Technology @lemmy.world Jackthelad @lemmy.world 1 yr. ago

Best portable Bluetooth speakers?

Looking to buy one of these for use around the house, but I'm not overly knowledgeable about them.

The Bose Soundlink Flex seems to have good reviews from the bit of research that I've done, but any recommendations from you guys on good ones to buy?

18 comments

I really like the JBL speakers. The "Go" is pretty impressive for its size and price. But the "Charge" really rocks. Easily runs for a whole evening AND night with one charge and has great base.
- I've had a charge 5 for 2 years now, I love it
  
  Charge 5 here as well. Would buy it again. Sounds fantastic considering how small it is.
  
  Surely it’s no Hi-Fi device, but for a mobile speaker it’s more than enough.
- Just looked up the Charge 5 and there was a comparison video with the Soundlink and the Charge sounded miles better.
  
  Obviously, you can't really judge until you hear it in person but there was quite a difference.
  
  If you're looking for something compact, I've used a JBL Clip 4 and it honestly sounds amazing, especially for its size
  
  I second jbl. Have one, just works and sounds awesome
- I'll second JBL. I have two FLIP 5's and they are loud, have partyboost mode, or stereo mode, and last all day long.
  
  I have a Flip 6 that I’ve been happy with too. I forgot they can do stereo if you have a pair.
I bought one of these a couple years ago and it still lasts 12+ hours streaming internet radio from my iPad at work. Sounds great for background music in a shop. I love how sturdy it feels and the handle is great. I call it “Nintendo plastic” cuz it feels indestructible like the OG Nintendo controllers.

Soundcore Anker Motion Boom Outdoor Speaker https://a.co/d/7ptVcCe

Just to clarify… I work 12hr shifts and it still has about 40% battery left at the end of the day.
If you're after the best budget one, I picked up this one for £59 after reading good reviews on Reddit

https://www.myearfun.com/uk/speakers/earfun-uboom-l-portable-waterproof-bluetooth-speakers-black

It might need a firmware update to get the best sound, but imo it sounds as good as my friend's 10 year old Bose, and much better than my ultimate ears wonderboom
The last time I bought one, I selected a "Polaris V8" for using a removable 18650 battery. I wish that was more common.

Runtime: infinite (just bring spares)

Charge time: 10 seconds or so to swap the battery

Service life due to the battery wearing out: infinite

Service life due to being a janky no-name product: 3-4 years

So that last bit was disappointing.
A Bluetooth receiver and then good normal speakers.
Probably not what you're after, but you did ask for best. You can't go wrong with Q Acoustics M20.

Pros:

They sound amazing

They are a stereo pair

They support aptX, aptX HD, aptxLL, SBC & AAC

They have a load of inputs, so not just BT

They look very pretty

Cons:

They are fairly pricey

They are mains powered so not that portable
I'm still using a Bose soundlink mini 2 and it's never let me down. Small but sounds pretty good.
- I have the original SoundLink Mini and absolutely love it - huge sound and has been rock solid for years.
Bluetooth sucks, period.
- Bluetooth as a protocol is fine, LDAC can reach inaudible compression levels.
  
  The problem is that most Bluetooth speakers are consoomer oriented and don't have good drivers.

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