Portable battery-powered speakers are only getting more popular, and since we’re often asked what these flexible bits of kit can actually do, we’ve put together this Buyer’s Guide to help you find the perfect speaker for you. If you can’t see the answer to your burning question here, feel free to contact us!
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1. What is a Portable Battery-Powered Speaker?
The name is pretty clear: these are portable speakers that are powered by a rechargeable battery. No power cable is needed to run it, so you can comfortably set it up in your garden without having to trail a long extension cable from a power socket. Some of these speakers even come including microphones, and these can be microphones that are hooked up with a cable, wireless microphones, handheld, headset, or even clip-on microphones. Some are so mobile that they come fitted with wheels, and some are so party-focused that they even come with a built-in light show. A lot of these speakers will also offer a lot of playback options like a mini-jack input, Bluetooth or via a USB port, as well as various other kinds of inputs.
These kinds of speakers are different from normal Bluetooth speakers since portable battery-powered speakers will always have a rechargeable battery, are usually much more powerful (and therefore often bigger as well), are designed to be easy to carry, and usually come fitted with more connection options as well as included accessories.
Tip: When browsing through all of our portable battery-powered speakers, you can use the filters found on the left of the page to specify what kind of features you need. Do you need built-in lighting? Do you need it to be fitted with wheels and a trolley-style handle? Etc.
A portable battery-powered speaker is basically a full-range speaker with an integrated amplifier that doesn’t require a power cable. Since they are powered by a rechargeable battery, you can choose to use these speakers cable-free or you can plug them in when a power point is available.
Depending on the model, these speakers can be used for hours on end before the battery needs to be recharged. The battery can be charged in a number of ways, but nine times out of ten, it’s simply plugged into a power socket.
Please note: Some portable battery-powered speakers can only be powered by normal batteries and do not have a built-in battery. There are also some models that don’t come including the rechargeable battery and this must be purchased separately.
3. What Can a Portable Battery-Powered Speaker be Used for?
First of all, if you’re looking for a speaker for your pub, restaurant, or venue, then a battery-powered speaker won’t really suit you. Since you have plenty of power sockets within easy reach, you’d be better off getting a set of standard PA speakers.
So, what would a portable battery-powered speaker be useful for? House parties, chilling in the garden, street musicians, speeches for small to medium sized audiences, or for the dressing room of a sports club. While the quality differs from speaker to speaker, they can all usually take a beating and handle being lugged from pillar to post.
4. How Many Watts Does My Battery-Powered Speaker Need & How Big Should it Be?
Of course, it’s tempting to go for the battery-powered speaker that looks the most flashy. But, before you take the leap, it’s a good idea to ask yourself what you’re planning to use the speaker for and how many people will be listening, so you can save yourself the disappointment when you find yourself with a speaker that’s just not loud enough. A good indicator of the volume a speaker can produce is the power capacity and the size of the speaker.
If you’re only planning to use the speaker for speeches, or to play music at a party, then take a look at speakers with an RMS power of up to around 200 Watts. Slightly larger, medium-sized groups of people (say, around 20 to 100 people) are likely to need between 200 and 250 Watts of power. Please note: this is a very rough rule of thumb and we’re just using it to give you an idea of what the power capacity can say about a speaker.
It’s usually the case that, the bigger the power capacity, the bigger the speaker, and the bigger the internal speaker (measured in inches), the bigger the bass response. The downside of this is that the total sound can get less tight. If you’re only going to use your speaker for speech, then the bass response is not so important, but for music that includes deep bass, like electronic music, it becomes much more crucial.
5. What’s the Alternative to a Portable Battery-Powered Speaker?
There’s a lot to think about before picking the right speaker and it might be that a portable battery-powered speaker doesn’t match up with everything you need (see Question 4). If that’s that case, then there are many alternatives available.
If you want something more professional, or know you’ll need to connect up more than one speaker, then an active full-range speaker might be more your thing. If you want something even bigger, then you might want to go for a complete PA speaker system. If you need something more compact and convenient that you can slip in a backpack, then a Bluetooth speaker is probably what you’re looking for. Of course, if you just want to listen to music at home and don’t need something portable, then take a look some home audio speakers.
6. What Kind of Connections Will My Battery-Powered Speaker Need?
The kind of connections will differ from speaker to speaker. The most common connections are:
Bluetooth. These days, it would be hard to come across a portable speaker that doesn’t have Bluetooth.
A3.5mm mini-jack is next, and can be used to physically connect any devices that aren’t Bluetooth capable using a cable.
A6.3mm standard jack for connecting microphones and instruments.
AnRCA (red and white phono) for connecting up gear like a small DJ controller.
An input for a (specific) wireless microphone. In these cases, the microphone will usually come included.
One or more USB ports. Sometimes these are designed for audio playback from a USB stick but they can occasionally function as a USB charging port so you can recharge your phone, for example.
Tips:
While browsing through all of our portable battery-powered speakers, you can use the filters on the left of the page to specify what inputs, outputs, and other connections you need your speaker to have.
Always check the specifications of the speaker you’re interested in to find out exactly what it can do and what’s possible in terms of what you can connect. This way, you can avoid disappointment!
Need help choosing the right cables? See our handy Audio Cable Buyer’s Guide.
