Struggles & Identity > Dislikes & Annoyances

Only logged in members can reply and interact with the post.
Join SimilarWorlds for FREE »

Calling all audiophiles🔈🔉🔊

I need help.

Im wanting to get a portable speaker to use in my home and at work - so i can groove while im doing stuff.

Anyone got any recommendations?

Im currently down this rabbit hole of bang and olufsen, minirig, and maybe even jbl.
Klipsch is in there but....oh i dunno.

Honestly - its all very confusing.

Im not a bass junkie, even tho i like low frequency stuff. I love clear sound.
Any distortion of the high end and it literally makes my head hurt and i feel queasy.

Any help would be appreciated 🤗

Top | New | Old

OldBrit · 61-69, M

My son has a jbl one he's had some time that is really good to my ears - side note I'm registered deaf BTW 😂😂

Of course true audiophiles would now be going on about it's a pointless discussion if you're using MP3 below at least 192k/bits and which codec used to encode it etc etc.

I still generally buy my cds and then rip them myself into mp3 at 256. If the artist offers FLAC I normally buy that but storage is a problem, they are huge. I route my PCs via RCA cables to hifi amps and speakers. I use VLC generally for playback, Audacity for any manipulation or reencoding to mp3 or WAV etc. Yes I also still use WAV but normally for material I have recorded myself and am editing or mastering on Audacity.

This is however all a pointless discussion if you're using Bluetooth to connect to the speaker. Bluetooth itself then uses different codecs to compress the transmission. I once sat trying to explain to a friend his using FLAC via Bluetooth to a speaker was essentially pointless as it compresses lower than an mp3 at 192k/bits.

So. If you're still awake by now I'm really saying go with what is reasonable costwise there's little point on wide frequency ranges etc if using Bluetooth. I don't really use Bluetooth at all myself. All audio is routed via copper cable or fibre optic in my set ups so at least I hear what I hear at the compression / codec compromise I've chosen for storage considerations.

OogieBoogie · F

@OldBrit oh i already know im compromising by going digital. (miss my old hifi something terrible 😥)
Ideallly id like wifi connect instead of bluetooth, but yeah - compromises, compromises.

I wanna choose the best expression of the already sacrificed signal im gonna use - only because of convenience of portability and simplicity.

I know it wont be ideal. But i also know that theres gotta be a system put there that'll produce some sort of clear sound accross frequencies with minimal distort on volume.

Most are often real heavy on the high end bass, (it seems to be the 'in' sound), and im not a fan of it.

Jbl is pretty good. They are owned by Harman Kardon, and thats mostly where im at now.

Its driving me crazy😂

Adogslife · 61-69, M

I’ve been down the same road. I chose Sonos. The sound quality is excellent. Their “Move” speaker has great depth, both highs and lows and fills a room well. It can work off wifi or Bluetooth. You can take it outside too, unwired.

I have Sonos all over my house. As you grow your system, you can designate what you’d like to play and where as the app integrates with Spotify and all the other apps.

Don’t choose a small speaker to start. If you like hifi, you’ll just be disappointed.

View 1 more replies »

Adogslife · 61-69, M

@OogieBoogie As a side note, I tested quite a few systems. Maybe your ears are different, but I found JBL to be very heavy with their base which I don’t happen to care for. I want to hear the highs and midrange not just heavy base. If you really want that, add a subwoofer to your sound system.

Anyway, go to a store, like a Best Buy, and test out a few speakers. Ask the salesperson if there’s an app that’s flexible for rooom by room control.

Any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. I probably have 10 Sonos speakers in my house now in different rooms and of varying sizes.

OogieBoogie · F

@Adogslife im not a fan of that high base "thumpa thumpa thumpa" either.

I DO love the feels of really low frequency bass sounds, but not to an overpowering level.

I like a slightly warm sound, but not so warm as you lose the treble and mid frequencies.
Clarity is paramount.

And i HATE distortion. I need something that's gonna keep its clarity when i wanna turn it up a bit.

Not that i can handle much volume, I've got 'sensitive lil" ears'😅

Im trying to narrow it down to a handful so i dont numb my ears trying out too many.

Plus....where i live - its a smallish island and we dobt have many audiophile stores🤷‍♀

I was kinda getting out of control before this post, and my searches were slowing getting more and more expensive.
I was getting pretty super keen on the Bang and Olufsen A1 gen 3,
But it was a shitload of buckeroos for just a nice lil travel speaker.

The was one Jbl i was kinda looki g at, but then i found a Harman Karmon one, the Go 3, and its a pearler.

Then @Kiesel put me onto the Doxx Spundbox and thats a pretty nice speaker without the hefty price tag.

So my choices are narrowing.
The thing is....the more i look, the more i find - the more i have to go through the comparison process.

Still....i think something like this is worth the research. Id prefer to over spend $200 on something i loved, than waste $200 bucks on something that ends up disappointing.

Adogslife · 61-69, M

@OogieBoogie I don’t envy you. There’s so much of an inclination to overspend without flexibility for future growth. Then there’s inside versus outside, Bluetooth vs wired. It’ll drive ya nuts.

If you have access to a Sonos Move 2 (or older Move) , it’s worth a listen. It’s also a smart speaker.

caPnAhab · 26-30, M

I've been happy with this JBL for maybe five years. The sound comes in clear with nice bass

You can connect it with Bluetooth or an auxiliary cord if you have one

I've never really owned any other comparable speakers though

View 4 more replies »

bookerdana · M

@OogieBoogie Fiiiiine!🤨 where did you hear them....?

OogieBoogie · F

@bookerdana ive been watching, (or rather listening) to comparison videos.

My ears are totally stuffed full of audio profiles right now 😅

bookerdana · M

@OogieBoogie JBLs are rugged💪 durable....it would be optimal to not judge by listening to audio video clips but yer obviously phoning this in😆 every speaker sounds different by where the mic is ,the surroundings

BillyMack · 46-50, M

We have a Bose mini speaker that we’ve had for 11 years. Works great.

OogieBoogie · F

@BillyMack Bose do have some nice models

Kiesel · 56-60, M

I have this one and love it..
Extremely rich sound.

View 5 more replies »

Kiesel · 56-60, M

@OogieBoogie they’re still available on Amazon….
That’s where I bought mine but a couple of years ago

https://a.co/d/gl5slbD

OogieBoogie · F

@Kiesel thanks - ill keep the link, but its saying its currently unavailable....DAMMIT.

Kiesel · 56-60, M

@OogieBoogie booooooo 😕

Thatsright · 61-69, M

Any of them are pretty good. You don’t even need a sexy name brand. I bought an off brand at Walmart a few years back. It works with just me or a house full of company.

OogieBoogie · F

@Thatsright oh i know i dont need a fancy brand name.
But im pretty picky about my sound quality.
I know it sounds silly, but i cant stand boomy speakers, or tinny sound - either makes my ears itch.

Ive bought and thrown out headphones that dont cut it.

I was spoilt growing up by an autistic brother who taught me how good sound could be.
Now im an incurable snob about it🙄

SledgeHammer · 46-50, M

BOSE.!

Cant go wrong.... The clarity is amazing

OogieBoogie · F

@SledgeHammer i cant deny Bose are good. They definitely excell in the larger speaker range.

SledgeHammer · 46-50, M

@OogieBoogie they have some really good small units that would amaze you

WoWgirll · 36-40, F

Bose or Pyle speakers if its a hatchback if not idk

OogieBoogie · F

@WoWgirll tbh, ive not heard of Pyle, at least not recently.

I must look into them. Thank you.

The conundrum i have is that i live on a smallish island, and theres few audiophile type stores .... and the few there are only stock what they can regularly sell. Its happened before where i finally work out what i think i want.... and they don't have it.

Thanks again

romell · 51-55, M

Just get a decent neck band speakers should be good enough

OogieBoogie · F

@romell thing is i want to be able to move freely.
One can't truly dance about even with headphones on coz they shift about and fall off🤷‍♀

romell · 51-55, M

@OogieBoogie neck band are precisely for that I drive a bike with it you surely can dance with them...

OogieBoogie · F

@romell i googled them .
My apologies - i was thinking of something very different.

I can see your point. They look stable.

I was looking at speakers also for their immersive and spacial sound.

As much as i love how my headphones sound - acoustic has its romance. There is something special about how sound travels thru the air and enters your ears - it makes listening a more physical experience 🤗
I also have small ear canals, ( ive gor little ears🫤). Ive yet to wear an earbud that fits properly 🤷‍♀

But thanks. Im always on the lookout for good ways to listen to music, and these, by their support design might actually stay in my ears 👍

Add a comment...