Yet another implementation of Lightning ... And Bluetooth wireless audio growth of 57 percent ytd. Goodbye headphone jack. I'd be curious to know what else these Lightning and USB ports are capable of doing in the future with a firmware update, besides charge ...
So the assumption is that the USB port is charging only? If I plug my iPhone in to charge I still have to use Bluetooth to play audio? Seems like that would be obvious use for the USB port.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mac_128
Wait, I'm confused, while there are almost certainly better speakers than this, where does it say these won't operate off of AC power? There's a lightning port for charging the ample battery ... Not sure about anybody else, but I can use my iPhone while I'm charging it. I don't really see the issue surrounding power ... Seems like the perfect portable solution, sound quality aside.
There are still rechargeable battery devices out there that can't operate while plugged in, but in this price category I would expect that wouldn't be an issue. I did run into this when looking for a Bluetooth transmitter to connect to my stereo. Some cheap units cannot operate while plugged into AC, they are battery only which wouldn't work since I planned on leaving it plugged into the switched outlet on the back of the receiver.
[On a totally unrelated note, why do receivers with built-in Bluetooth only have the capability to receive Bluetooth audio and not transmit it (ie, to headphones)?]
Quote:
Originally Posted by sog35
I'm looking for a blutooth speaker that you litearlly just plug into a wall and forget about it. I hate charging speaker batteries.
I bought one of these plug in units for $50 a couple years ago but can't find anything like it. Everything now days runs on battery.
I assume the devices has smart enough circuits that leaving it plugged in continuously isn't going to damage the battery or be wasteful of electricity (anything running directly off AC-only is likely leaking just as much power sitting in stand-bye mode or whatever). And if you ever did want to temporarily move it, you have the ability to do that without needing to find an outlet.
So other than it adding a little to the cost of the unit, is there another reason AC-only is a must have?
Put it on a wall timer, that turns on and off every 12 hours. So for 12 hours it charges, then for 12 hours it discharges. Or better yet, 4 hours on to ensure it gets a full charge, then 20 hours off to assure a good discharge, assuming you'll be asleep during eight hours of that period and not need them to supply power ... Or some combination that works for you.
Great, simple idea....!! I have a couple of these for the house when I go on vacation so lights go on and off in different rooms at different times. But I generally keep both my MBA and JBL Charge 2 plugged in most of the time, so will implement this for both devices as well (since I keep forget to unplug them often enough.
BTW, the best info - or at least newest opinion - I've come across is that ideally you want keep your Lithiums between 40-80% most of the time to maximize total cycles and lifetime....
What I don't like about airplay is you need to have a computer set up to play different songs in different rooms. If you are streaming from your iPhone/iPad/iPod touch you can only play one song in every room.
I'm hoping that now with apple music and apple TV there will be an apple music app for apple tv that will use airplay to stream to airplay speakers and be-able to stream to different songs to different speakers a the same time(like Sonos) Then I could use the remote app to manage it.
You can use Apple's Remote app to control music play from your Mac and not be confined to one room from your iPhone.
You can use Apple's Remote app to control music play from your Mac and not be confined to one room from your iPhone.
Did you read my post??
"What I don't like about airplay is you need to have a computer set up to play different songs in different rooms. If you are streaming from your iPhone/iPad/iPod touch you can only play one song in every room"
"When you obsess about sound the way that we do at Beats" - really? I recently tried out some Beats headphones to see if Apple's influence has made any real difference yet. And again I was disappointed - still an overtly plasticky design and the old bug-bear of way too excessive bass was still present, muffling up the rest of the frequency range...so basically they still seem to be overpriced crap! Beats hasn't a clue what good sound quality is.
"and gives me easy access to any streaming service I want." Except Apple Music ! :-) I think at a very minimal investment, Apple can give Sonos a run for their money easily. but i guess, apple doesn't really do minimal investments... At least make AirPlay Audio/Speakers a new "hobby"... Please?
Did you read my post??
"What I don't like about airplay [SIZE=24px]is you need to have a computer set up to play different songs in different rooms[/SIZE]. If you are streaming from your iPhone/iPad/iPod touch you can only play one song in every room"
I offered a possible workaround which at least allows you to use your iPhone... Just throwing it out there man... Chill
How is this "What I don't like about airplay is you need to have a computer set up to play different songs in different rooms. If you are streaming from your iPhone/iPad/iPod touch you can only play one song in every room." Not clear?
any suggestions for a better blutooth speaker? I'm looking for one that can plug directly into a wall to power instead of USB
This might be from out of left field for you but take a hard look at construction / job site radios. My preference is Milwaukee but there are a variety to choose from as DeWalt, Makita and a bunch of others now offer these "rugged" radios. Some include Blue Tooth and almost all include AUX in. Many of them act as battery chargers for the companies tools and can run off the same batteries. So you end up with an AC power Blue Tooth speaker that is also an AM/FM radio, an AUX input amp, a battery charger and sort of a boom box. The sound quality out of most of them is surprisingly good considering they are designed for job sites. Good and loud to be useful on a construction site. Effectively they replace the boom boxes that where common decades ago with more compact devices.
I know I sound like a promotion here but the radios are nicely done, built to last. Make no mistake either they aren't cheap but then again they aren't rip off priced. Further most people have a few tools around the house and as such probably could use a battery powered drill. Using such a radio helps keep the batteries fresh if you actually want to use the thing with batteries. Right now I have two of these radios and frankly probably will get a Blue tooth variant soon.
Obviously this isn't the normal channel to go through to get electronics. You need to find a hardware store or online vendor that handles "pro" tools for one. However I think this approach is very interesting even for people outside of the trade professionals originally targeted by these radios. The radios certainly fill a void in to day electronics lineups.
This stuff is just far too expensive for what it is. I will never buy beats gear for that reason.
There are certainly better options out there for portable sound. I mentioned one example in a reply to sog35, which is the now popular job site radio. These probably aren't the first solution people think about on this forum but you certainly get a lot more for your money.
You don't HAVE to use it on batteries. You're more than welcome to keep it plugged in, but it will eventually shorten battery life.
That depends upon the battery and charger technology. You can't assume that with today's batteries (many different chemistries) that they will fail like NiCads use to fail.
Comments
any suggestions for a better blutooth speaker? I'm looking for one that can plug directly into a wall to power instead of USB
I suggest the Marshall Stanmore. I love that bluetooth speaker. The sound is pretty amazing. It plugs into the wall, but it's not really portable.
https://www.ihomeaudio.com/iW1BC/
...its not BT, but its Wifi, Airplay, battery, and AC.
What I don't get is why don't we see more blutooth speakers that pull into power outlets?
Nothing is more frustrating then having a blutooth speaker that just ran out of batteries.
Perhaps you missed "Lightning port for charging" ?
USB-Lightning cable + USB Wall Charger = Power cable.
Same as you use for your iPhone.
Yet another implementation of Lightning ... And Bluetooth wireless audio growth of 57 percent ytd. Goodbye headphone jack. I'd be curious to know what else these Lightning and USB ports are capable of doing in the future with a firmware update, besides charge ...
So the assumption is that the USB port is charging only? If I plug my iPhone in to charge I still have to use Bluetooth to play audio? Seems like that would be obvious use for the USB port.
Wait, I'm confused, while there are almost certainly better speakers than this, where does it say these won't operate off of AC power? There's a lightning port for charging the ample battery ... Not sure about anybody else, but I can use my iPhone while I'm charging it. I don't really see the issue surrounding power ... Seems like the perfect portable solution, sound quality aside.
There are still rechargeable battery devices out there that can't operate while plugged in, but in this price category I would expect that wouldn't be an issue. I did run into this when looking for a Bluetooth transmitter to connect to my stereo. Some cheap units cannot operate while plugged into AC, they are battery only which wouldn't work since I planned on leaving it plugged into the switched outlet on the back of the receiver.
[On a totally unrelated note, why do receivers with built-in Bluetooth only have the capability to receive Bluetooth audio and not transmit it (ie, to headphones)?]
I'm looking for a blutooth speaker that you litearlly just plug into a wall and forget about it. I hate charging speaker batteries.
I bought one of these plug in units for $50 a couple years ago but can't find anything like it. Everything now days runs on battery.
something like this but better quality:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/insignia-plug-in-bluetooth-speaker-white/8417024.p?id=1219333213227&skuId=8417024
I assume the devices has smart enough circuits that leaving it plugged in continuously isn't going to damage the battery or be wasteful of electricity (anything running directly off AC-only is likely leaking just as much power sitting in stand-bye mode or whatever). And if you ever did want to temporarily move it, you have the ability to do that without needing to find an outlet.
So other than it adding a little to the cost of the unit, is there another reason AC-only is a must have?
Put it on a wall timer, that turns on and off every 12 hours. So for 12 hours it charges, then for 12 hours it discharges. Or better yet, 4 hours on to ensure it gets a full charge, then 20 hours off to assure a good discharge, assuming you'll be asleep during eight hours of that period and not need them to supply power ... Or some combination that works for you.
Great, simple idea....!! I have a couple of these for the house when I go on vacation so lights go on and off in different rooms at different times. But I generally keep both my MBA and JBL Charge 2 plugged in most of the time, so will implement this for both devices as well (since I keep forget to unplug them often enough.
BTW, the best info - or at least newest opinion - I've come across is that ideally you want keep your Lithiums between 40-80% most of the time to maximize total cycles and lifetime....
You can use Apple's Remote app to control music play from your Mac and not be confined to one room from your iPhone.
Did you read my post??
"What I don't like about airplay is you need to have a computer set up to play different songs in different rooms. If you are streaming from your iPhone/iPad/iPod touch you can only play one song in every room"
"When you obsess about sound the way that we do at Beats" - really? I recently tried out some Beats headphones to see if Apple's influence has made any real difference yet. And again I was disappointed - still an overtly plasticky design and the old bug-bear of way too excessive bass was still present, muffling up the rest of the frequency range...so basically they still seem to be overpriced crap! Beats hasn't a clue what good sound quality is.
"and gives me easy access to any streaming service I want." Except Apple Music ! :-) I think at a very minimal investment, Apple can give Sonos a run for their money easily. but i guess, apple doesn't really do minimal investments... At least make AirPlay Audio/Speakers a new "hobby"... Please?
Or perhaps Apple could just make something like a Chromecast Audio to let any speaker join airplay easily as suggested here: http://q10a1.blogspot.com/2015/09/chromecast-audio.html
I offered a possible workaround which at least allows you to use your iPhone... Just throwing it out there man... Chill
I obviously knew about this, as my post was 100% about the annoyance of this limitation.
You weren't as clear as you thought you were.
You weren't as clear as you thought you were.
How is this "What I don't like about airplay is you need to have a computer set up to play different songs in different rooms. If you are streaming from your iPhone/iPad/iPod touch you can only play one song in every room." Not clear?
You're not helping.
This might be from out of left field for you but take a hard look at construction / job site radios. My preference is Milwaukee but there are a variety to choose from as DeWalt, Makita and a bunch of others now offer these "rugged" radios. Some include Blue Tooth and almost all include AUX in. Many of them act as battery chargers for the companies tools and can run off the same batteries. So you end up with an AC power Blue Tooth speaker that is also an AM/FM radio, an AUX input amp, a battery charger and sort of a boom box. The sound quality out of most of them is surprisingly good considering they are designed for job sites. Good and loud to be useful on a construction site. Effectively they replace the boom boxes that where common decades ago with more compact devices.
I know I sound like a promotion here but the radios are nicely done, built to last. Make no mistake either they aren't cheap but then again they aren't rip off priced. Further most people have a few tools around the house and as such probably could use a battery powered drill. Using such a radio helps keep the batteries fresh if you actually want to use the thing with batteries. Right now I have two of these radios and frankly probably will get a Blue tooth variant soon.
Obviously this isn't the normal channel to go through to get electronics. You need to find a hardware store or online vendor that handles "pro" tools for one. However I think this approach is very interesting even for people outside of the trade professionals originally targeted by these radios. The radios certainly fill a void in to day electronics lineups.
There are certainly better options out there for portable sound. I mentioned one example in a reply to sog35, which is the now popular job site radio. These probably aren't the first solution people think about on this forum but you certainly get a lot more for your money.
That depends upon the battery and charger technology. You can't assume that with today's batteries (many different chemistries) that they will fail like NiCads use to fail.