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sure it will of been asked numerous times before so my advance apologies - but what blue tooth speaker.
looking for something with decent sound quality for the kitchen. doesn't need to be particularly portable (already got a UE Boom and an anker soundcore) or have particulary spectacular batter life as will be plugged into the mains the majority of the time. the hifi is in the living room, but we spend a lot of time listening to music (and dinking) around the kitchen table, so only needs to service this room (ie not bothered about connection form one room to another), good quality sound and budget c £300. oh, and streaming straight form apple music / spotify, not via an app. ideas?
I enjoyed the unintentional pun. Batter life, speaker for use in the kitchen!
I have an Anker Soundcore 2 which is small and great. Recently bought the Anker Souncore Motion Boom - fair bit bigger but it's great and has a chunky handle. Really good sound, and around £90.
I've got an Audio Pro Addon C5 in my large open plan kitchen. They are great speakers and don't require any annoying app. I've actually got 4 all around the house. I highly recommend them.
Amazon Echo Studio?
I’ve got an Audio Pro Addon C5 in my large open plan kitchen. They are great speakers and don’t require any annoying app. I’ve actually got 4 all around the house. I highly recommend them.
funnily enough i was just reading the review of the C10. i think of may heard one before (not 100%) and recall thinking it was a little bassy, i could be wrong. do they cope with wide variety of music both very loud and at lower levels - joni mitchel to prodigy type range? are they mains power only?
@sofaboy73 yeah the addon is mains power only. I listen to lot's of different music from post metal to drum & bass to classical and it's great with anything. It is a bit bassy like you said but a hell of a lot more reliable than the unreliable Sonos kit I had before.
If you're not bothered by portability, I'm very happy with my Edifier powered speakers
Small but great sound quality. Bluetooth connectivity from your phone so no 3rd apps required, or wired RCA/ optical connections. I have in the home office and they're great.
+1 for Edifer speakers.
I've got an AudioPro BT5. It lacks bells and whistles but as a mains powered, BT, or wired speaker, it's excellent. Retail is £150 but often half price at Currys. I think I paid £69
It just sits in my office and I use it for BBC Sounds or SomaFM or play MP3 on it. I'm very happy with it
What not another SoundCore? Seems to do all you want.
What not another SoundCore? Seems to do all you want.
I’ve got a soundcore2 and it’s great for its size sound wise, portablity and battery life. I’m looking for some with a material step up in sound quality for home listening
Watching with interest.
I've got a JBL Flip and I'm really impressed with it for the size but I'd like something bigger to sit in the house. Preferably something that can make mega bass frequencies.
Not portable, under 300 quid, streaming straight from Apple music - have you considered a HomePod? I'd say they are ideal for a kitchen, Unless Spotify is a deal-breaker it seems to fit all your needs.
Pair of minirigs would be a significant step up over the soundcore. Even a single.one is tbh but stereo is a nice benefit.
If mains then something like the Edifiers or perhaps the Ruark MR1s would be better still.
Scratch those, missed the bit about streaming outside of an app, though not sure what you want BT for if the speaker will do the streaming?
I have a Bluesound Pulse Flex 2i in the kitchen and it's a great little thing. You can stream Spotify, Tidal etc. (if you have an account) plus access internet radio, and plug in a USB drive to play FLAC/CD files.
It's quite small but can go pretty loud for its size, and the sound quality is good.
Richer Sounds have some in clearance for £240 which is a pretty fair price. We paid 300 which felt slightly expensive at the time, although I do like it. Having said that, if I was buying again I might spend even more go for the Pulse Mini or even a Pulse to get a bigger box/sound/power.
https://www.richersounds.com/clearance-bargains/online.html?brand=3136
MiniRig are a great shout, but a bit lacking in Bass, but they are tiny.
Fortunately they do a bass speaker too...
Perfect!
If you were considering a UE Boom then don’t.
I have one and it was great. Really nice sound. I did a firmware update for it and it bricked.
Contacted UE they offered 5% off a replacement. The speaker was 2 years old.
Much the same with a JBl flip 3 great speaker sound until the battery dies then into the bucket not worth trying to repair
I have a lot of time for Cambridge Audio, have never let me down for budget yet quality hi fi for a few decades now. Currently use a TVMinx bluetooth sound-base of theirs for TV and music and it is fantastic. If was looking for portable, rechargeable, smaller then a YoYo (S) speaker would be my first choice. About £130.
(5 star What Hifi review):
https://www.whathifi.com/cambridge-audio/yoyo-s/review
I've got a yoyo s. It looks nice and is reasonably loud for its size but sounds a bit meh. We still always use the 20 year old cheap stereo in the lounge and just crank it up for the kitchen. All the bose, sonos etc bluetooth speakers I've heard are pretty similar. Convenient, look nice, loud enough, better than just playing it off your phone but thats it. Tried the yoyo in my office for a bit. Ended up getting a 1974 pioneer tuner amp and 1990s £40 speakers out the loft and purchased a logitech bluetooth adapter. I'm far from an audiophile but would find space for speakers if you can. A friend has some speakers in his ceiling in his kitchen that works well.
Forgot to add a friend has the addon c10 and rates it. I've not heard it but it does look the most like a normal speaker.
Not totally clear what you are asking for. Do you want Bluetooth speakers that you don't need an app to manage or are you looking for Bluetooth speakers that will also manage the streaming side of things as well? If it's the latter then, as mentioned earlier, why bother with Bluetooth? Bluesound or Ruark or Yamaha or... all do streaming systems that will give you that. If you want Bluetooth speaker tat you can just connect to and use your iPad, Phone, Laptop whatever to do the streaming from then you have plenty of choice there. You can go with the speakers that have it built in (Edifier, AudioPro etc) or you can go for Active Monitors and use something like this to provide the Bluetooth connection.
Personally I use Edifier speakers from my laptop and really do like the sound. I have the R1700BT. Sure, they don't quite have the full bass extension but they do sound clear and balanced. Want more bass? Go for slightly bigger version such as the R1850. Wifey has the AudioPro AddOn T3 which she really likes. It sounds a little bassy when you first start listening but you do get used to it. Considering the size of them they do have pretty deep bass. However, if you are happy to experiment with a Bluetooth receiver (see link above) then I would consider something like the Adam TV5 or TV7. Buy them as single speakers or a pair. Not heard them myself but have heard a number of people strongly recommend them. My son has a pair of Presonus Eris E8XT using the Bluetooth receiver. Personally, although he likes them, I prefer the Edifiers. The Presonus sound a bit boxy to me.
This. For £40-odd it’s bloody excellent.
I’ve got a yoyo s....better than just playing it off your phone but thats it.
Really? So I’ll stick with my Anker Soundcore Mini? Because that’s exactly how I’d describe it! What did What Hi-Fi reviewers get so wrong, IYO?
funnily enough i was just reading the review of the C10. i think of may heard one before (not 100%) and recall thinking it was a little bassy, i could be wrong.
C10 is much more bass heavy than the C5.
I have a T5 in the kitchen.
I'd probably go a step beyond the Anker Soundcore stuff (although excellent for the size) to something like those Edifier efforts. They're on my purchase list for when I move house.
+1 for Audio Pro. Have a C10 in the kitchen, C5 for the TV and T3 for elsewhere or the garage and garden. High quality sound and copes well between room filling or just listening to the radio. Well built, reliable, simple software and I like that I can network the C5 and 10 at the same time. The C5 occasionally gets out of sync with the TV but easy to re-sync just by 4 pushes of the source button. Look out for deals on them eg from Richersounds.
I'd quite like an AudioPro C10 but everywhere has really low stock, I'm wondering if there's a new version due.
Another vote for AudioPro here. I have a pair of the A26 for TV and music, a C5 and a C3 for moving around different rooms. By far the best WiFi speakers in their price range. I’d love a pair of the Drumfire speakers if space and funds allowed.
I’ve got a mix of speakers around the house. Started with a B&O Beolit 12, then more recently got a HomePod and HomePod mini.
The Beolit sounds the best by some margin but the App and Airplay connectivity is really flakey, so much so that it’s been relegated from regular use in the kitchen to occasional use in the office. HomePod mini now doing the main job in the kitchen with the main HomePod in the TV room so can take advantage of it’s home cinema capabilities. Very happy with them all though on a sound quality for the type of use they’re being put to.
Sound is quite a personal thing, but having looked at the likes of B&O and Sonos and everything in between, I found that the Denon Home series offered the best sound quality for my ears. Sonos felt very tinny in comparison and the sound on B&O just came in one mid tone wave of cotton wool.
Denon Home in 4 rooms throughout the house. They are mid price range, decent looking, connectivity is good and easy to link together.
My only real advice (if you can in these crazy times) is to listen to the same track on a few side by side. Even to my untrained ear it was easy to narrow down the choice.
I’ve just got a AudioPro C10 very impressed with it great sound and easy to use. Got mine from Audio Affair just before Christmas. Very nice tone with wide range of musical genres 🙂
Another vote for Audio pro here
Sound is excellent for the size
IKEA stuff is rebranded Sonos at half the price.
Thanks for all the ideas and input. Strongly leaning towards the audio pro adding C10 for the balance of size, reported sound quality, price and connectivity options. Having Bluetooth as well is a benefit as our wifi can be a little flaky at times. Also not initially intended to use the multi room functionality or link it with others.
Few quick questions though as I know very little about wifi streaming music:
- Is the sound quality better by wifi network streaming compared to Bluetooth?
- If using the C10 for wifi it all has to be done via their supposedly clunky app - how awkward is their app?
- Is Apple airplay a different thing / needs to use their app as apparently the C10 doesn’t support airplay2?
- How do I tell if I’ve got AirPlay or AirPlay2 on my Apple devices and will this cause a poss problem
TIA
@sofaboy73 which music app do you use. I only use Spotify on mine, nice feature is you can assign 4 playlists to the presets which means once setup you can get some tunes going without another device, so turn on the C10 hit the preset button and you get music.
The app is ok it’s not super slick but it doesn’t annoy me and I can use whilst riding the indoor bike easily and hasn’t crashed it’s done all I need each time. By super click it’s not the most thought out UI
No idea on AirPlay, my iPad see’s it and can stream Spotify that’s as much as I tested and I’ve not used Bluetooth all WiFi to my knowledge.
What did What Hi-Fi reviewers get so wrong, IYO?
I think a lot of it was me being unrealistic. I'm listening to the yoyo now as its been relegated to the garage. It isn't terrible but I was comparing it to a normal stereo rather than against other bluetooth speakers. I'd trust what hifi over me, as it is their job, but I think it's clarity and detail that are missing compared to my main stereo. I guess professional reviewers would be finely tuned to the small differences between different kit. The enthusiasm for the yoyo is why I bought it. I guess I'm saying make sure you've heard a bluetooth speaker and are happy with the general sounds quality before you get too hung up on which one.
I've got an Audio Pro; I think it's the t5? Mains powered, no multi-room but I solved that with a Chromecast Audio.
I love it. I was completely blown away by the size of the sound. Ours is tucked into the corner, and it booms a little bit but I've turned the bass down in the Chromecast Audio settings.
I'm currently considering what to get in the home office. Having just rearranged it, the Sony mini system i was using with system-specific speaker connections doesn't really fit - cables are too short.
First thought was just get a Google Nest Audio, but then wondered whether i need the smart side of things or just get some active speakers and plug the Chromecast Audio in.
I looked at the Edifier speakers as they seem popular on here but would prefer something a bit more compact.
I'm also looking at 'computer speakers' like the little 2.1 systems so i could have the satellites on the desk with the sub on the floor under the desk (although not sure the Wife will appreciate the sub booking through the floorboards!).
so based on a number of recommendations above and wider reviews, i went for a pro audio addon C10. turned up today and just spent the past few hours giving it a got work out. only used it over blue tooth so far, however very impressed with the sound for a c£250 system. exactly what i was after and would heartily recommend to anyone else. thanks for the input guys & girs
I'm still considering one of these, it's the internet radio assigned to a preset that interests me as it'll make the wife adopting it far easier.
I've got an Audio Pro Addon of some sort that my gf bought for me. Broke after 6 months and the customer service was awful. Sound is okay tbf and the replacement is going strong 4 years later, although doesn't really get used anymore.
Went with the Bose Soundlink Mini 2 Bluetooth Speaker that Costco were selling off at £107. Sounds that good that we bought another for in the camper when we can get out and about.
Audio Pro speakers are great. Pretty much unbeatable in their price category. I’ve got a couple of C5’s and a pair of A26 active stereo speakers. Better sound than the Sonos I used to have and not far off my old separates.
I love the Anker speaker I was given at Christmas. Can't quite compare with the pair of Sonos I have for sound quality but can't really fault it for the size, great for mobility. Not sure what model, it doesn't seem to tell you on the unit. Not sure what it cost my dear wife either (rude to check when it was a pressie).
PSA - the grey and the black Audio Pro C10's are £149 on Currys atm
Tempted. My old second hand T10 has given up.
PSA – the grey and the black Audio Pro C10’s are £149 on Currys atm
That’s an absolute bargain price. Especially when you consider it is the equivalent to a Sonos 5
PSA – the grey and the black Audio Pro C10’s are £149 on Currys atm
Try buying one, it's impossible. Clearly just a scam to get themselves some advertising.
Curry’s were that price when I got mine except they didn’t have any 🙁 be amazing value at that price too if you can find one at that price.
@sofaboy73 you’ve made a good choice 👍