If you are looking forward to purchasing a Bluetooth speaker, you are at the right place. This Bluetooth speaker buying guide will acquaint you with all the details you need to acknowledge before buying a Bluetooth speaker. A huge variety of options are available in the market, that might trick you into choosing the right speaker with the right features for you. But as you finish reading this guide, you’ll surely become capable of choosing the best one for you.
Do you need a Bluetooth speaker? If you want a portable speaker which you can carry anywhere along with you, then yes, a Bluetooth speaker is an excellent option for you. From carrying them to different rooms of your house to taking them along on picnics and treks, the Bluetooth speaker will be at your disposal. Keep reading to know more about Bluetooth speakers. You may also like to know about the Best Bluetooth Speakers under £40.
Quick Tips
- Sound Quality: It is the most important quality to check in a Bluetooth speaker. Sound quality will depend on the size of the driver. Prefer a 40mm driver or above.
- Size: Bluetooth speakers are usually portable. Speakers bigger in size sound better.
- Battery: Battery life affects portability. Choose a Bluetooth speaker with extended battery life.
- Connectivity: Bluetooth with NFS connects easily to the source, performs better and consumes less battery.
- Water and Dustproof Rating: Purchase a Bluetooth with good water and dustproof rating so that its durability is enhanced.
- Microphone: Bluetooth speakers with built-in microphones are also available nowadays. It can be used to make calls and give commands.
Bluetooth Speaker Buying Guide
Sound Quality
The quality of sound is certainly an important feature to consider when buying a Bluetooth speaker. A speaker which does not sound good is not worth purchasing as no one wants to hear a fuzzy sound from the speaker especially when your favourite song is playing. To make sure that your Bluetooth speaker sounds fine, it is recommended to check it practically before purchasing.
Before you buy a Bluetooth speaker, check for the driver it is providing. A driver converts electric signals from your device into sound, providing an interface between your device and speakers. Hence, the quality of the driver affects the sound quality of the speaker. So that your Bluetooth speaker sounds good, prefer speakers providing a driver size of 40 mm or above. Though the quality of sound gets better with larger drivers, it also means that the size of the speaker will increase in order to accommodate the driver.
Size
In this Bluetooth speaker buying guide, we’ll next be talking about the size of the speaker. Bluetooth speakers come in a variety of sizes. The size may range from a few inches to a couple of feet. Which size to choose clearly depends upon your needs. If you want a speaker which you can carry with you while you travel, buy a smaller size. But if you want it as an alternative to the speaker of your TV or projector, go for a bigger one. Speakers bigger in size usually sound better.
Battery
Since the Bluetooth speaker is portable, it requires a battery as a power source. And of course, portability will be affected by the capacity of its battery. you would not want your Bluetooth speaker to exhaust on battery when you are out on some trip and no charging ports are available. Therefore, choose a Bluetooth speaker with long battery life. The battery capacity of a Bluetooth speaker varies from 24 hours to a few days. As the size of the speaker gets smaller, the size of the battery also gets smaller resulting in short battery life. Bigger speakers can accommodate larger batteries, as such, the battery backup is extended.
The batteries of some Bluetooth speakers are capable enough to charge other devices as well. So you do not need to worry about your phone exhausting on battery. As for the charging style, the Bluetooth speaker which provides a micro-USB port for charging is more convenient as it is a more common way of charging and can even be used to charge from a power bank.
Connectivity
Evidently, a Bluetooth speaker is connected to your phone through Bluetooth. Purchase a speaker which has a good version of Bluetooth. A Bluetooth version of 4 or above is considered all right. Nowadays, to make Bluetooth more convenient, a feature of NFC is also provided. NFC stands for Near Feild Communication. This feature allows easy connection between the source and speaker as it automatically activates the device. A Bluetooth speaker with NFC has shown better performance and it consumes less battery.
Some Bluetooth speakers, as an additional feature, provide the option of connecting through an aux wire. WiFi is also enabled in some speakers for connection. Some Bluetooth speakers, let you connect to multiple sources, so you get to face no hassles each time you connect a new device. Bluetooth speakers with the option of connecting or pairing with other speakers are also available in the market. So in case you want to enhance the sound output, such speakers can be favoured.
Water and Dustproof Rating
Since the Bluetooth speaker is portable and may need to be carried to a lot of places, the chances of it being mishandled increase. So the Bluetooth speaker needs to be durable. Durability is enhanced in speakers nowadays, with many brands providing waterproof and dustproof construction. So whether you are listening to songs in your kitchen or near a swimming pool, you do not need to worry about the water.
Different models come with varying degrees of waterproof rating but, the least of all, an IPX4-rated Bluetooth speaker should’ve considered. s the rating increases, the time and amount of submersion in the water a speaker can resist also increases. A speaker with an IP44 rating provides both dust and water resistance. IP67 is considered the highest level of waterproof rating.
Microphone
Lastly, in this Bluetooth speaker buying guide we’ll talk about the microphone feature. Some Bluetooth speakers also consist of an inbuilt microphone. You can use this microphone to make calls. Nowadays smart speakers are available which are enabled with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa or Apple Siri. These are WiFi-enabled speakers in which the microphone can be used to give commands and get answers to your queries as well from the web.
