# Portable Speakers??



## UnsurePerson

I am currently looking to buy a portable speaker. When I say portable, I mean it should be travel friendly, not a huge, boombox like thing. It needs to fit in a rucksack. I would greatly prefer a inbuilt rechargeable battery, not normal AA or other batteries, preferably. I want it to sound awesome, obviously , with  good bass. Any other features would be welcome, as long as relevant to a user. I am currently looking at the Bose Soundlink Mini, Creative Soundblaster Roar 2 and Denon Envaya (Mini and Normal Version). By the way, in terms of price, I don't want anything super expensive. I will not name an exact price as I will search each item stated to see prices, as things can often be had cheaper on eBay and other online websites.   However, it needs to be cheaper than a Beolit 15. Around and below the price of a Beoplay A2 is the sweet spot for me. Thanks in advance!!


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## Lenni

I can't offer advice on these players, but this seems a good bargain... Sony SRSX5


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## aqsw

unsureperson said:


> I am currently looking to buy a portable speaker. When I say portable, I mean it should be travel friendly, not a huge, boombox like thing. It needs to fit in a rucksack. I would greatly prefer a inbuilt rechargeable battery, not normal AA or other batteries, preferably. I want it to sound awesome, obviously , with  good bass. Any other features would be welcome, as long as relevant to a user. I am currently looking at the Bose Soundlink Mini, Creative Soundblaster Roar 2 and Denon Envaya (Mini and Normal Version). By the way, in terms of price, I don't want anything super expensive. I will not name an exact price as I will search each item stated to see prices, as things can often be had cheaper on eBay and other online websites.   However, it needs to be cheaper than a Beolit 15. Around and below the price of a Beoplay A2 is the sweet spot for me. Thanks in advance!!




Have you researched "the core by mass fidelity". They are still in the design and build stage. I heared a demo in Toronto on one of their prototypes. It was amazing. Expensive , but WOW. I couldn't get my credit card out fast enough.


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## UnsurePerson

Thanks for the replies guys. I have been looking at the Sony SRS-X5 series, they seem good, I will be doing more research. I really like the look of "Core" by Mass Fidelity, but it's just too expensive for me. This is a real shame as it looks INCRDIBLE! Anyone else have anything to say good/bad about any speakers mentioned or suggestions for any new ones????


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## cel4145

Watch Woot!. They have periodically had bluetooth speakers on special this summer, and I would suspect that they would again with back to school specials going on.


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## UnsurePerson

Thankyou Cel4145, anyone have any recommendations, links or thoughts on portable speakers????????????


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## cel4145

In my experience looking at <$200 portable speakers, they are all flawed in that you can only do so much with a very small speaker. Best thing you can do is go out and listen to them and find the one that is flawed in a way that suits you


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## bfreedma

unsureperson said:


> Thankyou Cel4145, anyone have any recommendations, links or thoughts on portable speakers????????????


 
  
  
 I bought one a TDK A33  a while back and was very impressed considering the price.  It seems to meet all of your criteria and is "weatherproof" as well - I use it while I grill, wash the car, etc and a little water or bbq sauce has never bothered it.  http://www.amazon.com/TDK-Life-Record-Weatherproof-Discontinued/dp/B008VMT2HQ/ref=sr_1_3?&ie=UTF8&qid=1438965982&sr=8-3&keywords=tdk+bluetooth+speaker
  
 It's been replaced by a newer model with a few features for use as a speakerphone.  The older model in the link is $89 and IMO sounds better than anything it's size has a right to at that price, particularly the bass and is still available.


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## cel4145

bfreedma said:


> I bought one a TDK A33  a while back and was very impressed considering the price.  It seems to meet all of your criteria and is "weatherproof" as well - I use it while I grill, wash the car, etc and a little water or bbq sauce has never bothered it.  http://www.amazon.com/TDK-Life-Record-Weatherproof-Discontinued/dp/B008VMT2HQ/ref=sr_1_3?&ie=UTF8&qid=1438965982&sr=8-3&keywords=tdk+bluetooth+speaker
> 
> It's been replaced by a newer model with a few features for use as a speakerphone.  The older model in the link is $89 and IMO sounds better than anything it's size has a right to at that price, particularly the bass and is still available.




+1

I have one. It's a great speaker for that price. I prefer my JBL Charge for portability (the Charge is lighter/smaller, came with neoprene case, and doesn't require a proprietary adapter). But the A33 competes well with any portable bluetooth speakers in the <$200 range I have heard.


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## bfreedma

cel4145 said:


> bfreedma said:
> 
> 
> > I bought one a TDK A33 a while back and was very impressed considering the price. It seems to meet all of your criteria and is "weatherproof" as well - I use it while I grill, wash the car, etc and a little water or bbq sauce has never bothered it. http://www.amazon.com/TDK-Life-Record-Weatherproof-Discontinued/dp/B008VMT2HQ/ref=sr_1_3?&ie=UTF8&qid=1438965982&sr=8-3&keywords=tdk+bluetooth+speaker
> ...




Too funny you have one too. True enough, it is a bit of a brick.

By proprietary adapter, do you mean the AC charger?


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## cel4145

bfreedma said:


> By proprietary adapter, do you mean the AC charger?




Yes. 

Many bluetooth speakers have micro USB for charging with a standard USB charger.


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## bfreedma

cel4145 said:


> Yes.
> 
> Many bluetooth speakers have micro USB for charging with a standard USB charger.


 
  
 Good point - I never really paid attention to the old style charger on the TDK but definitely something to consider if you're going to travel with it more than I do.


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## cel4145

bfreedma said:


> Good point - I never really paid attention to the old style charger on the TDK but definitely something to consider if you're going to travel with it more than I do.




Yeah, with travelling, it's nice to carry just one charger for phone and speaker. 

But I'm very happy with my TDK A33 for at home use.


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## UnsurePerson

Cel, what would you recommend >$200?????? Thanks for the answers btw guys- v. helpful


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## cel4145

I got the the JBL Charge (1st gen) when it was on sale for $100. I didn't find any other for <$200 that sounded much better for my ears that was very portable friendly. Spending more didn't seem worth it to me because I don't use a portable bluetooth speaker for critical listening. It's for background music when doing something else. I have headphones for when I travel for critical listening 

Be sure to compare volume between models if you intend to use it outside.


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## UnsurePerson

How is the charge??? Whats the sound, particularly bass, like??? Isn't there some playback issues with certain songs??


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## cel4145

I don't know about playback issues, and don't understand how that could be an issue. Bluetooth doesn't know what kind of music you are sending it, just that your phone is sending an audio signal that could be anything (doesn't have to be music). So any playback issues for particular music would be an issue with the sending device's playback. That is, unless you are talking about how the speaker sounds with certain types of music. I guess that's individual listener specific as to whether or not it sounds good. 

I don't know what your bass expectations are from small speakers, and so yours and my expectations could be different. The Charge does fine in comparison to other similarly sized speakers, IMO. These small portable speakers have tiny drivers. Can't expect much bass from them. That would sort of be like expecting a moped to go 100 mph. LOL

Best thing you can do is demo a few speakers somehow. I bought a few and returned them. And I took a 3.5mm cable to a couple of stores where I could plug my phone up direct (some that wasn't possible). Of course the stores are weird places sometimes to try them with the horrible acoustics and/or how the speakers are setup on the shelf. Some bluetooth speakers in stores have special demo modes that you can listen to that the manufacturer created. But I'm always cautious about judging them based on that because the music recording could have been EQ'd to make them sound better in the display. Bose does that with their home audio speaker store setups (don't know about their bluetooth).


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## UnsurePerson

thankyou, that was very helpful. Anyone have any recommendations??? I am personally looking at the fugoo style, any impressions??


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## m-i-c-k-e-y

Jbl Extreme, Infinity One... A bit larger: Klipsch KMC. 

go to YouTube and search this guy: clavitjunkie. 

He has very good comparisons for portable speakers. 

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


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## lxfapril

unsureperson said:


> Thanks for the replies guys. I have been looking at the Sony SRS-X5 series, they seem good, I will be doing more research. I really like the look of "Core" by Mass Fidelity, but it's just too expensive for me. This is a real shame as it looks INCRDIBLE! Anyone else have anything to say good/bad about any speakers mentioned or suggestions for any new ones????


 
 Does the Sony SRS-X5 series go well? How about the bass? I am thinking about getting one, but not sure about it.


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## LordToshiro

DefTech Sound Cylinder.
  
 Under $200.
  
 http://www.digitaltrends.com/wireless-speaker-dock-reviews/definitive-technology-sound-cylinder-revie/
  
 Hope this helps.


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## cel4145

Just got the TDK Trek 360 that has been going on sale for $50 to $60. Using the aux in with my Sansa Clip Zip, sounds great, as good as any other bluetooth speaker I have heard for <$200 (and better than many). Note that it has the old 2.1 bluetooth protocol, so not quite as exciting for those that mainly want to use bluetooth with it (which I don't).


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## abm0

m-i-c-k-e-y said:


> Jbl Extreme, Infinity One... A bit larger: Klipsch KMC.
> 
> go to YouTube and search this guy: clavitjunkie.


 
  
 That would be *clavinetjunkie* on YouTube (or see his blog *oluvsgadgets* where he also posts frequency response graphs for some of the speakers).
  
 I've watched all his video comparisons and reviews and from all that information it would appear the best value for money you can get around $100 is the Denon Envaya Mini, which is a very portable half-liter speaker, only major downside to it being the battery life (won't last you more than 3 hours at max. volume, so you can't hold a party with it all night on a single charge but it will do fine for calmer settings).
  
 Of those mentioned so far, the JBL Charge (1) has been superseded in quality by the Charge 2+ and the Flip 3 from the same manufacturer, while the Sony bluetooth speakers got beaten by too many other models to mention. Just skip Sony and look for something else.
  
 And if price is not an issue you can start looking at seriously flat-responding releases like the Riva S ($250 last I checked) or what seems to be the bluetooth champion at the moment, the Vifa Helsinki ($450 I think).


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## anakin0921

Any recommendations for < 150 $ compared to Bose sound link mini II. Not really a fan of bose so looking for help!


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## cel4145

Over your budget, but JBL Extreme is on sale for BF/Cyber Monday for $199: http://www.jbl.com/bluetooth-speakers/XTREME.html


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## abm0

anakin0921 said:


> Any recommendations for < 150 $ compared to Bose sound link mini II. Not really a fan of bose so looking for help!


 
 If your priority is audio fidelity, https://www.amazon.com/Denon-Bluetooth-Envaya-DSB-100BKEM-Black/dp/B00SFZ4EWC/ref=sr_1_1 is by far the best option in that budget.
 Caveats: no more than 3 hours of autonomy at maximum volume, and a maximum volume that's not quite sufficient for listening in the car. Some have had problems with the battery dying on them, but that happened pretty quickly and they just got the unit replaced.
  
 LE:
 A lot of reviews on Amazon about the battery dying 1 - 1.5 years later, fresh out of warranty, and not heavy users either. I guess I've just been lucky so far, as mine is only now getting to 1.5 years of (light) usage and still working. I guess it would make sense to look for something else, knowing all this. Which is sad, because purely sound-quality-wise nothing in this price and size class comes anywhere near the Envaya Mini.
  
 Since you said you wanted something comparable to the Soundlink Mini II, which means an outdoors-friendly V-shaped sound signature, the one to look at inside of $150 would be the JBL Charge 3: https://www.amazon.com/JBL-Waterproof-Portable-Bluetooth-Speaker/dp/B01F24RHF4/ref=sr_1_3
  
 You can use Oluv's switcher tool to compare the sound of the Charge 3 to various other portable speakers if it helps you decide: http://switcher.oluvsgadgets.net/


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## anakin0921

I actually had the Denon's in mind too, was looking for input on those : ).And they fit the budget too. But i heard about some battery issues too, is that really a problem?


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## abm0

anakin0921 said:


> i heard about some battery issues too, is that really a problem?


 
 I've had mine for 19 months now and it's still working fine, albeit I haven't used it that much, maybe for 15-20 charge cycles in total. If you set aside the negative reviews on Amazon written by people who didn't understand that keeping the speaker's own amp at 100% all the time will drain the battery super-fast, and count only those stating explicitly that their battery had died / stopped recharging, you have 23 out of 111 reviews with that problem. It's your choice if you want to take that chance for the sake of audio quality.
  
 I notice one reviewer said they simply opened up their Envaya Mini and replaced the dead cell with some other 2600 mAh 18650 lithium-ion rechargeable off the market and that fixed it. Hell, you could put in a higher-capacity 18650 while you're at it. But then there's that other review where the guy replaced the cell and still didn't get it working. So it's still a gamble.


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## anakin0921

abm0 said:


> I've had mine for 19 months now and it's still working fine, albeit I haven't used it that much, maybe for 15-20 charge cycles in total. If you set aside the negative reviews on Amazon written by people who didn't understand that keeping the speaker's own amp at 100% all the time will drain the battery super-fast, and count only those stating explicitly that their battery had died / stopped recharging, you have 23 out of 111 reviews with that problem. It's your choice if you want to take that chance for the sake of audio quality.
> 
> I notice one reviewer said they simply opened up their Envaya Mini and replaced the dead cell with some other 2600 mAh 18650 lithium-ion rechargeable off the market and that fixed it. Hell, you could put in a higher-capacity 18650 while you're at it. But then there's that other review where the guy replaced the cell and still didn't get it working. So it's still a gamble.


 
 Thanks, i think i will give them a shot.


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## Dobrescu George

Something I think everyone will love is Vifa Copenhagen. They sound like a 1 K USD Headphone, if I can say that, this speaker is so sweet and musical it is amazing


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## The Socialist Nerd

I use a JBL Charge 3 or JBL Flip 3 for my monthly classical music presentation. I wince whenever I use those and honestly I wish Triangle would come out with a portable speaker.


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## Dobrescu George

The Socialist Nerd said:


> I use a JBL Charge 3 or JBL Flip 3 for my monthly classical music presentation. I wince whenever I use those and honestly I wish Triangle would come out with a portable speaker.



Who knows, maybe they will! 

Triangle is one of those companies who is interesting when they make something


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## abm0

The Socialist Nerd said:


> I use a JBL Charge 3 or JBL Flip 3 for my monthly classical music presentation. I wince whenever I use those and honestly I wish Triangle would come out with a portable speaker.


Yeah, those are both from the wince-worthy generation, but you should compare the Flip 4 one day, especially with the treble mod you can find on YouTube. JBL got very close to best-in-class with that one. (Or, of course, just go Denon DSB-250 and be done with it, if you can justify upping the price segment.)


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## The Socialist Nerd

Dobrescu George said:


> Who knows, maybe they will!
> 
> Triangle is one of those companies who is interesting when they make something



I know that Triangle has an awesome AIO 3 but there is no way I will be able to toss that into my backpack like well, one of my JBL speakers.


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## Dobrescu George

I posted my in-depth review about Vifa Copenhagen 2.0, a portable Bluetooth Speaker with a huge sound, and a huge... price  

It is interesting to think about it though, looks like an IKEA furniture piece, costs quite a bit, but sounds good enough to justify that price point  

https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2020/04/vifa-copenhagen-2-bluetooth-speaker.html


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