Travel speaker

[pads]

Soon my wife and I will be off to Holland for a long overdue visit to her family and from there some walkabout to who knows where, we'll be gone for 3 months. We are both music junkies and I'll be bringing my iPad with me, I've been looking for a good small speaker to match. There are many and all have their pros and cons. I want something that takes up little room but can still sound decent so I'm here asking if anyone has any real world experience. Any favs? Any hates? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Anton D]

I don’t know enough to make a recommendation, but look forward to learning along with you!

 

[GD Fan]

Any particular size or cost constraints?

Maybe take a peek here: https://www.rtings.com/speaker/reviews/best/by-feature/bluetooth

Curious to know what the winner is. And envious of so much time away!

 

[Elbow]

AIO 3

L’AIO 3 est une enceinte tout-en-un ultra-connectée, conçue dans la plus grande tradition audiophile, elle diffusera un son digne des plus grands systèmes Hifi partout chez vous. Streamez toute votre musique depuis votre téléphone, tablette ou ordinateur grâce à ses connectivités Bluetooth, et...

www.trianglehifi.com

Sounds and looks great in my opinion. You can get it on sale for about 350€.

 

[CapMan]

Sonos Roam for me - fits into my Sonos system when at home, Bluetooth and airplay for our travels, sounds great

 

[staticV3]

Will the speaker be used stationary in your room, or while you're out on walks or bike rides or something?

How much do you want to spend, roughly?

 

[dominikz]

Sonos Roam for me - fits into my Sonos system when at home, Bluetooth and airplay for our travels, sounds great

I can second the Sonos Roam recommendation - IMHO very good sound (and nice features) for the size!
It was even measured by @napilopez here: link to review.

 

[digitalfrost]

The anker soundcore Motion+ is quite alright for what it is.

 

[Propheticus]

I've got a Sony SRS-XB23 and think it does ok for what I paid. The amount of bass and volume it can produce is somewhat baffling for its size.
However, sound quality can be better. After my experience I would advise looking at speakers that use dedicated tweeters.
The SRS-XB23 only uses 2 full-range (well ~midwoofer) drivers combined with 2 passive radiators. This results in a lack of clarity and a somewhat muffled sound.
I was able to partially fix this using EQ in Sony's Music Center app by boosting the highs.

 

[jjaskuna]

Soon my wife and I will be off to Holland for a long overdue visit to her family and from there some walkabout to who knows where, we'll be gone for 3 months. We are both music junkies and I'll be bringing my iPad with me, I've been looking for a good small speaker to match. There are many and all have their pros and cons. I want something that takes up little room but can still sound decent so I'm here asking if anyone has any real world experience. Any favs? Any hates? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Strongly recommend a Mini Rig 4.

Minirig Bluetooth Portable Speakers UK

Minirig Portable Bluetooth Speakers, designed and manufactured in Bristol UK

minirigs.co.uk

They have been hard to find the past year or so. But, I love it for what it is--portable, loud, well built.

 

[izeek]

we've had jbl flip 5 for 3 yrs, or so, that sounds pretty good. not audiophile but certainly enjoyable. i got a case for it in the deal that is super convenient to carry by hand. fits in any carryon.
we use it a lot during the summer on outings.

 

[BigFKahuna]

I have a UE Boom and Megaboom that have done well for me over the years, I can even let them float in a pool!

 

[CapMan]

I have a UE Boom and Megaboom that have done well for me over the years, I can even let them float in a pool!

Boom is good and bullet proof

 

[Esprit]

They're not speakers but you can pair two pairs of AirPods with your iPad

 

[staticV3]

@pads
The smallest you can get while retaining decent sound is something like the Minirig 4 or Stormbox Micro 2.

You can go up in size in incremental steps and gain bass extension and volume each time.

For example: Flip 6 -> UBOOM L -> Vifa Helsinki -> Motion Boom -> Go+ Play 3 -> etc etc.

It would help if you could give us a definitive answer as to how big of a speaker you're willing to travel with, then we can tell you the best speaker at that size and budget.

 

[pads]

Thanks Guys, I appreciate the input. I can't handle earbuds, they drive me nuts, I will be checking your recommendations and see what I can best justify. We travel light so smaller the better.

 

[Beershaun]

I have a jbl charge 5 and it's great for sitting by the pool easy to use and has a built in charging port so you can use it to charge other devices

 

[pads]

Damn, the Minrig 4 looks perfect but wholly unavailable in Canada. Might wait till we hit Holland as they seem to be available in Europe.