Spec Me - Bluetooth Speaker

petridish · 19 Oct 2020 at 17:45

Hello all,

Had a quick search but couldn't find what I was looking for so apologies if this is a common ask. I'm after a reasonable quality Bluetooth speaker for around the house / garden which is a step up from the cheap things people often take to the park.

I had been drawn towards the Marshall Tufton but was put off by some comments about the sound quality not being quite as good as expected, and the fact that the "stereo" sound means one speaker facing the back. Don't get me wrong I know that I can't really expect too much from a Bluetooth speaker and I've got decent headphones if I want to really dive into my music. However I would like something that's some way decent as it'll end up being my main way of listening away from my desk I'm sure. Also part of the reason I was looking at the Tufton was I have a voucher for the shop named after an Indian takeaway, which means I could stretch my budget towards the £200 mark.

In terms of requirements, I don't want any voice assistant stuff built in and having the option to run on battery for the garden is a must. Other than that strong bass would be preferred but not at the cost of mids as it sounds like it is with Tufton.

Ideally I'm just looking for suggestions along a similar line from your experience and I'll go away and do some further research.

Thanks in advance!

Kamakazie! · 24 Oct 2020 at 00:00

Seriously consider a Minirig.
Start with 1 and if you want stereo you can add a second.
They are fantastic for around the house & garden. We use a single one at the moment and it's great for BBQs etc. Loud, low distortion, quality output and ridiculous battery life.

Compares favourably to much bigger speakers in bass extension as well. Know of people who run 2 and the sub as a replacement for floorstanders and are quite happy.

Kamakazie! · 24 Oct 2020 at 10:52

This review says it all:
https://www.audiophileon.com/news/minirig-3-review
And this is meant to be even better than the v2 I have.

petridish · 24 Oct 2020 at 12:37

Huh that's really interesting thank you! These look way smaller than what I had in mind but if they're that highly praised then I'll definitely add them to the consideration. I think to get the two and a sub would be a bit more than I want to spend at the moment but good that you can build on it. Problem is that it then gets up into the same price range as the Sonos move which I initially discounted as too expensive. Are these really better than that? I'll have to see if there's anywhere I can have a listen to some under the current restrictions...

Kamakazie! · 24 Oct 2020 at 17:28

You really don't need the sub tbh. I'd get 2 Minirigs over that Marshall any day of the week.
Without listening to them it's hard to tell but with most mainstream brands you are paying for marketing more than the drivers which is really what set these apart.

I've not got a big garden by any stretch but a single one fills the place at half volume with 15+ people in. They are small and they won't go as low as a bigger unit with bigger drivers but there is more to SQ than out right depth. We take ours on holiday, camping, road trips, move it around the house.

I can understand the reservations though. I assumed you were looking for something a bit more portable than that Marshall having now searched for it, but previous Marshall BT speakers products have not exactly set the world alight.
Another good option would be the AudioPro T3+. Somewhere in between size wise.

petridish · 24 Oct 2020 at 23:16

Yeah my reservation came from the size to be honest, thinking that a driver of that size couldn't possibly avoid the usual tinny sound of these types of speakers, which is why I started looking at bigger stuff. You've definitely given me something to mull over though. Not too worried about portability, it being wireless and liftable is enough for my intended use. That being said with the way social gatherings are gonna have to be for the foreseeable a speaker you can chuck in a bag definitely has its place.

Quick question, from the review you linked it sounds like the daisy chaining has to be wired? Is that the case or is it just for best performance?

Pyr0m@nI@]{ · 25 Oct 2020 at 00:45

Just wanted to add that I've been very happy with my minirig V2 speakers & sub.
The single speakers are great by themselves too and everyone who's seen/heard them have been really impressed with the volume and the quality of sound for such a compact size.

Kamakazie! · 30 Oct 2020 at 16:03

petridish said:
Yeah my reservation came from the size to be honest, thinking that a driver of that size couldn't possibly avoid the usual tinny sound of these types of speakers, which is why I started looking at bigger stuff. You've definitely given me something to mull over though. Not too worried about portability, it being wireless and liftable is enough for my intended use. That being said with the way social gatherings are gonna have to be for the foreseeable a speaker you can chuck in a bag definitely has its place.

Quick question, from the review you linked it sounds like the daisy chaining has to be wired? Is that the case or is it just for best performance?

On the v2 at least you can wirelessly daisy chain them but I don't know if you are limited to 2 / 3 / 4 etc.
Also not sure if you are limited to a single wireless connection in that if wireless transmitting, you can't connect to it via bluetooth to play music. A quick read of the Minirig site should detail this though.