Wireless Speakers for the iPhone

Posted on November 7, 2010

For a while now I have been looking for portable speakers that I can stream music to from my iPhone. I have seen several options come out in America that are wireless and stream music along your network to speakers in any room that you like in the house. At the moment I can plug my iPhone into my sound system in the living room and hear the music there. But, I sometimes want music in the kitchen while I am cooking or in other rooms. Up to now I haven't been able to find any of these devices in Thailand but then at the weekend I came across two Bluetooth enabled speakers. Which, I guess, is the next best thing. These are the Creative D100 (2,930 baht) and the D200 (5,480 baht).

I decided to go for the cheaper D100 option and so far I haven't regretted that decision. It is smaller than the D200 and obviously the sound quality isn't going to be as good. But, this is basically a modern version of the "boombox" so you cannot expect too much. But, I was still happy with the quality of sound and I was able to turn it up as loud as I needed. I also think that the D200 is overpriced for what you get. The main selling point for me with the D100 is that it takes 4 AA batteries which will apparently last 24 hours. This really makes it wireless. At the moment it is plugged into the mains in the kitchen but I have the option to carry it outside into the garden and use the batteries.

The D100 connects easily to the iPhone using Bluetooth. The range is about 10 meters which is quite accurate. You can of course connect it to other mobile phones and also your laptop. Unlike the normal iPhone speakers, with this set-up you keep the iPhone in your hands so you can carry on doing something else like surfing the Internet or using Twitter. What I have been doing is turning up the volume on the speakers as high as they go and then use the volume on my iPhone to control it. I can then scroll through the songs on my iPhone or just listen to my Internet Radio app. So far I am very happy with this and I'm tempted to go and buy another unit.

What do you use to stream music around your house? Do you use AirPort Express or something else? Which is better? Share your tips in the comments.

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David
November 7th, 2010 - 22:10

Nice review. I never had time to visit Commart unfortunately, and heard it was too crowded today, Sunday.
I’m going to try Voiis Stereo Gateway I think. Can connect via Bluetooth both ways, range up to 100m, connect to existing stereo/speakers etc. through AUX in/out. That way any BT A2DP device can connect, and sound quality seems ok too.

Hope I can find it somewhere in Bangkok though
Wayne
November 8th, 2010 - 05:16

I have all of my music (around 45,000 tracks) in lossless format on an external 2 gig drive hooked up to a macbook and streamed via an airport express. For serious listening the macbook’s superb digital out is connected to a Benchmark DAC1 via optical cable and then to active Yamaha studio monitors. I only use compressed formats on my iPhone/iPod when I’m mowing the lawn or in the car , but the iPhone + Apple’s ‘remote’ app is brilliant to control it all
Darryl
November 8th, 2010 - 08:28

I use the Airport Express plugged into my Home Theater amp. It becomes part of my home network, and using the iPhone “Remote” app, I can control what music I want to stream from my home networked PC.
This allows for a central iTunes for all my music, and anyone I allow to connect to it, can have their music playing. I can even stream audio books and just about anything I have in my iTunes library.
My only wish would be able to stream over numerous speakers throughout the house and yard. This would allow untethered movement through my house and it would be great for party’s in the back yard.
Benny
November 8th, 2010 - 11:04

Nice Review Richard. How is battery life affected on the iPhone. I assume it drains a lot and it should also heat up the iPhone. I prefer using Airport Express. That works just fine for me. I am also searching since quite a time for wifi speakers.
Richard Barrow
November 8th, 2010 - 16:50

Benny – It’s using Bluetooth so it will obviously eat away at batter life on your iphone. But, so far I haven’t used it for long periods of time so haven’t really noticed.
David
November 9th, 2010 - 03:22

Will they work with an iPad?
Richard Barrow
November 9th, 2010 - 11:50

David – Yes the bluetooth speakers do work with the iPad, but strangely some apps insist on using the internal speakers. However, no problem with playing music.
Tonia
November 21st, 2010 - 00:54

with this speakers, Do you experience a delay in pairing with with ipad while playing games or watching movies from it?

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On this blog I will be sharing with you tips and methods of using an iPhone and iPad in Thailand. I am not pretending to be an expert, but I hope that from my personal experience of using an iPhone for my work and pleasure you might gain some knowledge. As well as reviewing apps that I use, I will also post about accessories and also the latest news from around the world.

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