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External (Bluetooth) speakers recommendation

roguefury

roguefury

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 5, 2010
152
84
[REDACTED]
Howdy all,

I currently use my brand new MBA 13" in dual monitor mode (laptop screen + 24" monitor), and I'd like to have a nicer sound setup. Which bluetooth speakers are people finding success with?

I'm looking for decent sound quality for listening to music, podcasts and such.

Thanks in advance for the recommendations!
 
roguefury said:
Howdy all,

I currently use my brand new MBA 13" in dual monitor mode (laptop screen + 24" monitor), and I'd like to have a nicer sound setup. Which bluetooth speakers are people finding success with?

I'm looking for decent sound quality for listening to music, podcasts and such.

Thanks in advance for the recommendations!
Click to expand...

I find the Jambox by Jawbone to be a great little device. It comes in two sizes. I have the smaller one which sounds truly incredible, weighs next to nothing and works fine for small to medium sized rooms. It is the best sounding small footprint Bluetooth speaker I've ever heard (the bass is incredible for it's diminutive size). It's rubberized outer shell is perfect for "on-the-go" listening, the battery lasts forever and it can be tossed right into about any small backpack or computer bag (it also comes with a really nice "flat" mini cable for connecting devices that are not bluetooth capable). It pairs quickly with any bluetooth device. The BIG Jambox is twice the size and twice as loud (and $100.00 more).

The smaller Jambox is perfect for podcasts, movies and music and both sizes double as a speaker for your phone (the larger unit has three mics to the smaller units two). The device can be paired to both your iPad or computer and your phone simultaneously so you can access the speakerphone at any time. It lists for $199.00 but can be purchased from the Jawbone site as a refurb for $120.00. They come in several colors and are also customizable colorized as well.

My Jambox has become an integral part of my mobile life. The sound for its tiny size is nothing short of astounding.
 
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roguefury said:
Howdy all,

I currently use my brand new MBA 13" in dual monitor mode (laptop screen + 24" monitor), and I'd like to have a nicer sound setup. Which bluetooth speakers are people finding success with?

I'm looking for decent sound quality for listening to music, podcasts and such.

Thanks in advance for the recommendations!
Click to expand...

I use a bluetooth adapter plugged into a Tivoli Model TWO. Works great, sounds great, looks great
 
12vElectronics said:
Bose sound link is also a good choice
Click to expand...

I have the SoundLink and I like it very much but IMO there is nothing like the small JamBox for a great sounding, small footprint on-the-go bluetooth speaker solution. I've read that there is a smaller SoundLink to compete with the JamBox either just recently released or about to be released. I like Bose portable tech so this will probably be worth looking into as well
 
If you don't want to have to dip into your child's college fund take a look at this Jensen. I have it and think its sounds great and so have the people who have listened to it. Like it says it rechargeable and the battery life seems great. The only thing that would be useful is a USB to plug in the phone so they can die together, but you want to use it on a laptop. It can play and charge at the same time. Check it out for the money it rocks. I will say this the bluetooth range isn't great I basically need to set the phone beside it IF I don't want it to skip a beat otherwise about 5-8 feet is max. You can also use it as a speakerphone as it has a built in mic. Not sure what the range would be with my MacBook.

http://www.amazon.com/Jensen-Portab...-Smartphones/dp/B0071BAU9W/ref=pd_sim_sbs_e_1
 
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roguefury said:
I've been leaning toward the Jambox, so thanks for the input!
Click to expand...

Have two Jamboxes in our household. They are in constant use by my wife and children. The sound is amazing considering the size. Battery life is very good and have had no issues except it's loud enough to vibrate itself around. So much so one of ours fell off an armoire and dented the corner. The fall was about 5 feet. It still works flawlessly. I do like the BIG Jambox but if you are looking for a portable unit the small Jambox will suffice.

Edit: Also just picked up the Parrot Zik headphones. They connect using bluetooth and you can FF, RR, answer phone calls, and adjust the volume using your finger gestures on the right ear cup. They sound absolutely fantastic and are noise canceling which can be turned off in the app for the iPhone. The app is very good and a must for the headphones. The only downside is battery life. They advertise a fairly decent battery life but mine only lasted about 2 hours on a flight watching a move and using noise canceling. You can a) recharge them using the USB charging cable while still using them or b) use the audio jack connection cord to run them passively with out power. One of the upsides over the Bose Q15s. Which last a very long time with one AAA battery and very easy to carry an extra AAA battery in the provide hard case from Bose. The Parrots only come w/ a soft case which for $400 should come with a hard case.
 
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I was looking to buy a great speakers, becuase my logitech did very well for 4-5 years. I went to see Many JBL, logitech, bose, Jambox hdmx, beats, braven and RockSteady.


I was going to choose a logitech UE Mini Boombox. But when i went to bestbuy you can play them and listen how good plays each one.

And let me tell you for 150 bucks sony wins by far!!! I totally recommend for you!

Sony Bluetooth Wireless Speaker system
SRS-BTX300/BLK
 
Ronnoco said:
I have the SoundLink and I like it very much but IMO there is nothing like the small JamBox for a great sounding, small footprint on-the-go bluetooth speaker solution. I've read that there is a smaller SoundLink to compete with the JamBox either just recently released or about to be released. I like Bose portable tech so this will probably be worth looking into as well
Click to expand...

You're probably referring to the Soundlink mini.
 
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