I am trying to find a reasonably priced (> $200 ideally) small’ish speaker that I can use around the house or travel with that I can plug a synth or drum machine into. I get tired of wearing headphones.
The issue nowadays is hardly any bluetooth speakers have an aux-in.
I was looking as an alternative a portable guitar amp as there seem to be more options for those. My concern is whether the sound output for that is suitable enough for outputting audio from synth gear.
Any thoughts on that? Or recommadtion for speakers that could work?
I use my little Positive Grid Spark mini amp with my mono synths and it sounds great around the house. Mono of course but many of the others have an AUX.
Bonus I can play with all the FX on dry synths like my MicroFreak and Monologue. 2nd bonus I could usb-c it into my tablet or computer to record if I wish.
Walmart Onn large party speaker has x2 - 1/4" inputs with gain knobs and a 1/8" aux in (no gain knob). It’s battery powered and a charge lasts over 10 hours. I use mine with a Digitakt + Digitone combo. The 1/4" line in sounds significantly better than the aux in. Has a handle that makes for easy carrying and built in rollers that I haven’t used much. Sounds surprisingly good and it’s affordable. You can BT pair it with other Onn speakers for stereo.
I was traveling with the Uber Boom Ultra for a few years. The handle fits nicely over an extended luggage handle. It has stereo aux in (1/8"), mic in (1/4"), and plays from SD cards, as well as bluetooth.
Unfortunately, the battery no longer holds its charge, so now it has to be connected to usb-c power to work.
I have a couple of the Minirig 4 speakers that you can use on their own or link two of them for stereo. Battery life on them is really good and they are pretty loud.
I’m not sure if these are available in your area. But I use one of these for my synths and amp modelers, as well as for bass. Decent low end for a very small amp and they look really classy. It has a full-range speaker in it. Mono though.
That’s the one I have been eyeing. But the price point for it is a bit higher than I wanted to spend. I was then considering the SoundCore Motion+ but I’m not sold on that yet.
Was hoping for some middle ground or alternative but it seems like the market nowadays for a reasonbably priced portable speaker/amp with aux-in AND low/no latency is extremely limited.
I was eyeing that as well. I like the design but when you add the optional battery to it the price is more or less the same as the Soundcore Motion+. Reviews of it seem mixed but maybe I’ll do more research on it. I have the speaker from the TE line they released years ago but it’s not as portable as I’d like. Sounds good though.
My ZT Lunchbox has been a perfect partner for virtually everything I’ve ever thrown at it. Super small. Super simple. Pretty robust. Clean all the way from very quiet to very loud. Can pick them up new for not much cash, and even less used on ebay. Worth checking out.
look into FRFR speakers like the Headrush. I use mine for both synths and my HX Stomp guitar amp modeler and portable. For battery powered no cable speakers, I use my AIAI wireless small bluetooth speakers. Expensive but compact and plenty loud enough.
Not cheap but work amazing for travel and outdoor events.
