Bluetooth & Portable Speakers - Page 2

The market for portable & wireless speakers has expanded so quickly that you find these speakers in many homes and offices now. The idea of listening to audio without bothering about wires mesmerizes most music and movie lovers and this has resulted in portable & wireless speakers selling like hot cakes. Contrary to what many think, there are several types of portable & wireless speakers available for one to make their choice and this guide aims to clarify all this options for you. Read buying guide

Prices updated daily on Shopbot. Please refer to the retailer’s website for final price.

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Ultimate Ears UE BOOM 3 Portable Bluetooth Speaker (Lagoon Blue)

$149.00 $199.00 -25%

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House Of Marley Mini Get Together Bluetooth Speaker Portable/Wireless Audio

$149.00 $199.95 -25%

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Edifier R1700BT speaker set

$194.37 $204.60 -5%

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Bose SoundLink Color II

$159.00 $199.95 -20%

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JBL Xtreme 2

$279.00

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JBL Pulse 3

$295.00

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Marshall Stockwell II

$295.00

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Anker Soundcore Motion+ Bluetooth Speaker with Hi-Res 30W Audio, Extended Bass and Treble, Wireless HiFi Portable Speaker with App, Customizable EQ, 12-Hour Playtime, IPX7 Waterproof, and USB-C

$179.00

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Replacement Battery for BOSE Soundlink Mini 1 Speaker Part # 063287 063404

$61.99

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Anker Soundcore Mini, Super-Portable Bluetooth Speaker with 15-Hour Playtime, 66-Foot Bluetooth Range, Enhanced Bass, Noise-Cancelling Microphone - Black

$39.99

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Singing Machine Groove Cube Karaoke System

$169.95

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Sonos Play:5

$699.00

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Ultimate Ears Megablast

$348.00

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Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay P2

$207.39 $249.00 -17%

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Samson Expedition Express+ PA System Wireless Bluetooth Speaker/Wired Microphone

$379.00 $469.00 -19%

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Singing Machine Groove Mini Karaoke System (SML650BK)

$99.00

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All-New Echo (4th Gen) With Premium Sound Smart Home Hub And Alexa(Charcoal)

$223.95

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Sonken Max Karaoke Portable System + Mini Tripod Stand (Inc. 2 Wireless Microphones)

$579.99 $699.98 -17%

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LTGEM EVA Hard Case for Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM Portable Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker - Travel Protective Carrying Storage Bag

$19.36

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Abrato S-2810 + DAC (For Smart TV) Bluetooth Karaoke Powered Speaker (40 Watts - RMS) + 2 Wireless Microphones

$389.99 $469.99 -17%

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Sonken Max Karaoke Portable System with 100 Hits of the 80's + 2 Wireless Microphones

$579.99 $689.98 -16%

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Power Supply AC Adapter Charger for Kogan Atlas C250 Laptop

$31.99

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Marshall Woburn II

$939.00

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Sony SRS-XB23

$124.37

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Buying guide

Choosing your Portable & Wireless Speaker

Technologies in play in portable & wireless speakers

The technologies in play in portable & wireless speakers are many and you should note them down carefully.

Bluetooth is the first name that comes to mind in relation to portable & wireless speakers. Every modern handheld device has Bluetooth integrated and this means that you can connect to your Bluetooth speaker irrespective of the handheld device that you have. Only remember that a Bluetooth speaker can only connect to your handheld device if the distance between the two is up to 33 feet.

But when it comes to the best in wireless speakers, WiFi packs a punch over Bluetooth. Bluetooth speakers sometimes cause distortion in sound but with Wifi, that will not happen. With higher resolution audio transmission possible in WiFi speakers, premium speakers perform at their best when connected through WiFi. The only issue with these speakers is that they cannot connect with your handheld device.

NFC or Near Field Communication is something you will hear a lot about when shopping for portable & wireless speakers. However, this technology is kind of Bluetooth and the two devices really have to be close together. The pairing is done by tapping the two devices together. Keep in mind that iOS devices don't support NFC.

DLNA or Digital Living Network Alliance is a company that offers an open protocol for transmitting media files over WiFi. However, it is only compatible with Android devices and can be slow at times. But when it comes to portable & wireless speakers, you are better off with Bluetooth.

Portable & wireless speakers that are easy to carry

Now that the technologies have been explained, let us focus on the actual speakers and what you should look for in them. We will start with portability. You will choose portable & wireless speakers because you want to carry them around and a large speaker will not allow you to do that. As you shop around, make sure you focus on those speakers that are smaller in size and yet produce magnificent sound. When you go through the list of the best wireless speakers, you will find that almost all of them are rather compact in size.

Look for strength and durability

You will likely carry your portable & wireless speakers around and a bit of durability will always help. Some of these speakers can be notoriously soft and can easily get damaged and a bit of sturdiness and ruggedness will always help. Some of these speakers can be more expensive because they are made out of stronger materials, but if you are an outdoor person, there is no harm spending a bit more. The other point about the durability of these speakers is waterproofing. If you go out and it starts to rain, the water can damage the speakers if they are not designed to keep the water away. Again, the price could be higher but depending on your need, it is well worth paying it.

Multi-room portable & wireless speakers

If you are looking for a musical home, opt for multi-room portable & wireless speakers. The speakers can be spread all over your home and connected over WiFi and you can always listen to audio wherever you are inside your home. These are again pricey, but with the kind of sound that they produce, they are good buys. Sonos is a pioneer of such speakers, but there are other excellent models to consider too.

Which portable & wireless speakers for which use?

In the domain of portable & wireless speakers, JBL is perhaps the most well-known name. Some of the top JBL speakers are JBL Xtreme, JBL Charge 2, JBL Flip 3, JBL Pulse and JBL Flip 2.

Sony always comes into the picture irrespective of what electronic device you are looking at and it is a dominant name in portable & wireless speakers. Some of the top Sony speakers for you to consider are Sony SRS-X55, Sony SRS-X11, Sony Corporation Sony SRS-X33, Sony SRS-X2 and Sony Portable Wi-Fi & Bluetooth Speaker (SRSX7).

Bose has always produced premium quality sound gadgets and it has an impressive collection of portable & wireless speakers. Some of the models that you should carefully consider are Bose SoundLink Mini Bluetooth, Bose SoundLink Color, Bose SoundLink III, Bose SoundLink Mini II and Bose SoundDock Series III.

Finally, there is Harman Kardon, makers of some of the finest portable & wireless speakers. The top models include Harman Kardon Onyx, Harman Kardon Aura, Harman Kardon NOVA, Harman Kardon Esquire Mini and Harman Kardon Esquire 2.