Searching for perfect bluetooth speaker for Dot

[LarMorgan]

Anyone have any advice on a bluetooth speaker that does the following..1) always on (plugged in) so that I never have to turn it on or re-pair it with my Dot 2) good sound for playing music 3) has an auxiliary out so I can plug it in to my home stereo also to have music coming out of all the speakers when I want it to. Basically, the bluetooth speaker would play all the time, the stereo speakers would add to the sound when I turn the stereo system on, and I would not need to use the Dot speaker at all. It is the #3 want where I seem to have a problem in finding something that works. Thanks.

[Alpha Bitch]

iHome® Bluetooth Rechargeable Mini Speaker make work for what you are seeking.  Speaker will play while sitting in its A/C charger.  Also, check out the Harmon bluethooth speakers.

[jiminathens]

If you have a good stereo, you can buy a bluetooth adaptor for under $20.00.  It plugs into your imput jacks on your stereo.  Then you can use your dot to bluetooth to your stereo.  Works great

[kevb]

Instead of bluetooth, you could get a Y audio cable, output from the Dot on one leg to an always on small speaker and the other leg to your stereo.

[mike27oct]

I have a stereo Y adapter (L & R) with the 3.5mm end plugged into Dot's audio out and other Y ends into stereo's L/R inputs.  I can also send BT audio to a BT speaker from Dot as well -- just not simultaneously.  Anyone can do this as well.

[Who Let The Dogs Out]

I hear you. Most Bluetooth speakers are made to be portable, hence I am not aware of any that have an auxiliary out. i think in 2017 we will see a new class of Bluetooth speakers aimed at the Dot community.

In the mean time, and just for general consumption since others will be reading this thread, the $35 DKnight MagicBox II isn't a bad choice. It is not going to break the bank while looking for the 'perfect' speaker, it sounds good and is always on. I do not have that second delay in sound while it wakes up.

The other solution I was looking at was a Vizio sound bar. There is a way to keep it from going to sleep. But as jiminathens suggests, you might be better of with a Bluetooth audio adapter in the mean time.

[coyote]

I have a $20 BT speaker I got at Home Depot 2 years ago. It actually sounds great.... the fail point is the fact that it's not always on. I was using it with a tablet, and had to have the tablet ping it every 10 minutes to keep the connection alive. And even at that, there remains a momentary delay when the tablet makes n announcement thru the speaker.

It drove me batty that I could not find an always-on speaker anywhere at that time.
I certainly hope the manufacturers grasp this need.

[celticfan1888]

bose soundlink mini II + great sound out put not cheap though

[iolinux333]

bose soundlink mini II + great sound out put not cheap though

Do NOT get this.

It drops the AUX input and reverts back to Bluetooth if the AUX doesn't receive input for a few minutes.

So you can't just leave it connected by AUX cable to the dot.

I confirmed this with BOSE tech support and they still haven't fixed the issue with a firmware update one year after submitting the bug report.

Look elsewhere than BOSE.

[blackbeagle]

I have the Big Blue Party Speaker. I have it turned on all the time sitting in the corner. It was nearly $180, but the sound is superb. It's better than all the other small portable BT speakers I had laying around my house. This thing has a handle and is pretty heavy.

[LarMorgan]

Thanks, kevb and jiminathens. I got the inexpensive always on BT receiver from Amazon, plugged a y cable into it. One side of the y goes into my home stereo and the other into a small decent pair of always on powered speakers I had. Now, I get better sound on the dot when I use it just for regular tasks though the small speakers, but can get MUCH better sound for music playback when I turn on the stereo. I appreciate your suggestions.

[mikeagner]

Get the DOSS Soundbox (available on Amazon). For such a small Bluetooth speaker, puts out a heckuva lot of audio, nice and clear, and is great for small living rooms and bedrooms. Don't let the small size fool you, it really does put out