Any recommendations? If needs to be portable, although it’s not required to tiny pocket sized. Equally don’t want it taking up an entire rucksack.

creative soundblaster roar

sturdy
deep sound
can be used as a charger too

Ta. I’m liking the look of the UE Boom 2, outdoor use, good reviews and waterproof (which means beer proof!) Any experiences?

I got a Squeo from kickstarter (in fact I ended up with 3)
Water and dust proof, decent sound and battery life. Quite small (around the size of an iPhone 5) and well made.

Bose sound link is worth a look, really good sound quality.

Bose sound link is worth a look, really good sound quality.

Listened to this and to the Cambridge Audio G2 as well as the UE Boom, I ended up with the Cambridge Audio G2. The Bose puts a lot of emphasis on bass and sounds a little odd in my opinion, also at double the cost of the G2 it just didn’t seem worth the extra. The UE Boom was ok but lightweight and sounded cheap to me. The G2 was the happy medium, it doesn’t sound like a full stereo but it’s good for days when all you need it a bit of background music in a place where a bigger stereo isn’t practical. NFC too which is good if your phone also supports it.

Budget? If you are looking to get something that can be thrown in bag & taken places without being too precious about it, have a look at the Anker A7908.

They can be had on Amazon for £23, here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Anker-Portable-Wireless-Bluetooth-Microphone-Black/dp/B00GZC35YK

Battery life of around 20hrs
Decent sound
Compact
Aux cable can be used (none supplied) instead of Bluetooth to improve battery life.

The ONLY annoying thing about it, is a 3-beep tone that it does when you turn it on that can’t be silenced and is a bit loud. But – it’s not really a big deal, just one of those things where you wonder why they have done it.

I’ve got a Nude Audio M.

Very well made and pretty impressed by the sound quality, they are around £40

Funnily enough I’ve just opened one this morning for my birthday.
Anker A3143.

Not fantastic sound like you’d expect from a home stereo but for a travel speaker it’s really good.

I like.

Budget – I hadn’t really thought about it. But I guess £150 Max. Ideally <£100 I think.

I’ve concluded that it must charge by usb.

I like these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-Wireless-Bluetooth-Portable-Speaker/dp/B00DZLH3YM

Bose Soundlink Mini.

I use a JBL clip, decent sound and waterproof, wasn’t too expensive, seem to think about £35.

JBL Flip

I have a Kitsound one this, although looks like there’s a newer model) and it’s excellent for the size & weight – can’t believe how much bass it manages to produce. Runs a decent time on battery, charges on micro-USB.

Bought it for travel but it’s become my garage/shed/DIY speaker.

as others have said, bose sondlink mini. not the cheapest, but after looking at a number of the other top end offerings, definitely the best made and sound quality. on a decent quality recording / source you could be mistaken for believing the sound was coming form a proper stereo. simplicity it’s self to use as well and battery lasts a good while. if your wanting to transport it around you’ll want to get a cheap carry case of tinter web (£10 i paid for mine) as they are too nice to get scratched

I second the Phillips Speaker, we have 3 for work, almost as loud as a minirig, and less than half the price

I have the JBL Flip and the latest version, the Flip 3. The 3 has a much longer batter life, is USB rechargeable, and is splash-proof. It also has a better sound. For about £80, you can’t beat it.

JBL flip 3 for £70 @ pcworld is looking like a good option at the moment. Good compromise between recommendation / reviews / price.

I have a Bose Soundlink Mini

On the plus side it fills a room well. Down side it like others have said very bass heavy. Its not ideal if you want to listen to it quietly as the bass still booms. Also this makes it not ideal for spoken word stuff if your trying to listen to the radio or a podcast.

For party tunes, its great.

Bose Soundlink Mini if you have the capability to add some EQ so you can chop a little off the bass and up the mid/top a little – not that much is needed though.

I normally hate Bose stuff (because most of it is heavily marketed, overpriced, cr8p) but the bass weight of the soundlink mini is very impressive and, when EQed, it sounds pretty decent and excellent on some music.

The bass is very tuneful and I now also use it as my PC speaker, sitting under my monitor.

But you do need a bit of EQ…

It also sounds very similar to the soundlink III which is twice the weight.

Doesn’t charge by USB though – unless they have changed it since I got it.

I bought a UE Boom at the airport on the way to my hols. It was discounted a bit. I was well pleased with it – filled a room pretty well, charge lasts a long time, looks quite good.

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/ue-boom-vs-bose-soundlink-mini,review-2292.html

that review reckons the bose has too much bass, which is true, but the EQ required to cut it isn’t too much and the results are going to be better than trying to boost something that can’t produce the bass in the first place.

If you are near Surrey you can try mine out (offer only applicable to Turner owners…)

For me after extensive testing the UE Boom as a great compromise between cost and performance, actually more on cost as other options in this category were not as good and there are deals to be had on the boom compared to its competition.

I’ve got the Flip 2 and it’s awesome.

Great sound, sturdy, portable and pleasant to hold.

Having just killed* my Jambox’s charging port in a freak DIY accident, i might be after a replacement.

Anyone tried/got the minirig?

*still need to find my tiny-tiny torx drivers to crack it open and see if I can replace the port.

I got a £15 Polaroid BT20 one from ASDA a while back and it’s surprisingly not a piece of crap

It’s survived falling off tables and getting booze sloshed all over it a few times

Sound quality is ok for what I need it but could do with going a little louder.

Still for £15 I don’t really care if it breaks or gets stolen . . .

I would also say Flip2 which you can get from Amazon for £40ish and is absolutely excellent, though by the sounds of the Flip3 (which I’ve not used) it sounds like that is even better and still not a bad price. So a Flip3.

JBL Flip 2 – I bought it off their own website in the outlet section, was the cheapest place I could find it

I’ve been really impressed. Good battery life, good sound, nice case (though mine mainly lives in the kitchen), easy to link, good price

The Flip 3 can only be better right?

just bought my daughter a Flip 3 from John Lewis for £70, for Christmas.

Bose Soundlink Mini

Doesn’t charge by USB though – unless they have changed it since I got it.

New Bose Soundlink II does charge via USB – listening it now. Always been a bit wary of Bose, but happened to win a dollar gift card that I had to spend at the airport recently in the US. It’s impressive for the size, and feels very solid.

The Flip 3 can only be better right?

The sound is significantly improved, and the original Flip was very good. The much longer battery life is a big bonus for a portable speaker. Pairing is very very easy. USB recharging is much more convenient than having to carry charger about with you. And it’s water-resistant. The only downside are the potentially vulnerable side speaker units, which could get damaged by hard-sharp objects in a bag etc. And it doesn’t come with a case, sadly, although I’m using my old Flip 1 case which fits perfectly.

If you really believe that there is that much difference in sound quality between all these bluetooth speakers, then you should go for the one that the pros recommend, surely?
That being the Audi Pro Addon range

Personally, I’m quite happy with the £15 off ebay one that I got, as it’s only ever used in the bathroom (or on the desk next to me now), not as my main hi-fi system. Sounds great. 🙂

I use my JBL Flip a lot, in hotels and at home. One of the best presents I ever asked for, and that was at a £100 I think. Bargain if cheaper.

That being the Audi Pro Addon range

*Audio Pro not Audi! 🙂

I have the UE Boom, JBL Flip 2 and a cheap Amazon special. UE Boom is miles better than either of them, with not much between the Flip and cheapo one. I think they have updated the UE Boom too.

I love my Minirig. So does everybody who hears it, and don’t believe that big sound is coming from that little can.

But I haven’t compared it with anything else.

Isn’t the UE boom 2.5x the price of the JBL one though?

I’m sure a cheap Amazon special will be pretty good

Heard my mates minirig at the weekend, seriously impressive!

absolutely bonkers with the subwoofer