[Peter_S]

Hi all. I'm looking for a pair of speakers, or a speaker bar, that I can travel with and use in hotel rooms etc. I am not looking for Bluetooth necessarily, as it probably costs more and degrades the sound - but I could go with Bluetooth if it's the best option. Rechargeable battery operation is a plus. Small enough to toss in the travel bag. I've got good headphones for critical listening, I just want something that I can use for ambient listening.

Any thoughts? What does it cost to get something decent? Thanks, Peter

[mresseguie]

Hello, Peter.

Well, you know there are literally hundreds of portable speaker models available in several different sizes. I suspect you'll find something acceptable. My wife recently decided she wanted one as well, so she volunteered me to find a good one for her. Even though she is not especially picky about her music quality, my mission proved pretty difficult. I must have brought home a dozen different models only to hear, "No. I don't like this." or "Not enough bass". She likes exaggerated bass....... No....... She LOVES bass.

Finally, I bought a Jawbone Big Jam Box for her. After the battery charged up, I paired her iPad's Bluetooth to the speaker---very easy--and let her play a few songs. There was lots of bass-- more than I care for, but I'm becoming an audiophile, so you know where that leads. She really like this new speaker. We've used it as a sound bar for our TV a couple times when my HT pre/pro was being a little sh!t. It worked pretty well IMO.

Anyway, you and my wife may not (!) share the same wants/needs in portable music, but I think this is worth a shot. Perhaps I ought to type YMMV. LOL!

The cheapest site that I found last Thursday (a friend of my wife's wanted one, too) was Ebay for $229.00 plus $9.95. Most other locations wanted $299.00. I've heard this model is being discontinued, so supply may be dwindling. Target had one on display last week.

Have fun deciding.

Michael

[Peter_S]

Thanks Michael.  Right now some top contenders are the UE Boom, TDK A33 and A34. Anyone know these models?

[ccklone]

Hey Now,

Maybe check this one out . . . . . Soundmatters FoxL V2

Good luck with your search.

--
Finest kind,
Chris

[jmc207]

Michael, your reply made me think of this video. Jazz version of 'All About That Bass'.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyTTX6Wlf1Y

John

[Bemopti123]

Hey Now,

Maybe check this one out . . . . . Soundmatters FoxL V2

Good luck with your search.

--
Finest kind,
Chris

Had the first version, while it impresses for the size, it is ultimately not very durable.  Unlike other similar speakers, if you see Soundmatters decided to put the drivers which are "protected" behind the grill.....BUT the drivers themselves nearly hug the contour of the grill, making the grill and the entire design fragile.  No good.  Jawbone, has a grill which gives distance between it and the drivers.  This is key for durability.  While $100-200 might be affordable, I was also looking for durability. 

[BobM]

You might want to search for my recent thread on computer desktop speakers. This one was recommended for me and it sounds like it might work for you too:

Ultimate Ears mimi Boom wireless

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E9YIFQ4/ref=gno_cart_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3D3JPPRRTHISK

[asliarun]

I haven't heard this, but have had my eye on this model.

http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=108&cp_id=10823&cs_id=1082705&p_id=10949&seq=1&format=2

[Peter_S]

Thanks.  I'm trying out four. All are returnable. Ranging from the monoprice ($35) to a Dell AD211 ($50) to the TDK A33 ($110) to an AE Boom ($180).  My gut feeling after 30 minutes in BestBuy is that all will be disappointing relative to other means of listening such as headphones, so it may or may not be worth paying for the best of the four. I'll report back. 

[persisting1]

I've heard the JBL Charge a few times. Pretty good for the money. Has positive reviews on Amazon. JBL offers a 30 day trial. Might be worth a shot.

http://www.amazon.com/JBL-Portable-Outdoor-Bluetooth-Speaker/dp/B00FPUYSXK/ref=sr_1_1?s=mp3&ie=UTF8&qid=1415048100&sr=1-1&keywords=jbl+charge

[Noseyears]

The Nuforce S3-BT doesn't look bad..
https://www.nuforce.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=282:s3-bt&Itemid=396

[Peter_S]

The Nuforce S3-BT doesn't look bad..
https://www.nuforce.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=282:s3-bt&Itemid=396

That is likely too large for my travelling needs.  Anybody know the Nuforce cube?  It's only 2" cubed!

[Peter_S]

So far, I have tried the TDK and the UE Boom and the monoprice unit (mentioned above).  My impressions:

1) The TDK is larger than the others, has the most solid bass, but is rather rolled off on the higher frequencies.  It's a little bit larger than what I want to throw in my bag when travelling.  It uses a wallwart too, which is more storage space.  Not going to work for me.

2) The UE is a great size, weight and form factor.  However, it seems like there is some DSP which (to me) makes voices sound unnatural.  That would bug me over time.  Not going to keep that one.

3) The monoprice unit is a nice form factor, quite small, but I have QA/QC concerns.  The volume control on mine doesn't work (full volume with 1/8" input) - unless perhaps the volume was only meant to work on Bluetooth.  It also has very little bass.  So it's a little small sounding.  But that said, it doesn't do anything weird (via DSP) to the voices, and I like that. 

Given it costs $36, the TDK costs $110 and the UE costs $180, and given that I really won't be satisfied with any of them, I'm currently thinking of staying with the monoprice.  However, I'm waiting for the Dell unit to arrive and will see if that beats the monoprice (Dell is $50).

[tvyankee]

Hey. The Dell unit is  not bad for 50 bucks.  It worked right away with out any problems and the build quality is good and it sounds nice.  All in all I think it's not a bad deal.

Good luck.

[Peter_S]

Well, I received the Dell unit and took a listen.  I found that it distorted at moderate levels, so I really didn't like it. While it is a little bit fuller sounding then the Monoprice, the distortion is not acceptable. I don't know if I got a defective unit or what, but I returned it, and will keep the monoprice. I know there are better units, I have heard them, but once you start getting better and spending that much more money, you start expecting more. And I know I would be disappointed with the fidelity of the higher price units overall. I'd rather have the cheaper Monoprice, even though it is a bit thin, it is very clear sounding and at least the voices sound natural rather been processed sound.

[charmerci]

Try going through the audioholics review list.

http://www.audioholics.com/computer-speaker-reviews

[hdspeakerman]

http://techtalk.parts-express.com/showthread.php?244673-Helium-a-true-micromonitor

If you can diy a little this might fill the bill.  PE has some small amps that would make this a potent package to fit into a small bag for travel.  Scott is a talented designer.