Portable bluetooth speaker

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Bernard W, Apr 11, 2017.

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  1. mmars982

    mmars982 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    I just received an Oontz angle 3 ultra & really like it. Thinking of getting a second for stereo pairing.
     
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  2. Fruff76

    Fruff76 L100 Classic - Fan Club President

    I agree, we love ours!
     
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  3. Sam Weiss

    Sam Weiss New Member

    Location:
    united states
    The first thing you should consider before buying bluetooth speaker is the sound quality. There are 4 parameters that can help us know that a speaker will sound good even without having previously heard it: the output power, frequency range, sound system and impedance. Other things you have to look for is the battery backup and quick charging, connectivity, and the design.
     
  4. jricc

    jricc Senior Member

    Location:
    Jersey Shore
    Agree on all of this. A little bass heavy, but only a little...battery lasts forever, although I think it sounds really good.
     
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  5. georgetalkative

    georgetalkative Active Member

    Location:
    New York
    Read a lot of reviews until you decide to buy it. Don't make the mistake I've made! Try some good review websites like Review Position - compare the frequency responses, max sound levels, designs, weight, dimensions and other components. I'd recommend JBL Xtreme 2 or UE Megaboom 3.
     
  6. RoyalScam

    RoyalScam Luckless Pedestrian

    I wound up giving my wife the JBL Charge 3 to take into her workplace. Replaced it with the JBL Xtreme (got it for half the price of the Xtreme 2, a few dollars more than Charge 4). Just listened for a few minutes last night, and I actually think it might me TOO bassy for me. Might be overkill for me.

    Almost went with the Doss Soundbox XL or the Marshall Kilburn. Probably should've at least tried the Doss before going with the Xtreme, given the price.
     
  7. Wasabi

    Wasabi Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lutz, FL
    I'm eyeballing both of these for around the pool, beach, etc. I already have a UE Boom 2 and am happy for the most part but am wondering if I can upgrade my sound a bit. Anyone try both the Extreme 2 and Megaboom 3 and have some thoughts?

    Thanks.
     
  8. mdm08033

    mdm08033 Senior Member

    I know that the Bluetooth Speaker category is a overblown dog pile, but I trust the ears of ex Home Theater Magazine Brent Butterworth. I love the sound quality of my my cheap ass Tribit X-Sound Go so much that I've bought three of them. The good news is that Tribit has entered the larger Bluetooth speaker category with the $70 X-Boom. The X-Boom is now the top pick unless you want to step up to the $150 Sony SRS-XB41. Here is a link to the current speaker article at The Wirecutter. The Best Portable Bluetooth Speaker for 2019

    Happy listening, Michael
     
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  9. head_unit

    head_unit Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles CA USA
    We have several, I like them. Sound is not ridiculous boomy, easy to operate. Haven't really compared to anything else. Waiting to see if anyone will even get around to a serious hifi unit, something like a ruggedize Audioengine etc.
    It still mystifies me the Apple HomePod cannot run detached, nor even has a battery option.
     
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  10. mds

    mds Forum Resident

    Location:
    PA
    KEF Muo, but it's expensive, but incredible sound and plays loud with well balanced bass for it's size. Has real weight to it.
     
  11. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore

  12. guidedbyvoices

    guidedbyvoices Old Dan's Records

    Location:
    Alpine, TX
    Looking at getting a portable bluetooth speaker for back yard and garage music, take with me on trips. Something like a JBL Charge 3.

    If I get one, I don't see any in the $100 range with a USB input. So for playing 320 mp3s and streaming from apple music...

    is bluetooth better?
    or an AUX input from an iphone (with the stupid firewire dongle) ?

    I'm thinking the AUX input, but maybe bluetooth has really improved lately?

    I'm not looking for perfect sound forever, but curious if bluetooth is as good as an AUX.
     
  13. Fruff76

    Fruff76 L100 Classic - Fan Club President

    The blue tooth ones I use have no issues, and sound great. Especially the JBL’s
     
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  14. mds

    mds Forum Resident

    Location:
    PA
    Bluetooth in my opinion is the perfect solution for a truly portable speaker. I use mine in hotel rooms, vacation homes, on my patio either entertaining friends or just relaxing, when working around the yard and in the garage on my bikes or even at the beach. My phone with flac files bluetoothed to the speaker sounds wonderful. If you plan on using the speaker around water then it is very important to find one that is either waterproof or water resistant. When working in the garden the speaker housing does get a bit dirty and it is nice to be able to clean it up afterwards with a damp cloth. While on possible issues with portable speakers I should mention direct sunlight exposure, speaker volume level and distance the bluetooth connectivity works. The summer sun does have a tendency to heat things up to pretty high temperatures more of an issue for my phone than the speaker but it is something that I found can be an issue. This is most apparent when working in the garden where the phone and speaker placement can be an issue. I need to think about where I place the speaker due to some surfaces sucking up the sound being projected by the speaker. A table is much better than laying it in the grass or on a blanket. The speaker distance from the phone is important as is the distance from your ears to the speaker. When sitting on the porch or working in the garage no issue but when working in the backyard on my gardens it does become an issue or at the pool. Some portables play cleanly at louder volumes while other distort quickly as the volume is turned up. This also leads to the quality of bass the portable is able to reproduce. At lower volumes this is not a big issue but as the volume goes up it becomes more important that the speaker(s) within the housing can handle bass nicely if you are in the market for quality sound from a portable and there are a number of portable speakers out there that give really high quality for such a small form factor.
     
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  15. hbucker

    hbucker Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver
    JBL Flip 4 works well for me. I actually prefer its sound to their larger (more expensive) models of the same design. I agree with an earlier post that says it is balanced and not designed for one particular kind of music. It's water proof. Small. Sounds great. Great battery life. One side note is that it isn't as attractive/decorative a some other offerings. So if that matters, it could be a drawback.

    My friend has a Bose (the $150 ish model). It has impressive low end - sometimes a little boomy - but used outside it sounds impressive.
     
  16. mds

    mds Forum Resident

    Location:
    PA
    I have both the Cambridge OontZ and the KEF Muo. By far the KEF blows the Cambridge out of the water, however the Cambridge is water resistant and the KEF is not. If you are more interested in great, and I mean great sound then the KEF is definitely the way to go. Just be careful not to get it wet. A damp cloth to clean it up is fine but getting splashed at the pool, not so sure. The KEF is on sale, a $300 speaker for $150, that is a steal in my opinion. It plays really loud and is a well balanced and goes really deep for it sizes. The weight of the speaker says a lot about its quality also.

    Muo Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker | KEF Direct
     
  17. Bill Mac

    Bill Mac Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I'm looking for a waterproof Bluetooth speaker I can use on my paddleboard. Is it possible to lay the UE Boom II on it's side or does it have to be standing up? My boards have bungees on the forward part of the board which would make horizontal use easier. But I guess I could rig up something so the speaker could be standing up.
     
  18. LivingForever

    LivingForever Forum Arachibutyrophobic

    The problem is that it's round, so putting it on its side will make it roll. But obviously if you're going to tie it on with bungees, that won't be an issue!
     
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  19. Bill Mac

    Bill Mac Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Excellent! Rolling wouldn't be an issue with bungees. My only thought was sound quality. I could lay it down on the side with the volume controls. That way the speaker would radiate up. If that doesn't work I could rig up some way to have the speaker standing up. The UE Boom II is about 7" high and that could be a concern as far as my paddle hitting it when changing sides. I used to wear headphones out on the water but that's not being very safety conscious.
     
  20. LivingForever

    LivingForever Forum Arachibutyrophobic

    Yeah, from a sound quality PoV you won't have an issue laying it down as long as you don't make the sound fire down into the board! That will involve strapping the buttons face down against the board though... so you'd need to control volume only from your phone (probably not an issue?)
     
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  21. Chris Schoen

    Chris Schoen Rock 'n Roll !!!

    Location:
    Maryland, U.S.A.
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  22. Haiku

    Haiku New Member

    Location:
    Earth
    Not sure where to post this, but I'm about to get given some Bluetooth speakers. I mostly listen to music on my phone using Youtube, does that work with the Bluetooth speaker, do you need apps or anything?

    Thanks.
     
  23. mdm08033

    mdm08033 Senior Member

    It works but some speakers have a delay so video and audio may be out of sync.
     
  24. Monty12

    Monty12 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Burlington Ontario
    I picked up a JBL boombox before we went to a cottage earlier this month. It's great. We were in the water everyday and it was nice not to worry about any water damage. And we were playing music 6 or 7 hours a day at about half volume or just slightly more and that battery life was incredible.

    Now I use it in the backyard. I also take it anytime we do picnics, camping, anything outdoors basically.
     
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  25. RoyalScam

    RoyalScam Luckless Pedestrian

    I had the JBL Charge 3 for a couple years. My wife needed a speaker for work, so I gave it to her and replaced it with a refurb Xtreme 1.

    Wow. That thing is a BEAST! JBL really have this on lock.
     
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