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I bought 3 Chromecast Audios since Google announced they aren't producing them anymore & want to get one set-up in the bedroom.
I could get a standard bluetooth speaker, but I don't really need anything with battery or portability. I am trying to find a suitable pair of active speakers, or something approaching the somewhat out of fashion speaker dock.
I don't really want to spend hundreds & would prefer something nice & compact.
Richer Sounds have a decent looking solution - the Loewe Soundport & it's only £80 but it's a bit large & the only shelf it would fit on will require trunking running to it to hide the cables.
Other options I have seen are the Steljes NS1 speakers also from Richer Sounds or the Edifier E10's although the latter have a proprietary connector & cable to join the speakers together & I am not sure it will be long enough to go between our bedside tables.
The other option was something like the Creative iRoar Go, which is a 'portable bluetooth speaker' but comes with a mains power adaptor, so I think it can be plugged in constantly & used in that state - whereas my Anker bluetooth speaker can't be used while charging (plugged into power).
I would definitely consider other compact 'one box' speaker solutions that can be powered permanently from the mains.
Any ideas would be welcome...
Interested in this too! Anyone?
I have a set of Roth VA4's (certificate for website is out of date) very pleased with them (less pleased with the CCA) although the remote control is a bit crappy. Kept a (young) teenage party banging for a few hours. They also have the Roth Oli
If you want to spend more then the Ruark Audio MR1's get fantastic reviews but just a bit too pricey when I bought the Roths if you really want to push the boat out then the Kef X300A looks lovely though I haven't heard them.
For under £200 I think the 2 you've highlighted should be pretty good.
Further up the price range, the Ruark's get good reviews and then for even more money you have Elipson Prestige Facet 6B BT and then the AVI DM5 (with plenty of others in between).
Oh, the Cambridge Audio YoYo pair look good as well but probably above your price range. Think they are a wireless stereo pair so you wouldn't need to worry about cable length.
And the AudioEngine A2+ comes in under £200. Nice and compact and again well reviewed.
Ah yes, I forgot about the Cambridge Audio speakers.
I quite like the look of the Yoyo stereo pair, but reading the user guide if you connect to the aux input (for the Chromecast Audio I intend to use) then both speakers just play in mono - which kinda defeats the purpose of a stereo pair.
The smaller Yoyo S speaker looks good & is perhaps a bit more suitable aesthetically for siting in the bedroom. It's the same price as the Steljes NS1 speakers.
My concern with the Steljes speakers is the lack of grilles & a curious 3 yr old who fiddles with EVERYTHING! 🙂
For anyone interested, or for future reference...
I have e-mailed Cambridge Audio & Creative Audio to ask if their 'portable' speakers (specifically Yoyo S & iRoar Go, respectively) can be left in a permanently powered state.
I've also e-mailed Edifier about the length of the cable that joins the two together.
Creative have already replied & basically said you can leave it plugged in, but it should be disconnected & allowed to discharge every 5-6 weeks so the battery doesn't get knackered. Not sure how much of a faff that would actually end up being, having to remember to do it....
No reply from Creative or Edifier, but they said it could be 48hrs.
I have the Ruarks, which are nice - I spend quite a lot of time in the kitchen at home where they are setup and I also hate Sonos, I tried it for a while, then gave up and went to the MR1s. Obviously this doesn't help as they aren't cheap. Also know someone who is happy with the Edifiers, although they are all of a metre apart, they look like a nice solution if you can find out the length of the connector.
I’ve got 2 Bose soundlink revolves - sound for the size is amazing. They are a Bluetooth speaker but you can plug them in. You can connect the 2 for ‘party mode’ in which case the sound is great.
I was in a similar position recently and ended up with some Alesis Elevate 5ii from Amazon.
Combined with a USB DAC, my laptop has never sounded so good.
Bought them for close up listening to a lossless iTunes library whilst sat about 3 foot from them. Sounds way beyond there price tag and size but not the most aesthetically pleasing speaker if they are in a lounge or similar.
You could also try TV soundbars, the ones with wireless (or wired) subs should be pretty good I'd have thought? Good for a bedroom as you could stick it under the bed or on a wardrobe etc.
Thanks for the ideas!
I reckon i must be bloody fussy (and a bit tight)!
The Roth VA4 and Audioengine A2+ are a bit big. And if im honest, was hoping to keep the cost nearer £100 than £200.
Ruarks too spendy, unfortunately.
Hadn't considered the Bose Revolve. An option definitely, but getting towards more than I want to spend.
The Alesi Elevate speakers look a bit 'dj' or teenage bedroom.
Soundbars - hmmmm. I kinda considered, then discounted these. Maybe i should revisit - one of the narrower ones might be suitable but would probably have to wall mount it.
Just to update for anyone interested or for future reference I bought myself an Audiopro T5 last night. No idea how well it will perform, but based on reviews I've seen online it should be perfect.
I was going to get the Audiopro T3 as that's all we really need in terms of size, but was put off by the battery; I don't need it to be portable.
Upon e-mailing Proaudio about it they told me the battery can be removed, so i could run it off the mains for normal use & just stick the battery in when I need it. That looked like the best compromise I was going to find, but then I measured the available space again & the T5 would be a good fit too & doesn't come with a battery.
As an added bonus, it has a USB power socket on the back, so I can plug my Chromecast Audio directly into it & don't need to take up another plug socket.
At RRP it was well over my original budget, but I found it online for £115 delivered.
Audiopro stuff is good. I've been considering one for a room as a single box solution.
Since you are powering off the mains, you probably won't get any issues with ground loop hum / feedback on the USB, but when you power from the battery you might (fairly common issue when powering the CCA off a speaker battery). If this occurs, a cheap isolator from Ebay should do the job.
Kamakazie Subscriber
Since you are powering off the mains, you probably won’t get any issues with ground loop hum / feedback on the USB, but when you power from the battery you might (fairly common issue when powering the CCA off a speaker battery). If this occurs, a cheap isolator from Ebay should do the job.
As ever, my original post was fairly rambling but I bought the T5, which doesn't have a battery at all so hum shouldn't be an issue.
It was one of the things putting me off getting something with a battery, as I'd seen a few reports of hearing a low-level hum when using the aux-in which would be a nuisance as this will be parked right next to my head on the bedside table.
I'm going to plugging one of the 3 chromecast audios I just bought into a Dali Katch which is left plugged in. They have a replaceable battery which is good as batteried things don't seem to last so well when plugged in permanently.
I’m going to plugging one of the 3 chromecast audios I just bought into a Dali Katch which is left plugged in. They have a replaceable battery which is good as batteried things don’t seem to last so well when plugged in permanently.
Cambridge Audio recommended just unplugging their speaker every 5-6 weeks & letting the battery drain, so perhaps you could do this to minimise damage to the battery.
This to me was a last resort option as I know I'll do it a few times & then start forgetting.