Sansui77 Posted October 16, 2023 Share Posted October 16, 2023 Hi All, Everytime I go away on holidays I struggle with not having good sounding music. I would love for people's reviews on what you think are the best portable speaker or speakers setup to take with you when you travel? *It must be portable enough to put in your luggage without taking up too much room. *Each speaker can't be bigger than a 2 litre bottle of water. *Must have big sound. *Run on battery. *Bluetooth conductivity. It can be one or two speaker setup. *The most important aspect is it must have great sound quality. We are on Stereo.net aren't we.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sansui77 Posted October 16, 2023 Author Share Posted October 16, 2023 I was looking at this. Beatfy 360 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anandpkumar Posted October 16, 2023 Share Posted October 16, 2023 as an alternate approach, what about using a good pair of headphones and a DAP (or even your phone with a USB DAC) as source? Or is it required for the entire family? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sansui77 Posted October 17, 2023 Author Share Posted October 17, 2023 13 minutes ago, anandpkumar said: as an alternate approach, what about using a good pair of headphones and a DAP (or even your phone with a USB DAC) as source? Or is it required for the entire family? Correct, required for family and friends. Probably just get an Ultermate ears boom or similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anandpkumar Posted October 17, 2023 Share Posted October 17, 2023 6 minutes ago, Sansui77 said: Correct, required for family and friends. Probably just get an Ultermate ears boom or similar. Yes, the UE Boom is a good value for money option! The JBL flip is another one to look at. If you want to spend a bit more, there are some really good reviews on the Dali Katch G2 - though they cost quite a bit more than the UE and JBL options I've been happily using a Fugoo portable speaker for the past 9 odd years and love it for the right balance of portability, sound quality and battery life. They are not easily available here though. Cheers! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith_W Posted October 17, 2023 Share Posted October 17, 2023 There is also B&O, if you feel like spending even more money. I can not objectively tell you it is better because I haven't measured it. Probably something I need to do! I have also been eyeing that baby Devialet speaker, the Mania. However, I have never heard them. They also cost $1400 and weigh 2.3kg! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Marc Posted October 17, 2023 Administrator Share Posted October 17, 2023 The DALI Katch really is quite good. But the price is high. https://www.stereonet.com/au/reviews/dali-katch-g2-portable-speaker-review We tend to have a couple of JBL Flips around the place. Kids take them everywhere with them. Not the last word in SQ though, of course. But cheap and cheerful. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal beat Posted October 17, 2023 Share Posted October 17, 2023 (edited) 4 hours ago, Sansui77 said: Hi All, Everytime I go away on holidays I struggle with not having good sounding music. I would love for people's reviews on what you think are the best portable speaker or speakers setup to take with you when you travel? *It must be portable enough to put in your luggage without taking up too much room. *Each speaker can't be bigger than a 2 litre bottle of water. *Must have big sound. *Run on battery. *Bluetooth conductivity. It can be one or two speaker setup. *The most important aspect is it must have great sound quality. We are on Stereo.net aren't we.... I have been using JBL Go2 for a few years now. Luv it. Sound fills a hotel room easily, great down the beach for personal music and it's small enough to fit in your pocket - so takes up zero room. Cheap as chips at around $30 - $35. https://www.jbhifi.com.au/collections/jbl-go-2-portable-bluetooth-speaker Edited October 17, 2023 by metal beat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oohms Posted October 17, 2023 Share Posted October 17, 2023 If you are ok with buying second hand, the apple ipod hifi is a pretty good sounding unit. So far the best sounding one in the workshop (tram depot), out of various tradie radios and portable bluetooth speakers. You can also get a 30 pin bluetooth adapter to bring it into the 2020s 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sansui77 Posted October 17, 2023 Author Share Posted October 17, 2023 2 hours ago, anandpkumar said: Yes, the UE Boom is a good value for money option! The JBL flip is another one to look at. If you want to spend a bit more, there are some really good reviews on the Dali Katch G2 - though they cost quite a bit more than the UE and JBL options I've been happily using a Fugoo portable speaker for the past 9 odd years and love it for the right balance of portability, sound quality and battery life. They are not easily available here though. Cheers! I'm interested in the Fugoo XL. Looks like a good buy for sound reproduction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andythiing Posted October 17, 2023 Share Posted October 17, 2023 (edited) Realistic minimus 7 with a class d amp/steamer like Yamaha wxa 50 - blow you away but the need to carry a massive lithium battery etc might be an issue Edited October 17, 2023 by Andythiing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POV Posted October 17, 2023 Share Posted October 17, 2023 (edited) I use Bang and Olufsen Beosound A1's. I have 2 of them and they can be used either seperately, or as a stereo pair (linked via the B&O app). When I'm away for a week or more I take both and set them up in stereo, creates a fairly convincing stereo image (kept in context of portable bluetooth speakers) Could not be happier with them for what they are. https://www.bang-olufsen.com/en/au/speakers/beosound-a1 Edited October 17, 2023 by POV 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zanny Posted November 18, 2023 Share Posted November 18, 2023 (edited) I have the answer for you! The lord hath spoken and the word is "Kanto ORA". Doesn't run on battery though, but it ticks all the other boxes. So brand new, the only way to get them down here is to use Amazon USA website: https://www.amazon.com/Kanto-Reference-Bluetooth-Bi-Amplified-Automatic/dp/B0CJ41WK2D I'll be getting a set, but I'm not in a hurry, have to setup my home theatre first. Will use my KEF LS50s for the home theatre setup and replace them with these on my desk. Edited November 18, 2023 by Zanny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussievintage Posted November 18, 2023 Share Posted November 18, 2023 I had the same decision. I chose a JBL Charge 3. A bit bass heavy, but that's what EQs are for . Big advantage is a huge battery that lasts forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sansui77 Posted November 18, 2023 Author Share Posted November 18, 2023 2 minutes ago, aussievintage said: I had the same decision. I chose a JBL Charge 3. A bit bass heavy, but that's what EQs are for . Big advantage is a huge battery that lasts forever. My son has the JBL charge 3 and I have all the 4 blue LEDs for the EQ but it has no bass. Sounds terrible overall. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussievintage Posted November 18, 2023 Share Posted November 18, 2023 1 minute ago, Sansui77 said: My son has the JBL charge 3 and I have all the 4 blue LEDs for the EQ but it has no bass. Sounds terrible overall. Not sure what you mean by blue leds. Maybe the model has changed, but the only blue leds mine has are the charging indicators on the bottom front. Do they have another use I am unaware of? But the default sound is bass heavy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POV Posted November 18, 2023 Share Posted November 18, 2023 10 minutes ago, Sansui77 said: My son has the JBL charge 3 and I have all the 4 blue LEDs for the EQ but it has no bass. Sounds terrible overall. Yep…Also not a fan of JBL portables. My daughter has a Charge 3 and it sounds really unbalanced to me. Compared to the B&O and it’s really noticeable just how bad the JBL is IMO. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Marc Posted November 18, 2023 Administrator Share Posted November 18, 2023 In that form factor, the Dali Katch (and the subsequent 2nd generation) really is a benchmark IMO. It just sounds far better than it deserves to, but then I think they priced is accordingly with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussievintage Posted November 18, 2023 Share Posted November 18, 2023 57 minutes ago, POV said: Yep…Also not a fan of JBL portables. My daughter has a Charge 3 and it sounds really unbalanced to me. Compared to the B&O and it’s really noticeable just how bad the JBL is IMO. I am not a fan of portables at all. However, there are times when one is convenient. I never use it at home. To me, UE Boom stuff lacked bass. The JBL range had too much. They all need EQ work (quite a bit) to sound acceptable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williac Posted November 22, 2023 Share Posted November 22, 2023 I don't leave the country without my JBL charge 3 and for the size I think it sounds great - lack of bass has never been an issue for me. While sound is important I also need to take weight into consideration as most of my trips are business and require a full suitcase, and that was the speaker that ticked pretty much all of the boxes for me weighing in at around 1kg. Id at least consider having a listen to the 5th iteration of this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussievintage Posted November 22, 2023 Share Posted November 22, 2023 4 hours ago, williac said: I don't leave the country without my JBL charge 3 and for the size I think it sounds great - lack of bass has never been an issue for me. I agree. Earlier comments sound like they are listening to a completely different speaker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sansui77 Posted November 22, 2023 Author Share Posted November 22, 2023 5 hours ago, williac said: I don't leave the country without my JBL charge 3 and for the size I think it sounds great - lack of bass has never been an issue for me. While sound is important I also need to take weight into consideration as most of my trips are business and require a full suitcase, and that was the speaker that ticked pretty much all of the boxes for me weighing in at around 1kg. Id at least consider having a listen to the 5th iteration of this. 1 hour ago, aussievintage said: I agree. Earlier comments sound like they are listening to a completely different speaker. Is this what you guys are referring too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussievintage Posted November 22, 2023 Share Posted November 22, 2023 1 hour ago, Sansui77 said: Is this what you guys are referring too? Yep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POV Posted November 22, 2023 Share Posted November 22, 2023 1 hour ago, Sansui77 said: Is this what you guys are referring too? Yep that’s the one. Sounds terrible, I hate it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussievintage Posted November 22, 2023 Share Posted November 22, 2023 and here we have a perfect example of the problem with subjectivism on forums like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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