bluetooth or other wireless speaker recommendations?

[daturbosix]

the fatherinlaw is getting rid of his bookshelf system in his living room and wants something modern that he can stream media to via bluetooth or other wireless means.

i dont even know what to tell him to look into. anyone of you guys have experience with this sort of thing?

 

[cgutz]

I have never heard a set of actual bluetooth speakers that sound better than a basic but quality system with a bluetooth receiver plugged into the AUX in port, which is what I do.
My son has a new Yamaha integrated amplifier with bluetooth, Spotify, etc. built in. Sounds really good, but it wasn't cheap.

Then again, I've never tired a really high end set of bluetooth speakers, do they exist? I have a set of AR bluetooth indoor/outdoor speakers on my porch. True stereo, 4 inch driver and tweater. Sound is only adequate...

 

[KeninDC]

I have kids and have purchased and listened to many bluetooth speakers.

Audioengine makes good (sound and looks) stuff. Not super-expensive, but not cheap. My local audiophile store carries Audioengine. Easy to use and accurate, pleasing sound.

For cheaper (but not junk) and portable, I'm a fan of the JBL series and have 3 of 'em. The Flip 3 is as small as you should go. Surprisingly decent sound w/o distortion. The EQ is a bit like a vintage "loudness" button to compensate for the size.

 

[BillyTheKid]

I hate to bring it up, because i know it causes controversy here...But i have the Bose Soundlink 3. Yea, it's expensive, and no deals are to be had on it. But, most everybody i know has some kind of bluetooth speaker, and i haven't been impressed by any of them 'sound wise'.
To me the Soundlink clearly sounds better, it can go from a whisper to pretty loud, with sufficient bass.

If i was getting rid of my entire system and going down to 1 thing, i would want that 1 thing to be awesome.
Plus, anything labeled 'Bose' has potential resale value, whether we like to admit it or not.

What you really need to do is go to Best Buy with your device, and try them all....decide for yourself what sounds best. I'm sure the style of music your fatherinlaw listens to is going to make a big difference in what you buy.

Just my 2 cents.
Now you can bash away.

 

[crn3371]

I'm a big fan of SONOS.

 

[RamblinE]

Does he want to stay plugged in or go portable? The UE Boom is a great portable option. It's kind of like their middle of the road version. The smaller ones don't have nearly enough displacement. The larger one is too honky and boomy.

 

[Wildcat]

the fatherinlaw is getting rid of his bookshelf system in his living room and wants something modern that he can stream media to via bluetooth or other wireless means.

This is almost begging for some powered speakers and Chromecast Audio. Just one option among many. The new Oppo Sonica speakers are supposed to sound pretty good, but they are not inexpensive (especially if you buy a pair).

 

[r3v3nant]

Sonos is also my recommendation. We moved to a place where cabling up 7.1 was going to be a total pain so on recommendation we got a playbar with sub which quickly turned into a 5.1 system with the addition of two play-1's and I have to say, it's remarkable how good the system works and sounds. Not cheap but I am continually impressed with how great the system sounds for movies and music. The timing is spot on and audio quality is up there.

 

[rxonmymind]

May I suggest Klipsch?

http://www.klipsch.com/products/the-one

http://www.klipsch.com/products/the-three

http://www.klipsch.com/products/the-sixes

The last one my wife wanted it for the spare bedroom. Kinda cool set up in that you can move the speakers around as they are bluetooth.
The first two aren't bad either. Real copper knobs and switches. Quality.

 

[Wildcat]

The first two aren't bad either. Real copper knobs and switches. Quality.

I like that vintage vibe there! Reminds me of the top horn on the Klipschorn.

 

[daveg3588]

Based on on an earlier discussion, I recommended the Klipsch to my son. He needed something for background music for a wine store they are opening. The Klipsch is well built, looks great and sounds very nice. Also gives expansion options for different areas.

 

[rxonmymind]

I like that vintage vibe there! Reminds me of the top horn on the Klipschorn.

I just noticed the last two has option of phono input. That's REALLY cool.

 

[Wildcat]

I just noticed the last two has option of phono input. That's REALLY cool.

Indeed it is. It would be nice for a den system, where you'd want to keep things compact, yet still sounding good.

The only thing I'd wish for on the Three is an optical digital input--that way I could stick a Chromecast Audio on there. I could still do it through analog means though--it sounds pretty good on its own. I read a few reviews and I guess Klipsch's wireless system is a bit unreliable. But, it's likely something I wouldn't bother using anyway, since the Chromecast Audio is working well for us here (and is so easy to use).

Very tempting indeed.

 

[KevinJS]

As mentioned earlier, Sonos. Not cheap, but a great sound. And since I have a soft spot for Martin Logan speakers, I'll mention their Vision X soundbar. https://www.martinlogan.com/motionSeries/models/soundbar-vision-x.php It's compatible with all of the wireless protocols, including Play-Fi. Can't see forking over $2000 for a soundbar myself, but some might feel it to be worth it.

 

[Pio1980]

The Cambridge Soundworks Oonz Angle 3 Plus wireless wedges aren't bad and may be on discount. Stereo single, or configurable stereo paired, I was gifted a pair.

 

[Dan ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ]

I have kids and have purchased and listened to many bluetooth speakers.

Audioengine makes good (sound and looks) stuff. Not super-expensive, but not cheap. My local audiophile store carries Audioengine. Easy to use and accurate, pleasing sound.

For cheaper (but not junk) and portable, I'm a fan of the JBL series and have 3 of 'em. The Flip 3 is as small as you should go. Surprisingly decent sound w/o distortion. The EQ is a bit like a vintage "loudness" button to compensate for the size.

I agree.
I recently bought a Audio Engine B1 Bluetooth receiver, which has an aptX codec, insuring pleasing audio. I honestly can't hear any difference between it and my CDP.

 

[bigx5murf]

Another vote for chromecast audio, sure it's not exactly pnp. But it'll turn just about any speaker/amp combo with rca or optical input into a wireless sound system. Paired with a small class d amp, you can tape them to the back of a set of existing speakers, and no one will even see them. With multiple systems, you can create groups and play them accordingly.