Martin Lévay Welcome to Mars. Everything you know about terrestrial sound reproduction doesn't apply here. Meet the Bose SoundLink mini.
Hot porridge is eaten from the edge, so first we will imagine another loudspeaker, from which we can then continue further. In 2007, Bose engineers created a tiny speaker called the Bose Computer Music Monitor. Unexpectedly strong sound in low tones was achieved thanks to the special design of the speaker cabinet in which the speakers are located. To understand why we have to sit on our asses and stare with our mouths open, let's take it from the very beginning.
Giant. 1 – Acoustic short circuit. You can see it in the memorabilia movies, it's this wooden board with a speaker hole in the top corner of the classroom. Nowadays, this construction is no longer used. In the picture on the right, a Tesla product from the XNUMXs.
Acoustic short circuit
There once lived a speaker named A. He was all alone, he didn't even have a sounding board for himself at first, but after a long search he found it, the so-called sounding board B. The laws of hydraulics applied to air made life miserable for both of them. They were annoyed by the acoustic pressure E, which short-circuited the sound C of the speaker A, the sound C simply did not even come out properly, and the back pressure of the diaphragm of the speaker D immediately spoiled it with the help of the red arrow E. The speaker tried, moving the diaphragm as much as possible, but then with simple through experiments, he discovered that if he gets a much larger sounding board B, he manages to get rid of the acoustic short circuit that robs him of bass. In the films for the memorials, we saw them as a school radio, a meter by meter board and a speaker connected to the principal's office in the middle. To get rid of the acoustic short circuit, the baffle plate would ideally have to be infinitely large.
Giant. 2 – Dead End. A – speaker, B – sound box, sounding board in which the speaker is fixed, C – directly radiated sound from the speaker membrane, D – pressure from the opposite side of the membrane, E – pressure path, where the sound C and D are short-circuited.
Loudspeaker cabinets
Then it was time to experiment with the shape of the board. They tried to bend the board, for example the acoustic short circuit E would not go around the corner. We can see in the second picture that it didn't help either. But then it came. The biggest event in the history of music reproduction.
Giant. 3 – Closed cabinet. More or less all audiophile speakers are closed, perhaps only in recording studios bass reflex speakers are used as preview monitors. A – our speaker, B – baffle attached to a hermetically sealed cabinet, D – acoustic pressure from the opposite side of the speaker membrane remains inside the cabinet and should not be reflected outside, therefore quality loudspeakers are very heavy and made of massive materials.
Closed speaker cabinet
It worked! The acoustic short has disappeared. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, they got rid of the biggest enemy by joining the ends of the infinite plate B and making a closed box, leaving a baffle called B, in which there was a hole for our speaker A. Our speaker again tried, oscillating the coil like crazy, and found that in a larger cabinet, it does not have to exert itself as much, because the pressure that develops in the cabinet itself is diluted in a larger space and is not as strong. So speaker cabinets started to get bigger and bigger, as did the speakers that went into them. A decent sound of around 50 watts, however, required a cabinet with a volume of 100 liters of air - that's the same volume as a classic round dustbin. And rather more. For comparison, the B&W A7 has a power of 100 watts and a volume of barely fifteen liters. On the other hand, the Original Nautilus for a million Czech crowns is a closed speaker cabinet. More or less all speaker cabinets from the current high-end class are closed speaker cabinets. These are often really large pieces of furniture made of quality wood. But speaker cabinets with a capacity of one hundred or more liters would often take up half the room, and no one had invented inflatable houses yet. How about using our old enemy, sound pressure E?
Giant. 4 – Bass reflex enclosure. The diaphragm of our speaker can be smaller because the sound from the narrow K throat imitates a much larger area of the diaphragm, so the F sound is brushed off all the highs and mids and we only hear hums and rumbles in the bass. If you ever see a speaker system with a hole in it, it's a bass reflex, although you can't understand what the bass reflex hole is playing, but you can feel the air with your fingers. When you cover the opening of the bass reflex with your palm, the booming bass disappears. Try it on a B&W A5 or A7, for example. But just for a moment, the air movement in the bass reflex is often used to cool the built-in amplifier so you don't overheat it.
Bass reflex enclosure
If we made one more hole in the closed speaker cabinet, what would it do? Acoustic short circuit, so at first glance a dead end. But what if the path of the short-circuit was lengthened by something? For example, a partition inside the cabinet or later a plastic pipe? And lo and behold, the different length K-tube in the hole next to the speaker can emphasize different frequencies in the bass, depending on the length, the emphasized bass marked with the letter F. So when the speaker cabinet is made smaller and a bass reflex tube is added, it sounds like a much larger closed cabinet. Thus began a new age of music reproduction. Dimension research. Bose, Harman/Kardon, JBL, Bang & Olufsen, Bowers & Wilkins and others took turns at the forefront of shrinking speaker cabinets. At the same time, another revolution began. Until then, speaker cabinets were only made of wood. Thanks to miniaturization, computers, and the patience of developers, new materials such as plastics began to be used. A closed plastic case is the worst thing you can do to your speaker. But thanks to the bass-reflex hole, plastics could be used, speaker systems became cheaper, smaller and over time reached the sound level of ordinary wooden (closed and bass-reflex) speaker systems.
Bass speaker
To make the bass sound nice, our A speaker needs to be given a heavier diaphragm, a stronger coil (so it doesn't burn when it's lifting more weight), a stronger magnet and a stronger amplifier. The sound in the bass depends on the size of the speaker diaphragm. The larger the speaker diaphragm and the larger the speaker displacement, the greater the pressure change in the room that we are trying to sound with the low tones in the music, in other words the bass, usually the frequency of 40 to 200 Hz. That's why we need dozens of speaker boxes for a concert in a sports hall, it's not so much about performance, but about the pressure that reaches a greater distance. The earphone loses bass when you take it out. The small speakers play bass for a meter or two, but we can't hear the bass in the next room, only the mids and treble. A speaker system that plays piano while the entire sound spectrum can be heard even in the next room is a sign of sufficient performance in combination with the quality of the construction.
Giant. 5 – Radiator. A – a speaker playing bass, middle and high, i.e. it emits broadband sound C; E – acoustic pressure that presses on the membrane of the radiator G; F – sound only in the lowest frequencies emitted by the radiator; D – sound inside a closed cabinet. On the right is a detail of the back of the Onyx loudspeaker, the metal center with the company logo is the weight of the radiator, the depression around it is a membrane, almost the same as on classic bass speakers, only stronger. On this diaphragm, the weight oscillates in and out, depending on how the speaker diaphragm is moving.
Radiator
Here on Mars, we call a radiator a weight attached to a membrane that oscillates as the air pushes into it, pushed through the far side of the speaker membrane. What is it for? A radiator is another way to tame the sound pressure inside a closed plastic speaker cabinet. Yes, I contradict myself, a plastic closed box is the worst, but beware, using a radiator completely changes the context. Look at the picture again. Loudspeaker A plays sound C to us, and inside the closed space D, pressure E is created, which pushes us into the walls of the cabinet. Due to the fact that the weight is attached to the diaphragm, the pressure tries to escape there and moves the diaphragm. The weight on the diaphragm thus simulates the heavy diaphragm of a special bass speaker, which makes the bass sound like it comes from much larger and heavier speakers. The illusion of the size of the speaker is so intense that it is hard to believe. This is how Jambox or Nova and Onyx from H/K work, you can find a similar principle in new models from SONY. I don't have it verified, but I think they started it at Bose, others just used it. Apparently, the placement of the radiator on the speaker cabinet is very important here. That's why the Jambox marches on at higher volumes.
Giant. 6 – Two radiators facing each other. The red arrows E1 and E2 are the acoustic pressure that moves the two radiators, which thus push against each other. You can see on the right that the Bose Computer Music Monitors are tiny. On the far right is a detail that can really be seen from the side through the speaker cabinet. You can see a piece of the radiator in the through hole.
Two radiators facing each other
When you use two of these radiators, the following happens: you dramatically increase the area that emits low tones. Let's count for a moment. If the speaker has an area of 1, then one radiator is approximately 2,5 times, so with two radiators the resulting area for bass reproduction will be roughly 5 + 1 (two radiators + speaker). For this to work, we need to use a very large displacement speaker A (it's very structurally difficult to make), which can create enough pressure inside the closed speaker cabinet (technically speaking, it's a plastic box) to sufficiently vibrate both radiators G1 and G2. And why are there two? If you use just one, the radiator will sweep the entire plastic case with its weight, and that's not it. But when you have a few years to experiment (don't you, gentlemen at Bose), you will find that it is best to place both radiators at the exact distance opposite each other, as you can see in picture #6. unusually shaped through-hole baffles transfer pressure from the speaker out of the cabinet at roughly five times the speaker's original size. Sure, it's just an illusion, but a perfect one.
Younger brother
Yes, two radiators are used in the Bose Computer Music Monitor, and the same technology, improved of course, has been given to the younger and smaller brother, the Bose SoundLink mini. Personally, I was still interested in the SoundTouch models, which have two radiators and 6 programmable buttons. On one, I would put on jazz as a backdrop to work, on the second some metal to unwind and on the third pop, for visits. Come to think of it, I like the button idea more and more…
The design of the Bose SoundLink mini is based on the Bose Computer Music Monitor. Note that loudspeakers with radiators are only made in these small sizes, I assume that this design in a larger version will have some design problem. I wonder where it will go next. Will it get bigger?
The difference you hear
When you listen to the Beats Pill, its 4 small speakers play very decent bass, but only for a meter, then the low tones disappear. The JBL Flip 2 uses a bass reflex that accentuates the bass nicely, even at two to three meters the bass can be heard nicely. With the Bose SoundLink mini, you can hear distinct and clear bass even at a distance of 5 meters. Attention, I remind you that all three mentioned products fit in your pocket, they are really tiny, but the difference in the reproduction of low tones is huge. Two sound radiators and such a difference. Who would have said?
And one more thing
A digital sound processor is a must. When we want to oscillate a radiator on a relatively stiff membrane, at low volume the speaker would not have enough pressure to oscillate the radiators, therefore, during the increase in volume, the volume dose for the bass must be changed so that it sounds natural during quiet reproduction or when listening at the highest volume. The second thing is that, thanks to the radiators, we can use a speaker with a light diaphragm and a large displacement, which manages to play the entire frequency range decently. This means that a single speaker plays tinkling highs, sonorous and clear mids at the same time as it blasts acoustic radiators. If we wanted to eliminate the weakest point, the plastic box, we would use an aluminum casting. And this is exactly what the engineers in the development department at Bose did. They broke all the commandments against the correct reproduction of music, used alien procedures, and I, instead of a bear, bend my back to give them the deep respect that the authors deserve.
In short, the Bose SoundLink mini is the largest wireless speaker with a built-in battery that you can buy for five thousand.
záver
To answer: no, I'm not planning a sequel yet. Nothing to write home about until someone trumps this Martian pet. Thank you very much for your attention and for the contributions in the discussions, I apologize for any inaccuracies, thanks for the tips on interesting products, if they come around, I will definitely touch them and when there are more, I will try to finish other parts about current models. And now pack your money into a proper roll and run to the store to choose your AirPlay pet.
We discussed these living room audio accessories one by one:
[related-posts]
Great series, thank you. I originally wanted to get something from Libratone, but after reading the reviews, the B&W A7 wins. It's a shame that the beautiful B&O A8 and A9 were not nominated among the re-envisioned ones.
I personally have a B&W A7 and an MM1 and I can only recommend... do not hesitate to buy :) Although I had a few hours of nerves with the A7, everything is fine now...
It's a real shame that AirPlay Bang&Olufsen is not included in the review, although it is mentioned as a brand several times.
I know Bang&Olufsen, I've been following them myself since 1996, but unfortunately I didn't get my hands on anything from the current production. But I perceive products from B&O more as products for fans of the brand, those who know them will appreciate that they have an audio set at home for a few hundred thousand and that they can afford similar sound quality even at the cottage or in the office thanks to the A8 and A9. But those who are used to the sound from loudspeaker systems for a thousand crowns will most likely not appreciate the quality of a brother starting at thirty thousand...
Rather, I wanted to show that the new AirPlay from renowned brands are not overpriced plastic moldings from the market, but uncompromising Hi-tech from people who have been devoting themselves to the development of High-end class sound for decades.
In my opinion, one of the best series here. The author deserves praise, he definitely helped me clarify a few issues. Mr. Bose is a shame, he dedicated his life to quality and his legacy can be seen in the products. Its headphones are unrivaled in aviation…
Thank you for an absolutely wonderful series.
Thanks for the series, perfect! I couldn't wait for the last episode. I bought a Zeppelin for my house and now I'm whistling, I'm just starting to have a problem with the neighbors :-). By the way, why does the Zeppelin have two "holes" in the back? Do they both work as baffles? I am a total layman…
The Zeppelin has two bass reflex holes in the back. The sound box is originally the front plate with a hole for the speaker, which was originally installed in a wooden cabinet, but in today's era of rounded shapes, the difference is already being erased.
I understand the problems with the neighbors, the sound is a joy to listen to, but it sounds better out loud :-)
I join in praising the author - a truly excellent series.
One question about Bose products. I'm deciding between the Sound Touch models (which you mention) and the cheaper SoundLink Air Digital Music System. I don't need the portability that much and both models have the advantage of AirPlay over BT. Do both of these series have the same radiators as the SoundLink Mini? Do they play equally well? Thanks again for the series.
Personally, I would only look for models with WiFi or even better with an Ethernet connector, then I would put the price I am willing to pay and if you look at the offer, you will be left with two or three, where you can already choose by size or by price.
Now that you know what you want, I recommend going to the store and get some advice, the seller has a better overview than us users, so I would rely on their information. I personally like the more expensive version with programmable buttons, see the videos on the Bose website. SoundLink is classic AirPlay, but SoundTouch adds additional functionality (Internet radio, playlists, etc.).
I don't know if they have radiators, but I remember a video in which I saw them, but I suspect it's the Portable one, but they certainly don't all use it, as I wrote, radiators are only used in the small sizes. Ask at the store, buying these toys online is not a good option.
I can't help but ask what about the B&O brand, specifically Beolit? Or A8
Otherwise, a very good read, mainly useful.
I don't want to disparage B&O, they are top-notch speakers, but what are we talking about. It's a snobbery with incredibly high prices. Comparatively, Bose, B&W and others can be found at a much lower price ;-)
I "ordered" a Soundlink Mini for Christmas a long time ago (based on a friend's recommendation). Glad to see I didn't screw up :)
Also adding thanks! Great series. And I hope that in the future we will see a continuation, for example, in the form of speakers for the desktop Mac ;-)
Micro series of desktop stereo speaker systems:
1. The cheapest Bose Companion with excellent sound 2. For less than three thousand, it is a clear replacement for the old plastic speakers from the market. I couldn't find better sound at the same price. The more expensive brother is the Bose Companion 20, I haven't heard of it, but I would believe that it would sound very good from Bose and also have the advantage of being controlled via a separate cable, as we are used to with the Companion 3 and 5.
2. Bose Computer Music Monitor, I probably already wrote about them here somewhere :-)
3. The most expensive and probably the best in sound are the MM1 from B&W. For about a week I compared it to the fact that it plays like my studio girls, so I can recommend it.
4. The Harman/Kardon Nova has been on the market for about two months, the performance and sound correspond to roughly eight thousand crowns of the purchase price. Some support AirPlay via BT, other wireless models can be found among more expensive studio monitors.
5. Classic studio desktop Near Field monitors, their disadvantage is that you need a mixer, because there are no controls on the studio monitors, everything is controlled by the mixer. These loudspeakers are of no use to the average user, he will not use them, and moreover, they do not have a living room design. It's really a category intended for recording studios at home, it has nothing to do with it.
Bell and it's over.
The first four models, in addition to comfortable music playback, can also be used for music editing in an improvised studio, for example at a hotel. The fifth group - studio monitors, are audio monitors for people who have to work, and they still get something recommended by their audio supplier so that it can then communicate with other devices. I don't even know the brands there, there are really many of them and it makes no sense to compare them, because they should all play more or less the same, just for different money with different performance and different gadgets.
Is this enough? :-)
Great, you definitely made it clear to me! Thanks for a very quick but practically miniseries! :-)
How does the SoundLink mini compare to the classic SoundLink? For me, SoundLink is much more visually appealing, but I was slightly disappointed when listening.
respectively against SoundLink Mobile speaker II
Soud link mini has a much bigger bass and it will literally amaze you how it leaves its big brother behind.
Mr. Lévay, thank you very much (and I mean not only me) for the excellently written series. I love music and I like quality listening, but I'm more of a consumptive user and I've never gone into detail. You explained it to me very simply and, above all, very comprehensibly.
THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN
Nice overview.
I will ask something else:
I'm happy with my home HiFi, but how do I connect my iPhone to it wirelessly?
The best is the AirPort Express, a small WiFi router from Apple that has a small 3,5 mm audio jack combo inside. It works as a line output, which I connect to any stereo (analog) or 5.1 (optical). I connect the AirPort Express to an existing network via Ethernet or WiFi and it immediately appears in the AirPlay menu on the iPad. Price 2800 CZK. As far as I know, some companies offer it as an option, but I'd guess the price would be the same or higher.
Or instead of AirPort Express, you can use a straight Apple TV, it costs the same money and has an HDMI output to the TV. Apple TV only has an optical output, so you can't connect it via cinch, only via optical. But you can take the sound from the TV and send it to the receiver.
Personally, I used it that way for years, but sometimes I was annoyed that I had to turn on the speakers (studios + mixer) with one controller and only then it could be used on the iPhone display. These AirPlay speakers offer the advantage of lower consumption and greater comfort during everyday use.
Overview? Work on something for twenty-five years and you'll be in the know :-) If anything, call...
Thanks for the advice :-) If you still work at the store, I'll bet on a chat...
I see two options, one is Apple TV and the other is Logitech Wireless Speaker Adapter for Bluetooth Audio Devices. I have the second one, it's about 2 thousand more. cheaper.
Multiple devices can be connected to both
Thanks for the advice, the Logitech one looks like what I want, but it's only on BT, I'd probably prefer WiFi. I have to try it somehow…
Apple TV or Airport Express that has a 3.5mm jack/
If you want wifi, then Airport Express if you want to use an analog connection further.
You just pair the Logitech and it works. If you want to disconnect it, just turn off bluetooth on the iPad or iPhone and connect it again in bluetooth devices next time (no need to re-pair).
Really great series. Thank you very much
An interesting series, only a few devices have the price of an AV receiver + significantly better sounding 5.0 speaker set (column front speaker, center and rear speaker).
The sound will be on a different level and you just need to purchase either Apple TV or Logitech Wireless Speaker Adapter for Bluetooth Audio Devices and you can also play wirelessly
Examples:
Bluetooth adapter
http://www.alza.cz/logitech-wireless-music-d264593.htm
Onkyo receiver and speaker
http://www.mall.cz/akcni-sety/txsr313s5
I think that with the above you will achieve significantly better sound than from any of the mentioned devices
I think it was aimed at portable speakers and not 5.0. And to compare the price of 5.0/5.1 to 2.0/2.1 is obscene as clouds. I have a Bose Companion 2 Series III at home for a PC, and they are really high-quality speakers, but at the time, for the price I could get any 5.1 for a PC sold in e-shops (then people didn't just buy something like BOSE like today) and I think the quality is also somewhere else. In addition, you should listen to music on 2.0/2.1 and not on 5.x ;) I don't like it when I hear these words where a person is valued that he should get 5 for it and not the "usual" 2.
*Companion 3 series II
I was just comparing the price, which is close to 15 thousand.
I agree that 2.0 is better for music, that's why I also listed 5.0 and not 5.1. The receiver has the option of setting which mode to use for individual inputs, so it uses 5.0 for TV or DVD and 2.0 for the latter. That's why even the announced set has large column speakers so that the 2.0 mode plays well with a sufficient range that serves the vast majority of the film in the 5.0 mode.
And I don't compare the speakers to the PC at all...
You are comparing the incomparable with forgiveness.
Yes, with most receivers we can achieve better sound, no one complains about that, but they take up a lot of space and their portability is almost zero.
I'd say that if your wife has three flower pots in the living room and you have one aluminum shoe box (B&W A7), you can defend it better than a receiver with spectacular 5.1 speakers that take up half the room with the listening couch.
Thanks to having e-mails in the iPad, you don't have to carry a heavy bag and an unsightly charger in an ugly and impractical big black bag on vacation. Instead, all you have is an iPad, one charger, a tiny Bose SoundLink mini, and two charging cables, and you can excuse yourself from listening to music on the beach. You don't have to tell your wife that you have Skype, e-mails, a full-fledged browser and a lot of useful applications on your iPad :-) Yes, who is a connoisseur, will take a receiver and a hundred kilos of reprobeden on vacation, the airline employees will roar with enthusiasm when checking in at the airport, until the person in question will pay extra for extra kilos :-)
I have nothing against the 5.1 receiver and speakers, I have that too (a prehistoric SONY), but in the basement because I don't want to have it at home anymore and I'm sorry to sell it... My next audio purchase for the living room will be something like the Panorama 2. No cables, no cabinets, just some inconspicuous object placed in front of the TV screen.
There are about two requirements, quality listening at home and on the go.
For traveling (e.g. by plane) devices like
Bose SoundLink Mini Bluetooth speaker.
I can't quite imagine how you drag a B&W A6 or a Zeppelin weighing approx. 7 kg onto the plane.
I originally wrote that comment here mainly for comparison with others, when there was already talk about placing it in the living room as the main audio for the TV (really, an ordinary sofa is enough, which the vast majority of people will have in the living room).
You can place the listed receiver and speaker sets in any room of around 20 m2. In addition, it can be very tastefully combined with flowers, and the cables are really not visible if they are placed appropriately.
Otherwise, the above article series was interesting and I enjoyed reading it.
PS According to the written articles, I expected a slightly more "intelligent" reaction than the part about the connoisseur, the receiver and a hundred kilos of reprobeds. But as a joke, maybe :-)
I wrote that series for Jablíčkář only because it concerns the iPhone, iPad or Mac, so I feel that here we will only mess up a discussion that belongs entirely elsewhere...
Hello Mr. Lévay,
it probably doesn't quite belong here, but it concerns speakers, so I'll write it here and ask for advice. Although I think portable reps are a great thing, I thought I'd give up on portability and buy an amp and a good quality column amp. I have a living room of 20 m2 and I would see the price up to 40000. The source will be a Mac Mini. So far, I have the promising VMA-II (23000) and the BV Audio A300 (marketplace 15000). What would you recommend? Something from Bose or B&W? Or do e.g. MM1 or Soundlink really achieve the same quality sound as the set I mentioned? Thank you very much for your reply and I wish you a nice holiday.
Petr
It doesn't really belong here, so just a technical note.
In order to properly simulate a philharmonic concert in a room, we need power in the hundreds of Watts, on the order of 2x400 W or more. Speaker systems that can do this range in price in the hundreds of thousands. All right, a million. And for that you need an amplifier, (or 4 to 6 high-end mono amplifiers), and cables at a similar price. You can use an Audio CD or a vinyl record as the sound source, BUT DEFINITELY NOT MP3.
By this I mean that the weakest point will be the music source, I suppose MP3 files on the Mac mini. I can assure you that the difference between MP3 and Audio CD can be heard on the first decent boxes, even my wife will recognize it (tested). If you only want to listen to your MP3s softly and you don't feel the need to simulate metal concerts, then you will drive your 200 W speakers to 3 to 5 W, the acoustic peaks will reach 30, maybe 50 W, which most of the AirPlay speakers from my series priced above ten can handle thousand crowns. In addition, there is the advantage that you do not have to sit in the "ideal listening triangle", but you can look out of the window, lean against the fireplace or work at your desk while listening to music.
This means for you that if you want to use a column speaker as a backdrop instead of a radio, then you will consume about 200 W of the toroidal transformer in the amplifier every day just to be able to play music at any time of the day without additional switching on and connections. In contrast, the B&W A7, for example, consumes half as much with more or less similar sound quality, and when it switches to sleep mode, it's like nothing.
In about a week, the year 2014 will be written. The mobile lifestyle with the ownership of iPhone and iPad has fundamentally changed for some of us, it has simplified it for me personally. Eight years ago, I had a receiver and 5.1 sound at home (it's in the basement). As recently as four years ago, I was thinking of buying a Bose set, worth about three hundred thousand. And then I realized that I don't have the space or time to listen to it anyway. I bought headphones for two thousand (Sennheiser). It was the best choice. Since my AirPort Express died (connected to the studios), I miss something like a B&W A5 or A7.
I hope I have answered your (and some others') questions, I will definitely not recommend a column speaker with a receiver, because even a pig does not know about them. There are too many of them for it to make sense to compare them.
And now I'll pause for a moment, it's Christmas Day, half past five in the afternoon, I have to go buy presents...
Mr. Lévay exaggerates the hundred-watt performance and the million-dollar costs when it comes to listening in a twenty-meter living room, but otherwise he is right. I will advise something else that is reasonable for listening from the Mini and other computers in a room of such dimensions. The local company Acoustic Quality offers excellent active speakers for computers (and similar sources) - the current model is labeled AQ M22 (http://www.aq.cz/obchod/aktivni-reprosoustavy-144/aq-m22-1095/). The sound is really solid. Of course, it is not high-end, but even very good computers are not (without more) a high-end signal source. I have been using it for many years to full satisfaction.
Well, I rather wanted to wash the living room models, so it's great for the computer, but we probably won't be able to justify it to the wife in the living room for the TV :-)
But he who wants postions should buy postions, for if he buys anything else he will be chastened for not having done so. The receiver has a huge advantage: a lot of inputs. I can connect a DVD, Blu-ray, VHS, Apple TV, CD player, audio cassette deck, plus a video camera and MP3 player.
But at the moment when the TV shows stopped satisfying me, I have DVDs downloaded to the disc, I don't want the Blu-ray and I downloaded the VHS to the disc and threw it away, so I only need one input and the receiver becomes useless. I can play music or video from my computer, iPad and iPhone via AirPlay without having to handle more than one remote control - the one for the TV. I hope you can understand what I mean...
Alright gentlemen, how many remote controls do you have? Wouldn't it be better without them? :-)
I should probably set the record straight. The source in the Mac Mini will be in ALAC format converted from vinyls and CDs, another source would be for the occasional record player (probably Project). So they are quality resources. Actually, I won't use Airplay much, because I will be controlling the Mac Mini via the iPad Mini. But it is true that there will be many controllers. I still have to think about it somehow. The problem really is how to have a Mac Mini + record player connected, for example, to the A7. Isn't there a similar device where there are more inputs?
Well, in that case you're asking the wrong person :-)
But I will try to answer. If you choose the A7 instead of the classic, it has two inputs. Via WiFi (or Ethernet) as AirPlay and the other is a classic line input with a 3,5 mm audio jack. So if you connect a PHONO preamplifier with a RCA output to the Pro-ject, then you can easily buy a cable to connect them. The result will then be that A7 will switch only two inputs. AirPlay from the Mac Mini (from iTunes or from the AirPlay icon in the top bar) and the second input will be the gramec. But no more, you have to realize that, because if there is a demand for a "stupid" TV, it would mean manipulating the cables and connecting the cables from the gramca to the TV. Probably only Panorama 2 can do more inputs, which is, erm erm, quite expensive. Sixty.
I don't know if you're familiar with the rule of least resistance, but trust me, it's only a matter of time before you lose interest in any extra manipulation. You'd rather not let go of your laptop so you don't have to switch cables, so the trend is clear: minimize handling and just use the Mac mini.
Sure, we're all different, just keep that in mind when making your decisions. It can save you a lot of frustration, which I also went through, viz. an idle audio set in the basement or still unused five-pin cables to an old reel-to-reel.
I've found that instead of "what if I want to use it later" it's played to "I want it right now and it can't be resisted". If it resists, "then again, I don't need that much" and use what doesn't resist. It's like with women. If it's expensive, I'd rather go elsewhere...
Mr. Levay brought me the UE BOOM Jezisek, and it's a piece of cake... I compared the Soundlink mini in the store with the BOOM, and because they were both at the same price, I decided on the equipment... I share your enthusiasm for the bass, they are definitely at their maximum with the Bose Soundlink mini , maybe too strong for me. I haven't put BOOM to more than about 45 percent capacity yet, because I was yelled at and it's Christmas, so I have to be good. It's waterproof and can last 15 hours of play, plus I can charge my phone with a cable, so zálozi energeticka banka ;] Otherwise, thank you for an excellent series, I always like to read something like that, and your reviews of the device that you actually use are great. Thanks and happy holidays to everyone... Frantisek Posvic
I'm glad you're satisfied, the ability to charge the phone is great, I haven't seen it in any portable model in the last four years. It's a very good choice for the car, including the water resistance :-)
We all deal with something different, we have different preferences, therefore there cannot be one "best for everyone" product. The market for these home AirPlay speakers has grown a lot over the past year, so I'm going to lose track of it here in a bit. And it's good, because there will be more to choose from.
So I can still recommend it to you for the JBL Charge test, which was my favorite before discovering the Soundlink mini in the summer...
May I ask the owner how big of a flashlight it has in it? So how big an external battery can I count on in this BT speaker? Thanks, I looked for it but couldn't find it anywhere.
I'm looking for it, but I couldn't find it anywhere. But I'm asking for an external ANKER battery with 5600 mAh as an emergency, and it charges my iPhone twice and it's pretty fast and light... So in that UE BOOM, I'd expect 15000 mAh at least, but I really don't know the exact number. Hope this helps….
I didn't find that either, but what I also didn't find is the information that it can charge something. There is a micro usb-usb cable for it, but I don't see any mention of it being able to charge the other way around. Furthermore, I can't figure out how I will be able to charge my iPhone through it if there is a micro usb output on the speaker? Am I looking at it wrong?
Don't be surprised it's wrong, I just found out that it really can't be used for charging, I have no idea why I thought it was possible and I just unintentionally mystified the other readers, for which I apologize.... The only speaker that I can charge is still the JBL Charge, but it doesn't match the sound quality of the UE Boom or, of course, the Bose soundlink mini, which is also significantly cheaper... Once again, I apologize to everyone, I guess I've been watching it for too long and somehow it got to me … Oh no…
Hello Mr. Lévay, like most of the readers of your series, I thank you for the important information about the principles of sound propagation and the comparison of "devices". Coincidentally, while listening to jazz coming from the BOSE SL mini I bought today. I am delighted with the quality. I wish you happiness in the new year and start the next series
Thanks for the feedback, I personally enjoyed the SL mini the most for its price. It was nice to be able to pick it up from the little charging stand instead of disconnecting the cable from the charger, move it to another place without it stopping playing and the sound - it's just amazing! Sure, you can buy better sound, or a smaller size, a nicer design, or a longer lifespan, but this combination of sound, equipment, and price from Bose suits me best.
I'm sorry that I unintentionally disadvantaged, for example, Bang&Olufsen, Cambridge Audio, Philips and others, they were not in the right place at the right time, but I believe that their products will also find their fans, otherwise they wouldn't be on the market any longer...
Hello, do you have any experience with Harman Kardon Onyx? Comparison with Bose Soundlink mini etc. Thanks a lot for the replies.