AudioCircle
Audio/Video Gear and Systems => Cheap and Cheerful HiFi => Topic started by: jriggy on 18 Apr 2017, 04:27 pm
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Hey all,
I hope this Circle is good for this topic. Best I could think of, as it would ultimately be under $1k.
I am looking for a great or good sounding single box bluetooth speaker unit for the kitchen...
Something that is smooth and clear sounding. Good low bass would be great BUT I think smooth / low distortion is more important for this use.
Suggestions??
Thanks!
Jason
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Maybe this one? (No personal experience)
http://www.hifizine.com/2017/02/benq-trevolo-portable-electrostatic-speaker/
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This is WAY under your price range, but I bought the wife a JBL "Charge II" about a year ago.
The bass in incredible, and from an "audiophile" perspective, I'm very happy. Fill s the room with plenty of sound.
Work great outside too, but I do have boundary reinforcement in mind for placement location.
Heavy little unit too, feels like a brick.
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Checkout the Logitech Megaboom. you can buy two for stereo pair
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Some good suggestions so far... Ill look into all of these.
How bout the B&W Zeppelin? Is that one worth the coin?
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The Peachtree Audio deepblue2 will give you a smooth and clear sound along with good bass by virtue of its 5 driver array (1 x 6.5", 2 x 3" and 2 x 1" silk dome), 440W amplifier and sealed enclosure. The 6.5" woofer is run in mono and although 440W seems a bit like overkill, it also insures you will have enough amplifier headroom, which many Bluetooth amplified speakers don't.
It's being offered on special at $350 from its $500 MSRP.
If you're interested, you may want to read the Inner Fidelity review (http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/peachtree-audio-deepblue2-table-top-bluetooth-speaker#SdA6kIlll7JhMUsx.97) which explains the EQ curves designed into the volume control steps and how best to balance deepblue2 volume and source volume for consistent frequency response.
Steve
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I don't own this one, but all of my Audioengine products have been great.
http://audioengineusa.com/Store/Powered-Speaker-Systems/B2-Standalone-Bluetooth-Speaker (http://audioengineusa.com/Store/Powered-Speaker-Systems/B2-Standalone-Bluetooth-Speaker)
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Thanks JohnR and srb. The Peachtree and the trevolo are peaking some interest...
TomS,
I was first and foremost going for the Audio Engine B2. It is discounted right now through DedicatedAudio...but I am a little reluctant based on its mixed reviews. I have found my ears and 'mental state' do much better the more smooth and clear the sound is --less distortion.
(BTW, Ill email you tomorrow with confirmation on our plans)
~J
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Riva makes some nice options as well: https://rivaaudio.com/
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KEF Muo it's excellent, I have one
Mark
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The Riva is a fantastic option. Highly recommended!!
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I'd love to hear the Riva against my JVC. Looks like a quality unit, and the price it right.
Just for grins, I'd be willing to do a video of the JVC on my iPhone.
I've never done a video, but I've been wanting to, and this might just be a good enough reason.
I've also got a GoPro, but I don't think the audio would be flattering for "audiophile stuff".
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Go for it Bob! :thumb: I have to admit, I was a lil skeptical of that little JVC when first mentioned.
I look forward to looking into the Riva options...
Loud vol levels are not necessary for this application but smooth clean and clear sound is. Hence my interest in the Trevolo, that JohnR mentioned... Reviewed like that but with a lil bit better reviewed bass would be perf.
I should rally be thinking more about the new forthcoming listing room, but gotta have some tunes in the kitchen in the mean time!
~J
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Ok... Challenge accepted. :lol:
Can I have til the weekend? :wink:
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Wow, the prices on these things seem to be neither cheap nor cheerful !!!!! :duh:
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Wow, the prices on these things seem to be neither cheap nor cheerful !!!!! :duh:
:lol: I hear ya! In the grand scheme of audio systems, $500 or so is not that much. but when you look at the size of the hunk of metal or plastics you are getting, you are totally right!
Some of these options are only 200bux, so thats cheerful!
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Wow, the prices on these things seem to be neither cheap nor cheerful !!!!! :duh:
I'd judge the cost based on the convenience and sound quality, not so much as the size.
I mean, they are supposed to be portable after all.
I'd encourage you to give one a try. I think you'd agree that they aren't "that bad" after all.
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I have had a few bluetooth setup that included the Harman Kardon Onyx, a Bose Unit one of the originals and now have a unit from Brookstone called the Big Blue Party. I have been extremely impressed with the unit. The price is right, it has great battery life and is portable. Do a search on youtube and there are reviews on the unit and comparing it to others.
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... it [Big Blue Party] has great battery life ...
4.5 hours?
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Based on similar prior recommendations, I'm (still) giving serious consideration Bluesound Pulse 2. Haven't pulled the trigger yet as the forthcoming next generation Oppo unit looks very promising.
Kenreau
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:lol: I hear ya! In the grand scheme of audio systems, $500 or so is not that much. but when you look at the size of the hunk of metal or plastics you are getting, you are totally right!
Some of these options are only 200bux, so thats cheerful!
And then you have those wallet crushing monsters like the Devialet Phantom... :roll:
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Just for grins, I'd be willing to do a video of the JVC on my iPhone.
I've never done a video, but I've been wanting to, and this might just be a good enough reason.
Ok, here ya go. :wink:
The iPhone video capture and upload to Youtube was easier than I thought it would be.
Please ignore the dent on the metal face :duh:
https://youtu.be/Cp8Tt9czDRs
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Oh... I'm 6' away when the dbl was taken.
Also, those are passive radiators on the sides, not drivers.
I tried to get it in a spot where there was no boundary reinforcement. "No cheating".
When there is some, I can use it in my driveway, 50' away and it's plenty loud.
Hope that helps.
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This is WAY under your price range, but I bought the wife a JBL "Charge II" about a year ago.
The bass in incredible, and from an "audiophile" perspective, I'm very happy. Fill s the room with plenty of sound.
Work great outside too, but I do have boundary reinforcement in mind for placement location.
Heavy little unit too, feels like a brick.
I got one too for Christmas to bring down to Florida with us. Couldn't be happier, but make sure you are buying the real thing. There are a lot of Chinese counterfeits out there and they sound like crap.
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The Chinese tend to rip off and screw up a lot of things. Copyrights mean nothing to them. :roll:
Thanks for the heads-up.
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Hey, thanks for the vid Bob!
That thing sounds pretty sweet.
With all the other important projects going and coming up that pp may be the ticket...at least for now.
~J
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Cool, glad I could help! :thumb:
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*BUMP*
Curious what you bought and what you think of it.
That JBL I recommended is less than half the price I originally paid for it. A steal as far as I'm concerned.
So on the weekends, the wife and I are always fighting over who gets the speaker so today she finally caved and said "Get another speaker".
Game on. :icon_twisted:
As much as I love the "JBL Charge II", I must expand my horizons and see what else is out there, so I bought a "Marshall".
(Yea, like the Marshall stacks) 8)
I'll letcha know how it turns out.
---> Marshall Acton M-ACCS-10126 <--- (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OHW3DF6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
It's Bluetooth or corded, as shown in the image.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71vwZvAht9L._SX522_.jpg)
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Ohh... and it's got tone controls too. :icon_twisted:
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I bought this off Amazon for $59 two months ago and it sounds excellent.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01J4HCBZG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
(Seems its no longer available now?) Great bass and very smooth sounding. SIXTY DOLLARS! What?
With this I was intrigued and purchased the JBL Extreme from Bestbuy this afternoon. I want to be able to cover a larger area.
Unfortunately, sound quality between the HyperXL and the JBL isnt even close. The JBL gets alot louder buts its all lows and highs. The bass is boosted and isnt natural sounding at all. Even my wife said, "The little one sounds a lot better." Its going back.
Now the search continues. I want the same or better sound quality as the Hyper XL but more volume.
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I just ordered a JBL Charge II to use with my Alexa Dot. Hope it sounds better than my Jawbone Jambox, that thing sounds like a tin can.
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I just ordered a JBL Charge II to use with my Alexa Dot. Hope it sounds better than my Jawbone Jambox, that thing sounds like a tin can.
Good to hear, please let us know how you like it.
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I have a Deep Blue 2 (brother is a Peachtree dealer) and I like it. Wifey uses it for her yoga classes. This thing makes unbelievable bass. Good for indoors or small outdoor gigs but won't fill a stadium.
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*BUMP*
Curious what you bought and what you think of it.
That JBL I recommended is less than half the price I originally paid for it. A steal as far as I'm concerned.
So on the weekends, the wife and I are always fighting over who gets the speaker so today she finally caved and said "Get another speaker".
Game on. :icon_twisted:
As much as I love the "JBL Charge II", I must expand my horizons and see what else is out there, so I bought a "Marshall".
(Yea, like the Marshall stacks) 8)
I'll letcha know how it turns out.
---> Marshall Acton M-ACCS-10126 <--- (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OHW3DF6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
It's Bluetooth or corded, as shown in the image.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71vwZvAht9L._SX522_.jpg)
Hey Bob,
As much as I appreciated all the suggestions, I ended up not getting anything. :duh: The big move, set-up of new home AND prepping the old place for market took over our lives... the big rig is sounding so good in its new room and it projects quite well through the somewhat open floor plan.
I might think on this again later in the year...
Thanks for all the help guys!
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No worries. Good thread anyway. I'll update with my thoughts on the Marshall, in the interest of continuity, just in case folks reference this in the future.
Hope you get things calmed down and get some more time and money to buy more audio stuff. :lol:
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You called it right there, Bob! Me too! As my LIO wants to weigh more :guitar:
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Wow, the prices on these things seem to be neither cheap nor cheerful !!!!! :duh:
I was thinking the same thing~ lol :nono:
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Well, I've received the Marshall "Action" speaker. I must say the sound quality is eyebrow raising. It is better than the JBL "Charge II", but it's also twice the size and twice the price, so there's that.
Seems I was unaware of the fact that when you search for portable Bluetooth speakers, that you must also pay attention to the fact that they're aren't necessarily battery powered. Yes indeed, the "Action" requires a wall outlet, so portability is out the window.... :duh:
I've got 30 days (Amazon Prime) to return it. The fact it had bass and treble adjustments, and it fills a very large area with a quality sound, I'll have to take advantage of that 30 days to determine if I want to send it back. The sex appeal of having a little piece of a "mini Marshall stack" combined with what it does do so well makes it hard to box it up and send it back just because it has a leash.
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Seems I was unaware of the fact that when you search for portable Bluetooth speakers, that you must also pay attention to the fact that they're aren't necessarily battery powered. Yes indeed, the "Action" requires a wall outlet, so portability is out the window.... :duh:
You have to be careful of Goggle search results, but on the Marshall Headphones website under "Portable", only the Stockwell and Kilburn are listed.
The "Acton" (although I'm sure you've put into "Action" ;) ) is closest to the portable Kilburn. Although both appear to have the same 4" woofer and 2 X 3/4" tweeters, the Kilburn is very slightly smaller and less powerful - 25W (5W + 5W + 15W) vs. the Acton's 41W (8W + 8W +25W). What you get in return is 20 hours battery playback time @ 50% volume.
The Kilburn retails for $50 more than the Acton, but is available refurbished from Amazon for the same price.
Steve
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Well... you could always get a portable AC power pack.
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My vote would go to the JBL Charge 3. Sounds great, can charge another device if needed, good battery life and waterproof. Will fill a pretty good sized space for its size. Much larger would make traveling with it a bit difficult.
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Hmm good find Steve. We're going on vacation soon, so won't be dealing with any thing until we get back (I don't want a box sitting on my porch for a week while I'm out of town).
Adding an A/C portable powerpack would work, but now we're getting less and less "portable'. :lol:
I'm a big fan of the "Charge" line, but don't need waterproof. The Charge II I've got is fantastic, but I like to experiment and try different things. Gotta get some new toys, ya know? :wink:
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The Rocketfish RF WSP313 from Best Buy is surprisingly good - mine gets a ton of use. Not sure if that model still exists.
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I'm in the same sort of boat as the OP originally posted.
There is a lot of great info in this set of reviews if you keep scrolling. The Deep Blue was the clear winner however.
http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-home-bluetooth-speaker/
I was really hoping for something covered in wood though. Maybe a quality vinyl wrap? :D
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I've been quite happy with our JBL L8... there is the "bigger brother" L16, but cost & space constraints led me to the L8
Connection Options: Bluetooth, WiFi, AirPlay, Wired...
Sound Vision Review (http://www.soundvisionreview.com/hi-fi-home-theater/speakers/jbl-authentics-l8-review/)
Link to Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/JBL-Premium-2-0-Channel-Theater-L8/dp/B01DMCTW06/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1503057765&sr=8-2&keywords=jbl+wireless+speaker+L8)
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I bought the JBL Charge 3 and it's way too boomy sounding.
Are any of the rec's on this thread NOT bass heavy? I'd much rather have clarity and snap over heavy bass.
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I bought the JBL Charge 3 and it's way too boomy sounding.
Are any of the rec's on this thread NOT bass heavy? I'd much rather have clarity and snap over heavy bass.
After a bit more research, I've ordered the Riva Audio Turbo X. I'll keep the JBL Charge 3 on hand so I can do some direct comparisons.
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After a bit more research, I've ordered the Riva Audio Turbo X. I'll keep the JBL Charge 3 on hand so I can do some direct comparisons.
A buddy of mine has this unit, I have listened to it many times. I think you will like it, sounds great, good detail, I don't think we have ever had the battery give out in the middle of a listening session, although we probably haven't listened to it more than a few hours at a time. It has decent bass output but needs some boundary reinforcement for best bass.
Best,
Ed
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A buddy of mine has this unit, I have listened to it many times. I think you will like it, sounds great, good detail, I don't think we have ever had the battery give out in the middle of a listening session, although we probably haven't listened to it more than a few hours at a time. It has decent bass output but needs some boundary reinforcement for best bass.
Best,
Ed
Thanks Ed! Yes, there's other units I was looking at but they were all bigger and/or didn't have a battery. Being highly portable was very high on the priority list. Is it weird that I'm actually excited about a portable speaker? Haha.
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If I could afford it, I would go for the Vifa Helsinki:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB4aoHzkx04
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWR0ysVNrCc
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After a bit more research, I've ordered the Riva Audio Turbo X. I'll keep the JBL Charge 3 on hand so I can do some direct comparisons.
Tyson,
I think you'll like the Riva. Got one for my daughter, she loves it. They also make wi-fi enabled speakers now.
NB
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Tyson,
I think you'll like the Riva. Got one for my daughter, she loves it. They also make wi-fi enabled speakers now.
NB
I'm getting it for my daughter, too. She's 10. It's just an upgrade to allow her to have better sound when watching a youtube video or streaming music on her ipad. Plus it will facilitate spontaneous dance-offs :) That already happens, but it'll happen even more with something that has better sound than the iPad internal speakers.
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I'm getting it for my daughter, too. She's 10. It's just an upgrade to allow her to have better sound when watching a youtube video or streaming music on her ipad. Plus it will facilitate spontaneous dance-offs :) That already happens, but it'll happen even more with something that has better sound than the iPad internal speakers.
I think we'll all need to see a video of any and all spontaneous dance-offs. Actually, and I might be wrong, but I think that's an AC rule.
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"Videos, or it didn't happen".
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Got the Riva Turbo X today. MUCH better than the JBL Charge 3. The Riva's a keeper :thumb:
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I think we'll all need to see a video of any and all spontaneous dance-offs. Actually, and I might be wrong, but I think that's an AC rule.
I'd do it if I had even an ounce of rhythm in my body. Sorry, only immediate family gets to see me dance... :banana piano:
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Got the Riva Turbo X today. MUCH better than the JBL Charge 3. The Riva's a keeper :thumb:
:thumb:
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Got the Riva Turbo X today. MUCH better than the JBL Charge 3. The Riva's a keeper :thumb:
I would agree with this, I returned the JBL and picked up the Riva, I was familiar with the Riva because a buddy has one, it didn’t take long listening to the JBL to know the Riva is better.
I’m bumping this old thread because there is a good deal on the Riva Turbo X right now.
The Riva Turbo X is available from Amazon for $129.00, I ordered one with the $29.00 case only to learn at checkout that the case was free due to a promotion running now. That’s a great bargain, my buddy paid over $300.00 for the Riva by itself, the case is very nice as well.
Best,
Ed
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I would agree with this, I returned the JBL and picked up the Riva, I was familiar with the Riva because a buddy has one, it didn’t take long listening to the JBL to know the Riva is better.
I’m bumping this old thread because there is a good deal on the Riva Turbo X right now.
The Riva Turbo X is available from Amazon for $129.00, I ordered one with the $29.00 case only to learn at checkout that the case was free due to a promotion running now. That’s a great bargain, my buddy paid over $300.00 for the Riva by itself, the case is very nice as well.
Best,
Ed
Hmmm, yes, thanks for posting, this has been on my radar, but I’m seeing $149.00 for the current deal with the case? :scratch: not that $20.00 is a deal breaker, but $20 bucks is $20 bucks...
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If your budget stretches to $300:
https://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/iloudmm/
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Hmmm, yes, thanks for posting, this has been on my radar, but I’m seeing $149.00 for the current deal with the case? :scratch: not that $20.00 is a deal breaker, but $20 bucks is $20 bucks...
That is what I am seeing now as well, I went to my order and pulled up the same seller, his price is now $169 for the speaker and bag. I guess I lucked out with the timing, sorry guys.
If your budget stretches to $300:
https://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/iloudmm/
Thanks Russell, but I was looking for something portable with good battery life.
Best,
Ed
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Thanks Russell, but I was looking for something portable with good battery life.
Best,
Ed
With that criterion and with the budget you mentioned, I would go either for the Denon Envaya DSB-250 (only, not the 150 or any other model), about $200 or the Vifa Oslo or possibly Vifa Copenhagen, the latter two being $450-$700 or so, but able to play stupid loud and clean, like a decent component system. Even with $1000 to spend I would go with the Denon because the midrange tone sounds better to me in all the comparisons I have heard on Oluv's detailed reviews and I don't need loud and the field is advancing very rapidly over the last couple of years. He uses binaural mic setup, so you need to use headphones:
https://youtu.be/FLKKBdPkDHM?t=1
According to this 17 day old review by "notanaudiophile": https://usa.denon.com/us/product/portableaudio/bluetoothspeakers/envayadsb250bt
the Denon may not yet be available in the USA—but they are in Canada, but not easy to find and they cost $325CAD
With all this talk of the Riva Turbo X, I should say that I have one that I have played for a total of 2 hours from new and want to sell, but I'm in Canada, so it makes more sense to sell it locally; shipping could be too big of an expense. I want $125CAD for it. Sounds wonderful, but I'll bet the Denon sounds better and is way smaller. As I say, pace of development in this field is white hot at the moment. I'm in Victoria BC.
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how about travel speakers that are stereo - separate L+R?
I guess possible to use a 3.5mm stereo to 3.5mm mono cable. many of these will be too large to carry 2 pieces.