Beosound A1 3rd Gen

Beosound A1 3rd Gen (ca. $350), if you want a bluetooth speaker. Forget about stereo separation from any single speaker (not possible, because physics) - buy two A1 Gen 2 (ca. $400 together) instead, they link to form a stereo set. Tonality-wise, they are among the best smallish bluetooth speakers, with some amazing low bass extension for the size, and overall pretty accurate. Else, some small monitors like the Adam Audio D3V will sound superior but are not really portable.

Only bang and olufsen beoplay a1 gen3 has chances to sound a little bit refined than the average market of bluetooth small speakers wich are more focussed on bass and screeching highs to impress outdoors. If you are looking for something in medium size, then sonos era 100 has a little touch of refinesse. Avoid all of that big boomboxes style like earfun uboom x, harman kardon goplay 3, jbl boombox 3 or tritbit stuff. All of these are tuned towards the bass and miss a lot of details in music no matter how tweaked are in EQ.

Bang and olufsen a1 gen 3. Compact non bassy Refinesse

Bang & Olufsen A1 3d gen or 2nd gen if you want compact size. But if you want something large JBL Boombox 3

Best sound quality I’ve heard is the Bang & Olufsen A1 (3rd Gen). Pricey, but great little speaker when you use their app to adjust your preferred sound/EQ.

Since you say price is not important... I have two B&O A1 Gen 2. They are very nice. Amazing sound, considering the size, as long as you are good with moderate volumes and fiddle a little with the EQ. Even better if you can stand it up against a wall or in a corner. Great battery life and small. Waterproof. Buttons for volume/next/back/pause, but not big and easy to use. Amazing for phone calls. I especially like my A1 for audiobooks, since they have nice EQ that can be used to enhance voice reproduction. I use my B&O A5 for loud portable music. And my AudioPro/WiiM multiroom setup for stationary music. Two are fun for stereo. I mostly use one as a bedside speaker and the other as a portable speaker. B&O A1 Gen 3 is out. A1 Gen 3 is said to be even better than A1 Gen 2. More bass. Longer battery life. If I didn't have my Gen 2 I would get one. At least one. [https://www.bang-olufsen.com/en/int/speakers/beosound-a1](https://www.bang-olufsen.com/en/int/speakers/beosound-a1)

BT speakers I can recommend personally: B&O A1 g2 or g3. Small. A pair for stereo. Nice for ambience. B&O A5. Expensive. Great sound and pretty. Hyperboom. A pair for off-grid partying.

What I use... For audiobooks I have found my B&O A1 unbeatable. Portable and great sound for speech. Also great as a phone speaker. I have one next to my bed. Not very loud, but great full sound otherwise, without annoying booming that can make voice reproduction tiresome. For loud stationary multiroom music I use my combo AudioPro/WiiM setup. AudioPro C20mk2 & C5mk2 and two UE Hyperboom with WiiM Mini optical hookup. The Hyperboom are great for outdoor garden party use. For portable music I like my B&O A1, especially fun in stereo, but they are not very loud outdoors. Then my B&O A5 is better.

I have two old UE Hyperboom. Amazing for larger social gatherings. Loud, if needed. But some effort to setup. I have a B&O A5. Great for the balcony or the patio. Easy to carry around and setup. Or I use a B&O A1 for some low volume ambience or to play an audiobook. I don't have a pool. But I don't think I would hear much swimming? When I do work in the garden I typically use active hearing protection, a 3M Peltor headset or use in-ear noise canceling headphones.

I think most BT speakers work like that when connected to power. If not connected to power I think most (=all) turn off automatically after a few minutes. My AudioPro C5, C20 works like this. Also my B&O A5 and A1. As do my UE Hyperbooms.

If it is for actual stationary use the AudioPro C20 is very powerful and great can also be used in a wifi multiroom setup. The C5 is nice and like the C20 have a sub out for extra oomph. The B&O A5 is amazing and somewhat portable, but very expensive. The A1 is great for a small room or having nearby. I have one next to my bed for sleeping-pill audio books. The UE Hyperbooms are also somewhat portable and also rugged as party-speakers indoors and outdoors, but a bit old and large now. If lucky you may find some second hand. I have upgraded mine with WiiM Minis. So they work in a multiroom setup with my AudioPro speakers. Also the AudioPro speakers I have are a bit old, new "W" versions were recently released, so you may find some second hand as well. The old version I have works with WiiM multiroom system. The new versions don't... I can recommend them all. I don't keep BT speakers I don't like... My favorite for large room use is the B&O A5. For audiobooks in a small room or nearby, the A1. The C20 is great for a big room, as are the Hyperbooms. I have the C5 in my kitchen. For better stereo-image, two or more speakers are great. I think many other speakers would work well also.

The A5 is a great choice, but a little expensive. Especially if you go for two in stereo. The A1 is nice for low volume sound nearby, but not for partying in a larger venue.

Use mains powered speakers. Or keep them connected to the charger. I have a B&O A1 next to my bed. It is always on and always connected to the charger. Just works. Amazing for audiobooks.

100% agree with you,but they are so popular because they are very portable and people don't need to mess around with more units,and for music listening at a social event, or at the beach or bbq or camping,a good powerful speaker with good battery life gets the job done, something like the Sony ult5,bose sl max or bigger speakers for party type events like the hk go play 3 or jbl encore 2,pb120 320 etc,the rgb lights are an awesome feature for this type of events. If you want maximum portability or just small footprint for indoor listening but still want stereo setup, there are so many options, like x2 motion 300 soundcore( very cheap on deals) x2 tribit stormbox micro 2 ( also very cheap on deals or second hand, some units were 20-25€ on the sh market and looked like new) x2 sony ult 1 especially right now when you can find one for 50€ or even less x2 flex 2 if you like that processed, wide and powerful bose sound x2 b&o a1 2nd or 3rd gen, for something more refined x2 xiaomi sound pocket (literally saw a brand new pair for 20€ total)

I really don't like the beolit 20. I like the sound of my Vifa Helsinki much more even though it's an older speaker and a lot cheaper now. Check some B&O a1 series,each one has a different sound type,for small portable bt speakers For medium size, Devialet Mania,a reboxed unit was around 500€ in my country just recently. 500 or under it's a good price,not the 800-900€ or how much they ask for it on most sites. For bigger sizes, i dont think you have many options,in a reasonable amount of money. The b&o a5 but it can get quite expensive sometimes. *I wouldn't call these audiophile speakers, high quality Bluetooth speakers would be a more suited name.

Check my post here about the b&o A1 line ,if you want something small but powerful. If this is not enough,the charge 5 is very cheap,ult field 5 is 120€ for a refurb in my country, marshal middleton 2 is also quite good,but around 170-200€ you can check my review about it.

Beosound A1 is worth a look. Especially since the 3rd gen one is actually repairable.