Geekzone: technology news, blogs, forums
Guest
Welcome Guest.
You haven't logged in yet. If you don't have an account you can register now.


kiwis

832 posts

Ultimate Geek


#273364 18-Aug-2020 16:06
Send private message

I'm looking to get a speaker and have no idea what to look for in a good one?

 

 

 

It's for my deck area, want it to be loud but not party loud just a strong clear sound. Don't want a tinny sound.

 

 

 

Also looking for reliable bluetooth signal and batter life. 

 

 

 

Any ideas without spending a tone of money.


View this topic in a long page with up to 500 replies per page Create new topic
 1 | 2
jarledb
Webhead
3253 posts

Uber Geek

Moderator
ID Verified
Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #2543815 18-Aug-2020 16:29
Send private message

What is your budget?





Jarle Dahl Bergersen | Referral Links: Want $50 off when you join Octopus Energy? Use this referral code
Are you happy with what you get from Geekzone? Please consider supporting us by making a donation or subscribing.




alasta
6701 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Subscriber

  #2543826 18-Aug-2020 16:56
Send private message

Sonos Move.


jonb
1771 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

  #2543839 18-Aug-2020 17:12
Send private message

I have a JBL Xtreme2, nice rounded sound, waterproof and mega battery life as it is pretty big - can even charge phone from it.




mattwnz
20141 posts

Uber Geek


  #2543840 18-Aug-2020 17:13
Send private message

Sony are selling these at the moment.  https://store.sony.co.nz/hifisystem/GTKPG10.html   Think they originally sold for close to $500 originally if you check as shown at https://www.ascent.co.nz/productspecification.aspx?itemID=453629  . I got one and they have pretty good sound quality for a bluetooth speaker. PLus has built in radio and lots other features. It is also quite large which probably helps with the sound quality.


Scott3
3963 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

  #2543845 18-Aug-2020 17:26
Send private message

I have the UE Boom 3. Works well for my needs. $219

https://www.smithscity.co.nz/tv-and-audio/personal-audio/bluetooth-speakers/ultimate-ears-boom-3-wireless-speaker-night-black-9053198

This is the best known brand in the space. They also have a smaller & bigger versions too (wonderboom2, and megaboom3).

Consider going to a retail store like JB hifi for a listen (assuming outside of Auckland).

Personally I liked the sound from the bose equivalent better, but wanted waterproof, so went with the UE boom.


xpd

xpd
Geek @ Coastguard NZ
13765 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod
ID Verified
Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #2544053 18-Aug-2020 22:41
Send private message

I've got the original JBL Charge, very happy with that, puts out a decent sound for its size. Also, have a Veon IPX4 speaker, looks tacky as hell but actually puts out a decent sound for the price - don't think they sell this particular model anymore though.

 

Don't ignore the cheaper brand ones, listen to them yourself instore (when/where possible) and make your choice. My father got a cheap little SD card player a while back, and it puts out an amazing sound for the tiny size.





       Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

 

                      LinkTree

 

 

 


Handle9
11386 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #2544092 19-Aug-2020 02:12
Send private message

alasta:

Sonos Move.



Umm, OP didn't want to spend a ton of money. A $700+ speaker is kinda the opposite of that.

 
 
 

Cloud spending continues to surge globally, but most organisations haven’t made the changes necessary to maximise the value and cost-efficiency benefits of their cloud investments. Download the whitepaper From Overspend to Advantage now.
Handle9
11386 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #2544093 19-Aug-2020 02:14
Send private message

UE or JBL are both very good. I have the UE Blast which is both Bluetooth or wifi. Highly recommended.

nathan
5695 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user


  #2544097 19-Aug-2020 06:01
Send private message

Bose SoundLink Mini


foxy38
357 posts

Ultimate Geek


  #2544468 19-Aug-2020 14:24
Send private message

Brought a fugoo style xl a few years back...awesome sound and base..speakers both sides..good sound and loud should u need it..impressive battery life..40 hours ..brought mine from amazon was a lot cheaper than nz prices...http://nz.fugoo.com/fugoo-style-xl.php





foxy

  #2544472 19-Aug-2020 14:32
Send private message

I have a Megaboom 3 down in the gargage. Honestly not that impressed with the music quality. It lacks any sort of bass and gets quite harsh at anything pushing a decent volume. The Bose Soundlink Mini we have in the house sounds much better at less than half the size.


Handsomedan
7281 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted
Subscriber

  #2544485 19-Aug-2020 14:50
Send private message

I'm currently listening to a JBL Charge 3. 

 

Loud and bassy when wanted, but excellent when being played at lower volumes. 

 

Nice and crisp in the highs and mids, without being muddied by the bass, despite there being a fair kick to it. 

 

Battery life is amazing and I often use it in summer on the deck while bbqing etc. 

 

Link to new version: JBL Charge 4





Handsome Dan Has Spoken.
Handsome Dan needs to stop adding three dots to every sentence...

 

Handsome Dan does not currently have a side hustle as the mascot for Yale 

 

 

 

*Gladly accepting donations...


xpd

xpd
Geek @ Coastguard NZ
13765 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod
ID Verified
Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #2544489 19-Aug-2020 14:57
Send private message

Dang, I paid about $300 for my original Charge, but that was quite some time ago ;) And its not waterproof :)

 

 





       Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

 

                      LinkTree

 

 

 


Fred99
13684 posts

Uber Geek


  #2544493 19-Aug-2020 15:04
Send private message

I've had a Marshall Kilburn for years.  To be honest, I bought it for "WAF" so that justified the cost  (they look like a very small retro guitar amp), the one I've got has cream tolex and retro spangly grille cloth.  I guess the bonus in the design is that it looks 50 years old already, so in 10 years time it'll look 60 years old, which may or may not be better than something that looks like it was made last decade - but then again I don't think that concept worked with the "new" VW beetle - so who really knows?

 

Very basic - no control of the source device, has on/off toggle switch, volume, bass and treble knobs, 3.5mm jack, bluetooth pairing button and a "wake" button.  I'm not sure if the new model has more BT controls or not.  I'd never use them anyway.

 

Good things : it sounds very good for what it is, pretty loud,  it's supposed to have some degree of weather resistance - but I'd not trust that at all, and it's got a huge battery that's user replaceable by removing an access panel underneath. Bluetooth pairs reliably with anything I've connected it to.

 

Bad things : it's kind of heavy, probably partly due to relatively big battery and hefty drivers, and for some obscure reason, it'll only charge when plugged in if the power switch is on - which has caused the odd surprise as if it's been left on to charge, then pairs to my phone, big whoops when I go to use my phone.

 

I don't know what not costing a "tonne of money" means.  IIRC it cost $500-600 - so there's plenty of cheaper stuff out there, but nothing else really appealed to me - I suppose it was kind of expensive, but I'm happy with it.

 

 


jonb
1771 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

  #2544593 19-Aug-2020 15:49
Send private message

xpd:

Dang, I paid about $300 for my original Charge, but that was quite some time ago ;) And its not waterproof :)


 


Yes, Charge 4 looks way better value than my xtreme2 also.

 1 | 2
View this topic in a long page with up to 500 replies per page Create new topic





News and reviews »

Air New Zealand Starts AI adoption with OpenAI
Posted 24-Jul-2025 16:00


eero Pro 7 Review
Posted 23-Jul-2025 12:07


BeeStation Plus Review
Posted 21-Jul-2025 14:21


eero Unveils New Wi-Fi 7 Products in New Zealand
Posted 21-Jul-2025 00:01


WiZ Introduces HDMI Sync Box and other Light Devices
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:32


RedShield Enhances DDoS and Bot Attack Protection
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:26


Seagate Ships 30TB Drives
Posted 17-Jul-2025 11:24


Oclean AirPump A10 Water Flosser Review
Posted 13-Jul-2025 11:05


Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7: Raising the Bar for Smartphones
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Brings New Edge-To-Edge FlexWindow
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Epson Launches New AM-C550Z WorkForce Enterprise printer
Posted 9-Jul-2025 18:22


Samsung Releases Smart Monitor M9
Posted 9-Jul-2025 17:46


Nearly Half of Older Kiwis Still Write their Passwords on Paper
Posted 9-Jul-2025 08:42


D-Link 4G+ Cat6 Wi-Fi 6 DWR-933M Mobile Hotspot Review
Posted 1-Jul-2025 11:34


Oppo A5 Series Launches With New Levels of Durability
Posted 30-Jun-2025 10:15









Geekzone Live »

Try automatic live updates from Geekzone directly in your browser, without refreshing the page, with Geekzone Live now.



Are you subscribed to our RSS feed? You can download the latest headlines and summaries from our stories directly to your computer or smartphone by using a feed reader.