It´s a difficult task for footbaggers to find some good (compact; loud enough; not too expensive etc.) portable loudspeakers/boomboxes for shredding. Therefor, feel free to post here any information about the devices which you have been using during (out-)indoor shred sessions/shows and would recommend to other shredders (also bad experience is welcome). Any additional information (price; where to buy; pros/contras; durability; connectivity; portability etc) is highly appreciated!
I had the JBL on stage III docking station for iPhones/iPods. The sound is great, they get loud and generate a good amount of bass for their size without distorting the sound. They're also quite compact & I could easily bring them to sessions.
The only problem is they broke, twice. Each time the speakers lasted about a year before they broke. JBL replaced them once, while they were still under the one year warranty. A little over a year later, they broke again, and JBL wouldn't do anything. You can find hundreds of other people on the internet saying the same thing about durability.
If I had some assurance that the on stage IV was more durable, or if I could get an extended warranty, I might go for those. Otherwise, they sound great when they work but they unfortunately break easily, and I'm not gonna spend $100+ to keep replacing them.
As far as my experience goes, i can definitely recommend D100 from Creative. I have been using the speaker for ca 2 months now. The speaker is quite powerful, but a little bit bulky (takes less than a half of the whole space in my backpack). My favorite feature is the bluetooth connection, which enables to control the device with my cellular phone (playlist, volume, etc.). It has also an AUX input for mp3 player etc. Unfortunately, no cable is attached (must be bought additionally).
A great device is also Logitech mm32. More compact than the d100, but not so powerful. Unfortunately its not available anymore (only black ones, which are unpredictable, if you play in a direct sunlight).
I used a pair of these for about two years and the only reason they broke was because they got dropped a couple times and I broke one of the speakers off.
If it's just for an ipod and sessions outside I think this is perfect. They are very loud as long as they are not facing away from you, but that's not a problem unless you want to dance around it.
I got mine from a local Big Lots
I also have a portable radioshack set of speakers which work nicely.
Sounds decent (with dynamic bass boost turned on), takes C cell batteries, has a handle, and my iPhone 3G stays secure enough inside of it. Only real drawback is that it will take up a significant amount of room in my bag, if I decide to carry it that way. Happy with it for the money. I haven't tried this feature yet, but it can also play music stored on USB flash drives.
- ZERO distortion
- Unit is Rechargeable just by plugging it into the wall
- NO BATTERIES TO BUY EVER!!!
- Fairly loud and has a bass boost button.
- Cost: $100
Cheap, rechargeable, tiny and LOUD. What more could you want?
i picked up one of these after you suggested it.
Great little speaker (about the size of a handball), works with my phone (any mini jack), good and loud enough, usb recharge (no batteries).
expands to offer a bit of bass, push it back together and twist to close. nifty little device. about $20
Picked up something similar to that X-Mini a while back for my wife. I tested it as soon as I got home, being a bit skeptical, and was really pleased with the results. I'm sure that some are better than others but that design seems to work really well for a good mix between extreme portability and decent sound.
That's great to hear your review of the X-mini Drillbit.
I ordered one online last night and was kind of hoping for the best ... your short but positive review gives me more confidence that I made the right choice. Cnet reviews were pretty positive too.
From the few things I read it sounded like there are a few brands of this type of speaker, but the consensus seemed to be that the X-mini was the loudest and best of them.
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