On the front of personal technologies, portable Bluetooth speakers (the “speakers”, which later became one) mark a rare convergence between audiophiles and music lovers without too many pretensions: the latter happily use them everywhere, the former as a last resort when not they can use more sophisticated systems.
In recent years, the Bluetooth speaker market has tried to meet the needs of everyone, even the most demanding in terms of sound quality: so many models have come out that if you look for ” portable Bluetooth speaker “on Amazon, the results are more than 50 thousand.
To help readers make their choice, Wirecutter, the influential New York Times review site, tested more than 230 portable speakers last May.
It then selected the best four, based on five criteria: sound quality, battery life (which is not always what the manufacturers claim), volume (which must be loud enough to fill at least one room), cost (under $ 150 in the US) and size (suitable to be transported in a backpack).
Tribit BTS30
This is Wirecutter's first choice for price and sound quality. The sound is balanced and of excellent quality with all types of music, with powerful bass that “send shivers down your spine”. It also has a function that allows you to add deeper bass, which is activated with a button. It is cylindrical in shape, 23 centimeters long, 11 wide and 7. It is not very light: it weighs 750 grams. It can be taken to the shower, to the beach, to a boat or to the swimming pool: it can stay half an hour underwater up to a depth of one meter without problems (which shouldn't happen to it anyway, since it floats). If you have two of these speakers, you can connect them to a single Bluetooth device.
The battery lasts a little under 10 hours and the Bluetooth works well up to 15 meters, even with a wall in between. Even the speakerphone function, which allows you to use the speaker as a speaker during phone calls, is satisfactory and returns clear sound on both sides. On Amazon it has 49 reviews and an average of 4.5 stars. It costs 70 euros.
Sony SRS-XB41
For those on a slightly higher budget, the best choice may be this Sony speaker. The volume (higher than that of Tribit) and the sound quality make it a good tool for the diffusion of music even in open places. The case is 28 centimeters wide and weighs quite a bit: about one and a half kilograms. According to Wirecutter, the sound is well balanced and there are no tones or instruments that come out crippled. It's resistant to dust, sand and water and therefore perfect for taking to the beach and camping (but that's not a good justification for making the whole beach feel old 90s hits, ok?). The battery can last up to 16 and a half hours. Bluetooth goes up to 17 meters away, even with a wall in between. Again, two can be connected to the same device.
By downloading an app you can experience some additional functions: “Extra Bass”, which highlights the deepest bass, or “Live”, which should play the music as if it were live (but according to several reviews it makes the sound very “strange” ). Also from the app you can control other less useful but entertainment functions (good for the next party, let's put it this way): colored LED lights, a “dj set” mode or the possibility of using the speaker as a percussion instrument.
The speakerphone function, however, makes voices metallic. On Amazon it has 180 reviews, the average is 4.7 stars out of 5 and costs 170 euros.
Tribit XSound Go
If your priority is to spend little, you should choose Tribit XSound Go. It costs 33 euros . Steve Guttenberg, audio product expert at CNET review site, wrote that this speaker “has a much better sound than it would be entitled to.” Wirecutter says that compared to other Bluetooth speakers in this price range it is arguably the one with the best sound quality, and competes with the best portable speakers of a couple of years ago. It's smaller than the others: 17cm wide, less than 6cm tall and deep. It weighs 38o grams, so it's really portable.
The battery life is 10 and a half hours and the Bluetooth connection works up to 8 meters away even through a wall (very good performance in this price range). It is waterproof, but it does not have the button to play the songs, so if you use it in the shower and a song arrives that you don't want to hear, you will have to listen to it until the end with resignation. The speakerphone function works acceptably. It has 112 reviews on Amazon and an average of 4.7 out of 5 stars. Did we mention that already? It costs 33 euros.
UE Roll 2
If you care about design, the UE Roll 2 is the most beautiful case among the best . It has the shape and size of a compact (13 centimeters in diameter and 4 centimeters thick), weighs 330 grams and has an elastic strap that allows it to be hung in the shower, on the bicycle handlebars, on the umbrella or backpack. There is orange, purple, black, or blue with this strange pattern. It's waterproof, and trusting the promotional video you can take it with you even if you decide to jump into the water with your bike or do a somersault in the fire at a beach party (no, we're not saying you should). The package, however, also contains a small inflatable in which to place it to make it float in the pool.
The sound quality is inferior to that of the other three speakers chosen by Wirecutter, but it is still the best possible for a cabinet of this size. Through an app, various accessory functions can be controlled, including the audio equalizer and pairing with a twin speaker controlled by the same device. The battery lasts up to 11 and a half hours and the range of the Bluetooth reaches up to 18 meters. There are more than 200 reviews on Amazon and the average is 4.5 stars out of 5: it costs 130 euros.
Disclaimer: on some of the sites linked in the Consumerism section, the Post has an affiliation and obtains a small share of revenues, without price changes – which may vary from day to day compared to those indicated, based on offers. But you can also google them.
And so you want to buy yourself a turntable
