Audio gear for a digital nomad / extended vacation trek (3 – 6 months)?

[rcstevensonaz]

What audio gear do you—or would you—pack when traveling* to a different continent as a digital nomad (or an extended vacation) for three to six months? Since space is a premium and shipping is expensive, any audio gear must share the same luggage space as all other belongings. So the KH 120 speakers (probably) won't make your list, but what does?

Scenario 1 - Transient / Minimalist: carry-on roller + laptop backpack only. Moving between many different cities by plane or train with just a few days spent in most, and a longer 2 – 4 week rental in just a few cities.

Scenario 2 - Stationary / Temporary Base: medium-sized checked luggage + carry-on roller + laptop backpack. Will rent apartment (“home base”) for 3 – 6 months, with a few short excursion trips from there to other cities.

* This post is about the audio gear you would pack for yourself. That said, my wife and I are about to embark on a 3 month trip from USA to Europe under scenario 1 this fall (and hopefully followed by scenario 2 next year), so I might steal a few of your ideas!

 

[Ropeburn]

Hmm. Regarding bigger things like speakers, on a cross atlantic trip and scenario 2... I'd probably not bother packing and shipping anything, but just get some speakers locally for a few hundred. Good enough for a few months. Then sell them before getting back.

 

[staticV3]

When travelling alone, honestly just IEMs and a dongle/Qudelix.

When travelling together, a JBL Flip 7 or Charge 6.

These are Mono speakers (actually a plus since there's no cancellation hence wide and even radiation) and have a fantastic 9-band GEQ for correcting tonality.

Add a small measurement microphone (e.g. Micbooster EM258) if you're so inclined and you can get convenient and accurate playback on the go.

 

[shuppatsu]

AirPods Pro 2. They sound great, are great for planes and trains, take up no space, and aren’t expensive to replace if something goes wrong.

Maybe a portable JBL something something if traveling with family/friends.

 

[Berwhale]

iLoud Micros with a carry bag for option 2... https://www.thomann.co.uk/ik_multimedia_iloud_micro_monitor_bag_bundle.htm

 

[kemmler3D]

When travelling alone, honestly just IEMs and a dongle/Qudelix.

When travelling together, a JBL Flip 7 or Charge 6.

These are Mono speakers (actually a plus since there's no cancellation hence wide and even radiation) and have a fantastic 9-band GEQ for correcting tonality.

Add a small measurement microphone (e.g. Micbooster EM258) if you're so inclined and you can get convenient and accurate playback on the go.

I would say something very similar to this. A pair of IEMs from Truthear, an EQ dongle, and maybe a spare set in case they break.

For option 2, A pair of Adam D3V or @Berwhale's suggestion, and/or depending on where you're going, like @Ropeburn says, buy a secondhand set of actives locally, then sell them on when you leave. For this you can even do Genelec 8030 or better, since they hold their value very well, as long as you can afford to tie up $1K in speakers for a while...

 

[staticV3]

a fantastic 9-band GEQ for correcting tonality.

Here's what can be achieved with JBL's built-in GEQ:


Rather than frequency response correction or room correction, calling it tonality correction seems more appropriate.

You won't be able to correct room modes with this, but it can turn even small BT speakers like the Flip or Charge into neutral sounding systems.

For me, a definite game changer.

Soundcore and Tribit speakers have similarly potent EQ, but the former lacks well-considered loudspeaker designs and the latter is often plagued by firmware issues.