Looking for Bluetooth speaker ($100- $200)

[MosquitoSmasher]

I am looking for good wireless/Bluetooth speakers. I'll be using it mostly for listening to music and the music i listen to the most is Hiphop and Michael Jackson and now and then other genres as well. I appreciate a nice strong bass but it shouldn't overpower the rest of the sound. I'm looking for speakers that are meant for either wireless or Bluetooth. My preference goes out to Bluetooth but nowadays it seems they have both.


For a few days i had the Harman Kardon Omni 10 in my living room and i was rather impressed with the sound quality and the bass was very surprisingly powerful for a speaker that small. And for Bluetooth the sound was impressive. But i am still on the fence. This Omni 10 is 99 euros now, a very nice price and the Omni 20 (which is a improvement in terms of bass and sound over the 10) is 199 euros. But i was wondering if there are other speakers i should be looking up. 199 euros is a lot of money and there actually might be something even better out there.

 

[Vivek Rao]

For a small bluetooth I feel its tough to beat the Bose soundlink Mini right now. Bose has got it right for this particular model. Yes it does try to push the lower bass...but really for this size and usage (perhaps travel...) it is quite good. Take an audition. I think it would come within your budget in Europe. I see some offers for 169 Euros...

 

[Beast_of_burden]

For hip hop you have but one choice - jbl xtreme. I have the UE Boom and the Logitech X300 and neither works for hip hop. Although they are very good for pop and classic rock. Michael Jackson would be fine on the Boom or X300. In many ways I prefer the X300 over the Boom although it costs only a third of the Boom.

 

[SatMumbai]

I might be a bit late for this reply but I love my UE Boom which is not the current version. The reviews say the current version UE Boom 2 is even better.

 

[sud98]

Today I listened to three BT speakers
1. JBL Charge 2
2. Sony SRS XB2
3. Bose Soundlink III

The Bose was very disappointing, very low in clarity and heavy in bass. I thought the only reason I was not going to buy it was the price, but its performance is way below par.

The JBLwas nice, but the clear winner was Sony SRS XB2. Clear Vocals, didnt need the extra bass, but can see it being used in a party.

Not sure how good the B&W T7 is. Surprisingly its available in India for around 25k when the US price is 350 USD. Although for casual listening, would recommend the Sony.

 

[rajuisback]

Try to audition Jabra Solemate Max..I have used quite a lot of Bluetooth speakers and finally settled with Solemate Max..got it in India @ Amazon for 8k...The only con is size , it's quite bulky..Other than that its a good bang for the buck with an amazing sound quality.

 

[oracle1974]

I bought this on Rediff.com for about Rs.900. Serving me very well and better than the Jabrasole mate that I have.
mshop.rediff.com/product/soundlink-mini-black-imported/18072890?sc_cid=inhome_icon|browse|search

 

[ANP !!!]

Consider having a look at Harmon Kardon Soundsticks III they excellent bang for the buck and sounds great too.

 

[vakharia]

I bought this on Rediff.com for about Rs.900. Serving me very well and better than the Jabrasole mate that I have.
mshop.rediff.com/product/soundlink-mini-black-imported/18072890?sc_cid=inhome_icon|browse|search

I read this and got excited. Placed an order on 14th. The item is still shown as 'in transit' and Rediff does not want to cancel it.

This is some sort of scam since both the seller and the logistics partner (Velex) do not receive calls on their numbers.

Rediff is also unable to provide me a meaningful update.

 

[sam9s]

I have the below, and I am just awestruck by the bass and loudness this speaker gives for the size and price (<100 usd) both, plus touch controls, USB charging and phone handsfree option makes it a very attractive option ..

https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Boo...d=1474995814&sr=1-2&keywords=logitech+boombox

 

[apk]

If you get a chance to go abroad, try getting the Fugoo speakers. These are awesome, and way better than similarly priced bose ones. They are available in India through Amazon - but a lot more expensive than if you get it from somewhere outside India. They are available for around 200 USD

I got this from Dubai a few months ago and am really impressed. I had compared this with Bose, Logitech, HK and other similar BT speakers of that price range - and this one was far better. It gives a genuine 30 odd hours of battery life (they advertise 40 hrs) - which is quite impressive for BT speakers. One point though - these don't play very loud - so if you are looking for something that plays very loud, this is not the one for you.

Best,
APK

 

[oracle1974]

I read this and got excited. Placed an order on 14th. The item is still shown as 'in transit' and Rediff does not want to cancel it.

This is some sort of scam since both the seller and the logistics partner (Velex) do not receive calls on their numbers.

Rediff is also unable to provide me a meaningful update.

Hi, I did not get a confirmation of the order. So, I placed order again. Two pieces got delivered. Rediff persisted with the follow up for both the orders if I had received them.

 

[vakharia]

Hi, I did not get a confirmation of the order. So, I placed order again. Two pieces got delivered. Rediff persisted with the follow up for both the orders if I had received them.

Got the product delivered.

This is a cheap Chinese knock-off and not worth Rs. 950 at all.

Trying to return it.

 

[philipreji]

F&D is selling some economical, good 2.1 BT multimedia ampli-speakers in India in the price range of 5000 INR and less. Same models without bluetooth are available in the range of INR 2000. These are very loud and clear too. In fact last year my music teacher asked suggestions for an economical, loud, lightweight, portable amplifier (!), and I bought model A110 for him. We connected four microphones to this unit through a mixer and held a full-fledged carnatic music program at his house (two vocalists, one violin and one mridangam) for four hours and the speakers rocked! Another amazing model is "V620 Plus" (2.0). Costs just INR 1000, and gives excellent sound. Every other speaker available in the market at this price point is plain junk.

cheers,
Reji

 

[vineetrad]

For those still on the lookout and for who the goal is absolute best sound quality (and are okay with slightly larger size but still workable off of batteries), I'd say without a doubt the most powerful and probably the best bluetooth speaker out there is the Aiwa Exos-9. It is HUGE compared to the usual bluetooth stuff but the best sound I've heard from a portable speaker and the most VFM. It is 299USD and can be linked to a second one for true stereo.

https://www.amazon.com/Aiwa-Exos-9-Portable-Bluetooth-Speaker/dp/B00WF78GS4/

If you want something slightly smaller the Harman Kardon go+play is good too but more expensive.

USA and Europe both sell the Aiwa. The HK is available in India too.

Aiwa compared to the best current bluetooth speakers (purely based on sound quality)

Harman Kardon go+play vs Aiwa Exos-9:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jKI6GObDVo

Big Blue Party vs. Aiwa Exos-9:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXfONab3Enk

Aiwa Exos-9 vs Klipsch KMC-3:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaFtQNoYeKg

 

[moktan]

I recently bought a Marshall Kilburn. It's pricy. However the build quality is good with a retro ethos. The sound is quite expansive for its small size (although as Bluetooth speakers go it's quite large and at 3kg heavy which for a speaker is a good thing).
Comes with its own battery, volume,bass and treble control knobs and an old fashion on-off switch . Pairs quite nicely.
Best part is with it I have suddenly began to listen much more to music.

 

[apk]

I recently bought a Marshall Kilburn. It's pricy. However the build quality is good with a retro ethos. The sound is quite expansive for its small size (although as Bluetooth speakers go it's quite large and at 3kg heavy which for a speaker is a good thing).
Comes with its own battery, volume,bass and treble control knobs and an old fashion on-off switch . Pairs quite nicely.
Best part is with it I have suddenly began to listen much more to music.

Congratulations on your purchase! The Marshalls have killer 'retro' looks.

Yes, sometimes the fancy music system in a dedicated room plays second fiddle to a simple BT speaker. I prefer using my BT speakers for casual listening or when I want background music.

Do write in about how the Marshalls sound, especially w.r.t your main stereo system.

Best,
apk

 

[moktan]

Congratulations on your purchase! The Marshalls have killer 'retro' looks.

Yes, sometimes the fancy music system in a dedicated room plays second fiddle to a simple BT speaker. I prefer using my BT speakers for casual listening or when I want background music.

Do write in about how the Marshalls sound, especially w.r.t your main stereo system.

Best,
apk

Thanks. I haven't heard too many speakers so can only comment with reference to the Mordaunt Short Avant 902i and the Audire Callisto that I have owned and listened extensively.
My main speaker is a horn speaker which sounds good for the kind of music I listen to- small ensemble jazz with wind instruments and piano, female vocals. Its definitely not apt for Rock and more modern types of music which I don't care much about.
The Marshall as expected doesn't give that sense of immediacy , the big sound stage, resolution etc.
But I am quite happy that it is border hifi. The bass is taut. Having become used to horn speakers I can live with the shouty treble. The resolution is good. And best of all with an spl that touches 100 it is quite loud and the sound doesn't deteriorate even at the highest volume. And yes, I enjoy rock on it.

 

[Kumar442244]

I recently bought a Marshall Kilburn. It's pricy. However the build quality is good with a retro ethos. The sound is quite expansive for its small size (although as Bluetooth speakers go it's quite large and at 3kg heavy which for a speaker is a good thing).
Comes with its own battery, volume,bass and treble control knobs and an old fashion on-off switch . Pairs quite nicely.
Best part is with it I have suddenly began to listen much more to music.

Second that,

I recently bought Marshall Acton which requires AC to power the speaker which means this is not portable. But boy, this small thing does wonders once broken in. Its been 2 months since i bought this, and now can hear fine details in the music. Really impressed by the build quality and retro look. One can surely consider it at ~21K INR (A bit on the costly side) if portability is not a constrain.

 

[mohitjain1112]

brought the ue roll 2 best bluetooth speaker under 100$