Portable Weatherproof Speakers - 3.5mm Jack, Rechargeable, Sturdy - People's opinions please!

John Dough on 29/05/2014 - 17:48

Hi there OZB crew,

Just posing the question out there for people that already own these devices, or have used these devices.

I'm looking for something I can chuck in the front of the boat and connect to my iphone or ipad (with or without bluetooth, it doesn't matter) And also it could be used around the campsite as well for background tunes in the evenings.

It does not need to very loud as its just for background drinking/cruising/fishing tunes.

I have searched for a while now and been keeping my eye on new products. I'm pretty keen on the TDK:

TDK TW550
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/108847

or the dearer

TDK A33
http://www.myshopping.com.au/PR--452617_TDK_A33_Wireless_Blu…

What's worked for you, what hasn't worked for you in regards to these things, what do you recommend?

Cheers.

Electrical & Electronics

Comments

  • Riczter on 29/05/2014 - 18:11
    +2

    UE Boom? http://www.dicksmith.com.au/speakers/logitech-ue-boom-wirele…
    Good sound, mostly waterproof, good bass, great for chucking around at parties. Good battery life.

    Also there's some sony speaker on special atm, i have no experience with it tho, look for some reviews before considering: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/146269

    • John Dough on 30/05/2014 - 10:06

      Hmm UE Boom looks grand, but has a decent price tag!
      The sony one looks interesting, I'll go into a JB and have a listen.
      Thanks for the ideas!

  • [Deactivated] on 29/05/2014 - 18:56
    +1

    I bought one of these Earson waterproof bluetooth speakers about a week ago: www.ozbargain.com.au/node/144718 May take another few weeks to arrive.

    If you're not looking to buy immediately, I'll post back here with an assessment of the relative sound quality. I have a few cheap, but decent, bluetooth speakers to compare it to.

    • John Dough on 30/05/2014 - 10:07

      Yes that one caught my attention, I thought it might be not all that loud due to its micro size, but a great price. Interested to hear your thoughts once it arrives (may be too late by then though)
      Thanks for the reply.

      • [Deactivated] on 30/05/2014 - 11:08
        +1

        The max volume on offer from bluetooth speakers varies a lot. Often underwhelming. I have a small bluetooth hamburger speaker that goes MUCH louder than a number of the bigger ones that I own.

        Some of the reviews of the Earson on Amazon seem to indicate a reasonable volume. We'll see hear…

      • [Deactivated] on 26/06/2014 - 09:24
        +1

        I'm assuming that you have already purchased something, but as promised…

        Speaker arrived yesterday. Great initial impression - really good weight to it, and very solidly built - will clearly take some rough treatment.

        'Waterproof' flap over switch, micro usb and line-in socket is contrastingly flimsy and doesn't click into place - it really is just a flap. If the speaker is used other than in a vertical position - or otherwise tossed about in a boat or near a pool - you would need to tape over the flap.

        Anyway, the speaker is roughly the size of can of drink, pairs easily, has ok (average) bluetooth range, happy to believe that battery-life will be good, and volume-wise, goes reasonably loud. Sound isn't obviously 'tinny' in the way that some small speakers with correspondingly little bass can be, but there is some noticeable distortion from about the 80% volume mark.

        I've had one small speaker sound quite remarkably different (better) after running-in, so it really is to early to fully judge this one.

        As it is, would I buy this again purely on the strength of the way it sounds now? Probably not, but it'll get a decent amount of use by me relative to intended, so not by any means a dud purchase at the price.

        • John Dough on 27/06/2014 - 11:48

          Great review, thanks! I have not yet purchased as there's no plan to take the boat out down here in Vic in the next few weeks :) I might bite the bullet and go for either this or the dick smith one mentioned below. cheers

  • altomic on 29/05/2014 - 22:45

    If you need a long 3.5mm audio cable then Meritline have a deal for a 26 feet long cable for AU$2.35 delivered with Coupon code MLCX29ZN

    • John Dough on 30/05/2014 - 10:11

      Very handy! does the length of the cable make any difference to sound quality or draining of the battery on the device playing the tunes?
      I would have thought nothing tangible but I could be wrong.
      I will pick one of these up as I do plan to rewire a bit of the boat and this can be an additional cable in there for future, even if I don't use it.
      Thanks!

      • [Deactivated] on 30/05/2014 - 10:58

        The length of a cable of that sort, particularly a very cheap one, can very definitely make a difference to sound quality - and loudness.

        Especially if you're using a small powered-speaker with limited amplification on offer, the attenuation of the line-level voltage in a cable of that length can make things alot quieter. The line voltage output needs to be particularly healthy to start off with, or you will definitely notice a lower maximum volume.

        • John Dough on 27/06/2014 - 11:49

          Good advice, I thought it would do that with my limited knowledge of electronic systems! Thanks.

    • John Dough on 05/06/2014 - 08:55

      Thanks for that! This is very tempting :)

  • wbeer on 05/06/2014 - 09:53
    +1

    http://www.dicksmith.com.au/speakers/logitech-x100-b-tooth-s…

    Even the entry level Logitech's are good. - the biggest difference if you step up to the more expensive ones is extra bass and battery life.

    • John Dough on 27/06/2014 - 11:46

      Looks interesting, more the price range I was thinking of!!

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join