What bluetooth speaker up to £100
What bluetooth speaker up to £100
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AA88

Original Poster:

397 posts

166 months

Tuesday 13th March 2018
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I've just moved in to a new house and the 15 year old hi-fi doesn't really fit in anymore so i'm looking for a decent bluetooth speaker that can be used in the house and garden.

Looking on Amazon/John Lewis etc there seems to be so many to choose from so wondered if anyone had a good recommendation?

warp9

1,632 posts

221 months

Tuesday 13th March 2018
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I've got an Anker Soundcore 2 which I've been pretty impressed with. For your budget you may be able to scale up.

HustleRussell

26,137 posts

184 months

Tuesday 13th March 2018
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I bought a Cambridge Audio Minx Go at the beginning of 2014, it was less than £100, I have used it pretty heavily since then and I am still using it now with no discernible reduction in performance or battery life. It remains the best £100 I've ever spent.

My Mum wanted one for Christmas so being that 4 years had gone by I guessed mine would no longer be competitive with the current crop. I did some homework and bought her a Ultimate Ears Megaboom for £150. It goes a slightly louder but in every other area my old one trumps it, including sound quality.

P.S. At the same time I bought my C.A. one a friend bought a Bose one, spending twice as much money. The form factor of the Bose was lovely, the materials top notch, the design much more appealing... but there wasn't much to choose between them on the sound, and the battery in mine lasts several times longer.

Edited by HustleRussell on Tuesday 13th March 17:05

dxg

10,159 posts

284 months

Tuesday 13th March 2018
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warp9 said:
I've got an Anker Soundcore 2 which I've been pretty impressed with. For your budget you may be able to scale up.
Ditto on this. It's great. Waterproof, too, so I use mine in the bathroom when showering. It routinely gets very wet and is still going strong. The battery seems to last for ages, too...

gtsl

97 posts

157 months

Saturday 17th March 2018
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Spaced 360 are 50 quid on Amazon. They cost around 200-250 when released.

dorme

263 posts

205 months

Friday 23rd March 2018
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AA88 said:
I've just moved in to a new house and the 15 year old hi-fi doesn't really fit in anymore so i'm looking for a decent bluetooth speaker that can be used in the house and garden.

Looking on Amazon/John Lewis etc there seems to be so many to choose from so wondered if anyone had a good recommendation?
If you can strech another £50, a harman kardon "go play" from the company themselves (refurb) from ebay, i have one and its better than alot of speakers double the price! worth every penny extra trust me.

failing that:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/DOSS-Bluetooth-Speaker/dp... better than alot in its class


Edited by dorme on Friday 23 March 09:47

dorme

263 posts

205 months

Friday 23rd March 2018
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gtsl said:
Spaced 360 are 50 quid on Amazon. They cost around 200-250 when released.
sound pretty awful though...

XFRFred

7,414 posts

277 months

Friday 23rd March 2018
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If you could stretch another £40, i would recommend the Bose Soundlink Mini. Bought mine from Costco for £137, yesterday, to go with my new Alexa.
It's surprisingly loud and well balanced for such a small unit. This is my 2nd one, as i have another one in the office.

Edited by XFRFred on Friday 23 March 09:47

dorme

263 posts

205 months

Friday 23rd March 2018
quotequote all
HustleRussell said:
My Mum wanted one for Christmas so being that 4 years had gone by I guessed mine would no longer be competitive with the current crop. I did some homework and bought her a Ultimate Ears Megaboom for £150. It goes a slightly louder but in every other area my old one trumps it, including sound quality.


Edited by HustleRussell on Tuesday 13th March 17:05
The megaboom is trash for the money, plenty of much better sounding speakers for the price, hated mine.

Mezzanine

10,580 posts

243 months

Friday 23rd March 2018
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I have an Anker A3143 which I have found really impressive.

Good deep bass reproduction, very well made, not expensive. Doesn't last overly long on the battery but still works when plugged in and charging (unlike some Anker units). You will need to purchase the mains charger separately.


NDA

24,926 posts

249 months

Friday 23rd March 2018
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I bought this some while ago

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00CAJC8LI/ref...

You might need to hunt one down as Amazon say it's now unavailable. Maybe there's a new model?

Anyhoo, it gives a very decent sound and goes pretty loud too.

Steve H

6,915 posts

219 months

Sunday 25th March 2018
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Hopefully it's not too off topic to ask for recommendations for a speaker/dock setup for an iPhone.

I know everything is portable/bluetooth now but I'm after something for my workshop at home so mains powered is ideal and the dock aspect makes it easier to know where the phone is!

Similar budget would be great.

NDA

24,926 posts

249 months

Sunday 25th March 2018
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Steve H said:
Hopefully it's not too off topic to ask for recommendations for a speaker/dock setup for an iPhone.

I know everything is portable/bluetooth now but I'm after something for my workshop at home so mains powered is ideal and the dock aspect makes it easier to know where the phone is!

Similar budget would be great.
Which iPhone?

My preference, for your application, would be to use the headphone out into an 'aux' input on an active speaker rather than use a dock. You might get a wider (and cheaper) selection. Using the headphone socket would tether your phone so you know where it is. If you have a model without a headphone jack, then there's a lightening dongle to convert it.

Steve H

6,915 posts

219 months

Sunday 25th March 2018
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It's a 10 so works on lightening, I thought the dock would be handy but all suggestions appreciated if there's a specific one that would be a good bet?

Ranger 6

7,567 posts

273 months

Monday 26th March 2018
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XFRFred said:
If you could stretch another £40, i would recommend the Bose Soundlink Mini. Bought mine from Costco for £137, yesterday, to go with my new Alexa.
It's surprisingly loud and well balanced for such a small unit. This is my 2nd one, as i have another one in the office.
This.

Very good.

Frybywire

490 posts

220 months

Monday 26th March 2018
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robsa

2,444 posts

208 months

Monday 26th March 2018
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I bought a UE Boom 2 for under £100 and the sound is great for a small, battery powered speaker. It's also water-proof and you can daisy-chain them. It won't replace my (ancient 1970's) separates system but its more than adequate. Everyone is surprised how loud it can go without distorting. Battery lasts about nine or ten hours generally before needing a charge.

LordHaveMurci

12,325 posts

193 months

Monday 26th March 2018
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Bought my lad a Scosche Boom Bottle a couple of years ago, was very well reviewed at the time & is still working perfectly.

My daughters TDK one is not far off the quality to be fair.

HorneyMX5

5,615 posts

174 months

Monday 26th March 2018
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Ive got a JBL flip 2 which I’ve had for years and it’s brilliant. It’s loud, clear and has good bass. The battery lasts a good while as well.

The newer ones are supposed to be even better.