How To Increase Bass From Your Portable Bluetooth Speaker

If you're in love with good bass response, and appreciates the deep, immersive sounds that only rich bass can provide, you might find the audio capabilities of your portable Bluetooth speaker somewhat lacking. Don't fret, though: there are ways to enhance your device's bass output that don't involve buying a new speaker. Here's how:

1. Positioning: The placement of your speaker can drastically affect the sound quality. Position your speaker in a corner or close to a wall, the sound waves will bounce off the surfaces, amplifying the bass.

2. Equalization: Many audio devices and streaming apps offer equalization (EQ) settings that let you adjust the balance between different frequency bands. Increasing the lower frequencies (usually below 200Hz) will enhance the bass.

3. Volume Level: Too high a volume can distort the bass. Try adjusting the volume to a level where the bass is clear and robust without distortion.

4. Update Software: Ensure your speaker's firmware is updated. Manufacturers often release updates that can improve sound quality.

5. Choose Music with Good Bass: Some songs inherently have better bass than others. If you're after a good bass response, choose tracks that are known for their low-end frequencies.

Now, if you're in the market for a new Bluetooth speaker that delivers excellent bass performance, here are the top three picks available on Amazon:

JBL Charge 4: This portable Bluetooth speaker is renowned for its impressive bass output, thanks to its dual passive radiators. It also offers a long battery life and robust build quality.

Sony SRS-XB43 EXTRA BASS: As the name suggests, this Sony speaker is designed with bass in mind. It boasts a unique EXTRA BASS feature which enhances low-end frequencies, delivering punchy and deep bass.

Anker Soundcore Motion+: An advanced digital signal processor ensures pounding bass and zero distortion at any volume. It also has an exceptional frequency range that extends from a super-low 50Hz to a high 40KHz.

Each of these speakers offers a unique set of features and performance characteristics, but they all excel in delivering powerful, immersive bass. So, whether you're looking to enhance your current speaker's bass output or invest in a new device, you now have the knowledge to make an informed decision. Happy listening!

Which Amazon Echo is Best for Me?

Which Amazon Each should you choose?

Amazon now has 3 versions of its popular Echo speaker, home automation, information hub, thingy. bluetooth speaker that does wi-fi streaming of Internet radio all on its own. But it also can hear your spoken commands to play songs or stations. Playing songs does require you have an Amazon Prime account however, and even that is a bit limited but still fulfilling considering the low cost and total return of an Prime account. But that is for another article, onto the choosing the best Echo for you.

Besides playing streaming music it can control your lights, thermostat, door locks, read you the news, tell you how your sports teams are doing, tell you the weather, and a lot more. Yeah, it's pretty difficult to classify this device. The original one is a

Here are three scenarios for consideration.

I listen to music and want the simplest solution for one room

This situation is easy. The original Amazon Echo is your best choice. It's a singular device that has touch-free (you can be across the room) interaction capability that lets you talk to it to chose a station on Pandora, iHeart Radio or Amazon music as well as others. It also will tell you the weather and do all the other cool Echo tricks.

I want to move around the house or yard or go to the beach

The Echo Tap would be your best choice here. With 9 hour battery life and all the normal Echo features you'll be free as a bird to listen and ask wherever you are. Be warned that the price of this freedom is you'll have to "tap" a button on the front of the Echo in order to get it to listen. This will be worth it given it's freedom to move and the neat charging station that comes with it. If you mostly listen to music and don't plan on a lot of interaction with the device, like obsessively asking Alexa questions, then this is your best choice.

You want the best music experience along with the power of Amazon Echo's Alexa

The only device of the three Echo's is the Amazon Echo Dot. This small, puck sized device has a speaker but it's not designed to play musics. But it does have something the other Amazon Echo's don't have, a 3.5mm audio out jack. This allows you to attach the Echo to any powered speaker or home audio system for a full stereo experience. Oh and it also has the 7 mic array as the original Echo so you can talk to it without touching it. Nice.

So that's it. Choose the Amazon Echo that's best for you and start your first experience into the world of intelligent devices. See below for a handy chart showing the key differences between the different Echo devices. If you found this helpful, please share, and thanks for reading!

Help, My Home Theater Speakers Don't Work

Speakers don't often break, really, they don't. But when they do you're sitting there hurting without the music. Fortunately speakers are pretty simple things, there just isn't much to them. As often as not  if you're not hearing the music it's another link in the audio chain that's causing the problem. Let's examine the flow of the audio and music in a typical home theater system first.

 

Banana plugs

1. We're going to assume that all the electronics are plugged in and receiving electricity. Right? Is your surge protector plugged in?
2. In most cases the example above where the cable, blu ray player and TV all feed into (and out of in the case of the TV) AV Receiver via an HDMI port. Check these first.
3. If any of your connections are via a RCA or Digital Optical Cable then you should check these next. 
4. After securing all the cables check the to be sure all your speaker cables are plugged in, and not touching each other. If you wear glasses, use them please. It's easy to miss one strand of speaker wire hitting an adjacent terminal and shorting out you sound. Using banana plugs helps eliminate this problem. 
5. If some of your speakers are working and others are not and the wires are correct then try swapping out the speaker from one side to the other to eliminate that it's the receiver that is malfunctioning. 
6. If the speaker sounds muffled, or tinny then one of the drivers might be out. Here's where it gets tricky. It's generally easy to replace a speaker in a cabinet but unless you purchase it from the manufacturer you risk having distinctly different sound from that speaker.

This all assumes that we're looking at an all wired system. If your surround sound speakers are wireless surrounds or you're feeding the audio or audio and video via bluetooth from a phone or tablet, you'll need to check that source as well.

I know the check list above sounds basic but you cannot imagine the number of times someone has called me and one of the above was the culprit. 

If you found this post useful. Please share it. Thanks!

2 Reasons Audiophiles Will Want the New Google Chromecast

What is the Google Chromecast Audio?

Chromecast Audio is a new Chromecast device from Google that allows you to send audio from the internet directly into either an amplifier or a set of powered speakers. The Chromecast itself is not sending the audio signal, it's simply directing the signal from the internet to go to the device which then feeds it to your amp or powered speakers. Since we've been streaming audio to speakers now for years, why is this an improvement over our current method?

Reason 1 - Why is Chromecast Audio Better Than Bluetooth?

First, the signal is coming directly from the Internet giving you the best audio signal your music service provides. Bluetooth compresses the signal to before sending it to a speaker, This further degrades the music beyond what the streaming music service may, or may not have already compressed it. Chromecast also offers the ability to send the signal via a supplied cable, RCA plugs, or an Optical cable. The optical cable should give you the best sound but all will be better than Bluetooth.

Your phone or tablet using a Chrome enabled app sends a signal to the Chromecast Audio to go to the internet and start playing whatever the phone is asking for. The signal comes from the internet to the Chromecast directly. The chromecast send the signal to the receiver/powered speaker via a cable.

This means you'll get better sound. Even if the newer bluetooth specs are doing a better job with audio, they are, they are still adding another point of transmission Chromecast skips.

Reason 2 - Choose Your Own Speakers

Possibly the biggest benefit to the new Chromecast is that it gives you the freedom to choose from a larger pool of seriously better speakers than your average Bluetooth speaker

Now you can choose to either 

1. Hook it up directly to your home audio system
2. Use a pair of bookshelf speakers you have lying around with an external amp
3. Use a pair of powered speakers

And, you can now more easily hook up a subwoofer which is almost impossible with a traditional bluetooth setup. 

Why Powered Speakers are a Good Choice

An advantage of powered speaker is that the manufacturer is pairing an amp directly with the speaker. In theory, if done correctly, this should give you better sound quality than simply pairing any amp with a random set of speakers. Again, this is not a hard and fast rule, but should hold true for good quality powered speakers.

Here are some really nice powered bookshelf speakers you could use with your new Chromecast. 

If you already have a pair of speakers and want to get a small amp to work with them, click here for some options.

Though other TV based streaming sticks and pucks do offer streaming audio, Chromecast offers the ability to bypass your TV screen and control it directly from your mobile device. 

Other resources

Does Bluetooth have to compress audio?

Bluetooth audio is getting better

Find this article useful? Please share it. 

Is this Anker speaker a Bose Mini Killer?

Is this Anker Bluetooth speaker a Bose Mini killer? The Bose Mini is pretty much regarded by reviewers both consumer and pro as one of the best sounding speakers out there. We loved it in our review. It has smooth bass and more importantly very natural sounding mids and highs. It's beautifully crafted and solid in hand. 

Along come Anker with their Anker Premium Stereo Bluetooth 4.0 Speaker (A3143), yeah I know, guess the cost savings on making this extends to no budget to name it, and things get interesting. 

The Bose Mini Soundlink costs about $199 but sometimes you can find it for $169. The Anker A3143 (really needs a name here Anker!) weighs in at a paltry $59 on Amazon. Besides looking almost identical apparently they may be close on sound as well. 

If reviews are to be believed, and the jury is still out since many of the reviews were folks who were given the device to write a review, then this thing rocks at this price. 

The device does differ in that it is made of plastic instead of metal like the Bose. Plus the folks at Bose likely spent $100K to come up with the name Sound Link Mini. Trust me on this one, naming can cost a bundle and Bose if above all else, a marketing machine. 

Most reviews do tout a nice even sounding bass with the Anker, like the Bose but I haven't heard the Anker yet so it's taking the reviewers at their word. Many of the reviews were from not gifted sources so it could be this is a real steal. If you own one tell us in the comments. If you don't own one let us know if you're taking the leap.

Can I get a Bluetooth Subwoofer?

The answer to this, as many things in life is, Yes, and No. Yes technically you could get a Bluetooth subwoofer but it would pretty much only give you bass and everything else would sound terrible. Also, I've never seen one. If you find one put it in the comments.

But I see bluetooth speakers on Amazon that say subwoofer. 

Yep, you can find speakers on Amazon and elsewhere that say Bluetooth and subwoofer in the same product description. They are almost always referring to the fact that the speaker has a passive or active subwoofer built into the speaker itself. Another way is to have a 2.1 bluetooth speaker system whose subwoofer is attached to the main speaker(s) via a wire. This enables the sub to get a signal.

Why can't I get a standalone Bluetooth Subwoofer?

In it's current form the Bluetooth spec does not support sending signals to two separate devices. It can send a stereo signal which one device can receive and then split to separate units, usually via a wire. The unit would send the mid-range and high signal to one unit in a stereo pair and that speaker would be responsible for using a cross-over to send the signal to the subwoofer and the other side to the other speaker.   

But I want a separate subwoofer!!

There are solutions wireless speaker solutions hat offer separate subs like Sonos, but they do not employ Bluetooth. Sonos uses a proprietary Mesh Network (think WiFi) to send signals to different speakers. Sonos systems sound great but they are expensive. 

What to do?

The folks working on the Bluetooth spec (warning link will hurt your head) are updating things all the time. It could be that this is in the works as I write. In the mean time the best solution for getting better bass through an out of the way subwoofer would be either something like a Sonos system or a small two-way system. 

Another choice maybe coming this week. Google is rumored to be announcing a Chromecast Music for this week. We'll see how that plays out.

Also check out the top consumer rated bluetooth speakers on Amazon as of September 2015

Wren V5BT Bluetooth Speaker for All Bluetooth Equipped Devices

Quite an amazing piece of technology. Combine a 50 watt amp with beautiful rosewood or bamboo veneer in a bluetooth speaker that delivers substantial bass is quite an accomplishment. Although coming in at $399, this is not out of line with other high end bluetooth speakers. And man, they sure do look pretty.

Wren V5BT Bluetooth Speaker for All Bluetooth Equipped Devices

Why Buy a Bluetooth Speaker Instead of Apple Airplay

These days it's not hard to find bluetooth speakers. You'll practically fall over them walking into any store you can think of. Besides their normal electronics chains these handy little speakers show up in hardware stores, drugstores and even auto parts stores for goodness sake. Airplay speakers on the other hand are not as easy to find anymore.  Why would you want an AirPlay speaker as opposed to a bluetooth speaker? It's simple really, if you one iOS devices and want to exclusively use iTunes to control your music selections then an AirPlay speaker can make your life easier. If not, stick to bluetooth. BT speakers offer a much wider selection in both size and price. Note that the size and price often come at the expense of quality.

Bottom Line - Your iOS device will pay through any bluetooth device you purchase, and so will any Android devices you might have lying around. Unfortunately only iOS devices work with AirPlay. We view this as a major disadvantage. 

Search for Bluetooth Speakers

Our Favorite Bluetooth Speakers for October 2013

We don't consider bluetooth speakers usable for critical listening but when you've got a party or need some instant background music in the garage or kitchen, these guys come in handy. Here is a list of our favorites.

Bose SoundTouch set to offer multi-room sound, competes with Sonos

This is hopefully the start of a multi-room speaker war, one that will eventually drive down costs. Don't however expect the new Bose SoundTouch speakers to help deliver lower pricing. Like all things Bose these speakers will be expensive. But at least this now gives consumers some choice.

Bose SoundTouch throws down multiroom audio gaunlet to Sonos | TV and Home Theater - CNET Reviews

How Bose has finally won me over

Bose SoundLink Mini Bluetooth Speaker

Having started The Speaker Company I have had the pleasure of working with quite a few experts in the art of listening. Some might say audio snobs, other would call them folks with a good ear. Honestly what sounds good enough to you, is likely good enough for you. That said I will contend that anyone who learns how to listen to music on a really good set of speakers will be spoiled forever.

Bose has always been one of those companies that has been shunned by such audio aficionados, including myself. The tricks they use to provide a bass loving experience sound quite dull once pointed out. But there are instances when you just want convenient.

With Bluetooth speakers Making it easy to hear music from your phone is paramount. Also, getting some type of satisfying bass out of tiny speakers using software and audio tricks, goes from becoming a liability, to a welcome solution.

With the new Bose sound link Mini manages to do this beautifully. The speaker is beautiful and functionally well done. And yes, it sound fantastic.

Another "Best" Bluetooth Speaker

Bluetooth speakers come out at a rate of about 2 a week, or at least it seems that way. They are not for serious listening but occasionally they do catch our eye. This one from Sound Spot from Sound Freaq is one of those.

At roughly 5"X5"X2.5" it's not a super tiny speaker but that is likely why it's getting such rave reviews. The more area you have to move air the more true bass response you get. 

The device has an interesting if not stunning design ascetic. It uses both buttons on the top, which I love, or their free app. 

Here are the interesting features I really like about this speaker:

• You can daisy chain them for bigger, louder sound.

• You can set Two of them up to achieve stereo with some separation which is the downfall of most stereo bluetooth speakers.

• You can charge it while it plays

Mashable called it  “powerful, loud and accurate” and they liked it better than my favorite to date the Logitech UE 984-000298 Mobile Boombox Bluetooth Speaker and Speakerphone 

And at only $69 a pop, you can afford to purchase 2, giving that wider stereo sound I assure you will be worth it.

Check it out at Sound Freaq's website

The Bose® SoundLink® Bluetooth Mobile Speaker II has been quite a hit on Amazon with 4.5 Star rating. With the vast majority (See chart below) of reviewers giving it 5 Stars it appears to be a good buy at only $299. Now this seems like a lot of money to me for what is basically a glorified boombox, but if we look at some of the contents of the reviews we see a picture emerging as to why this is so well loved.

• More balanced sound than the Big Jawbone
• Great bass at low levels
• Very portable
• Built in battery
• The bass? It's incredible considering the size of the speaker

Key takeaway - Place the unit 4-6 inches from the wall for optimum bass output. This is good advice for any speaker but in the case of small speakers it's imperative.

So if you're looking for a good sounding speaker with portability and great base, this could be your speaker.  Bose Bluetooth Speaker Dock Reviews Analysis

Breakdown of Reviews for Bose Bluetooth Speaker

Blue Tooth Speaker Secrets

Bluetooth speakers have been around for quite a while. In fact long before the Jambox  became the rage in 2010 What has changes is that they've become more affordable, sound better and more versatile.

•  At less than $100 the tiny UE Logitech Mobile Boombox seems to be topping everyone's list as the best sound, even better than the Jambox. 
•  The less flashy and only $50 OontZ Angle Ultra-Portable gets an astounding 4+ stars on Amazon for the clear price leader in small rechargeable speakers. 
•  And the coolest award goes to the ECOXGEAR EcoXBT. Why the coolest? It can float and is totally waterproof. Not water resistant but water proof. 

 So with all these new choices for bluetooth speakers at reasonable prices there's no excuses for not taking your tunes with you.

Google Nexus Q Triad Bookshelf Speakers

Though I've not found a review of the new Triad Bookshelf Speaker that are paired witht the new Nexus Q streaming amp from Google,  Triad, the company making these speakers is a very high end speaker manufacturer. For reference their other bookshelf speakers come in and $2,400 and $3,500 a pair. Yes you read that correctly. No matter what you think of spending this much money on a pair of speaker with 6.5" woofers in them, they certainly would be a waste with a feed from a streaming source, especially a phone.

Better Choices Available

Many folks will surely think they need to purchase these $400 speakers in order to get good sound out of the Nexus Q. Call me crazy but more likely than not you get get much better speakers than these for the source you're using. Then again, can a super high end speaker company make a speaker that is only $400 and not make a piece of crap? Triad speakers likely come with a 300% margin for the company. Apply that to a $400 list price set and you quickly see that what you're likely buying here is a set of $100 speakers with a fancy pedigree.

Instead, consider 8 ohm speakers for Boston Acoustics, Polk and the like and save some money. Will you notice the difference in sound quality? Not likely.

Triad Bookshelf Speakers for Nexus Q Preview — Reviews and News from Audioholics

Bluetooth Speakers & the Creative D200

Check out the D200 for under $93 at Amazon

Bluetooth speakers are all the rage, and why shouldn't they be. Everyone hates wires. Speaker docks are nice to be able to charge your iPod, iPhone or Android device but then it's not in your pocket. And for Android devices you have such a small choice of docks it's difficult to find one you will like.

Two Solutions for wireless speakers

Bluetooth and Apple's AirPlay are to great ways to get your music wirelessly to speakers in your house. AirPlay will only work from Apple devices so if you have an Android device or a Zune, you're pretty much going to have to use a Bluetooth speaker.

The Creative D200 Wireless Bluetooth Stereo Speaker

There are lots of Bluetooth speakers to choose from on the market today and some sound remarkably good! Today I picked up a Creative D200 Bluetooth speaker to review, so let's get going.

Unboxing.

The unit comes nicely packed along with a very short manual and a power cord.

Unpacked you can see the unit is pretty small. The regular sized sharpie gives you some sense of the size of the unit. It's high gloss black with only 3 buttons on top. The power adapter is normal sized but still large.

The Back

of the unit has a power button, input for the power cord and a jack for plugging in an external speaker. There is also a bass port to help enhance the bass output of this small speaker.

The Top

of the unit has the Bluetooth paring button and the volume up and down buttons

It would have been nicer if the power button were on the top but it's not a deal breaker.

Size Quality and Finish

Product Dimensions: 18.8 x 4.9 x 5.1 inches ; 4.6 pounds

Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds

The D200 looks very nice and is relatively small. You won't be ashamed to have this on a table or counter. It has some heft and feels quite solid.

Sound and Performance

In the end the gadgetry is nice but how does it sound? Wonderful. Very smooth vocals and mids with decent highs. Despite it's size this speaker gives a very nice bass performance. Because of the port on the back you can play with location to increase or decrease the bass response, but overall it's very pleasing. The D200 gets loud enough to fill a 20 X 15 room with no problem and does so with remarkable stereo separation. (all factors considered)

Hooking the D200 up was no problem. I enabled Bluetooth on my iPhone, held down the button on the unit and within seconds my phone had found the unit and was ready to start playing music. You can do this with multiple devices. My Android phone worked just as well.

I was able to roam at least 30 feet from the speaker and still play music with no problem. If I moved further than 35 feet however it did drop out.

Overall this is a very nice sounding wireless speaker I can easily recommend for a kitchen, bedroom or other location where you need music without wires.



Check out the D200 for under $93 at Amazon

Recommended

Own a Creative D200? What do you think?