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2x5W Bluetooth Speakers $35 @ Kmart

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This is not a promotional deal, just a good deal. After doing a bunch of research on Bluetooth speakers, I ended up concluding that, at the low end, i.e. typically 2x3W, if you don't need waterproof, Kmart's $19 portable Bluetooth speaker is just as good for much less than branded ones. Geeky Nerdy Techie seems to agree. So I went there but ended up buying the $35 one, which is bigger and more powerful (2x5W instead of 2x3W), figuring at the end it's really just about size and power. I'm no audiophile, but I'm pleasantly surprised by the fullness of the sound and how loud it can get.

UPDATE: Just found a review of it from a guy who built his own Bluetooth speaker and seems to know what he's talking about. He's also very positive about the $19 one.

UPDATE2: A few hours in… without EQ, the sound does feel somewhat boxed in. I found the soft EQ setting on VLC (looks like an inverted lognormal) sounds best with my music.

UPDATE3: A couple of days later… Not sure if all BT speakers do this, but it turns itself off even when charging. It makes sense for the speaker to put itself to sleep when it's running on batteries. but when it's just sitting comfortably in my living room, connected to the mains, it's a bit of a pain to turn it back on every time (as I've purposefully put it out of reach of the little one, under the sofa — I know, not the best acoustic set up). Also, it's signal when turning on is ok, but BT connection noise is very loud and disruptive.

And it definitely sounds way better with a 'soft' EQ preset (more of the highs and the lows, and less of the mids; basically an inverted normal over the frequency logscale).

Related Stores

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closed Comments

  • +1

    Can vouch for this unit. Works a treat and competes with the lower end of the big guys easily.

  • +3

    And it actually looks pretty trendy - like the google/fabric look. Well done, cheapo Kmart.

    • Includes aux-in and micro USB cable or AC/DC adaptor

    Where are the parentheses ???

    • Includes (aux-in) and (micro USB cable or AC/DC adaptor)
    • Includes (aux-in and micro USB cable) or (AC/DC adaptor)
    • +6

      Sorry jv, I think August is parentheses improvement month, not July.

      • Where is MathNerd when you need him….

        • +6

          Status In Penalty Box. Expiry: 07/07/2018 - 00:57

          Oh my…. Looks like he's been posting improper fractions again !!!!

        • +2

          @jv: that's vulgar…

      • +2

        Mine came with the microUSB/USB cable only, no adaptor. So, yeah, that's dodge… But, no matter, I've got a ton of USB/AC adaptors at home.

    • +2

      Suspect it's a typo that should read …micro USB cable for AC/DC adapter

      • Possibly. But the one reviewed here came with an actual charger.

  • +2

    The best value for money bluetooth speakers i can vouch for is this https://www.joybuy.com/3308108.html. It's almost the same sound quality if not better than the $200-300 ones.

  • I'm an advocate for Anker Soundcore 2. its 12W.
    Small, really powerful, great battery, waterproof with good mic quality and its about $50 delivered

    edit: doesnt seem to be on sale atm and looks to be about $90. sales come on pretty regularly which gets you to the $50ish price point

    • How does it compare to Tronsmart 40W Element Mega for $61.11 delivered from Amazon.us?

      • +1

        No idea since I don't have the Tronsmart.
        Some differences though: the tronsmart looks to be louder (40W), touch screen and NFC (not sure what that does).
        The SC2 has longer playtime (24hr vs 15hr) and waterproof.

        Depends on what you plan on using it for? I throw the anker in my backback since its pretty sturdy, not sure if I'd do that if it had a touchscreen on it.

  • Does anyone know a speaker to which Audible can be cast directly to - similar to SONOS but without the huge $$$$ .. Also not interested in Alexa

    • "cast directly" — what does that mean?

      • +1

        A bluetooth speaker plays any and every sound the phone can play - including notifications, calls etc

        while a direct case plays only the audio sent by the one application - for eg Spotify audio stream alone plays on the speaker while text notifications, calls etc are thru the phone spreaker

        • Google Home mini or Echo Dot can probably do it… but the Audio quality will suffer.
          Move up to Google Home or Alexa for better audio.

          You could also probably hack something together with a Chromecast Audio, assuming Audible App supports Chromecast, but the cost would be similar to a Smart Speaker.

        • +3

          @scubacoles: Amazon and Google have this stupid spat (anti consumer) and Audible does nothave chromecast connectivity, else would have got a chromecast audio , so much simpler

          Also not getting a Alexa or Google home as I don't want one with an assistant that listens to me - personal preference:(

        • +2

          @kamban:
          https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/190840/stream-au…
          Well that kills my other idea.

          Completely understand not wanting an "Ear of Sauron" in your house…. Neither do I.

        • +2

          @scubacoles: Thank you so much for researching it, sad that simple chromecast support can be used by many consumers and Amazon is being petty

          "Ear of Sauron" is the best catchphrase for these assistants, you should trademark it haha

  • +1

    The $19 speaker you mention was $8.75 at Woolworths a couple of years ago. I picked up 2 for the kids and they are still going strong. Not the best sound (bass is lacking) and not that loud, but ok for casual indoor listening. Battery life is very good, at least 8-10 hours.

    • Now, that is a deal!

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