Bluetooth speakers - is stereo on the way out?
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- KVRAF
- 37480 posts since 14 Sep, 2002 from In teh net
I've been looking into getting a bluetooth speaker (or two) to stream music downstairs but it looks like most these days are sold singly as '360' capable but when you read further it seems they don't actually support stereo - to do that you need to pair them with a second which adds to the cost. Question is though if they do 360 sound do I need them to be stereo, is that actually a thing of the past?
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- KVRAF
- 16846 posts since 8 Mar, 2005 from Utrecht, Holland
I guess you're looking at the JBL product line?
Well, stereo is overrated anyway and most consumers don't really care for stereo in bluetooth speakers. If it makes some noise it does the job (and they do sound bad indeed) These need to be small for portability. Getting good stereo out of something measuring less than a foot is a designer's nightmare.
What I did: bought a BT receiver and hooked it up with the nice stereo hifi set that was there anyway.
Well, stereo is overrated anyway and most consumers don't really care for stereo in bluetooth speakers. If it makes some noise it does the job (and they do sound bad indeed) These need to be small for portability. Getting good stereo out of something measuring less than a foot is a designer's nightmare.
What I did: bought a BT receiver and hooked it up with the nice stereo hifi set that was there anyway.
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My MusicCalc is served over https!!
My MusicCalc is served over https!!
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 37480 posts since 14 Sep, 2002 from In teh net
No I'm looking more that the higher end stuff but even B&O only have mono (but they say '360') as standard, although you can add another I'm just wondering if it's needed since they do 360 degree sound it seems to suggest they also fill the space but do they lack separation? I think it makes less sense for a portable speaker to be stereo as the drivers would be too close anyway to get decent separation but I'm looking more for home use in a room where my hifi isn't setup.
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- KVRAF
- 16801 posts since 13 Oct, 2009
I'm not even sure what I'm reading here? How are you going to get "separation" from a mono signal?
I suspect that what these things are intended for that mono is fine. It will sound mono, unseparated, like mono sounds, without any sense of placement.
I suspect that what these things are intended for that mono is fine. It will sound mono, unseparated, like mono sounds, without any sense of placement.
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- KVRAF
- 2256 posts since 29 May, 2012
This one is stereo https://www.beoplay.com/products/beoplaya8even B&O only have mono
Would I buy one? No. Wouldn't make a difference in an apartment flat.
~stratum~
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 37480 posts since 14 Sep, 2002 from In teh net
Because it appears that the more sophisticated ones, even though they are ostensibly one speaker, actually have more than one unit inside them and claim to use various techniques to create an adaptive 360 degree sound space. So I was wondering if they were actually going beyond just stereo in terms of spatialisation.ghettosynth wrote:I'm not even sure what I'm reading here? How are you going to get "separation" from a mono signal?
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- Rad Grandad
- 38041 posts since 6 Sep, 2003 from Downeast Maine
I suspect he;s talking about the Beoplay A2 as they mention 360. To the original question about stereo, from the specs
2 amps, 2 full range drivers, 2 tweeters and 2 passive radiators...180 W peak power provided by 2x30 W digital class D amplifiers · 2x3” full-range drivers · 2 x 3/4' tweeters · 2x3” passive bass radiators · Cabinet principle: Balanced passive bass radiators
The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another's world. It requires profound, purpose‐larger‐than‐the‐self kind of understanding.
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 37480 posts since 14 Sep, 2002 from In teh net
Yeah, or something like thisHink wrote:I suspect he;s talking about the Beoplay A2 as they mention 360. To the original question about stereo, from the specs
2 amps, 2 full range drivers, 2 tweeters and 2 passive radiators...180 W peak power provided by 2x30 W digital class D amplifiers · 2x3” full-range drivers · 2 x 3/4' tweeters · 2x3” passive bass radiators · Cabinet principle: Balanced passive bass radiators
https://www.whathifi.com/monitor-audio/ ... 300/review
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- KVRAF
- 1986 posts since 29 Apr, 2010 from NYC
why buy over priced bluetooth speakers when you can buy regular priced regular speakers that sound better and you can place them how you want AND get stereo? just connect them to this for $35:
http://store.google.com/product/chromecast_audio
if you are like a lot of people...you already have the extra speakers lying around.
its dead simple and super cheap.
http://store.google.com/product/chromecast_audio
if you are like a lot of people...you already have the extra speakers lying around.
its dead simple and super cheap.
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- KVRAF
- 35687 posts since 11 Apr, 2010 from Germany
I have a JBL Flip 3 (great sound for such a small speaker BTW). You can buy a second one, and use those in stereo mode. Should work for other JBL speakers, or other manufacturer's speakers as well.
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- KVRAF
- 3321 posts since 2 Jul, 2007
Most listeners don't care about stereo. They just want the tunes.
Question: how would a singleton speaker compensate for stereo without gettin all weird on the phase? Wouldn't there be artifacts?
Question: how would a singleton speaker compensate for stereo without gettin all weird on the phase? Wouldn't there be artifacts?
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 37480 posts since 14 Sep, 2002 from In teh net
Ended up getting one of these:
https://www.whathifi.com/ultimate-ears/roll-2/review
the advantage is although it's not as nice as something like the (much more expensive but amazing sounding) Dali Katch, it's still probably the best in its price range and it's affordable enough for me to be able to add more than one in time to go up to stereo or even surround if I want - you can keep adding these to create multi speaker setups using their app. It's super portable and for what it is does sound pretty good (better than the others I tested apart from the B&O one and the Katch).
https://www.whathifi.com/ultimate-ears/roll-2/review
the advantage is although it's not as nice as something like the (much more expensive but amazing sounding) Dali Katch, it's still probably the best in its price range and it's affordable enough for me to be able to add more than one in time to go up to stereo or even surround if I want - you can keep adding these to create multi speaker setups using their app. It's super portable and for what it is does sound pretty good (better than the others I tested apart from the B&O one and the Katch).