# Best Bluetooth Speakers in 2020



## alaiswang

This list is from androidcentral: https://www.androidcentral.com/best-bluetooth-speakers

*Best Overall: * Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2
*A Great Alternative:* JBL Charge 4
*Best Battery Life: *Anker Soundcore 2
*Best Value: *Tribit MaxSound Plus
*Goes to 11:* Marshall Stanmore II
*Great for Parties:* Ultomate Ears Megaboom 3
*Best Audio Quality:* Bose SoundLink Revolve+
*Best-Looking Speaker: *V-Moda Remix
*Another Affordable Option: *Sony SRS-XB12
*Great Small Option:* Bose SoundLink Micro
*Toughest Speaker: *Tronsmart Force

Welcome to leave the comments and what you love.


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## Law87

JBL make bloated speakers...


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## alaiswang

Law87 said:


> JBL make bloated speakers...


 It is also one of the "best".


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## ColinYan

Thanks for sharing


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## etroze86

I have to add that my Minirig Mini2s are damn good bt speakers compared to that list.


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## johnston21

I would have thought that the Soundmatters line-up would be represented in the Great Small Option category...I have the Bose SoundLink Micro. It's ok, but not great.


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## andrewski

Minirig 3
A pair make a perfect stereo (pairs in aptx). Expandable with a Sub 3 or two. Has aux in/out so I can add an audioquest dragonfly cobalt.
My BT speaker of 2020


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## 3SQ Account (Aug 7, 2020)

Just adding to the thread -- picked up a Marshall Stockwell II on sale.  It wasn't cheap enough -- not very impressed.  Assuming those on this thread like balanced sound, I would skip it.  My expectations are of course tempered for a mono bluetooth speaker, but this was below that.  Pluses are its portability and some mild water resistance, but overall it's a tinny "small" sound.  It's a shame because the Marshall Mid ANC headphones that I have punch above their weight.  I'll check out what's on this list.


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## SenorChang8

Another vote for Minirig 3. Build, sound quality and loudness is fantastic for its size.


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## MarioMathews

*Best Bluetooth Speakers for Pool Parties*

*UE Wonderboom 2*

The Ultimate Ears Wonderboom was a WIRED Gear of the Year award winner in 2017, and that's because it was the best pool companion you can have. The new Wonderboom 2 is even better. The little 4-inch ball of joy now sports IP67 water and dust resistance. It gets 13 hours of battery (three more than before), has a 100-foot Bluetooth range, floats, and pumps out surprisingly potent audio while doing it.

UE says it's "drop-proof" up to 5 feet, but you can honestly play some light catch with it on the lawn and it won't be any worse for wear. Just wash it off when you're done. You can even pair two together for proper stereo sound. you can also check more speakers for the best bluetooth party speakers.


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## andrewski

Minirig does wired better. Not waterproof though


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## andrewski

Oh, WIRED not wired. My bad


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## alaiswang

andrewski said:


> Oh, WIRED not wired. My bad


Bluetooth speaker LOL


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## andrewski (Oct 1, 2020)

BT 5.0
Pairs in Aptx or AAC
Nice to have wired options though 

Minirig's are worthy of a Dragonfly Cobalt. Just saying.


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## salla45 (Dec 14, 2020)

andrewski said:


> BT 5.0
> Pairs in Aptx or AAC
> Nice to have wired options though
> 
> Minirig's are worthy of a Dragonfly Cobalt. Just saying.


I use my Minirig 3 wired with Chord Mojo fed by Chromecast Audio and Roon to interface. Bliss. I can't get with the Bluetooth. I find I have much better control over volume in low gain mode with wired mode, primarily.



Minirigs are a revelation. I've heard a lot of monitors, big and small, and currently the Minirig 3 is my fave listen. I think the fact that they are so understated in design and apparent concept has them overlooked by many. Minirig sounds way better on-Axis too, upward firing just loses so much of the clarity, separation and definition.

Got another on order from Father Christmas. Can't wait to hear stereo!


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## andrewski

salla45 said:


> I use my Minirig 3 wired with Chord Mojo fed by Chromecast Audio and Roon to interface. Bliss. I can't get with the Bluetooth. I find I have much better control over volume in low gain mode with wired mode, primarily.
> 
> Minirigs are a revelation. I've heard a lot of monitors, big and small, and currently the Minirig 3 is my fave listen. I think the fact that they are so understated in design and apparent concept has them overlooked by many. Minirig sounds way better on-Axis too, upward firing just loses so much of the clarity, separation and definition.
> 
> Got another on order from Father Christmas. Can't wait to hear stereo!


For the price of a Dragonfly Cobalt, I should have gotten a Chord Mojo. I'm hysterically jealous, though I love the Cobalt.

The stereo imaging with two Minirig 3's is insane. The speakers completely disappear. The manual can be vague, but wired, two presses of the button designates a left channel, and three presses designates a right channel. Need to update to version 18 or the process is reversed.

I highly recommend the sub, but would suggest 2.0 over 1.1. Others disagree. Waiting for two Minirig mini 2's, hopefully before Christmas


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## salla45 (Dec 15, 2020)

andrewski said:


> For the price of a Dragonfly Cobalt, I should have gotten a Chord Mojo. I'm hysterically jealous, though I love the Cobalt.
> 
> The stereo imaging with two Minirig 3's is insane. The speakers completely disappear. The manual can be vague, but wired, two presses of the button designates a left channel, and three presses designates a right channel. Need to update to version 18 or the process is reversed.
> 
> I highly recommend the sub, but would suggest 2.0 over 1.1. Others disagree. Waiting for two Minirig mini 2's, hopefully before Christmas


Thanks for that.

Am waiting for my 2nd M3 to arrive, Santa's bringing it, if I've been a good boy 

I'm sure the Cobalt's just as good. The mojo's fine, especially soundwise of course, but it's a bit cumbersome as a portable rig, and the battery's are especially bad. I've had the 2nd failure of battery in 5 years just now; I've just removed it and use it 100% externally powered now. Does the Cobalt have optical input?

With 2 M3s, I can imagine the stereo imaging to be really good. It's what I immediately noticed about 1 only M3, the pinpoint imaging of the single source with a very uncoloured sound throughout the frequency range. I was also thinking simply to get a splitter out of my DAP and feed LR to each M3 when I get mine, like a proper monitor setup; wonder if SQ is improved further. After all, 2 wires are 2 wires, whether daisy chained or coming out of the source.

I just hope to goodness my 2nd M3 arrives for xmas, if my better half has ordered in good time and deliveries are not too delayed, lol.

What has surprised me somewhat has been how much I've simply enjoyed 1 only M3. I thought I'd be really not using it so much because of lusting after a 2nd, but actually I've been pretty obsessive about using it to the complete detriment of my main setups; a large Riva Festival in the kitchen and a pair of Adam A5X's in the living room.

I don't use the high gain at all, theres plenty of power in low gain with a wired connection. I am finding myself chilling with the M3 on my lap or side of the sofa, listening to sounds pretty intimately at medium to low volumes. That's another thing, I love how it performs at low volumes, I can hear all details and really enjoy the music without cranking it up.

The Minirigs are a sort of "everyone should have one of these" speaker, imo.

PS... I'll see how it goes, but potentially I'll go for 2.1 next year


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## salla45

Santa was kind to me and I received a 2nd Minirig 3 + Sub3. What a great setup! Sounds nearly as good as a pair of Adam A5X or better in some circumstances. Shockingly good at times. In all honesty I could probably do without the sub. It's not as lacking without it as one might think. A nice addition, but not essential..The 2.0 setup is just amazing. It demands attention. The soundstage is pinpoint accurate, from left to right. It could have more depth, but for the general l/r positioning of instruments and clarity of sound generally, the lack of depth goes unnoticed. Brilliant. It's a setup with or without sub which can happily replace a "proper" hifi for long periods.


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## salla45

Ok so this is getting serious.

I have been doing some a/b switching between Adam a5x and Minirig 3 2.1

The main takeaway is that the 2 setups sound amazingly similar.

Adams have more power on tap of course, but are less open sounding. Narrower soundstage with the Adams. Really strange how close they are in sound quality. I kept switching to the Minirigs as preference which was a bit of a shocker. The Minirigs sound a bit more musical and euphonic.

This is quite an upset... In a good way 😆😱😆

Truly the tagline from Minirigs, the only speaker you will ever need, could actually apply.


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## salla45

Managed to find some mini-tripods to work as Minirig speaker stands. Really effective...


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## ilianto

I have been recently updating my portable audio equipment and have spent nearly 500€ on two pairs of modded MH1's, a pair of KSC75, a pair of PortaPros, a BTR5 and a pair of Fiio FH3s for all my life listening scenarios... While getting all of these during this winter I was also expecting a Minirig 3 to drag around the house and the garden during the day. It was a very fun winter music-wise....
Now the Minirig has finally come, and somehow I prefer it's mono sound these last few days to all of the above and dare I say maybe even to my Edifier R2000DB's... Am I going crazy?


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## salla45 (Mar 18, 2021)

ilianto said:


> I have been recently updating my portable audio equipment and have spent nearly 500€ on two pairs of modded MH1's, a pair of KSC75, a pair of PortaPros, a BTR5 and a pair of Fiio FH3s for all my life listening scenarios... While getting all of these during this winter I was also expecting a Minirig 3 to drag around the house and the garden during the day. It was a very fun winter music-wise....
> Now the Minirig has finally come, and somehow I prefer it's mono sound these last few days to all of the above and dare I say maybe even to my Edifier R2000DB's... Am I going crazy?


No you're not. I was the same when I got my 1 off Minirig 3. A pair is a game changer though. Then a sub...then another sub... then another satellite pair just to add more weight to the sound... lol

As I mentioned above, I've actively compared A/B listening-wise, a pair of Minirigs+a sub to a pair of Adam Audio A5X's, and they are pretty equal.

No, you're not going crazy at all.  I used the minirig setup exclusively for around 10 weeks since xmas.

I've cooled off a bit and using more suitable desk and living room powered speaker round the house again. I have some Kef X300A's and some Iloud Micros which both do sterling service in their respective rooms. The minirigs are now in their pouches and ready for portable use  - in the end the need to recharge, re-pair, and switch between sources, re-wire etc, was getting a bit annoying with the "Rigs". Horses for courses and all that!

What's mind blowing with the Minirigs is their ability to sound _*that*_ good _*and *_to be able to waltz around the room with it at the same time, or hunker down in an arm chair with it on your lap, or take it to the privvy with you, lol.


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## ilianto (Mar 18, 2021)

salla45 said:


> No you're not. I was the same when I got my 1 off Minirig 3. A pair is a game changer though. Then a sub...then another sub... then another satellite pair just to add more weight to the sound... lol
> 
> As I mentioned above, I've actively compared A/B listening-wise, a pair of Minirigs+a sub to a pair of Adam Audio A5X's, and they are pretty equal.
> 
> ...


What is even more odd to me is that I really like the MONO sound from just one Minirig. I used to have a Tivoli Number One for a few years and it had quite a nice sound as well. Somehow many genres of music I listen too sound really well in mono. Solo performances especially. And I don't feel I miss more bass, I think they are quite bassy actually which makes them sound warm and cozy with many genres. It definitely plays louder and cleaner than the Tivoli.
The best thing is that I can take this good sound everywhere though. Next to my bed, in the kitchen, outdoors. And with only one there is non fuzz with pairing. And AptX BT sounds really good. Not much difference when connecting the BTR5 with LDAC.


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## salla45

ilianto said:


> What is even more odd to me is that I really like the MONO sound from just one Minirig. I used to have a Tivoli Number One for a few years and it had quite a nice sound as well. Somehow many genres of music I listen too sound really well in mono. Solo performances especially. And I don't feel I miss more bass, I think they are quite bassy actually which makes them sound warm and cozy with many genres. It definitely plays louder and cleaner than the Tivoli.
> The best thing is that I can take this good sound everywhere though. Next to my bed, in the kitchen, outdoors. And with only one there is non fuzz with pairing. And AptX BT sounds really good. Not much difference when connecting the BTR5 with LDAC.


yes i hear you on that. I had one only for a month b4 xmas and loved it! Now i've got a pair and sub, it's almost lost a bit of the magic of just the single speaker. I still prefer a pair, as the pairing's good once you get used to it. And once you hear the stereo... wow. Such precision, detail, soundstage is fantastic. Not deep, but pinpoint l to r. I'd say you lose a bit of the fun factor going from 1 to 2, but you gain so much more in SQ and also doubling the output of course.


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## salla45

ilianto said:


> What is even more odd to me is that I really like the MONO sound from just one Minirig. I used to have a Tivoli Number One for a few years and it had quite a nice sound as well. Somehow many genres of music I listen too sound really well in mono. Solo performances especially. And I don't feel I miss more bass, I think they are quite bassy actually which makes them sound warm and cozy with many genres. It definitely plays louder and cleaner than the Tivoli.
> The best thing is that I can take this good sound everywhere though. Next to my bed, in the kitchen, outdoors. And with only one there is non fuzz with pairing. And AptX BT sounds really good. Not much difference when connecting the BTR5 with LDAC.


checkout my tripod pic in the post above.. it's a great addition. You can attach the minirig anywhere with that


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## ilianto

I guess eventually I will add at least a sub for outdoors where more loudness is needed but a second one might also come in the future. When relatives travel to Greece from the UK that is cause this one cost me about 200€ to get here... 🥴
And I already have a tripod like this for my phone so thanks for the idea about placement options! 🤘😄


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## salla45 (Mar 18, 2021)

ilianto said:


> I guess eventually I will add at least a sub for outdoors where more loudness is needed but a second one might also come in the future. When relatives travel to Greece from the UK that is cause this one cost me about 200€ to get here... 🥴
> And I already have a tripod like this for my phone so thanks for the idea about placement options! 🤘😄


If I was to choose, either sub or 2nd m3, i'd go for 2nd m3. The bass boost is nice, but not essential. I'd say the bass boost is nice for outside partying when a lot of bass gets carried away due to the space and wind factors. 2.1 outside, cranked up is quite amazing. Clear and loud!! Lots of people complain about the sound getting harsh when you push the m3, but really you need to give them space to do that. At around 10 or 12 feet away outside , around 8ft apart with the sub working as well, the setup is just astonishing. Especially if you back the setup against the side of a house to get additional reflective sound.

Actually, when it's cranking like that outside, and pushing the db's, it really gets you think about another sub, another pair running in parallel and so one. What if...? Lol


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## salla45

Ok, so the minirig addiction bites deeper.

I received a week ago a pair of Minirig Mini 2's. 

I would say that they sound almost identical to the Minirig 3's at low to medium volumes. They go loud. Physics takes over inevitably above perhaps 80 decibels and they start to sound more shouty than the 3's. The 3's win out for sheer power, as one would imagine. The 3's have a smidgen more bass presence at lower volumes and more certainly as the db's increase. Having said that, dare I say it, but the mids and highs may be even better on the Minis. Jury's out on that.

To my mind, the mini 2's offer about 80% overall of the capability of the 3's for normal usage. This is incredibly given they occupy  less than half the volume and are about half the weight of the 3's.

I also came to the conclusion that minirigs should be used as a system, stereo pair or more. Once used as a pair, they really shine as a replacement for desk monitors on the go. To use just one Minirig is great but sort of just gives half the loveliness.

Finally, wiring up the 2 mini+2 Minirig 3's + Sub makes for a killer rig. The extra power and added midrange and hf weight added by the Minis seems to make the whole setup much more effortless and means it really does sound good when compared to the Adam A5X's which I have in the living room. Better overall. But the bass of the Adams still kills the MR setup. Note the cost of the 4 mr + sub is getting on for over 700 eur which is a hefty investment, lol. 

Currently I'm really just using the MR Minis to assess their potential. Can't wait to take them on holiday as my only setup. DAP + 2x Mini's will make a super lightweight solution for travelling.

Enclosed is the rig I have setup using velcro+short angled connectors to link MR mini to 3's and then mount them on tripods. Works nicely.


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## semaj8james (Jul 26, 2021)

salla45 said:


> Ok so this is getting serious.
> 
> I have been doing some a/b switching between Adam a5x and Minirig 3 2.1
> 
> ...


Hah your story & photo is found in a Minirig 3 review.

I love your tripod setup for them by the way! How did you mount the Minirig 3 to that?

edit: OMG nevermind, I have the same tripod and realize you just used the retractable phone holder part for it - GENIUS!


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## andrewski

Really enjoying the pair of mini2's I got in December. They have some interesting differences from the Minirig 3. One thing that took me too long to notice was that when paired in BT stereo, the primary speaker is the right channel, while the secondary speaker is the left. This is opposite on the 3's. Also after the mini's have been paired in stereo, they will not work wired in input mode. They line out to a sub no problem, but require a factory reset to work wired line in again. Also, when wired two presses of the button will make a right channel with two wires inserted (as pictured) and a left channel with one wire inserted. Important to note that this is on update version 14, as it may all change.


These speakers are on another level wired. The sub is capable of going louder without clipping (my files are too much for high gain), and deeper. Blending the sound signature from the mini's, the 3's and the sub3 is the best stereo I've ever had. Recommended


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## semaj8james

andrewski said:


> Really enjoying the pair of mini2's I got in December. They have some interesting differences from the Minirig 3. One thing that took me too long to notice was that when paired in BT stereo, the primary speaker is the right channel, while the secondary speaker is the left. This is opposite on the 3's. Also after the mini's have been paired in stereo, they will not work wired in input mode. They line out to a sub no problem, but require a factory reset to work wired line in again. Also, when wired two presses of the button will make a right channel with two wires inserted (as pictured) and a left channel with one wire inserted. Important to note that this is on update version 14, as it may all change.
> 
> 
> These speakers are on another level wired. The sub is capable of going louder without clipping (my files are too much for high gain), and deeper. Blending the sound signature from the mini's, the 3's and the sub3 is the best stereo I've ever had. Recommended


Do you find that adding the Mini to the Minirig 3 + Sub3 combo to be worth it? I like the idea a lot but adding 2 more cables & components puts me off. How much difference does it make to the overall sound characteristics when pushing max SPL?


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## andrewski (Jul 26, 2021)

Definitely worth it for me, but maybe wouldn't recommend for everyone. Unless you can't play loud at home and don't have a better stereo. I went from two mini's, two 3's, and a sub through the dragonfly (above), to just the mini's on BT, and thought 'wow, that sounds good, even has some punch'. I find I take them everywhere, being that much smaller and lighter. I love the high mids they provide. They seem to impossibly match the volume of the 3's, without the body and weight. I used them in a noisy warehouse, high gain max volume and got 2.5 hours before the batteries went. The 3's destroy them in that department.

Hope that helps. They do add to the dynamics seamlessly, but more cables, more batteries to use and charge, more money. You won't regret your choice , I think


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## andrewski

Also (sorry), I find the mini's with a sub more dynamic with maybe less weight than the Minirig 3's in 2.1


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## andrewski

One more quirk about the mini's. When in BT 2.1, the mini with the sub plugged in adjusts it's eq with less bass. This can sound terribly unbalanced, especially if the sub is central. Plugging a dummy aux cable in the secondary speaker will match its eq with the primary speaker.


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## monz

andrewski said:


> Minirig does wired better. Not waterproof though


Nice setup! What is the brand of that cable? Thinking of going for a Dragonfly for my 2.2 setup. I´m so impressed by these little speakers. I´m actually using them as monitors when I make music as well.


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## salla45

andrewski said:


> Definitely worth it for me, but maybe wouldn't recommend for everyone. Unless you can't play loud at home and don't have a better stereo. I went from two mini's, two 3's, and a sub through the dragonfly (above), to just the mini's on BT, and thought 'wow, that sounds good, even has some punch'. I find I take them everywhere, being that much smaller and lighter. I love the high mids they provide. They seem to impossibly match the volume of the 3's, without the body and weight. I used them in a noisy warehouse, high gain max volume and got 2.5 hours before the batteries went. The 3's destroy them in that department.
> 
> Hope that helps. They do add to the dynamics seamlessly, but more cables, more batteries to use and charge, more money. You won't regret your choice , I think


Odd that... I prefer the Minis for the most part over the 3's.  I think it depends on the room size and placement also. I find the 3's are just too overpowering in my small cubic kitchen. The Minis are brilliant for low-medium volumes. The Minis are just brilliant. I use the 3's often enough in the car where i need the oomph to overcome ambient noise. For a party, can't beat the 3's + sub though


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## andrewski

monz said:


> Nice setup! What is the brand of that cable? Thinking of going for a Dragonfly for my 2.2 setup. I´m so impressed by these little speakers. I´m actually using them as monitors when I make music as well.


Audioquest Golden Gate 3.5mm - 3.5mm. Perhaps a little overpriced, but certainly look pretty. Started with one Audioquest Evergreen, and was so impressed with the sonic difference, upgraded to Golden Gate. Need 3 more for nine Minirigs together (Minirig3 x 4, mini2 x 2, and Sub3 x 3).


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## andrewski

salla45 said:


> Odd that... I prefer the Minis for the most part over the 3's.  I think it depends on the room size and placement also. I find the 3's are just too overpowering in my small cubic kitchen. The Minis are brilliant for low-medium volumes. The Minis are just brilliant. I use the 3's often enough in the car where i need the oomph to overcome ambient noise. For a party, can't beat the 3's + sub though


I thought the recent update to version 19 made the 3's sound even more overpowered, maybe too boomy, but I'm adjusting to it. The mini's win with detail and atmosphere.


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## salla45

andrewski said:


> I thought the recent update to version 19 made the 3's sound even more overpowered, maybe too boomy, but I'm adjusting to it. The mini's win with detail and atmosphere.


Is that a software update to the 3's? Ive never bothered to even check for updates. I just think the 3's need more room to breathe over the mini's. Better suited to more distance between listening position speaker. A more "trad" hifi set up if you like. The minis are amazing little things. I've noticed really big differences in bass boost depending where I site them, and the bass gained is still quite tight. Eg under kitchen cabinets backed to wall, as opposed to in the middle of the room on kitchen table, massive difference.  Not too surprising of course, but its really chalk and cheese in terms of bass output.


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## monz

What would be the easiest best and portable way of streaming lossless from an Iphone to a Minirig 3 setup? Chromecast Audio?


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