Greetings from a snowy upstate New York.
Just wondering if you could help me out with finding portable speakers. I could do the research but I don’t know what to look for in good speakers. I imagine that watts rating has something to do with it but I am not too sure of the numbers to look for. Also, I prefer to rely on previous experience.
These are my criteria:
Powered by rechargable battery (optional AC adapter a plus),
Powerful enough to fill a medium sized room with sound without cracking (not necessarily blast the music, but play it loud enough to be heard nicely),
Sound output through headphone jack,
Of course, relatively portable.
Price isn’t really an issue. I will pay good money for good speakers.
Thanks for your help!
What kind of amplifier / audio source are you using to drive the speakers? That makes a big difference in what kind of speakers you want to buy. If you’re connecting to a boom box you would want different speakers than for a DJ console, for example.
Oops, I forgot to mention what I needed them for. They are for my portable MP3 player, specifically Iriver’s H140. I can’t find the output for it cause Iriver is phasing out that series and doesn’t seem to have any info.
I hope that is enough information.
To fill a room with sound using only the line out from an MP3 player you will need powered (amplified) speakers, not just passive speakers.
An example you may be familiar with is a typical set of desktop computer speakers. Assuming there is no subwoofer module, one of the speakers in the pair usually has a small amplifier built in, and connections for the other speaker, power source, and line in. You could probably set something up quite nicely with a good set of computer speakers fairly cheaply. Because so many folks use their computers for audio and gaming, there are lots of companies producing computer speaker setups, they run from $15 to well over $500. There are two main types: speakers that have a separate bass module, and speakers without. Depending on the type of music/sounds you would like to reproduce, the bass module may or may not be really necessary.
Many companies make battery powered speakers as well, but they tend to be much more expensive than computer speakers for the same quality. They will tend to require lots of batteries to produce good sound. Since you need to run wires from the MP3 player to at least one speaker(assuming you are not going wireless), how much difference will it make to run a second wire for an AC adapter? Is this application supposed to be very portable/moved from place to place or used where you do not have access to AC power?
I think maybe I am giving the impression that I want alot of power but this is not so. I am looking for something like laptop speakers. Well, I guess their power ratings range too but the ones on my current laptop can play my music loud enough at half volume, sitting distance. At full volume they are pretty alright to listen to from half a room to even a full room’s distance.
The reason I want speakers for those reasons is that I am going to Costa Rica in the summer and I want speakers to carry to the beach. I do alot of travelling and I like to have my music collection with me though it’s not always possible to project my music through speakers. For example, my friend’s car doesn’t have a stereo so it would be nice to have these speakers in the car for a long drive.
And then, the optional AC adapter would be useful for when I want to use it long periods (someone’s house) where I will be stationary.
Would these (http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog_name=CTLG&product_id=40-1464) work? I’ve owned four of these speakers for about ten years and they work marvelously. The sound quality is really good.
If you want cheap, I own these $40 Sony speakers and they work pretty well – and fold up nice and small. The required batteries aren’t rechargeable, just standard alkaline, but you can use it with an AC adapter (though it doesn’t come with one). Volume is limited to the output of whatever it’s hooked up to. I used it on my desk at work (connected to a portable CD player) for over a year, and was also able to use it in small conference rooms for team parties and the like. Two thumbs up! 
Thanks for the responses, these are looking pretty nice.
siberia: That one looks like the best so far.
I wish I could find the really nice set I saw online that had rechargable lithium batteries.