Bluetooth speakers for tablet

schattenjaeger

Thinking of it as a gift for my girlfriend. She watches video on her Nook and phone quite a bit. Not so much listening to music, but clips and hulu. I know the Nook speakers suck, so this seems like a good idea, but I notice that the Bluetooth speakers I'm looking at seem intended to be left in a central location and have music sent to them. The typical clip-watching mode is while lounging around in bed or the couch. The scenario I'm picturing is in bed with the speaker on the bedside table next to her head. Is that going to be annoying, having the sound come from one direction with the video in front of her? Or lounging on the couch with the speaker on the table several feet away?

mts

http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Wireless-Bluetooth-Speaker-Speakerphone/dp/B00E9YIFQ4

BouwsT

This is how I use my Bluetooth speaker, and I don't find it annoying at all. I love having my iPad in front of me as I cook, but having my speaker in a central location as I move around. It's nice having the wireless freedom. By the bedside is certainly no issue, and the sound quality will be much better than integrated speakers.

Primary question though, what is your budget? Sound quality, battery life and features will all be affected by this.

I have a Bose Soundlink II, which I can't say enough praise about. They are unavailable now, but the Soundlink III is out, and looks to be getting very solid reviews. I've also seem reviews for UE Boom speakers, though more the cylindrical style. They seem to be extremely capable as well, though no cheaper than the Bose. If the 360° version is any indication though, mts' recommendation could hold up very well.

Donovan Puppyfucker

Holy shitballs that Bose is expensive!
Maybe look at this instead:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004E10KI8/

BouwsT

I got mine as a gift, but it's pretty amazing. Again, it's all down to the OP's budget.

hsu

That Jambox is much smaller in size than the Bose Soundlink III.
A more fair comparison would be Jawbone's Big Jambox.
I went with Outdoor Tech's Big Turtle Shell, a largish waterproof speaker for use outdoors.

lunchbox12682

I'm a big fan of the Oontz. Cheap, simple and works. Probably not enough for audiophiles, but it has held up well so far.

BouwsT

lunchbox12682 wrote: »

I'm a big fan of the Oontz. Cheap, simple and works. Probably not enough for audiophiles, but it has held up well so far.

@lunchbox12682 Corrected your link, it was redirecting back to the thread for me for whatever reason... That speaker is stupid cheap for wireless!

Donovan Puppyfucker

hsu wrote: »

That Jambox is much smaller in size than the Bose Soundlink III.
A more fair comparison would be Jawbone's Big Jambox.
I went with Outdoor Tech's Big Turtle Shell, a largish waterproof speaker for use outdoors.

The size of a speaker is not necessarily an indicator of its quality or its volume output.

Djeet

I have a cheapo ($20) bluetooth speaker that does the job for me, but I use it to stream music/podcasts/audiobooks while cooking or doing chores. It's about half the size of a coke can and is very portable and has decent battery life, but is predictably a bit thin/tinny sounding and mono.

Maybe consider bluetooth headphones? She'll get stereo, sound won't be coming from off to the left or right, and many can double as a bluetooth headset for phone calls.

lunchbox12682

BouwsT wrote: »

lunchbox12682 wrote: »

I'm a big fan of the Oontz. Cheap, simple and works. Probably not enough for audiophiles, but it has held up well so far.

@lunchbox12682 Corrected your link, it was redirecting back to the thread for me for whatever reason... That speaker is stupid cheap for wireless!

Thanks. Cut n' paste failure.

schattenjaeger

Thanks for the suggestions! I was thinking valentine's day but I think I will save this for a birthday since it's a bit more expensive and we're not big valentine's gift exchangers. Thanks again!