Which nomadic speaker to choose?

We call nomadic speaker a portable and autonomous speaker model, equipped with a battery and at least a Bluetooth connection. This allows you to enjoy, wherever you are, your favorite music, broadcast from your smartphone and your favorite dedicated application. This category of portable speaker is popular with those who like to listen to music in good conditions during their vacations, their afternoons at the beach or by the pool, their hikes ... but it can also be useful at home , to listen to the radio in the garden or to move around in all the rooms of the house, without having to constantly plug in and unplug the device. The nomadic speakers Bose or JBL are among the most popular on the market,in particular because of their great sound quality and their increasingly advanced functionalities. But there are other interesting brands, like Ultimate Ears or Sonos, to name a few. You can also choose a nomadic speaker model with wired or WiFi connectivity, protected to fall into the water without risk or equipped with features to be activated from a dedicated mobile application. Obviously, the more you opt for a powerful nomadic speaker, the higher the price can be, but you can be sure of having a quality model. We have selected for you 10 portable speakers that may interest you.You can also choose a nomadic speaker model with wired or WiFi connectivity, protected to fall into the water without risk or equipped with features to be activated from a dedicated mobile application. Obviously, the more you opt for a powerful nomadic speaker, the higher the price can be, but you can be sure of having a quality model. We have selected for you 10 portable speakers that may interest you.You can also choose a nomadic speaker model with wired or WiFi connectivity, protected to fall into the water without risk or equipped with features to be activated from a dedicated mobile application. Obviously, the more you opt for a powerful nomadic speaker, the higher the price can be, but you can be sure of having a quality model. We have selected for you 10 portable speakers that may interest you.assurance of having a quality model. We have selected for you 10 portable speakers that may interest you.assurance of having a quality model. We have selected for you 10 portable speakers that may interest you.

our selection

Roam wireless bluetooth speaker, Sonos  

GO 2 portable wireless speaker, JBL

Wonderboom Bluetooth wireless speaker, Ultimate Ears

SRS-XB23 Extra Bass Bluetooth speaker, Sony

Flip 5 portable speaker, JBL

SoundLink Mini Bluetooth speaker II, Bose

SoundLink Color II wireless speaker, Bose

Emberton BT portable speaker, Marshall

Megaboom 3 portable speaker, Ultimate Ears

SoundLink Revolve + portable speaker, Bose

What is a nomadic speaker?

A nomadic speaker is defined by the fact that it does not need to be plugged in to be used. It is completely wireless: its connection to devices that allow it to stream music is usually done via Bluetooth, but there are also models of portable speakers that work using WiFi, which offers other possibilities of use. So here are the basic features. To these are added others, which can be considered as optional: there is sealing, more and more present in models of wireless speakers from major brands, which makes it possible to protect the device in the event of a fall into a swimming pool, bathtub or other body of fresh water. It should be noted that nomadic speakers do notdo not like sea water, unless the manufacturer has contraindicated it. The other fashionable function is the presence of a microphone, which allows the device to be used as a hands-free kit, or even as a solution to control voice assistants by voice. Finally, some brands, such as JBL, allow multiple compatible speakers to be connected to each other via a mobile application, to create a stereo sound system, or more when more speakers can be integrated into the system. The goal is to synchronize the sound output on several devices to amplify their power. Obviously, the more options a portable speaker displays, the higher its price.which allows the device to be used as a hands-free kit, or even as a solution to control voice assistants. Finally, some brands, such as JBL, allow multiple compatible speakers to be connected to each other via a mobile application, to create a stereo sound system, or more when more speakers can be integrated into the system. The goal is to synchronize the sound output on several devices to amplify their power. Obviously, the more options a portable speaker displays, the higher its price.which allows the device to be used as a hands-free kit, or even as a solution to control voice assistants. Finally, some brands, such as JBL, allow multiple compatible speakers to be connected to each other via a mobile application, to create a stereo sound system, or more when more speakers can be integrated into the system. The goal is to synchronize the sound output on several devices to amplify their power. Obviously, the more options a portable speaker displays, the higher its price.to create a stereo sound system, or more when more speakers can be integrated into the system. The goal is to synchronize the sound output on several devices to amplify their power. Obviously, the more options a portable speaker displays, the higher its price.to create a stereo sound system, or more when more speakers can be integrated into the system. The goal is to synchronize the sound output on several devices to amplify their power. Obviously, the more options a portable speaker displays, the higher its price.

On what criteria should you choose the best portable speaker?

The main criteria to take into account when buying a portable speaker are autonomy, robustness, sound power, size and options available

.

In terms of autonomy, the average is currently around 10 hours, which is reasonable to use a wireless speaker for a whole day without having to recharge it, and without the risk of running out of power. drums.

Note that the small models, very compact, have less space to give to the battery and therefore tend to offer a lower autonomy.

Conversely, a heavy and bulky model generally tends to display a battery life of more than 10 hours.

It's all about balance.

Sound power is also an important criterion. Indeed, if you want to use your nomadic speaker to animate parties outside, it is better to choose a model that displays a high number of Watts. But that's not all, we will come back to this a little later in this article. If you just fancy listening to soft music or the radio while tinkering in the garden, or when sunbathing by the water, then you don't need the most powerful model. of the market. The power of a speaker does not necessarily have a strong impact on its price, but it still deserves to be interested in this criterion, so as not to have a bad surprise on arrival.

The size, for its part, is not to be neglected especially if you want to transport your wireless speaker a lot. Most brands offer small models, which can even be attached to the outside of a backpack or to one of the fasteners of a pair of pants using a carabiner. These models often boast below-average battery life and standard sound power, but they have the advantage of not weighing down your equipment. On the contrary, other models which display a very advanced sound system and a high autonomy can prove to be bulky and weigh nearly a kilogram: these models are rather intended for use in the sphere of the home, indoors or outdoors. outside. Between these extremes, there is a very wide choice ofnomadic speakers of a correct size and a weight of a few hundred grams, easy to manage when traveling.

Finally, to all this are added the already mentioned optional features, such as the built-in microphone, waterproofing, multiple pairing or even NFC.

Having one or more of these offers tends to inflate the price of the device, but if you really need it, it may be worth checking out.

How do I know if the sound is good on a portable speaker?

To determine the sound quality of a wireless speaker on paper,

you have to look at its sound power in Watts, but also at its sensitivity, expressed in decibels (dB)

. The number of decibels produced by a speaker is usually indicated at a distance of one meter and at a power of one Watt. The more sensitive the speaker, the less power it needs to achieve a high sound volume.

Therefore, it is better to choose a portable speaker that displays a high number of decibels rather than just focusing on the power in Watts, because this last indication is far from the only criterion of sound quality of a apparatus. Also, turning up the volume to maximum may tend to distort the sound, which is not at all pleasant to the ear. Other criteria can be taken into account, such as the maximum sound pressure, for example, but the fact is that few manufacturers of portable speakers give this kind of information on the technical sheet of this type of device.

You may also be interested in the presence or absence of speakers dedicated to bass management, a 360 ° sound distribution system, or on-board sound processing technologies.

In the most high-end models, we can observe the presence of a dedicated mobile application, allowing to fine-tune the sound characteristics of the device with precision.

A proposal that is especially made for music lovers who do not want to leave anything to chance: if you just want to listen to the radio or broadcast the hits of the moment in the evening, you may not need such a sharp model, but it is you who see.

Does the sound quality of the portable speaker decrease via Bluetooth?

The answer to this question is yes, but… Bluetooth, because of its wireless operation, does not have the broadcast potential of a wired system. This means that the sound must be compressed to be played wirelessly, which affects its quality. Nonetheless, this impact will tend to go unnoticed by most people, in large part because the listening source itself is often already degraded by music streaming. In addition, the evolution of Bluetooth technology is constant: most models of nomadic speakers today embed codecs that ensure good management of the sound transmitted wirelessly, such as aptX, to name but one. .

To summarize, if there is a loss of sound quality, it remains minimal and controlled in the vast majority of cases, in particular if you choose to acquire a portable speaker from a known brand: the situation can be a little more hazardous. with references at very low prices.

If you don't want to make any compromises, models sold by brands like Sonos or Bose should give you satisfaction, even if high definition on a wireless speaker inevitably comes at a cost that is not to be overlooked.

How to link several nomadic speakers together?

This multiple pairing feature is not present in all brands: it is mainly found at JBL, Ultimate Ears and Sony, and all models of these manufacturers do not always have it.

To connect different speakers together, they must be compatible and from the same brand

.

In some cases, this involves a mobile application, which must be installed on a smartphone or tablet, then configured to link the devices together.

In other cases, a physical button is present on the compatible speakers: it must be pressed at the same time on each device to achieve synchronization.

The brands offer documentation supplied with their speakers equipped with such a function, which makes it very easy to use it, and thus to benefit from enhanced sound power.

How to connect other than with Bluetooth?

In essence, a wireless speaker is a Bluetooth speaker, which means that it embeds at least this form of wireless connection. A good part of the devices sold on the market also have an auxiliary connection, that is to say wired, which requires a Jack cable with 2.5 mm or 3.5 mm connectors to operate. However, with new smartphones tending to eliminate this means of connection, some manufacturers of nomadic speakers are also beginning to ignore this feature. The other type of connection that is mainly found on high-end models is none other than WiFi. This allows you to connect the speaker to your home Internet network, to control it from a computer or not.any other device connected to it. This option is very useful in your home, but unnecessary outdoors, where you do not have access to the Internet.