Hello fellow ozbargainers,
I'm on the hunt for a Bluetooth speaker for my study room, now that WFH has become the norm.
I'm mostly into classical music.
I don't want anything loud. Crisp is my only focus.
My budget is around 200 bucks.
I've seen JBL Charge 4 brought up quite frequently here. And so is Bose Soundlink Mini.
I would appreciate any recommendation that suits my need and budget best.
Thanks heaps in advance!
Second this comment. This unit accompanies us on our camping trips. Great sound from a compact device.
Get an Alexa
Bose SoundTouch 10 should be available to purchase between $150-$200
You can’t go wrong with this :)
Best if you have Spotify and now comes with Airplay 2
I'm on the hunt for a Bluetooth speaker for my study room,
A wireless speaker (mains plug) with Bluetooth will do the job well.
I've seen JBL Charge 4 brought up quite frequently here. And so is Bose Soundlink Mini.
Those suggestions are battery powered. You will be sacrificing sound quality & product longevity for the sake of being portable. (If you discharge the battery completely many times it will degrade faster and eventually when the battery dies you are left with a paper weight)
While a mains-powered Wireless Bluetooth speaker will still be alive and kicking and last almost forever + the bonus of being able to use it for as long as you like and forget about remembering to charge one more thing in the house.
I personally find it odd people are willing to spend $200+ on a speaker powered by a battery.
I found an older model Bose Soundtouch 20 for around $200 a few years ago. It was a demonstration model (played constantly in-store) and also discontinued, but JB HiFi offered me full warranty so I picked it up for my mother.
Gives off a full and well rounded sound, perfect for BGM and just being left on while you do other things.
My mother basically leaves it on 24/7 playing internet radio and after 4-5 years it still works just like brand new (even though it was a in-store display / demonstration product). And even being so old it still receives updates to fix any hiccups (I update it using the computer once in awhile to make sure everything works smoothly).
So I can recommend the Bose Soundtouch series like a comment above.
Hi thebadmachine,
Out of all the amazing suggestions, yours is the most superb!
Thanks for bringing some sense into me regarding Bluetooth speakers not having to be portable.
The wife has been nagging me into buying a portable one for the odd camping trip. To the point that I didn't know plugged-in speakers existed.
I'll treat myself to the real deal and grab her something for around 100 bucks.
Thanks again, buddy!
You are welcome.
Forgot to mention, the Bose out of the box has a bit too much bass (most likely to impress those in-store).
So using the App on the computer, there is a setting called "Bass reduction", I turned it down to -6 which I found to give the most balanced sound.
0 is the default, but that is the scale maxed out (In other words 0 is maximum).
This seems to be Bose admitting they tuned it with too much bass as default.
there is an old sony model that is super handy for camping SRS-BTM8. I see them come up second hand occasionally for $50 and under.
It is mains powered and also takes 4 x AA (ENELOOPS!!!)
handy for camping. The sound quality could be better, but the battery system is handy for camping
Same opinion as above, there are good options without batteries.
I would recommend the Edifiers that are normally discounted every now and then, example
Edifier R1700BT currently $168.99 on Amazon AU but can be had for around $130-140 on sale (as seen on OzB).
Wow, wow, wow!
I woke up this morning to a bunch of superb suggestions. Thank you very much everyone.
Our Ozbargain is a truly kind and giving community.
Thanks for feeding me some very good ideas. I'll do a tad more research and pull the trigger real soon.
Much appreciated!
Recently picked up the Logitech Z337 for the same reason, has wired and Bluetooth. Can be had for under $120 (got mine for $110 on sale at Kogan). IMO a stereo set of speakers is a better option.
I have the Ikea Eneby and use it plugged in 24/7. You could also buy a separate battery pack for it.
Sounds great and doesn't have an obnoxious startup/shutdown sound like the Anker Soundcore bluetooth speaker I used to use.
Rather than bluetooth, have you considered a wifi speaker?
A Sonos for example will be a little above your budget but they do sound really nice.
Bose Soundlink Micro. Its cheap, small and verrrrrrrrry loud. Good clear bass. Its waterproof and very durable. You can take it everywhere and not really have to worry. Plus it has a latch that cant mount it almost anywhere.
Ive also owned 2 jambox's, 3 big jambox's, Bose Soundlink II. The Bose Micro is my favourite
anyone got a bose 500 home speaker?
https://www.bose.com.au/en_au/products/speakers/smart_home/b…
This or the Yamaha Music Cast 50?
I have a Bose Soundlink Mini II. I'm still as impressed by it now as I was the day I got it!