Best Bluetooth home speakers?

[pauldo]

There are so many choices when looking to purchase new items these days, coupled with convincing (yet not always true) marketing schemes a consumer can feel overwhelmed and confused.


Seeking opinions on Bluetooth speakers that reproduce music pleasantly.

[David Houck]

I haven't done enough research to have a reasoned opinion, but I have read that bluetooth does use a compression algorithm to get the content size small enough to transmit fast enough; that, in other words, it would be pointless to, for instance, play flac files over bluetooth if you were playing flac files for the increased audio quality.  Or in further words, with bluetooth there would be a decrease in audio quality.  But again, I don't know; I haven't done the research.

I do use bluetooth to connect my phone to my car stereo to play the music on my phone.  However, that environment has significantly reduced audio quality to begin with.

[jwright9]

I did not realize the bluetooth signal was compressed but that definitely makes sense.

I have a Sony Bluetooth stereo that sounds good to my ears. It is several years old now. Has the older iPhone port on it.
I have always been happy with Sony products in general.

[jwright9]

I have a Sony RDP-X200iP Personal Audio Docking System.

You can dock your iPhone directly to it or connect via bluetooth. It also has an 1/8" input.

I have been very happy with it over the 4-5 years that I have owned it.

You can get a used one for a very reasonable price.

Here is a used one on ebay for $45 plus shipping.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/SONY-RDP-X200iP-Bluetooth-Speaker-iPod-iPad-iPhone-Dock-Black-w-Remote/192992716003?epid=23022710050&hash=item2cef4324e3:g:DXgAAOSwAVldK5lg

[glocke]

I haven't done enough research to have a reasoned opinion, but I have read that bluetooth does use a compression algorithm to get the content size small enough to transmit fast enough; that, in other words, it would be pointless to, for instance, play flac files over bluetooth if you were playing flac files for the increased audio quality.  Or in further words, with bluetooth there would be a decrease in audio quality.  But again, I don't know; I haven't done the research.

I do use bluetooth to connect my phone to my car stereo to play the music on my phone.  However, that environment has significantly reduced audio quality to begin with.

the compression part is correct.

I use a Bose soundlink revolve+.   It's almost impossible to try a wide variety of BT speakers in person, so I relied largely on consumer reviews to guide me. 

The Bose speaker sounds pretty darn good.  So good in fact that I don't even really use my large home stereo these days.

I like to think I have a pretty good ear for detecting audio compression, but whatever algorithm is used to send the BT signal from my iPhone to the Bose makes it so that any compression is almost undetectable by me.  I have tried using an 1/8" audio cable in the past to listen for any differences between that and BT, and while the audio cable sounds better, its not a significant enough improvement for me to abandon BT.

[pauldo]

Finally found one.
The guy selling it did mention that the WiFi speakers do not compress the bandwidth as much as Bluetooth.

We are very pleased with our purchase it is a Peachtree deepblue2.

Headroom for days
https://www.peachtreeaudio.com/deepblue2.html



Link is for the “3” pretty much same design just greater signal reception distance.


Edit: updated link.

[StefanieJones]

We use the Bose Soundlink Color II and I couldn't be happier. I take it to work and use it there as well. (I work late night)  Small portable and sounds great. It's surprising the amount of bass that little unit puts out.

[pauldo]

This unit is certainly not very portable and needs a 110v source.  At 440 watts and adjustable bass it is perfect for listening to music in our small city bungalow, clarity and bump are all there.

[lbpesq]

The Peachtree Deepblue 2 looks interesting, but the specs describe it as bluetooth, not wifi.

Bill, tgo

[pauldo]

Yes Bill you are correct.
Sorry for the confusion. 
The guy at the shop (https://ultrafidelis.com/) mentioned that Bluetooth is ‘sub-par’ for true audiophiles that WiFi is a step up and the best is still old fashioned analog.  We were in the market for wireless and this unit was a stretch for our budget.

This shop is NOT where you want to go on payday, serious high end audio equipment.  The salesman, Marty, who really is a nice guy was telling us about his Vandersteen speakers... which can run up to $70k!!!  They don’t carry those in house but had a few of their lesser models.

We dropped 3 bills on the Bluetooth speaker and made a hasty exit before temptation hit.

Paul (who didn’t even want to hear the high end speakers lest they really did sound that good)

[cozmik_cowboy]

 ....for true audiophiles...the best is still old fashioned analog.... 

This right here.

Peter

[hammer]

I don't know about PeachTree speakers at all, but have a true audiophile friend (vinyl only) who swears by their amplifiers to the tune of somewhere in the neighborhood of $3,000 (and that's an amp he primarily uses for a pair of headphones that are almost as ridiculously priced).

[lbpesq]

Sometimes I question the quest for ever better sound.  Whatever system I’m listening to, I get used to it.   The real music is in my head, the speakers/system only act to trigger my subjective experience.  Some of my most treasured listening experiences were produced by cheap transistor a.m. radios, cheap fold-down turntables with fold out speakers and a couple of pennies taped to the arm, woefully inadequate live P.A., and other systems of equally questionable sonic quality.  Other times I really appreciate good sound.   But the extreme high-end gear seems to suffer from the law of diminishing returns ... I mean how much better can $70K speakers really sound?


Bill, tgo

[cozmik_cowboy]

In response to both Brian and Bill:
I have a pair of Tascam "studio" headphones that I got from MF on sale from $300 to $30; I have test-listened to $1000 Sennheisers that sounded no better, and maybe not quite as good.

I could hear the the difference between my old Magnavox stereo speakers & the Infinity ones that replaced them, and between the Infinities & my buddy's Dahlquists - but I cannot imagine I would hear a price-appropriate diference between any on those & a pair of Wilsons (but if anyone wants to donate the Wilsons to science, I'll listen for a few decades & decide.......)

Peter (who will, however, admit that there are basses in the world that do sound that much better than a Fender  )

[StefanieJones]

In response to both Brian and Bill:

Peter (who will, however, admit that there are basses in the world that do sound that much better than a Fender  )

Shocking! Absolutely shocking!