The vacation season is almost upon us and no holiday is ever complete without a few sunny tunes to provide a soundtrack to your precious few weeks off. So if you’re about to set off camping or take to your motorhome, then I’ve rounded up a couple of wireless Bluetooth music devices that I think will keep you singing all the way through your summer holiday and partner your phone or tablet really well.
First up is the AKG Y45BT headphones which offer a compact set of over-the-head phones with the option of Bluetooth or wireless connections. AKG is a byword for high-quality headphones and the Y45BT are no exception. The earpieces are a small circular cup design containing 40mm drivers and feature a neat swivel-and-tuck-in storage design. The headphones will charge up in around an hour using the supplied microUSB charging cable and will play for eight hours depending on the volume you choose.
Pairing up your iOS or Android device is as simple as holding down the power button on the headphones until a blue LED starts flashing. Then you select the headphones as a pairing device on your phone or tablet, and that’s all you need to do. There are volume buttons on the right earcup as well as a pause button which you can also double-click to skip to the next track on your device. A microphone is also built into the earcup so that you can take and make calls as you would with standard Apple earbuds.
Should the battery on the Y45BT run down you can use the supplied 3.5mm jack lead to plug the headphones into your phone or tablet. The sound quality and volume of the AKG Y45BTs are superb. There is a very slight hiss when using Bluetooth, but that’s pretty much standard with all headphones connecting wirelessly and you certainly don’t notice once the music starts playing. The sound quality is impressive and the fit is comfortable. I wouldn't recommend mashing with them on but a little gentle head shaking won't cause any problems. The overall sound reproduction is really pleasing with plenty of bass and a treble that won't fatigue your ears.
When using the wired connection there is no background hiss whatsoever so for late-night listening I opted to connect via the supplied wire which also turned off the pulsing Bluetooth indicator light that can be a bit off-putting in the dark. There’s no access to the volume controls or pause/skip button when using the cable, which is the only slight niggle I have with these headphones. It would be great if AKG could include a small remote control on the cable. For a price of £90 (approx €125/$140) I doubt these headphones can be beaten, even if they weren’t Bluetooth. Give them a try because they really are something special and small enough to travel with and yet not compromise on sound.
My second musical holiday offering is a new mini budget Bluetooth speaker from Harman Kardon subsidiary JBL. The JBL GO is a very small Bluetooth speaker that’s not much larger than a fat packet of cigarettes. You can charge the GO using the supplied microUSB cable and it’s good for around six hours of use. You can also connect the speaker to any audio output using a 3.5mm cable if your phone, laptop or tablet doesn’t have Bluetooth capability. JBL’s GO is Bluetooth 4.1 compatible which means it offers a much higher sound quality compared to earlier Bluetooth iterations. The GO can also work as a handsfree device for taking phone calls thanks to a built-in microphone. Along the top of the GO is a power switch, Bluetooth pairing button, volume +/- buttons and a telephone symbol to press when you want to accept an incoming call.
Obviously for such a compact speaker you can’t expect a huge sound but it’s still quite surprising how big and how decent a sound the JBL GO can produce. It’s certainly ideal for using in a tent, on the beach or in a camper van. At a retail price of around £25 (approx €35/$40) it’s definitely a bargain and available in a range of cheerful colours including blue, orange, red and black.
More information www.jbl.com and www.akg.com
Currency conversion correct as of June 7, 2015
