I detest Bose. Therefore, I'm looking for something similar and less expensive. I was almost decided on the Fugoo until I heard the comparison you linked above with the Denon. Man, that isn't even a CONTEST...the Denon blows it away, IMO.

Thanks for those links. Down the rabbit hole I goooo...

 

I have two UE Boom's which I like for outdoor use, such as patio parties. The app recognizes when there's two of them within range, and give you the option to split the tracks and play stereo out of them. The upper-bass kick doesn't bother me, as I bought these things for legible sound over guest conversation. I dangle them from the patio awning struts.

 

Aaaand...then I heard samples of the RIVA S, and now that's squarely in the lead for me. It's like a more natural sounding Bose Mini. Might be the winner.

 

Can't go wrong with the JBL Flip 3.

 

I bought the RIVA S. Nice sound, but not loud enough for me, even in Power Mode, and not enough bass. I can't even believe I wrote that last part. Probably going back, and maybe I'll swap it for the larger Turbo X. I'm mostly going to use it indoors, with a move outside to our porch occasionally, so the large size won't bother me.

Or, I'll go for a - and I can't believe I'm writing this either - Bose Soundlink Mini.

 

I've got a Bose Soundlink Mini and love it. Had the same allergic reaction to Bose as other posters, but it sounds great. Nice build quality too - made out of metal.

 

Sent the RIVA S back, bought the Turbo X. Still not satisfied. It's just...sterile. Clean sounding, for sure, but I guess for a portable speaker it's not "clean" I'm looking for. I want bass. And for it to sound decent off-axis. I think I'm spoiled by my Kloss Model 88. THAT's the sound profile I'm looking for.

So, I guess it's - gulp - Bose for me. I'll probably go for a cheaper refurb Mini I, just to make the pill go down easier.

Unless anyone can suggest something different, and Kloss/Bose-like?

 

Get a pair of good bookshelves like wharfedale diamond 9.1 and fit a class D bluetooth amp to them

TDA7498 DC24V 2x80W Class D CSR4.0 Bluetooth Amplifier Board

 

Wow, a lot of Bluetooth speaker requests in the forum today. I posted this in another thread, but it's applicable to your query as well.

You say you want portable, but some of those posted in this thread aren't highly portable. They can be carted around, but they are very large, so you wouldn't likely want to pack them for a vacation. I'll suggest one which is not the smallest, but is more portable, though somewhat heavy for its size.

I tested many Bluetooth speakers and almost all are either muddy, shrill or just generally lacklustre.

Bose Soundlink Mini II is quite bass heavy, to the point of being distractedly unbalanced in some music. Other than the exaggerated bass, it's decent for the size and price. If only it were less bass heavy, or if they had a bass-reduction switch (an anti-loudness switch?).

I tried a UE Boom and a couple of the JBLs, and a few others, but wasn't satisfied with them.

I bought a House of Marley Get Together speaker. It's visually beautiful and the sound is pleasing. But, its Bluetooth connection is unreliable. My iPhone had to have its volume up to maximum to maintain the Bluetooth connection even with fairly loud music, and that was with the phone only a metre away from the speaker. When playing music with greater dynamic range, e.g. jazz and classical, during quiet passages the speaker would repeatedly lose the connection. Google searching found that this is a common issue with many users, so no point in trying a different unit of the same model.

After rejecting the Bose SoundLink Mini II, due to boomy unnatural bass, and various other speakers I auditioned, I kept the Sony h.ear go SRSHG1.

It supports both WiFi and Bluetooth connections, pairing with other speakers, and various other features that I'm not yet using. But, the main thing for me is that this has excellent sound for the size.

It sounds good both at high volume and low volume. Treble has good clarity, midrange seems balanced, bass is present when appropriate but sounds tight and not unnaturally exaggerated or boomy like the Bose. The build quality is excellent, this feels like a quality piece of equipment. It may not be what you'd want to toss into a knapsack to take to a picnic, as it's heavy for its size. I use it mainly in my bedroom, and don't really need a lot of portability. Unlike the House of Marley speaker, the Bluetooth connection is solid even at low volume and long distance.

After auditioning so many disappointing speakers, and generally liking the Bose but hating the exaggerated bass, I had almost given up finding a small Bluetooth speaker that sounded good. This one sounds good.

 

I also bought the Bose Mini 2--and also never thought I'd buy a Bose product (nor a blue tooth speaker for that matter)--but I'm quite happy with it.

I'm living away from my main home for a year so I needed something that would deliver good sound from my now all-digital collection. The Bose does this well. Yes, the bass is heavy. I think that's something that impressed me at first but I grew to wishing I could adjust that somehow (especially audiobooks that help me fall asleep!), but for my present situation, it works well.

 

I ultimately settled on the JBL Charge 3. It's "good enough" for my uses, though I do wish it had the ability to EQ to taste.

 

Just bought a Sony XB30 because it was NZD90 (about US$62) off.

Since Sony has a feature where you can put two of them together for an actual stereo experience (ie, one for the left channel and one for the right), I'm seriously tempted to get another one while the sale's on.

Just realized in typing this that the amount I'd be saving is exactly the sales price if the unit. Think I just talked myself into it.

 

I'll say this, having used the JBL Charge 3 for about 2 months now: the battery life is AMAZING on this unit.

I do not blast this unit, I think the loudest I've gone is 50%. I've gone hours upon hours of cumulative use (at least 8-9 over the course of a few days) and the battery meter just dropped from 5 to 4. I haven't had it connected to the charger at all during this time, and power it down when not using it. That's just amazing battery life, compared to similar units.

I find it sounds best standing on its side (with the controls on the right, base on the left). I can only imagine how great it would sound paired with another unit in this orientation.

 

Well, there's a simply answer to your question. Ultimate Ears has the unique products like UE Boom 2 vs UE Wonderboom. They both spread the audio 360 degrees and fill the room with high quality sound. They're cheap if you're comparing them to the other speakers. Boom 2 has 15 hours battery life, where Wonderboom can play 10 hours.

These speakers have the amazing features and they're not expensive. They're totally worth it.