Wireless/bluetooth speaker for ipad/iphone.

[seb]

I actually wanted an internet radio with a big speaker for volume in my bedroom/ bathroom but this seems quite rare. I found one i liked but it was £2000...

So it seems a bluetooth or wireless speaker is the main current way of doing this.

This is my situation.

I listen to internet radio in the morning in the morning when i get up. In the ideal world i want an internet radio i can just turn on and blast out but it seems i have to do it via the ipad.

I want the speaker to just begin working when i start the ipad on the iplayer app for example. Is this possible? Has anyone got a wifi speaker that has a remote?

Would like it to be mains as well as movable via a battery. So i can put the speaker in the bathroom too.

I would like a nice loud sound not a tinny speaker.

there must be others on CS who have had this situation so would like to have some recommendations for items that would do the job.

i was rather uninspired by looking around john lewis last week for one...

 

[Jack!]

Use AirPlay, buy an Apple Airport, and then you can stream whatever is playing on the iPad to whatever speakers you want.

Only piece of software you'd need is Porthole.

 

[coleman]

I've got a JBL SB200 sound bar, does every you mentioned above except being portable.

 

[sn00p]

Sonos? I cant say I've listened to radio on it, but I believe that the BBC radio stations are available on it. I can't check as we're in a cottage and won't be home until the end of the week. The play 1 is an awesome bit of kit for the price, can be used as an alarm as well.

Can't be used as a generic speaker, requires the use of the sonos app or select third party apps, but things like Spotify or google music plug into it.

Might not be what you want, but SQ is excellent as is bass and volume.

Might be worth considering if its radio credentials match up with your requirements and if you can live within the sonos environment.

There's quite a few sonos users on here, so I'm sure somebody else will be able to check on the radio side of things.

 

[seb]

I had a look at the sonos devices but it seems you need to keep it connected via ethernet and it doesn't have a battery, only mains.

Bose seem to do a few that may tick the bill.

http://www.johnlewis.com/bose-soundlink-mini-wireless-mobile-speaker-silver/p515184?navAction=jump

but no remote sadly.

 

[sn00p]

You buy a bridge and that plugs into your router and then your speaker connects wirelessly to it, only 1 "thing" in a sonos system needs an Ethernet connection, from then on they form their own wireless network.

However, they are realising an update (I think the current beta supports it) that does away with the need and will just use your WiFi without the need for a bridge.

The neat trick with sonos is grouping speakers, so you hit play and it starts playing upstairs and downstairs etc, its neat walking between rooms and they're all in sync. Hit pause or skip on one of the speakers and they all mute or skip etc.

We also have that Bose soundlink mini speaker and I think its excellent - well, we did, but the wife put it somewhere safe and I still haven't found where she has put it.

The problem you will have with the Bose is that although its battery powered, once you stop playing music to it it will go into standby and to get your iPad to reconnect you need to press a button it it to reconnect.

Slightly different uses, but if you can get away with mains then I'd go for the sonos over the soundlink mini every time.