Looking for decent Bluetooth speakers to use in kitchen and living room...

There are many... Which are the "best"?

 

Do you want decent, or the best? Best? I don't know. I have a JBL one beat venue that I got from their refurb website for 60 bucks or so, 30 watts a channel or something and sounds pretty good, especially for the money.

It's certainly more than decent.

 

http://www.amazon.com/oc/echo

This just was released.

 

Depends on your price point.

http://www.theoontz.com/

I have the Angle, for use around the house and outdoors on the deck and it suits my needs just fine. Going back to their home theater days, I've found CSW products to deliver good value for their price point vs the competitors.

 

Not really Bluetooth, but I like my Sonos Play5 a lot. I have heard the BlueSound Pulse and its even better.

Of course there's also a lot of BT speakers out there as well.

 

Bluetooth is an add-on but these speaks sound great for their size...

http://www.amazon.com/Vanatoo-Trans...=merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1415458772&sr=1-5

 

I'd say the "best" as far as portables go is prob the new Beoplay A2. Followed by the B&W T7, also new. Hate to say it but the Bose are decent in this category as well. I went eighths Def Tech cylinder.. currently 99 down from $199.

 

As suggested above, have you considered Sonos? Extremely flexible system, with some cool music options.

 

http://audioengineusa.com/Store/Powered-Speaker-Systems/B2-Wal-Bluetooth-Speaker
Looks well built.

 

Wow! I may order this one to try out...

 

THE best I've heard is the Bowers & Wilkins A7. Nothing else is close. It's quite expensive. I bought used Tivoli Model Two off eBay for the garage with a subwoofer. A lot less expensive and kinda cool looking, but the sound is only above average.

 

From the description it looks like 2 AE2s "welded" together.

(And I like my AE2s - even have Audioengine's earlier proprietary wireless components.)

 

Credit where credit is due. My Bose Soundlink Mini is impressive for it's size. And not as boomy as the larger Soundlink.

 

I was looking for a decent pair of speaks for the office that I could use with a Squeezebox and/or Apple Express. I heard the Vanatoo Transparent Ones demoed at the Capital Audiofest and they were pretty impressive. Small, yet powerful (60w/ch), I kept looking for a sub but they were pumping out excellent bass and clear, detailed highs (48Hz-20kHz) and presented a very good image. They have TOSLINK, Coax and USB digital and 3.5mm analog inputs (96k/24 bit). The base model doesn't have Bluetooth but for @$30 you can add the module ($80 for AirPlay). The cabinets are solid (¾" MDF with cherry veneer) and at $500, they offer an excellent sounding small set up for the office, bedroom, etc.

Here's a link... http://www.vanatoo.com/vanatoo#.VF6ifL5Hl7R

There was plenty of nice gear at the show but after I went home and had a few days to absorb everything, I kept coming back to the Vanatoo T1's and finally broke down and bought a pair. I'm enjoying them and keep finding new places to use them. They aren't as portable as the others I compared (B&W Zeppelin, Bose Soundock, etc.) but they have better connectivity, more features and IMO, sound better... and cost at least $100 less.

 

After some research I got my daughter the Audioengine B2 as a Xmas present. The price was what I was looking to pay and I have a pair of Audioengine A1s in a work shop and have been very happy with their quality. So I felt confident sticking with a product of theirs. I wanted to test it out before giving it to her. I'm listening now, streaming from Pandora, which is more than likely how she will listen. It certainly fills the room, quite loudly even. There is quite a bit of bass and I've noticed the speaker opening up the longer I play it. It was a simple process to set it up. And in seconds the speaker was paired with my phone. I'm an old school guy when it comes to music. I like physical media and all that. But I must say this is really convenient, sounds good, and will allow my daughter to listen to music through something with some quality sound. I was having flashbacks to the seventies and the crappy transistor radios we thought were so cool as I watched my daughters listen to music through their phone as a primary music source. So hopefully this will allow them to enjoy their music even more. My philosophy is to keep them interested in listening to music, and enjoying music. Interest in quality sound might one day become of some importance to them. The Audioengine B2 is a very nice little speaker and I hope I find myself telling my daughter to please turn it down.

 

I wanted to get a portable bluetooth speaker for the beach. My friend has a Bose unit and it sounds pretty good but I hate the fact that it's only one speaker. Yeah, it has two speakers in it and I understand that it's stereo but I think you'd have to be sitting right in front of it to get the stereo imaging.

I wanted something with adequate stereo separation (two speakers, if possible).

After much research I found these:
http://www.amazon.com/Nokia-Play-Bl...qid=1417539645&sr=8-2&keywords=nokia+play+360

They are portable bluetooth speakers that can be linked to play stereo (all wireless yet they do have a 3.5 mm jack for direct connection to an external device). One speaker plays the left channel and one speaker plays the right channel. The sound is very good and they're only about $75 each. Nokia claims the battery charge lasts for 20 hours at medium volume. I don't know about that as the battery has never died on me (though I haven't used them for that long).

 

Anymore thoughts on this? Considering the audio engine as a gift....

 

One bump......

 

Just purchased the MegaBoom unit. Great sound and nice app feature.

http://www.ultimateears.com/en-us/megaboom

 

Any word on the new Vifa Copanhagens or Helsinkis? They look stunning.

 

Agreed! I love its warm sound, and IMO at low to moderate volume levels it excels! I have the original model, and it nests on a shelf in the headboard of my bed. I have found that despite Bose suggesting it sounds best against a wall, it really sounds best isolated from all surfaces and especially so on a plinth. I like that it has a user serviceable battery too. I reckon Bose expects these babies to be around and enjoyed for many years to come. I love mine!

 

One cheap approach is to buy a used old Bose Sounddock ipod speaker, and then add a bluetooth receiver that you can get for around $20 on Amazon or eBay. They make the receivers just to fit that speaker.

 

Buy some nice active monitors you like and add a blue tooth receiver.

 

Just saw this speaker too.

JBL Authentics L16

For those who are nostalgic and want to keep it simple.

http://www.jbl.com/speaker-docks/AU...=price-high-to-low&sz=12&start=1&prefv1=false

Phono, AUX, Bluetooth, USB, DLNA, AirPlay,etc..

Has accessory stand for tidy wires and right height. Qi accessory for wireless charging supported phones or cases.



$999.99