When looking for the best portable speaker for your vacation to Costa Rica ( or any trip for that matter), make sure you follow these simple yet odd tips or else you might be in for a big shock. Portable speakers can vary greatly in terms of design and, for that reason, you should pick one based on your intended usage. This guide will walk you through what you should look for in a portable speaker as well as give you the top 6 portable speakers recommended by Tico Travel.
Unlike other reviews online, this review is part personal review as well as part meta-review (we research the web and are reporting what other people are stating about the best portable speakers). The benefit of this to you is that you save time! Read on as I share with you some amazing portable speakers.
What I Look For In A Portable Speaker
1) Waterproof – Needless to say when you go to Costa Rica the odds are that you will either be going to the beach or the rainforest and probably both. If you go during the rainy season ( May – November) getting wet at some point during your trip is a given. That is why this is my top priority(besides sound) that I look for in a portable speaker
2) Portabilty – Ok.. who wants to lug around a brick everywhere, especially when the airlines these days are charging so much for being overweight on the luggage. In addition, if you are going to be doing some hiking the last thing you want slowing you down is heavy set of speakers.
3) Bluetooth – In todays day and age why would you want to carry around speakers where you have to bring yet another cable with you.
4) Durability – A speaker has to be able to, from time to time, be able to take a beating. Traveling as I do sometimes I am not as careful with items than I should be, (the one exception being my camera) and therefore my speakers need to be able to take somewhat of a beating.. That is too say they don’t have to survive a fall down a cliff but it should be able to be bounced around abit with no ill affects.
Brand DOES Matter!
Believe it or not, a portable speakers brand really matters. Name brand portable speakers are, on one hand, more expensive than cheap speakers but, on the other hand, will give you fewer headaches as well as last longer.On top of that, name brand portable speaker companies give you better customer service. If you would like to sharpen a knife to factory condition at home, you can call the manufacturer’s customer service number and ask about the angle the factory uses for a certain model. Not only will the representative tell you, he might also give you insights about the speaker that you didn’t know before–that was my experience with Fugoo when I called them.
Some big brands also issue longer guarantees with their speakers. This makes the initial investment in a good portable speaker worth it. If you purchased a flea market speaker for say $20 and, every year, it breaks, after 5 years, you’ve spent $100! By paying a little more upfront at first, you save yourself money in the long run for the best portable speaker.
Great Components Makes Great Sound
It should be no surprise that a great portable speaker is made of great components. All the speakers reviewed here use top quality components that will keep it from malfunctining over a lot of tough use.
Don’t Ignore the Weight!
At first you may read the weight of a speaker and think.. Thats not so heavy! But if you intend to do any hiking or carrying around the speaker for long periods of time, then those few oz’s of difference really start to add up! Although this is not a deal breaker for me, I do consider it, especially if too items, or in this case speakers, are closely matched.
My Top 6 Recommendations
Any one of the speakers below will do a great job and so I am not going to give you a particular preference for one over the other as it will depend on what you consider a top priority such as, battery life or how it looks etc. So with that said, I have compiled a list of my top 6 portable speakers based on quality, price, and features and are ones that you should consider taking with you on your next trip to Costa Rica:
UE WonderBoom 2
I think the Wonderboom is possibly the toughest Bluetooth speaker around.There are better sounding speakers, but at this price, it’s difficult not to love the UE Wonderboom. So, if you’re looking for a great sounding portable bluetooth speaker you can toss in a bag and take anywhere, with a 15 hour battery life, for a full day of wireless tunes, I’d definitely check out the Wonderboom. You can find more details and pricing on Amazon
Bose SoundLink Color II
For the price, it’s the best on the market. With the new SoundLink Color II, Bose has taken everything that was great about the original and improved it. First and foremost, you’ve got a speaker that has excellent sound quality. It’s clear, powerful, pervasive, and most importantly enjoyable. The speaker is simple in concept, but easy to use. It’s durable enough that you can use it however you want, whenever you want. All that remains is one lingering question – what more could you ask for? You can find more details and pricing on Amazon
Fugoo Sport
The Fugoo Sport is a superb-sounding Bluetooth speaker with versatility — it has rugged, dust-proof, mud-proof and waterproof construction. Basically it’s tough as nails, sounds great, and provides all requisite functionality to play wireless audio from your computer or phone and is definitely one of the best-sounding speakers heard in its price range. You can find more details and pricing on Amazon
Anker Soundcore Flare
This speaker not only sounds great, it looks great too! The LED light ring puts on a show while you’re listening to your favorite music. The optional Bass Up feature enhances the bass when you want it. It can also be paired with a second Flare for wireless stereo sound. The Flare affords balanced sound, a tricky waterproof construct, a lightshow while you need, and a very good person expertise. For the money, this little speaker is a steal. You can find more details and pricing on Amazon
AOMAIS Sport II Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker
This speaker is a bit of a hidden gem as it’s hard finding a wireless speaker; under such an affordable price range that can give sound output of 20W, which is more than enough to fill a large room. And even though the manufacturer isn’t one of the most well known brands it does offer something that very few do – quality. The Sport II is one of the few offerings that gives you brand-level quality for a surprisingly low price. You can find more details and pricing on Amazon
JBL Charge
This speaker has the best sound for this size and price. You’ll get great one-directional sound, and you can charge your phone with it. It’s a great speaker and an excellent value. If you don’t demand the very pinnacle of sound quality, the JBL Charge 3 has a lot going for it. its internal battery will give you up to 20 hours of playback (at moderate volumes), and that rugged, waterproof design makes it a great outdoor companion for any trip to Costa Rica. You can find more details and pricing on Amazon
CONCLUSION
When you go Costa Rica one of the items that you may not think about but also under the category of “can’t put a price tag on” is a good set of portable speakers.. Within this article, we reviewed what you should look for in the best portable speaker as well as 6 great speakers on the market today. Based upon your needs, the ordering might or might not be accurate for you. Take our guidelines into consideration when you are buying a portable I don’t believe you will go wrong with any of the options I have listed above . If you have any recommendations, leave them in the comment box below.
