6 Best Portable speakers for iPod

Name

Treblab HD77

4.6 out of 5

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Pros

• Straightforward wireless pairing with intuitive illumination once pairing is done
• IPX6 waterproof rating for outdoor use
• Impact-resistant design endures falls and drops

Cons

• Frequent voice announcements for setup and low battery alert

Best for what

Full surround sound with perfect reliability

Name

SoundLink Color II

4.7 out of 5

Pros

• IPX4 rating
• Rugged and long-lasting
• Loud, great audio

Cons

• Lifetime of the battery
• Virtual assistant nearly inaudible

Best for what

Gives off a lot of volume for its Napoleonic size

Name

JBL Flip 5

4.8 out of 5

Pros

• High-performance audio for the size
• IPX7 waterproof
• Can be customized on JBL's website

Cons

• Mono
• No hands-free function or aux input

Best for what

Strong Bluetooth audio experience in an outdoor-friendly design

Name

Bose Home Speaker 500

4.5 out of 5

Pros

• Advanced microphones
• Stylish design
• Extremely simple setup
• Attractive controls

Cons

• Short power cable
• Unable to switch between tracks

Best for what

Beautiful, elegant design that is trendy and suits almost any interior style

Name

HomePod mini

4.6 out of 5

Pros

• Design
• Functions with Siri, Apple's voice assistant
• Audio

Cons

• Siri does not always react properly to requests
• Most features could be duplicated on other Apple units

Best for what

A small speaker for your house that can manage Siri

Name

Sony SRS-XB13 Extra BASS

4.5 out of 5

Pros

• Fairly affordable
• Diffuse audio
• Balanced audio quality
• 16 hours battery runtime

Cons

• No stereo separation
• Low maximum volume

Best for what

The waterproof design is probably its best-selling point

SoundLink Color II - Best speaker for iPod classic

This speaker is an update of the top-rated and much-loved SoundLink Color I. Exactly like its previous model, it's a wonderfully compact and thus portable Bluetooth speaker. However, it has gone through a number of modifications. It upgrades its functions to add a hands-free speakerphone, as well as being water-resistant now. Moreover, it is provided with another silicone case, which makes it nice and robust.

No matter if you are at home, in the park, or at the swimming pool, this tiny gadget supplies an excellent sound. It's lightweight and easy to travel with, meaning you will be able to carry it with you everywhere you go, including the occasional dip in the water. It also comes with a bunch of cool functions, a virtual assistant, and better-than-decent audio.

The SoundLink Color II provides decent dynamics for a speaker this size, offering us some lovely bass extension and strength. The mids are rich and the highs are slightly muted to keep the speaker from getting fatigued.

The Bose SoundLink Color II Bluetooth speaker is a terrific portable speaker that provides the audio you need anywhere you go. Simply be sure it's charged or carry the charger with you. Yes, this appears to be a great omission by Bose, though isn't the primary characteristic of a Bluetooth speaker to provide great sound?

Key features:

• Dual 40mm drivers
• Bluetooth 4.2 wireless
• Integrated rechargeable battery
• IPX4 splash-proof

JBL Flip 5 - Best waterproof iPod speaker

The first thing that comes to mind when you consider portable iPod Bluetooth speakers would most likely be JBL's Flip range. The Flip 5 is absolutely one of our overall top picks in this area for multiple factors. To begin with, the 20W output and quite big 44mm main driver imply the capability of this unit to deliver you a genuinely immersive audio performance. In tandem with JBL's famous pulsating bass openings at either end of the cylinder, you get a terrific unit for playback. While a 4,800 mAh battery is supplied, the high volume means that battery runtime is approximately 12 hours - distinctly not as long as we anticipated.

Lastly, there's the build quality. At well over a pound, it's surely not among the handiest speakers out there, yet that weight is due to its rugged build. Thanks to the ultra-resistant rubberized foam cushions on both sides, the speaker withstands bumps and shocks in a bag rather well. The speaker grill is made of a heavy-duty shell with a breathable mesh top.

This speaker earns our award for top water resistance due to its IPX7 rating, as well as being remarkably well-sealed-looking - you realize as soon as you have the unit in your hand how sealed and secure it is.

Key features:

• Rugged construction
• Waterproof in accordance with IPX7
• Excellent battery runtime and fast charging time
• Lightweight and portable
• Supports USB-C charging

Bose Home Speaker 500 – Best outdoor speaker for iPod

Bose has a tight hold on the premium audio sector, particularly when it concerns buyers who want to get great audio but don't want to put too much thought into it. To be fair, Bose is not providing the slightest details or even stunning audiophile quality. However, what the Home Speaker 500 delivers is a state-of-the-art smart speaker performance that sounds just as good as it looks.

The Home Speaker 500 occupies under a square foot of room and is offered in either a stylish black or a refined white. It pairs via Bluetooth 4.2, quite sufficient, though not nearly as smooth as the more advanced Bluetooth 5.0.

Bose calls the sound response "wall-to-wall," meaning not a lot in terms of real-world specs, but providing a feel for the fact that Bose is striving to supply rich, punchy audio. The top panel touch controls are intuitive, and even include six preselected buttons to access the music you have listened to earlier. You have the option to control the speaker with the built-in voice assistants, and there's also the option to use the Bose app to further personalize your experience.

Because the speaker can establish a Wi-Fi connection, Apple Airplay is available if that is your preference. Also, the vivid built-in LCD display offers some nice visual touchpoints as you listen to your music.

Key features:

• 2 custom drivers facing in opposite directions
• AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Bluetooth 4.2 and 3.5 mm jack aux input
• Voice services: Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant
• Full color LED screen

HomePod mini - Best small speaker for iPod

The Apple HomePod Mini comes out on top as the finest iPhone voice assistant speaker we have reviewed. This miniature, the globe-shaped home speaker features integrated Siri and handles remote voice controls quite effectively, though it's somewhat trickier to follow in louder surroundings. It additionally features low Apple AirPlay data latency, meaning it's ideal for watching videos and films over this link.

Audio is fairly smooth on the whole, and the mids are reasonably consistent, so vocals and lead instruments are played back clearly and precisely when mixed, although they sometimes can sound somewhat dark. Due to its 360-degree nature, it has great coverage, making for a wide and true-to-life sound effect. It's also compliant with the Apple Home app, allowing you to pair a number of Apple HomePods together and play diverse audio in different rooms of your home at once.

Similar to most tiny speakers, it can't deliver ultra-loud audio, unfortunately, and it won't produce deep bass, suggesting you may not detect the boom and thump when listening to bass-heavy music. There is a shortage of audio tuning capabilities, including a graphic EQ that you can use to adjust the audio to your liking. However, if you're looking for a speaker that has decent built-in voice support via Siri, it would be a superb inclusion in your Apple ecosystem.

Key features:

• Dimensions: 84.3 x 98mm
• Weight: 355g
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, Thread, UWB, 4x microphones
• Controls: upper capacitive touch buttons
• Speakers: one driver, two passive radiators

Sony SRS-XB13 Extra BASS – Best indoor speaker for iPod

When it comes to bringing great audio to your upcoming party with friends, the Sony SRS XB41 wireless speaker is the champion!

The Bluetooth speaker from Sony is portable anywhere (thanks to its IP67 rating, it's waterproof and resistant to dust), it transmits strobe lights, and even comes with a play of lights that synchronizes with your tunes! It is perfect for creating a great mood!

The 2 58mm speakers deliver clear audio with punchy bass. Plus, if you need extra bass, not to worry, the Extra Bass mode is right there for you! The Sony SRS-XB41 therefore really packs a punch in terms of sound quality.

Do you love music festivals? The Live Sound mode plays the music so you get all the excitement of the music performed live, due to the custom-built DSP that adds true awesome audio to the Sony speaker.

Featuring a battery runtime of 14 hours, you can be entertained throughout the night. The Sony SRS XB41 continues running even when you lose power! And with Bluetooth with NFC technology, you can pair it with all of your portable gadgets in a flash.

Key features:

• Small compact size and multi-use strap
• Experience punchy sound with EXTRA BASS
• The Sound Diffusion Processor delivers additional sound diffusion
• IP67 waterproof and dustproof rating
• 16 hours of battery runtime and new battery life indicator

Notable Mentions

Treblab FX100.The Treblab FX100 is a real powerhouse. It is much more stable than the average speaker out there. It also gets exceptionally loud. We would definitely recommend this speaker to anyone looking for an outdoor speaker. Check price at amazon.

SoundLink Mini II Special Edition.It is still among the best-sounding wireless speakers. This miniature speaker exceeds anything its size might imply, providing rich bass, vibrant highs, and lush mids. Whereas most wireless speakers are great sounding, the Bose SoundLink Mini II shows that small speakers do not need to sacrifice audio.

S1 Pro Portable Bluetooth® speaker system.The Bose S1 Pro is an awesome battery-powered PA system. This is a more affordable choice in the Bose portfolio, yet it delivers a superior level of quality. The audio response is quite stunning. Rich vocals, well-defined instruments, and plenty of booms to keep you on the move.

Envaya Pocket DSB-50BT Bluetooth Speaker.Right out of the box, the Denon shows what it's made of: It's one of the most powerful portable speakers we've heard for the money. But we would sacrifice some of the bass weight for a more balanced reproduction.

Marshall Emberton Portable Speaker.Marshall Emberton is a speaker built to satisfy with minimal hassle and maximum usefulness. With its elegant appearance, robust construction, and impressive audio playback capacity, the Emberton is a fantastic complement to Marshall's range of wireless speakers.

How to Choose the Best Portable Speakers for iPod?

Below are a few of the most important features and functions you should look for when you buy a Bluetooth speaker.

Compression technology

As a standard, any Bluetooth-enabled gadget needs to be capable of using an agreed-upon base compression system referred to as sub-band coding (SBC). It is a psychoacoustic lossy codec, which means it drops music info that is not as essential to our ears to greatly decrease the number of bits that must be transferred in a digital music stream.

The quality of SBC will vary, and various bit rates will be used. Usually, however, SBC operates at approximately 200 kbit/s and is of the subjective quality of MP3 at 128 kbit/s - meaning it's really not good at all.

Luckily, there are alternatives in the meantime. The top dog is aptX, which is a British invention that forms the foundation for DTS cinema audio. This is still lossy and compressed audio, but amazingly, with its fixed bitrate of 350 kbit/s, it is nearly tolerant of CD resolution. Samsung has made a big investment in the present aptX licensee CSR plc and now fits most of its Android phones with aptX compatibility.

Unfortunately, Apple is not providing aptX on any of its iOS gadgets, even though Macs are able to run aptX Bluetooth audio starting with Snow Leopard. Rather, the iPhone and iPad are trying to transmit Bluetooth audio with the AAC codec, part of the MPEG-4 standard. The outcomes are invariably better than SBC, though not fairly as good as aptX.

Amplifier rating

The second obstacle to Bluetooth speaker audio is the common current use of low-fidelity amplifier technology. Whereas natural-sounding hi-fi amplifiers are still using a linear system known as class A or class B (normally both make up class AB), inexpensive and portable audio units are using class D.

Class D is a smart method of converting amplifiers much more effectively and transforming mains or battery power into useful amplifier power. This is particularly critical in a mobile age that depends on batteries.

Class D amplifiers function cold and thus do not rely on solid heat sinks to conduct away unneeded heat. A full 20-watt amplifier package may be based around a tiny microchip, thus saving much room and expense. The technology gets all the credit it deserves, with the exception of audio quality, which is generally grainy, raw, lifeless, and doesn't capture the original nature of music.

360-degree audio

A favorite characteristic of Bluetooth speakers is "360-degree audio" - yet what constitutes 360-degree audio, exactly? Commonly, speakers that supply 360-degree audio are designed to be either cylinder-shaped or circular and come with drivers facing in every direction, in contrast to traditional, forward-facing speakers.

This results in " space-filling audio" and defeats the "sweet spot" of regular speakers, where the audio is greatest when aimed in a certain direction. This may not be a determining feature, though it is commonly considered to be something we think about when looking to upgrade to a new speaker.

Battery life

How about the battery runtime? While not so long ago the average typical battery runtime for Bluetooth speakers stood around a rather discouraging five hours, the battery performance of Bluetooth accessories has since increased greatly.

A lot of reasonably priced speakers deliver over 10 hours on a charge, and we certainly do not suggest getting a speaker that can deliver considerably less than that. Moreover, it's worth checking out speakers that also serve as portable chargers, as this comes in extremely convenient when you're planning to use your smartphone to listen to music.

Wi-Fi connectivity

Some Bluetooth speakers also provide Wi-Fi connectivity. Thus, which connection do you think you need to decide on? With Bluetooth connectivity, the distance covered is normally 10 meters (though this can differ from product to product). Meaning you are only able to listen to music from a speaker located in the same room as you - longer ranges will probably cut off the sound.

Wi-Fi provides much wider coverage and lets you play music from just about any place in the house. But Wi-Fi setup can be rather troublesome and needs you to have a special app set up on your smartphone to operate the speaker, whilst Bluetooth setting up needs no more than 30 seconds.