My needs:
I like to watch Engine Masters on my iPhone while I'm on the StairMaster in the garage. I can't hear Steve Bruhle very well.
That is all.
Full disclosure: I've been gifted at least two of these things in the GRM New Year's Game, but didn't really know what they were at the time (or what Bluetooth was, for that matter), and probably passed them along the following year.
I have the anker soundcore and it is great for my garage and patio music needs.
Doss Traveler, $40. As loud as you want it to be, great bass, waterproof, long battery life.
An alternative - I use cheap wired earphones when on the treadmill, but that's because the treadmill is so loud. Hopefully the StairMaster is quieter! I found I had to have the speaker so loud to hear over the treadmill that I would drive the whole house crazy.
My first thought was earbuds, even just wired ones.
Anker is a good brand, generally. I've got a couple Libratone speakers I am pretty happy with
Here's one on sale: https://morningsave.com/deals/libratone-zipp-360-bluetooth-wifi-speaker-with-airplay-2-34
Look for wattage.
My wife absolutely loves these:
I like these better, but can make the temples sore wearing a lot.
Bone conduction
I paid $90 for my first pair ; those a old model, but, hard to go wrong at under 20 bucks!
They sit in front of ears, and can still wear earplugs to block outside noise MUCH better than in ear buds.
In reply to dj06482 (Forum Supporter) :
The StairMaster is fairly quiet, but I have two fans going, and Bruhle's low voice is hard to hear.
Earbuds refuse to stay in my ears. Even when I get my annual hearing test for work, the audiologist just gives up.
I just have one of those ears, I guess
Prediction: 3 years from now this will pop up as a zombie thread. We have a UE Boom speaker at the machine shop that has survived over a year, so it's certainly a tough little SOB..
You have a Milwaukee tool ecosystem?
In reply to hunter47 :
Nope. I'm a DeWalt guy.
The wife got us one of these several years back and it has been beyond handy.
I do believe we had it fail under warranty but they replaced it and it has been really nice to have since then. It's loud enough for me to throw in the car for windows-down cruising at highway speeds. We use it to watch videos from our computer, etc. It's basically better than any built-in TV speakers we have.
I don't have a stairmaster, but I do have a 5.0 mustang with no A/C and Magnaflow exhaust system behind an off-road h-pipe and it'll let me hear ZZ Top belt out Tush or La Grange on a spirited drive. If that's not an endorsement, then I'm no help at all ;)
Edit: It did do something recently during an update or something that is annoying as can be. Anytime I open my laptop now, the speaker wakes up and let's us know it's connected. It's annoying when the speaker is on the kitchen counter and we're trying to watch something from the other room. I'd rather it only pairs when I turn it on. Smarter dorks than me can probably get around this problem.
Woody (Forum Supportum) said:In reply to hunter47 :
Nope. I'm a DeWalt guy.
I have a little DeWalt one and it works pretty good. I use it in my machine room where I run drill press, band saw etc.
How's the WiFi coverage in the garage?
An echo dot or two is useful in the garage as a speaker or for taking notes if under a car or undertaking other projects where your hands may be full, or dirty or wet or incapable of typing or writing for whatever reason
Anker Soundcore 2.
I don't think it gets much better until you spend at least 2x as much.
pres589 (djronnebaum) said:Anker Soundcore 2.
I don't think it gets much better until you spend at least 2x as much.
After considering every recommendation here, this is the one that I ordered. Based on your endorsement, then big, fat, easy to access buttons, and then price.
Thank you all for your help.
Mine has been through a couple of bike crashes, rained on, scraped up, etc. Never fails to work just fine, no bluetooth drop outs, sound is pretty decent if you don't assume amazing bass (but the low end isn't entirely AWOL either). It's impressed me. I would like to see what they could do with a $100 unit meant to fit in a bicycle bottle cage but I don't think they've ever offered something like that.
EvanB said:I have the anker soundcore and it is great for my garage and patio music needs.
Came here to say this. Battery lasts forever, water resistant, compact, sounds great.
Some recent GRM Chatter on BT Speakers also recommends the Soundcore
I was very impressed with my brother's JBL Flip.
I have one called the OontZ Angle 3 Ultra Waterproof 5.0 Bluetooth Speaker. It costs $40 at you-know-where. Sounds good and looong battery life.
I have one of these little JBL Go speakers. I like it a lot.
It's handled all my BS, it's loud enough, and it sounds good. They usually retail for about $40, but I've seen them at places like Marshalls/TJ Maxx for about $20.
Woody (Forum Supportum) said:pres589 (djronnebaum) said:Anker Soundcore 2.
I don't think it gets much better until you spend at least 2x as much.
After considering every recommendation here, this is the one that I ordered. Based on your endorsement, then big fat easy to access buttons, and then price.
Thank you all for your help.
Update:
I like this thing so much that I just bought a second one.
Even though you already bought one (or two), I gotta throw in another recommendation for the Anker Soundcore 2. I bought mine in 2018. It's survived 2 moves, living in a humid Florida garage for 2 years and being knocked off the workbench onto the concrete garage floor multiple times. It's sounds bigger than it is and has great battery life.
EvanB said:I have the anker soundcore and it is great for my garage and patio music needs.
I second the sound core.
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