The Newport is one of the best-sounding single-cabinet Bluetooth speakers of its size on the market, totally justifying its $200 price tag. If you didn’t catch it in the intro, the Newport is designed in the style of a portable Fender amp, like the famous Princeton, Reverb, or Twin. But the coolest part of the design is the fully functional, retro Fender-style control knobs/potentiometers on top of the unit.
Appreciation for the superior tactile and visual feedback afforded by old-school analog controls is rare in a world that’s enamored with touchscreens.
Note that the treble and bass are actually boosts, adding emphasis to the high or very low frequencies; they’re not boost-cut types like on a real guitar amp. The Newport is sturdily constructed, as is evidenced but its 3.25-pound curb weight, although some of that is undoubtedly due to the large battery inside.
The speaker measures 5.6-inches high, by 3.5-inches deep, by 7.25-inches wide, which makes it a bit more cumbersome that most, albeit still perfectly portable. That will charge the unit much faster than a 5-volt USB style hookup, but of course it’s not as common as the micro-USB connector that most BT speakers use. The minute you hear the guitar strum that accompanies power up, you get the idea that the 30-watt Newport’s emanations might be on the plus side of pleasant. It has enough top-end to keep things clear, the mid-range is decently tight, and turning the bass up to 10 provides more than adequate thump for most music genres.
Fender Newport review
Fender’s brand name is better associated with its guitars, but it has recently been taking steps into the world of consumer electronics with its own range of headphones and wireless speakers. Much like its bigger sibling, the Monterey, the Newport looks like a miniature guitar amplifier – complete with witch-hat knobs on the top. We’d recommend choosing a song you know well and turning the bass knob from the bottom to the top a few times until you find the spot you like and – then do the same with the treble dial. In our testing, we prefer around the mid-way point – five or six – but that may well differ depending on your room size and shape, and the surface you’re keeping the speaker on.
Solange’s Don’t Touch My Hair is kept in line by the Newport, with the bass beats put in their place to make room for Knowles’ clear and delicate lyrics. The two woofers perform well, able to differentiate between the thumping strikes which keep time through the track and the way the bass changes to a lower gear for the deeper beats. It wouldn’t be a proper test of a Fender product without some classic rock ‘n’ roll, so we blast out Jimi Hendrix’ Voodoo Child (Slight Return). The choppy guitar at the start of the track rises from the depths well and, once the first few licks have been played and the full force of Hendrix’s riffing begins, the Newport’s sense of dynamism is revealed.
Strong and forceful for a speaker in this price range, it’s a game performer that handles the change from loud squealing notes to quieter, rumbling riffs to satisfaction. It’s timing is tight too – though your foot starts tapping a little more readily when listening to the £150 Ultimate Ears Blast, the Newport keeps good pace.
Fender Newport Bluetooth speaker review: It’s not just a nostalgia trip, this speaker sounds great
The Newport is one of the best-sounding single-cabinet Bluetooth speakers of its size on the market, totally justifying its $200 price tag. If you didn’t catch it in the intro, the Newport is designed in the style of a portable Fender amp, like the famous Princeton, Reverb, or Twin. But the coolest part of the design is the fully functional, retro Fender-style control knobs/potentiometers on top of the unit. Appreciation for the superior tactile and visual feedback afforded by old-school analog controls is rare in a world that’s enamored with touchscreens. Note that the treble and bass are actually boosts, adding emphasis to the high or very low frequencies; they’re not boost-cut types like on a real guitar amp. The Newport is sturdily constructed, as is evidenced but its 3.25-pound curb weight, although some of that is undoubtedly due to the large battery inside.
The speaker measures 5.6-inches high, by 3.5-inches deep, by 7.25-inches wide, which makes it a bit more cumbersome that most, albeit still perfectly portable. That will charge the unit much faster than a 5-volt USB style hookup, but of course it’s not as common as the micro-USB connector that most BT speakers use.
The minute you hear the guitar strum that accompanies power up, you get the idea that the 30-watt Newport’s emanations might be on the plus side of pleasant.
It has enough top-end to keep things clear, the mid-range is decently tight, and turning the bass up to 10 provides more than adequate thump for most music genres.
The best Bluetooth speakers in 2021
The few noteworthy ones prove to be worth the investment and offer sound quality on par with the best headphones, long battery life, and a practical design that is either portable friendly or sits handsomely on your coffee table. With the holidays on the horizon, expect to see some great Black Friday deals announced over the coming weeks, and across every major audio category.
If the budget allows, then consider dropping $399 on the Sonos Move, the brand’s first portable speaker with both WiFi and Bluetooth, and lots of features to boot. UE Megaboom 3 The best Bluetooth speaker overall Specifications Size and Weight: 8.9 x 3.4 x 3.4 inches, 2 pounds Battery Life (Rated): 20 hours Water Resistance: Yes Maximum Sound Level: 90db Voice Controls: No TODAY’S BEST DEALS Prime View at Amazon View at Dell View at Walmart 23 Amazon customer reviews ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Reasons to buy + Big bass and full vocals + Good battery life + Can pair with older Megaboom and Boom models for stereo sound Reasons to avoid – Big and heavy for a portable – No speakerphone
Thanks to its excellent sound quality, long battery life and travel-ready ruggedness, the UE Megaboom 3 is the best Bluetooth speaker you can buy right now. This big, bold portable speaker pumps out rich 360-degree sound complete with crisp highs and satisfying low-end, and maxes out at 100 decibels of noise. The Megaboom 3 is on the bigger side compared to other portable speakers, and unlike many of its competitors, it doesn’t have Alexa or Google Assistant support, or any other smart features. For under $50, this tiny powerhouse delivers loud, well-balanced sound within an IPX7-rated design that can survive water, dust and snow.
The speaker lasts a whopping 24 hours, thanks to Anker’s best-in-class battery technology, and the Soundcore 2’s dual neodymium drivers ensure you’ll get powerful sound in any setting.
The Soundcore’s compact, 6.5 x 2.1 x 1.77-inch design makes this speaker perfect for tossing into your bag for a quick road trip, and it comes in vibrant blue and red color schemes in addition to the standard slick black. Sonos Roam The best Bluetooth speaker with Wi-Fi smarts Specifications Size and Weight: 6.6 x 2.4 x 2.4 inches, 15 ounces Battery Life (Rated): 10 hours Water Resistance: Yes (IP67 rated) Voice Controls: Yes (Alexa and Google Assistant) TODAY’S BEST DEALS View at Crutchfield View at Walmart Prime View at Amazon Reasons to buy + Lightweight + Extensive connectivity + Auto TruePlay sound tuning Reasons to avoid – No Bluetooth multipoint – Middling battery life It’s much more portable and more affordable than the Move, though, and its Auto TruePlay feature automatically adjusts the sound to suit its surroundings, whether you’re listening in a noisy, urban park or a quaint, airy campground.
This tiny speaker delivers huge sound within a small 4-inch cylinder, complete with throbbing bass, balanced midtones and crisp vocals. It can survive being dunked in 3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes and is dust-resistant, making it perfect for your next trip to the pool, beach or park.
Other key features include an impressive 13-hour battery life and the ability to pair two Wonderbooms together for immersive stereo sound.
The UE Hyperboom is the best Bluetooth speaker for large gatherings, thanks to its massive size and big, booming audio output.
Pair that with seamless Bluetooth connectivity and plenty of volume, and you have the ultimate speaker for filling a big area with great sound. LG XBoom Go PL7 The best Bluetooth speaker for sheer style Specifications Size and Weight: 9.7 x 3.9 x 3.9 inches, 3.2 pounds Battery Life (Rated): 24 hours Water Resistance: IPX5 Voice Controls: No TODAY’S BEST DEALS Prime View at Amazon View at BHPhoto Prime View at Amazon Reasons to buy + Crisp treble and defined bass + Good battery life + LED lights add to the fun Reasons to avoid – No integrated voice assistant – Few sound adjustments available
Every Bluetooth speaker on this list delivers great sound and functionality, but only the LG XBoom Go PL7 does it while boasting awesome LED lights. The XBoom’s appropriately booming sound holds its own against the best Bluetooth speakers in this price range, delivering balanced bass and satisfying treble.
Sonos Move The best high-end Bluetooth speaker for outdoors Specifications Size and Weight: 9.4 x 6.3 x 5 inches, 6.6 pounds Battery Life (Rated): 10 hours Water Resistance: Yes (IP56 rated for splashes) Voice Controls: Yes (Alexa and Google Assistant) TODAY’S BEST DEALS View at Crutchfield Prime View at Amazon View at Walmart 689 Amazon customer reviews ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Reasons to buy + Superb audio quality + Built-in Automatic TruePlay technology + Easy Wi-Fi-to-Bluetooth connection conversion Reasons to avoid – Pricey – No smart features in Bluetooth mode Alexa and Google Assistant support allow you to do anything from check the weather to control your smart home, and the Move’s Auto TruePlay automatically tunes the speaker’s audio output for wherever you’re listening, whether you’re having a rooftop party or rocking out in your bedroom. V-Moda Remix The best Bluetooth speaker for bass heads Specifications Size and Weight: 8.1 x 2.5 x 2.5 inches, 1.9 pounds Battery Life (Rated): 10 hours Water Resistance: No Voice Controls: No TODAY’S BEST DEALS Prime View at Amazon View at Walmart View at Musician’s Friend 139 Amazon customer reviews ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Reasons to buy + Loud, balanced audio with booming bass + Stunning design + Lots of customization options + Daisy-chain multiple speakers Reasons to avoid – A bit expensive – No multi-room solution The base model looks slick in aluminum or vegan leather, while, people with bottomless budgets and a penchant for style can opt for steel or platinum finishes (the later of which will run you well over $300,000).
Most importantly, the Remix sounds great, offering plenty of bass as well as a built-in headphone amp for enhancing the audio of your favorite set of cans. The Remix’s 10-hour battery life certainly makes this speaker worthy of longer jam sessions, and its trusty microphone allows for crisp call quality whether you’re set up inside your house or out. Marshall Stanmore II Voice A classy Alexa speaker with great sound Specifications Size and Weight: 7.7 by 13.8 by 7.3 inches, 10.7 pounds Battery Life (Rated): None Water Resistance: No Voice Controls: Yes TODAY’S BEST DEALS View at Amazon View at Best Buy View at Verishop 40 Amazon customer reviews ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Reasons to buy + Great looks + Brilliant big sound + Easy to set up Reasons to avoid – Chunky and heavy – No battery option
The Marshall Stanmore II Voice packs some fun features in a nostalgic design that emulates the brand’s classic amp look.
Tribit StormBox Micro The best Bluetooth speaker that’s both cheap and waterproof Specifications Size and Weight: 3.9 x 3.9 x 1.4-inch, 8 ounces Battery Life (Rated): 8 hours Water Resistance: Yes (IP67) Voice Controls: No TODAY’S BEST DEALS View at Walmart Prime View at Amazon Prime View at Amazon Reasons to buy + Small and lightweight + Good bass for a small speaker + Water resistant Reasons to avoid – No app – Limited battery life The speaker has a plastic strap that makes it easy to attach to a backpack or bike, an IP67 water-resistant rating, so it’s fully protected against dust and dirt as well as submersion in water.
While a number of wired speakers like the Amazon Echo provide excellent Bluetooth listening, you can’t bring them outside your kitchen or living room. These smart features will not work beyond your home’s Wi-Fi, so opt for a non-smart Bluetooth speaker for the beach or other outdoorsy locales.
Fender Monterey Review
The Monterey is the larger of Fender’s first pair of Bluetooth speakers, and is designed to look and feel like one of the company’s legendary guitar amps. It really is like a proper little classic Fender guitar amp in almost ever way, from the cloth grille to the faux-leather skin over its hefty frame. There’s no carry handle, so you’ll just want to find a suitable spot for it to sit permanently – it isn’t really meant for portability in any way. There’s also a trio of retro twiddly knobs for volume, bass and treble, so you get a little EQ adjustment without having to fiddle around with a companion app – a very nice touch.
Behind the distinctive ’68 Custom grille cloth and iconic Fender logo are a pair of 5-inch woofers and two 1-inch tweeters, driven by a whopping 120W of stereo power – 60W per channel. I settled on around 2 for treble and 3 for bass, but you’ll probably want to play around depending on your room size, musical tastes and typical listening volume.
It sounds huge and even manages some decent stereo effects, plus there’s the novelty of EQ adjustment via physical controls rather than an app. Fender fans – and guitar nuts in general – probably won’t care about any of that stuff, though, because the Monterey is just so perfectly styled and sounds great.
An über-chic Bluetooth speaker with excellent sonics that will bring a smile to the faces of more than just hardcore Fender fans.
Product Review: Fender Newport News Bluetooth Speaker
You can adjust your treble or bass settings according to the music you’re listening to using their distinguishable witch-hat knobs and enjoy classic Fender tone with two full-range speakers and one Tweeter. The Newport also features onboard microphone echo-canceling technology (great for whenever calls come in), and a USB charge port just in case you want to power up your phone or any of your other devices. The only complaint I have (if I really wanted to nitpick) is the weight of the speaker (perhaps it would be bothersome if you’re traveling with it a lot), but I’m more than happy to tote it around it if it means I’ll be getting a great, clean sound when streaming music.
This $200 Fender Newport portable wireless speaker is on sale for $100
However, for a limited time, and while supplies last, Music123 via eBay has the Fender Newport portable Bluetooth speaker for $99.99. The Fender Newport packs lots of sound for its size, thanks to its two woofers and one tweeter.
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Fender Newport: The king of guitars arrives into the Bluetooth speaker scene (Review)
It’s like a match made in heaven: a brand that has dedicated its entire life to creating music instruments is now manufacturing their own Bluetooth speakers. They actually thought this through and has come up with a superb product that, despite some very minor flaws, matches or outperforms its competitors.
Bluetooth: Version 4.2, range of approximately 33 foot, codecs apX, AAC, SBC However, the Bose SoundLink Mini II and Marshall Stockwell are lighter, allowing easier transportation.
While the Monterey used a rugged plastic that closely resembles an amplifier, the Newport uses a soft, smooth surface that still manages to avoid feeling cheap. If the overall design wasn’t enough for you, Fender made sure that you actually feel like you are using an amplifier by making its controls look like one. I always get a “that is so cool” (or its equivalent in Spanish) from the people I’ve shown it to, and the fact that it is made by Fender means that everyone immediately associates it with high quality and superb sound. Of course, it was just a small social experiment that I made, but I think it is safe to say that Fender has done a superb job in the design department, and that very few devices in the market look as good as this one.
I feel sorry for my flatmates, since they have to listen to these guitar tunes every day every time I turn the speaker on and there’s no way I can make something to avoid it. I haven’t had any connection drops, even when I moved my device to other rooms with several walls between the speaker and my Samsung Galaxy S8. I am really glad that Fender decided to add this to the speaker because there’s nothing sadder than having to stop the music at your social gathering because the phone with the premium Spotify account just died (been there). In case the default sound is not up to your standards, you can change the bass and treble knobs to adjust the output.
I don’t consider myself a person with a varied taste in music, but I did test songs like The Solace System by Epica, Panic Station by Muse, Hell Yeah by Rev Theory, and On the Rocks by Amaranthe. Songs from Dragonforce, for example, that don’t rely as much on bass sounds, benefit from adjusting the treble instead.
It’s just a matter of finding what works best for you, but when you do, the Fender Newport sounds as good as the best speakers in the price range. This is incredibly handy in open spaces and gatherings with several people, where a speaker with middle-range volume won’t cut it. Finally, in case you receive a phone call, the Fender Newport has a built-in, echo-cancelling microphone. Overall, it worked pretty well the two times I received a phone call while testing this, and the other party didn’t mention anything in particular, neither positive nor negative. Granted, I’m not much of an outside person, but knowing that, if the time comes where I have to see the outside world, I can just take this speaker with me and blast some Nightwish for 12 to 15 hours in a row, makes things much easier. I’m pretty sure that you could find this charger online as well in case something happens to yours, but I would gladly trade up charging time in return of a more universal cable.
On the bright side of things, this charger is capable of accepting 110V to 240V currents, so you can just use an adapter if you buy the US version and want to use it in Europe, for example. This positions the Newport in the upper end of the market, competing with products like the Bose SoundLink Mini II, Marshall Kilburn and JBL Extreme.
Review: Fender Newport et Fender Monterey
The Fender Newport Bluetooth speaker inherits its look from the amplifiers manufactured by the legendary American brand. The Fender Newport is designed for listening to music wirelessly and without the need for a power block, whether you are at home or on a stroll. Thanks to its rechargeable battery, the speaker offers up to eleven hours of listening far from all sources of power on a single charge.
It indicates that the manufacturer didn’t try to save on costs by using cheap materials, components and speaker drivers. In addition to the standard volume knob, the Fender Newport also features bass and treble controls. The Bluetooth 4.2 controller is compatible with the SBC (universal), AAC (iPhone), and apt-X codecs.
A USB port and a 3.5 mm mini-jack stereo input are located at the back of the speaker which allows the user to charge a device and connect a DAP, for example. We placed the speaker on a desk in a large open-space area, then moved it to our listening room, which benefits from a much better acoustic treatment.
A short sequence of electric guitar at medium volume is played when powering the speaker. We started our listening session with Michael Kinawuka’s Cold Little Heart, which was delivered with a lot of energy throughout the entire sound spectrum.
The singer’s voice is clearly separated from the instruments and the drums are restituted with an impressive richness for such a compact speaker (18 x 13 x 8 cm). The manufacturer decided to go against the current trend of ultra-wide sound diffusion for compact connected speakers (which inevitably affects the balance of high frequencies).
The Sony has the advantage when it comes to battery life and waterproof design but the Fender speaker has the upper hand as far as sound restitution goes. An up-close listening experience ensures a splendid sound resolution, while the tone balance stays absolutely delightful at midrange. With the loudness mode deactivated, the Fender Monterey’s sound signature is a bit drier than that of the Newport.
It benefits from a generous extension in the lower end of the sound spectrum and its EQ is clearly rock-oriented.
Klipsch The Three: although the sound signature of the two speakers is comparable, the Klipsch fails to reach the Fender’s high sound output without losing its composure, the low register loses its fullness and the highs become aggressive. The Marshall Woburn delivers a tremendous amount of energy in the high-bass which results in a restricted extension in the lows.
Pairing big drivers with a powerful amplifier is not enough to make a great wireless speaker. The Monterey also benefits from a strong personality and the energy it displays in the mids results in a unique sound signature. In the end, although the two speakers were obviously designed for different types of applications, the compact Fender Newport is the one that really won us over.
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