$28 bucks, 4.5/5 stars with 3000+ reviews: http://slickdeals.net/f/7883967-anker-wireless-bluetooth-speaker-w-20-hour-playback-28-free-shipping?v=1

5/29/2015 6:59:58 AM

Trying to decide between the UE Boom or the Soundlink Mini. Any opinions?

6/3/2015 10:43:07 PM

Soundlink Mini, by a huge margin.

[Edited on June 4, 2015 at 12:44 AM. Reason : I'm naturally opposed to Bose, but they did good with this one.]

[Edited on June 4, 2015 at 12:45 AM. Reason : ^^ I used to buy those cheap speakers, but then I remembered I'm not poor.]

6/4/2015 12:43:53 AM

So you got the mini? Yea this was the first Bose purchase I've ever made as well. What other ones did you try before getting the mini?

6/4/2015 7:29:13 AM

^^I thought they both sounded pretty good, but i am concerned about the batterylife on the Bose. Someone on here earlier said that they were only getting 2 or 3 hours out of theirs.

6/4/2015 7:33:00 AM

That was me, but I found that I'm cranking it up about as loud as it will go

Which I guess a few hours at its loudest volume isn't too shabby.

6/4/2015 8:08:40 AM

Where are you using it that you need to crank it up as loud as it goes? I have a smaller speaker, but I'm trying to upgrade volume level so that I can use it at the beach/lake outside and it will be plenty loud.

6/4/2015 8:31:39 AM

I love my mini, and get way more than 2-3 hours of life out of it, but I'm mainly using it inside the house where I don't need full volume.

If you're looking for something outside there are better options. Have you listened to that harmon kardon onyx yet? They have them at Best Buy. In fact I'd recommend going there to listen to all their speakers, then buying one on ebay

This is where I got mine. Like new: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Harman-Kardon-Onyx-Studio-Wireless-Bluetooth-Speaker-System-Portable-/161606462916

6/4/2015 8:54:34 AM

I was a best buy last night and liked both the Soundlink Mini and the Boom, but wasn't able to test the Onyx. I think it might be too big for travel purposes.

The Mini sounds a bit better in my opinion, its more bassy and warm. I just don't want to have to recharge it all the time, especially if I'm on a weekend trip. I don't want to have to pack the charger everywhere I go.

The Boom sounds pretty good too and keeps its quality at its highest volumes. It also has double the battery life and is more rugged(take it to the beach, etc.)

6/4/2015 9:03:05 AM

Yeah if you're talking about packing something in a suitcase the Onyx isn't the best for that. Not sure if you noticed, but it is bluetooth only though...there's no cord to test with. Gotta connect via BT.

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

So the Boom will last a longer on battery, but you're giving up some bass for those extra hours

6/4/2015 9:21:31 AM

For portability the Boom is hard to beat. It fits in bike bottle cages, backpack bottle holders, tucks away in suitcases, boat cup holders, etc etc. could even hang from your belt loop with a carabiner if you were ever so inclined.

I mostly use it for on the go purposes these days. Camping, boat, beach, pool. Battery life is way more important than base levels for these situations.

6/4/2015 11:47:55 AM

Ended up getting a Denon Envaya. It's supposedly the size and sound of the Soundlink iii but 100 bucks less. Almost pulled the trigger on the Boom but wanted something with more bass

6/4/2015 9:05:11 PM

Got a UE Boom and it's really nice. Very portable with a clear sound and a ridiculous battery life. I wanted something that could handle a little wear and tear since I mainly use it at the beach and for tailgating. It isn't the loudest speaker (works fine for me but someone else may want a little more power), however, you can sync them up with another boom for "surround sound". My buddy got one a few weeks ago so we'll test that out over July 4th weekend.

6/4/2015 9:38:28 PM

^^did you test that one out or just take a chance on it? I've never heard of it to be honest.

6/4/2015 11:37:31 PM

Just took a chance on it based on reviews. It seemed like a SRSX5/Soundlink III hybrid.

6/5/2015 7:26:38 AM

Good luck...

[Edited on June 5, 2015 at 9:46 AM. Reason : I got my Soundlink Mini for $150 on ebay...like new]

6/5/2015 9:45:40 AM

Yeah I don't think the Soundlink Mini is loud enough for me. I was okay paying anything under $200, and from everything I've read this was the one that best fit what I was looking for. Will let you guys know how it turns out.

6/5/2015 10:50:11 AM

Wow I didn't realize how big that thing is...thought it was Soundlink mini sized. Let us know how it goes!

6/5/2015 2:24:37 PM

Quote :

"Sony SRSX5 Portable NFC Bluetooth Wireless Speaker System with Speakerphone $89.99"

http://www.woot.com/offers/sony-portable-nfc-bluetooth-speaker-3?ref=cnt_dly_cr#read-more

Nice speaker. It was pretty high on my list.

[Edited on June 6, 2015 at 10:48 PM. Reason : Very good buy at $90 imo]

6/6/2015 10:47:37 PM

Damn.. The one day I don't check woot.

Got the Denon speaker in today. It's smaller than I thought it would be, which is good. It sounds good! It's definitely an upgrade from the Soundlink Mini sound wise, but it's also a good bit bigger.

6/7/2015 7:57:02 PM

Picking up a Block Rocker today for $50. Clearly I have no self-control

6/9/2015 10:15:07 AM

The Onyx is $125 new today on slickdeals.

6/9/2015 11:05:15 AM

UE Boom is $150 at Amazon today...weird colors tho

6/9/2015 1:05:55 PM

Not too sure about this Block Rocker, disclaimer being this one is an old version manufactured in 2011, so I'd imagine the newer ones are better. This one looks like mine - http://www.ionaudio.com/products/details/block-rocker-am-fm

First off, it clips like a motherfucker when trying to handle bass, which I expected it to excel at. I figured something was wrong with it, but the user manual mentioned clipping a few times so I'm guessing that's normal behaviour. Most Hip-hop starts clipping at 60-75% volume, and I can't come close to 100% with anything...tried some rock/bluegrass/blues and it all clipped. Compared with my Onyx, which is much smaller, the BR is just a little louder and the audio quality is not nearly as good.


[Edited on June 11, 2015 at 2:29 PM. Reason : V bought it used off CL...I'll resell]

6/11/2015 2:21:40 PM

lame. can you return it?

6/11/2015 2:24:58 PM

So synapse, you have a Soundlink Mini, an Onyx, AND a blockrocker?

6/12/2015 11:01:48 AM

The UE Megaboom looks cool. Basically a biiger UE Boom:

http://www.amazon.com/UE-MEGABOOM-Wireless-Bluetooth-984-000436/dp/B00TXBOWVA/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1436393987&sr=1-1&keywords=ue+megaboom

http://gizmodo.com/ue-megaboom-the-best-bluetooth-speaker-supersized-1677248591

7/8/2015 6:23:27 PM

Quote :

"So synapse, you have a Soundlink Mini, an Onyx, AND a blockrocker?"

and this thing, which I'm planning on selling for not too much - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004TS2AO8

The Onyx is definitely my go-to. Wonderful sound, about 5 hours of battery life. The Soundlink-Mini I use in the kitchen and travel with...basically when I need something smaller. Still great sound, just not as rich or loud as the Onyx.

The older version[s] blockrocker is pretty lame. From reading reviews here I can only assume it's gotten better.

[Edited on July 8, 2015 at 7:14 PM. Reason : ^ I feel like I listened to that in BB and not being that impressed. How long has it been out?]

7/8/2015 7:12:52 PM

Went and looked at the UE Megaboom and the regular UE Boom. Picked up the regular. I wanted something a little more portable. The Megaboom was just too big for portability.

Bestbuy now price matches Amazon on any product as long as it's sold by Amazon directly. Pretty neat.

7/8/2015 8:29:20 PM

I bought the UE Megaboom last week and love it! Bose soundlinks were too quiet. This thing is loud at 1/2 volume! I have an app with it to adjust the eq and does alarms and junk.

[Edited on July 9, 2015 at 10:06 AM. Reason : life]

7/9/2015 10:05:17 AM

Yeah I upgraded mine last night and the app is cool. It can remotely turn on/off the device and a few other things. My buddy has one as well so it'll be neat to try out the sync/stereo feature where you connect two to one phone.

7/9/2015 10:31:40 AM

That sounds cool neodata686. I used it on a 5.5 hour drive to the beach last weekend because my car is 10 years old and I don't want to upgrade the sound system. I haven't tried the remote function yet. Pairing 2 of these speakers could be tight.

[Edited on July 9, 2015 at 11:36 AM. Reason : grammar]

7/9/2015 11:36:21 AM

Yeah the app lets you pair two and choose either sync (same noise coming out of both) or stereo (one right one left).

Taking it backpacking this weekend for some fire side tunes. Fits nicely in my backpacks water bottle mesh pocket.

7/9/2015 1:33:59 PM

pairing is pretty cool..you have to play with the distance between the speakers to get an even sound. and you have to make sure you keep your phone in range of both speakers or it'll get choppy.


all that being said, i'm a bit worried that the battery on my UE Boom is starting to go. It's gotten a lot of use this summer and 4th of July weekend was no exception. It died at least 4 times and just didn't seem to have the longevity it once did. As I posted earlier though, this is being used at high volume, multiple BT pairings and constant play.

7/9/2015 3:11:11 PM

Yeah I think you can replace the battery if you take it apart. Not supported by Logitech though. I'm wondering how many cycles it has. Don't want to spend ~$170 on a speaker that dies in a year.

Looking around online none of the major portable speakers have replaceable batteries and they're all probably li-ion. So I guess that means 250-500 cycles. Also keeping them completely discharged is not always a good idea. Still assuming 1 charge a week or 52 charges a year that's still 5-10 years. Although I think li-ion batteries degrade even if they're not being used. Not sure.

[Edited on July 9, 2015 at 3:49 PM. Reason : s]

7/9/2015 3:20:38 PM

the rubberized cover and beefy speaker grill make it weather and drop resistant. I don't want to jeopardize that looking for a way to replace the battery. It's a great speaker and the battery life is still plenty strong under normal conditions.

7/9/2015 4:28:57 PM

Yeah agreed. I see a lot of complaints that the battery isn't replaceable but it should still last quite a few years. I think Logitech will replace the entire unit if it's having battery issues within the warranty period (2 years).

7/9/2015 4:36:41 PM

It's been years, but Logitech used to replace out out warranty stuff for me whenever I called

7/9/2015 6:33:52 PM

I had a warranty and my block rocker messed up because it got wet so I took it to sams and got the Monster http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Portable-Outdoor-Wireless-Speaker/dp/B00Y1D6ISK

7/12/2015 9:41:54 PM

Helluva deal: http://bensbargains.com/bargain/harman-kardon-onyx-studio-wireless-bluetooth-speaker-100-at-ebay-125611/

I can't imagine anything comes close to this for $100.

8/31/2015 10:05:10 PM

or $60 for that matter

http://slickdeals.net/f/8644406-original-portable-harman-kardon-onyx-studio-wireless-bluetooth-speaker-black-manufacturer-refurbished-59-99-fs

4/8/2016 9:37:16 AM

I have a Megaboom speaker for sale. $200. I bought it last June.

4/12/2016 9:18:03 AM

Bought the Boom 2 on Prime Day for $30 off. Awesome speaker. Took it to the beach last week and we were all well pleased with the volume and sound quality. I also like how easy it is to pair other phones to share DJ duties.

https://www.amazon.com/UE-Wireless-Bluetooth-Waterproof-Shockproof/dp/B014M8ZO8S

It being waterproof is fun... people at the pool freak out when you just throw it in the water when a song you don't like comes on.

8/24/2016 12:45:00 PM

Still a great speaker for cheap - https://slickdeals.net/f/10082936-onyx-studio-refurbished-wireless-portable-bluetooth-speaker-for-69-99-free-shipping

Quote :

"These aren't the most portable but they sound great. The speaker-shaped design really helps the Onyx get a full sound compared to the various can or block shapes. The Onyx goes head to head with my Megaboom and holds its own despite costing way less."

[Edited on April 27, 2017 at 10:45 AM. Reason : ]

4/27/2017 10:43:55 AM

I got a jbl flip 3 to keep in the shower because it's completely water proof. puts out a surprising amount of sound and takes phone calls. sometimes the power control doesn't work but pretty good for $60

4/27/2017 10:50:07 AM

[link]http://https://www.amazon.com/Speaker-Bluetooth-Portable-Wireless-Speakers/dp/B00ES2BQ7M[/link]

Great for kitchen, garage or taking somewhere to do some shit in the yard. I've gone weeks without needing to recharge.

5/4/2017 11:02:13 PM

Have you heard the Bose Soundlink Mini? If so how does that compare?

5/5/2017 12:12:13 PM

I am huge fan of the Bose Soundlink Color

https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/speakers/wireless_speakers/soundlink-color-bluetooth-speaker-ii.html#v=soundlink_color_ii_blue

[Edited on May 5, 2017 at 1:32 PM. Reason : never tried the mini]

5/5/2017 1:30:31 PM