I’ve never bought any wireless speaker but am aware of the sort of things you can buy.
What I need, am am struggling to find, is a speaker which is mains powered and will take a connection from my PC (could be 3.5mm, phono etc) to use as a PC speaker. I would also like to be able to send audio from my phone occasionally too via Bluetooth.
The next bit isn’t essential but a nice to have - the ability to take the speaker elsewhere and have it battery powered to maybe use it outside or in workshop.
Don’t need mega volume, and would prefer an understated look if possible.
Anything out there less than £100?
Can you use bluetooth from the PC? If you don't require a 3.5mm jack input then you'll have a wealth of options.
No idea to be honest. I have 2 computers attached to my monitor at the moment (work laptop and home gaming PC) and I have the sound coming out of the monitor but it isn’t great. My idea was to use the headphone output of the monitor to go to the speaker so it didn’t matter which computer was being used through the monitor.
I've got a UE Megaboom that ticks all those boxes as long as your idea of mains powered is via a micro usb. The 3.5 and usb are on the bottom though so you'd have to use it lying down or upside down unless you had the stand for it.
I've a UE boom 3.. With or witout the charging base it'll do all that.
DrP
I've a Sony SRSXB22 which ticks all of the boxes.
Spends most of it's life plugged into my PC at work but is portable/battery powered. It didn't come with a plug in charger but is the same port as majority of my lights so just use these.
Anker Soundcore 2 Bluetooth speaker will do this. Can be plugged in to charge mode, connected to PC by bluetooth or 3.5mm jack. Then can be used as potable speaker in the outside world. They are cheap, good quality sound and last forever.
x2 on the Anker Soundcore 2 as it ticks all your boxes. We bought one a couple of years ago and it gets used almost daily, ticks all your boxes and if you buy 2 you can use them in stereo. Not that I see the need. Charging is a rare occurrence but the 10000mAh battery helps a lot.
(other retailers are available)
Thanks - I am a big Anker fan, had been looking at their SC speakers. My only concern is leaving it on charge all the time might knacker the battery.
Wel don't leave it on charge all of the time then. Just charge it when it starts flashing. Battery seems to last for weeks.
Just got a micro amp for £40 from amazon to use in the . hooked up a pair of speakers I had going spare. Sounds great for the money and has bluetooth, 3.5mm and usb inputs. Tempted by another for desk duty. Granted they arent portable but the sound/cost ratio is in my ballpark.
Another Soundcore fan !!
I've 2 soundcores jsut sat here in my office at work!! a soundcore 1, and a 2!!
I agree they sound good, and are good value, but acoustically I found teh UE Boom 3 far superior...but it does cost more...
DrP
Another happy soundcore owner 😀
Wel don’t leave it on charge all of the time then. Just charge it when it starts flashing. Battery seems to last for weeks.
Frank x2 again, ours lasts for weeks as well, it really doesn't need a constant supply.
I recently bought the Soundcore Motion Boom with the carry handle - really good, but bluetooth only.
Doesn't quite hot the budget but this might be a nice sounding box: Audio Pro We've got a T3 which, although sounding a bit bassy when you first fire it up is still a very good quality sound.
For my study I have a fixed pair of speakers which I think are really very good. And does Bluetooth from my laptop so don't even need to bother connecting it physically. Edifier Mine are black but really do like them. Especially for those working from home days. I know it's not quite what you are looking for but perhaps an option to consider.
Work colleague bought a pair of ue wonderboom speakers and they seem pretty good. Bluetooth only so if your pc doesn't have Bluetooth you can get an adaptor pretty cheap I think.
Scan have an offer at the moment for two speakers for £71.99
@bikingcatastophe those look really good but a bit spendy - if you play music from different sources at the same time do they both come through?
I’m thinking if I’m playing music through my phone and a Teams call comes in I don’t want to miss it. Not a deal breaker but it just sprang to mind.
Wel don’t leave it on charge all of the time then. Just charge it when it starts flashing
Hmmm. Worth thinking about. I suppose I have to be realistic about whether I will ever need it to be portable or not.
@b230ftw. Are you talking about a Teams call on your laptop or a Teams call on your phone?
Using my laptop the speakers are for playback and I have a separate Jabra disc thingy for Teams / Skype calls. The only thing I have to do when a Teams call comes in is stop Spotify or whatever else I am listening to. As far as I can tell most Bluetooth devices can only accept one connected device at a time. So, for me, my laptop is connected to the Edifiers and uses these as the computer speakers. When I get a Teams call the Jabra acts as both speaker and mic. If I am joining a Teams conference (where Teams is in broadcast mode) the sound comes through the Bluetooth speakers. Yes, they might be a bit spendy, but the quality, IMHO, makes it worth it. The Audio Pro we have was for Mrs BC and I listened to a few alternatives before selecting it. For me, it was the best sounding one I tried. I did like the Kef Muo which had the best mid and treble range of any of the Bluetooth speakers I tried but it lacked bass depth. For what you get I think the Edifiers are pretty good value for money but they are static and need the mains. I find they work brilliantly in my office
Hmmm. Worth thinking about. I suppose I have to be realistic about whether I will ever need it to be portable or not.
So worth it IMO, the portability is the entire point of these speakers. Zero faff with wires or plugs which,realistically, you're going to have to deal with if you want the Bluetooth.
Also realised we have a Soundcore Motion B.
Not exactly understated and a bit over budget, but the JBL Extreme 2 is reduced to £150 from £200 at Currys
My daughter has one and it's great - get's 5 stars with What Hi Fi
As far as I can tell most Bluetooth devices can only accept one connected device at a time.
The JBL above accepts 2 devices
If you don't need portability then Edifiers is a great option.
So, I bought the JBL - it's really decent
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Slightly OT, but if anyone is looking for an extremely portable speaker, I've revcently bought a JBL Clip 3
It's great for use out in the field
I went for the Clip 3 over the Clip 4, as I prefer the looks and it's fully waterproof, whereas the 4 isn't
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51094291505_7251ccd60e_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51094291505_7251ccd60e_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2kR2ALr ]2021-04-04_08-39-20[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/85252658@N05/ ]davetheblade[/url], on Flickr
