Portable Speakers

Here at Lynn’s we get a lot of questions about something called a “boom box”, a mysterious device that was well in use in the 80’s and early 90’s. These loud and brightly colored speakers provided music through the radio and cassettes.  In reality these speakers haven’t existed for years.  Now, we use something much better in both sound and accessibility, portable speakers.

Portable speakers are something that the digital generation has become very accustomed to using. But what are the features? Where and when would you use a portable speaker over a hard wired system?

Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, dlna, and AirPlay are all little logos that you see on almost anything with sound. Most of your everyday portable speakers will at least have one or two of these features.

Bose Soundlink powerful Bluetooth speaker (MSRP $299.95)

Many people have heard of Bluetooth, it was one of the first new age technologies to hit the market. It was first designed as a wireless voice transmission system, such as a headset or small speaker. It has now evolved to be used to do voice and music. You can now use Bluetooth from a tablet or smartphone to play all of your favorite music. It can be used optimally up to 26-30 feet away and streamed from one music device to one speaker system. So if you plan on streaming multiple Artists to multiple speakers plan on something else. If you’re traveler, a Bluetooth set up can make it easy, especially if you’re somewhere without internet access.  You will be able to access your music that you have stored on your smartphone or be able to stream internet radio such as Pandora or Slacker Radio. This can, if you stream over extended periods of time, wear down on your battery.

Pioneer A3 Portable speaker with internal battery and Wi-Fi (MSRP $399.99)

Wi-Fi speakers can make use throughout your house very easy and give you a more freedom to wander, perfect for a party or working in the yard.  They can connect through your wireless internet and any Wi-Fi enabled device can operate the speaker.  As long as you are within your wireless network you are able to change your music to whatever you want.  Being on your home’s Wi-Fi doesn’t limit your distance or through walls or separate rooms. Wi-Fi will give you better streaming and quality, unlike Bluetooth wireless it can transmit more audio signal to your speaker.

                AirPlay by apple is designed for your Apple devices, designed to stream your music you’re your iTunes account.  Your apple device will play through your home network, and only play iTunes. If you want to do internet streaming you’ll need to stream over your Wi-Fi network or Bluetooth.

                dlna isn’t a music service, but it guarantees that your device has been made to work with your home network without problems. dnla certified devices mean that each device has been made to specifications throughout many different products and companies. It’s a good way to make sure that whatever device you buy will work with your home network.

                Most portable speakers can either be plugged into the wall or can operate off battery power. The batteries can either be an internal lithium ion battery or AA or AAA battery. Typical running power can be anywhere 8 to ten hours depending on your volume you use.

                Summer time is around the corner and soon most of us will be out enjoying the weather, at our backyard BBQs and pool parties. A speaker that you can easily move around from place to place is ideal for the atmosphere of any gathering. There is a better way to get sound to where you want it without buying a big system. A portable speaker will save you time and money, and is likely to make you the envy of your friends.

GIVEAWAY!!!

We are giving away a Sony SAN-S500 portable speaker!!


Enter Here to win