What portable speakers are there and how to choose them?

At first, musical equipment could not be carried with you - it was rigidly tied to an outlet. Later, portable receivers on batteries appeared, and then various players, and even later, mobile phones learned how to store and play music. But all this equipment had one common drawback - the inability to play at sufficient volume and with really good sound quality.

The very name of the portable speaker, which is often also called portable acoustics, speaks for itself - it is a small device for sound reproduction, adapted to work in conditions when there is no outlet nearby. The modern audio speaker is called wireless in the sense that it does not need a constant power supply. Of course, it was not done without wires - the device needs regular recharging, and it can also be paired with a smartphone via a cable to play music files.

Wherein you can use the gadget without connecting to the phone - most models are equipped with a memory card slot. A few years ago, such acoustic systems polls focused on flash drives, and not on mobile phones. In modern models of portable acoustics, the emphasis is increasingly being placed on fully meeting the description of technology as wireless - synchronization with a smartphone can be carried out both via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

From a technical point of view, a portable speaker of early models is practically no different from an ordinary speaker - it is the same speaker in a hard case, with the only difference that portability a priori presupposes the presence of some kind of autonomous power source in the form of a battery. It is the battery that is one of the most important parts of such technology - if it is damaged or simply of poor quality, the device does not work without wires for a long time, which means it ceases to be portable.

Another important point is the signal source for playback. The earliest models were paired with a mobile phone using an ordinary cable with a 3.5 mm jack (the so-called mini-jack), and therefore we said above that initially there were no differences from ordinary audio equipment, except for the battery. This option for signal transmission was reliable and made it possible to connect with almost any phones released after 2005, but the very fact of the presence of a cable morally limited the portability of the device.

Over the years the popularity of such equipment has grown, engineers have come up with many other ways to gain access to memory. Technically, the simplest solution, it is also one of the first, is to build a memory card slot into the mini-speaker, because this would allow you to use the device regardless of what kind of phone you have and how much memory it has. Different models used (and are still relevant) either USB connectors or slots for smaller flash drives. At the same time, not everyone considers both options ideally convenient, because in fact you have to start a separate drive and make sure that there are always the freshest songs there.

With the development of smartphones, developers realized that the emphasis should still be placed on pairing with mobile devices., especially since the latter are rapidly overtaking flash drives in terms of built-in memory and support.

Initially, the Bluetooth protocol was chosen as the basis for a wireless connection, which has received massive support in phones since the middle of the first decade of the XXI century., but this pairing, as usual, had a number of disadvantages, for example, a relatively low data transfer rate and the impossibility of any significant removal of the acoustics from the phone. When Wi-Fi replaced Bluetooth (although in many models they still coexist), both problems were almost completely resolved - the sound ceased to be unexpectedly interrupted, and the distance at which the signal remained clear increased noticeably.

Besides the main functions, portable acoustics may have some other properties, for the sake of which the developers equip the case with additional parts and assemblies. The simplest example is a built-in radio, thanks to which even a flash drive forgotten at home and a dead phone will not leave you without music at all.

Although portable acoustics seem to be an extremely simple gadget, there are a number of classifications that allow you to highlight specific groups in the general lineup. Since we have already talked about the general structure and the mandatory need for a speaker above, we will clarify that, according to this criterion, all speakers are divided into 3 types.

• Mono. This includes models with a single speaker that occupies almost the entire volume of the cabinet. These are relatively inexpensive speakers, a pleasant characteristic of which can be really loud sound, but at the same time they cannot boast of a spacious sound, and therefore they are inferior to competitors.

• Stereo. Contrary to popular belief, there are not necessarily two speakers - there may be more, although the official "right" and "left" are indeed present, and even the largest. If there are more than two speakers, some of them may be rear, that is, directed backward. Such equipment already conveys the fullness of sound much better, but it is still worth looking for such a position of the listener relative to the speaker in each particular room in order to understand where the highest quality sound will be provided.

• 2.1. Speakers characterized by the use of multi-type and multidirectional speakers. They are good in that they reproduce even low frequencies with high quality, regardless of the volume level.

Among other things, there is another definition that is directly related to the quality of reproduction. Many consumers are happy to buy mini hi-fi speakers, tempted by the fact that this standard of soundtrack reproduction is "close to the original". With a comparatively good quality of the produced sound, one must understand that today this level is nothing more than the norm, and the term Lo-Fi, which denotes sound by an order of magnitude worse, cannot be applied to the reproducing equipment of our time at all. If we are to chase a really top-end level of sound rendering, we should pay attention to the models operating in the Hi-End standard, but you should not be surprised if they turn out to be many times more expensive than any analogs.

If the early models, perhaps, did without a display, then today the presence of a screen is mandatory - at least to demonstrate the name of the track being played. The simplest option, of course, is implemented in the form of an ordinary monochrome display, but there are also more serious solutions with backlighting and support for various colors. Models with light and music can be considered in the same category - although the light is emitted in this case not by the screen itself, this is also an element of visualization. A good speaker with color music is capable of becoming the heart of a full-fledged party alone, without using any additional equipment.

In pursuit of consumer attention, some manufacturers are equipping portable audio systems with features that initially had nothing to do with them. Today, for example, you can even buy a portable karaoke speaker - a microphone is immediately supplied with it, which can be connected through a dedicated connector. The issue of displaying text on the screen, as well as finding the corresponding files, is solved in different ways everywhere, but in most cases an amateur singer will have to look for a minus and learn the words by heart or open the text on the same smartphone.

Finally, many models of portable acoustics, which, for their intended purpose, should be used far from civilization, are manufactured additionally protected from the negative effects of the environment. First of all, they are made waterproof, but the protection can also be calculated to prevent the penetration of dust and sand. The so-called smart speakers powered by the Internet are all the rage in recent years. So far, only Internet giants such as Google or Yandex are releasing them. The peculiarity lies in the fact that the control of such equipment is voice, and it takes audio tracks from the streaming Internet signal. The "mental abilities" of the equipment are not limited to this - it can, for example, read news or receive search queries and give an answer to them.

Stand-alone speakers can differ from each other not only in the characteristics of the main task, but also in "appearance". The body in most cases is either a thick "pancake" (round, but not flat), or a volumetric oval or even an ellipse with rounded edges. Such equipment usually does not have sharp corners - thanks to this, it becomes less traumatic, it is more convenient to carry it, and it looks more stylish. In pursuit of consumer attention, some designers show remarkable imagination and make the case in the form of imitation of a precious stone, hourglass and so on.

The presence of illumination in it will help completely change the user's opinion about the appearance of the column. Even budget models are often equipped with light and music, but then the switching of light has nothing to do with the overflow of the melody - there are only conditional modes, such as fast and sharp flicker or a smooth transition of shades from one to another. In expensive acoustics, color music can be much more "intelligent" - although the backlight shimmers with random colors, the pulsation clearly adjusts to the rhythm and speed of the track being played.

It is impossible to determine the ideal acoustics for all occasions - someone needs the smallest model to be always at hand, and someone is ready to carry it in the trunk, if only the party is everywhere you go. Likewise, requests for sound quality and additional features differ, and the purchasing power is different. That is why we have chosen several models - none of them is the best a priori, but all of them are in great consumer demand.

• JBL Flip 5. The manufacturer of this unit is the trendsetter in the world of portable speakers, and it is he who owns the vast majority of popular models, but we have chosen only one.This speaker is relatively inexpensive, since the main speaker, although large, has only one - it is loud, but does not provide stereo sound. On the other hand, its huge plus is the presence of 2 passive bass radiators, thanks to which the technique will be appreciated by lovers of low frequencies. Such equipment can be submerged under water for a meter - and it will continue to work anyway. The connection with a smartphone is provided by a modern super-speed USB Type C. Another interesting function is that you can connect 2 identical acoustics to a smartphone at the same time, and then they will work together, providing not just parallel playback, but stereo sound.

• Sony SRS-XB10. And this is a representative of another very eminent manufacturer of equipment, which in this case decided to surprise not so much with functionality and quality as with compactness. The device turned out to be very small - 9 by 7.5 by 7.5 cm - but at the same time it has a good bass, if necessary, and works without recharging for 16 hours. And also not afraid of rain.

• Marshall Stockwell. This brand is much more specialized in full-fledged concert equipment, and few concerts of world rock stars can do without its guitar amplifiers. However, portable speakers in the lineup have also appeared recently, and they are beautiful in their own way. This model, for example, is two-way - it has 2 speakers for low and high frequencies, which means that there will be no problems with playing out all the tones and full-fledged stereo sound. A powerful 20 W unit has only one drawback - its creators did not take care of protection at all.

• Harman / Kardon Go + Play Mini. Perhaps you have never heard of this company, but suffice it to say that it also owns the famous JBL and many other not recent names in the world of musical equipment. The two-band unit has a truly bombastic power - 50 watts from the battery and up to 100 during the charging process, which is perhaps not wireless. Due to such deafening abilities, the device turned out to be rather large and inconvenient for transportation, but the sound quality here is simply amazing.

• DOSS SoundBox Touch. Our ranking of the best-selling models would be untrue if it only included speakers from world-renowned manufacturers. Therefore, we included here a sample from a little-known Chinese company, which will be able to promote the brand even if it looks like it. You should not expect outstanding performance from such a technique - here the power is "only" 12 watts, and the range starts only from 100 Hz and ends at 18 kHz. Nevertheless, the battery of the product confidently pulls 12 hours of use, and for its money it is quite a practical purchase for music lovers.

Due to the fact that modern portable speakers often have a much wider range of functions than ordinary speakers, the choice of such a technique can be quite difficult. Besides, do not forget that each additional unit negatively affects the cost of the unit, and if the potential owner does not plan to use a certain function, then there is no point in overpaying for its availability. At the same time, there are no insignificant parameters when choosing such equipment, and if so, we will consider all the characteristics.

At first glance, nothing complicated - the speaker is portable enough to be small and light. The problem is that a truly compact speaker cannot be as powerful a priori as one that is several times larger. Having invested heavily in technology, the manufacturer can make the pocket radiator loud enough, but this will result either in a loss of sound quality, or in a significant increase in the price of the model.

As mentioned above, the small speaker is almost always quieter and has a narrower frequency range than its larger “friend”, but this is only a very general description of the sound characteristics. In fact, there are much more parameters, and if there is not such a big difference in the size of the speakers, thanks to the additional parameters, just the one that is smaller can win.

One of the main indicators when choosing a speaker is the total power of its speakers. A really powerful unit is capable of "yelling" much more, and it will not be difficult for it to "shout out" any extraneous noise. For lovers of loud music or organizers of parties somewhere in nature, the power of the device is of fundamental importance, but its growth, like most other parameters, has the other side of the coin: a powerful unit drains the battery more intensively. There are two options: either agree to less powerful speakers, or immediately take a column with a capacious battery.

The frequency range is also of great importance, indicating how high the sounds can be reproduced by the speakers of the acoustics. Most sources indicate the range that the human ear can hear is between 20 Hz and 20 kHz., but since each person is different, these numbers may differ. In fact, only the most expensive speakers can produce the declared figures, but if the indicators are not cut down very much, then this is not a big deal - all the same, extreme values ​​are rare in the tracks.

The sound quality is also affected by the number of speakers and how many bands they have. Of course, the more speakers, the better - stereo sound is always more interesting, even if all emitters are located in the same housing, in close proximity to each other. As for the bands, there can be from one to three, and in their case, the rule "more is better" also applies. In general terms, a single-way speaker is an adequate solution if you are not so much listening to music as hammering the silence, unobtrusively listening to the radio. Two or more bands are already the level that allows you to enjoy listening pleasure.

Classic portable models are controlled exclusively by buttons on their own body. Their number varies significantly depending on how many functions are provided by the developers. Each button is responsible for specific tasks. In recent years, voice-activated speakers have become an alternative, rapidly growing in popularity. They have a built-in voice assistant from the world's leading IT companies, which recognizes the owner's voice commands and executes them.

Portable equipment is convenient to use even at home, but most fully it reveals its own abilities outside the premises. Some music lovers carry such a unit with them all the time along with the phone, and if so, then a certain level of protection against shocks will not interfere. For some models, even a fall on the asphalt from a height of human height is not critical - the performance of the column will remain. If you are sure that the technique will fall sooner or later, it is better to prepare for this in advance.

Another danger lurking equipment on the street is humidity. Leaving home for the whole day, you may not even imagine that it will start to rain in the late afternoon, and the acoustics will not even have anywhere to hide. For moisture resistant equipment, this will not be a problem. And it is also well suited to take it, for example, on a ship.

From what was not mentioned above, the key characteristic is the capacity of the battery. In inexpensive models, it does not shine, but in the more expensive segment there are samples in which the ratio of battery capacity and speaker power is such that you can enjoy music for a whole day without recharging. Moreover, if some speakers, connecting to a smartphone via a cable, pull the charge of a telephone battery, then acoustics with their own powerful battery can provide the opposite effect, as if acting as a power bank.

It is also generally accepted that the more ways of connecting with a smartphone or tablet are provided in the column, the better. It is understandable - there is only one connector for the same mini USB on the phone, and with a wireless connection you can not take it up, leaving it under the cable leading to the power bank. If the device will potentially connect to different equipment, a variety of signal sources is welcome. According to the above logic, the presence of a USB connector, a slot for memory cards of a popular format and a built-in radio are also considered pluses for an audio speaker.

Check out the next video for a selection of the best portable speakers.