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I've just had to change van at work and the new one can't be connected to my phone by Bluetooth or aux in.
I'm only going to have it for 6-9 months before getting a new van, but can anyone recommend a fairly cheap bluetooth speaker that is powerful enough to be heard in a van? I'm going to be doing lots of miles.
Have tried googling and searching but either get hands free type speakers or standard Bluetooth speakers, nothing suggested for in car use.
Needs to be 12v or USB powered or charged, I have a nice Bose speaker which would do the job but my wife and I use it a lot at home and in the garden so don't really want to devote it to work duties and it's a bit pricey to buy another...
Anker SoundCore.
Charges via USB, more than loud enough and not overly expensive.
Alternatively we have an ultimate ears wonderboom 2. Two can be paired together for stereo sound, you could use one as a football it’s so rugged and they sound great. Very impressive bit of kit
+1 for Anker soundcore.
I did this for a while with a minirig, it was ok. If I was buying something specially I'd get something with a bit of a sub or it can sound a bit weedy with engine/road noise/wind etc
FM transmitter. Then you can just tune your Van into it and get your phone etc over FM.
FM transmitter. Then you can just tune your Van into it and get your phone etc over FM.
+1
I've got a cigaret lighter usb charger, Bluetooth receiver, FM transmitter doohickie. Does the job perfectly.
Thanks for the suggestions.
I'm an pondering a second Bose sound link as it can be paired in stereo to the one I already have... And because I've just found a £25 gift card...
The FM transmitters...how good are they now? I used to have an old MP3 player that had one built in but it constantly needed retubing, and near London it was practically useless due to interference/lack of spare frequencies
Bose micro soundlink works for us in the van. Lasts a good number hours between USB charges. Waterproof too. Good for taking away on hols etc.
I’ve used FM transmitters before, but as mentioned interference can be an issue, and I never found sound quality to be great. Maybe they’ve improved.
My Leyland DAF is incredibly loud.
I tried this with an UE Boom but it couldn't hack it.
Upgraded to the UE MEGABOOM which has a great sound and can be heard over the roar of the Perkins Prima motor's 45 horsepower
I'm pondering a similar option to the op, I can add an aux input to my car's stereo, but then I need to get a cable and diagbox/lexia to enable it...
The effort/time/cost of that (for a skip car) Vs a new BT speaker or FM adapter just makes it seem a tad pointless.
Are FM jobbies better than they used to be?
We use a JBL flip 5.
Fits in the passenger side dash compartment nicely on the Hiace!
I used an FM transmitter in my old civic, was about 30 quid and worked brilliantly.
Not sure if this will work in the van but my 2009 Audi has a port in the glovebox where I can plug in a "Tune 2 air" bluetooth receiver, which then allows me to play Spotify from my phone over the car stereo. I think it cost me £50 off eBay.
Thanks guys.
@cookea I saw some Bluetooth speakers for about £35 that you swap out with your current speakers, just have a Bluetooth receiver rather than plugging into a head unit. No good for me as I'm not allowed to modify an employer's vehicle.
The FM transmitters…how good are they now? I used to have an old MP3 player that had one built in but it constantly needed retubing, and near London it was practically useless due to interference/lack of spare frequencies
Mines just tuned to 108.0 by default. You get the very occasional bit of interference from another car but it's rare even in slow moving M25 traffic.
Sound quality wise, if you didn't know it wasn't a direct Bluetooth connection or an aux input I doubt you'd guess.
It's completely different to those old rubbish things you plugged into a discman!
The Bose mini soundlink mini is very good. I have the soundlink and have used that in a car to great effect. The JBL Flip 5 son2 has is louder for sure. He had an Anker and that was excellent and would be a cheap default. I like the micro soundlink though.
Mines just tuned to 108.0 by default. You get the very occasional bit of interference from another car but it’s rare even in slow moving M25 traffic.
We go 87.5. 🙂 Eight quid or so, plenty good enough to see you through a few months. 🙂
I've got a FM transmitter arriving today for £15 so fingers crossed. My Bose Soundlink was loud enough to hear but not a patch on Fiats finest cab speakers!
I’ve got a FM transmitter arriving today for £15 so fingers crossed. My Bose Soundlink was loud enough to hear but not a patch on Fiats finest cab speakers!
Keen to hear what you think of it
I use a bose soundlink mini in my golf and it's 'fine' but the in car speakers (fm radio) are significantly better/more pleasant
I managed to find an app that spoofs the ancient Parrot handsfree kit into playing all phone audio, no volume control, generally awful sound quality (as in worse than just using the phone's own speaker), and it overrides the beeps from the parking sensors. So not really a goer.
Having thought more about it I was perusing BT-FM transmitters over the weekend again. Has the advantage that I can change volume via the steering wheel controls, so I think I will waste 12-15 quid on one and see if it works...
Are you sure there's no way of adding an external source? USB port somewhere?