Might be used outdoors a bit but for the most part i'll be using the speakers indoors. I've narrowed it down to these two speakers but i'm open to any other ones that are priced in the $200 range.

My experience with wireless speakers has been bad - but those weren't bluetooth speakers, they were those awful RF wireless patio speakers. Good luck...

I was certainly hoping more people would weigh in on this dicussion, as I have whittled my way down to the same two units.  chopstixZ, did you ever buy one and if so, which one and how did you like it?
 
I know bluetooth may not be the ultimate audio hifi sound, but there are times with my kids that I would like a portable speaker to play.  In those cases, the audio quality is still important, but it is not the "end all".

I haven't tried the UE boom but I've recently purchased the Bose Soundlink Mini and the new Sony SRS-X5 to demo with the intent of keeping one. The Bose won for a few reasons : 1. An incredible amount of quality sound coming out of a tiny package. 2. It goes fairly loud without distortion or 'throttling' the volume. (The Sony X5 would rapidly fluctuate the volume at high volumes which was VERY annoying and distracting) 3. Portability, its much smaller than the Sony I was concidering. 4. Surprising bass response, this is one of the best bluetooth speakers I've heard with awesome low end.
I don't usually like Bose electronics but this is IMO their best product.

daddymojo said:

I was certainly hoping more people would weigh in on this dicussion, as I have whittled my way down to the same two units.  chopstixZ, did you ever buy one and if so, which one and how did you like it?

I know bluetooth may not be the ultimate audio hifi sound, but there are times with my kids that I would like a portable speaker to play.  In those cases, the audio quality is still important, but it is not the "end all".

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In that case, I'd suggest the JBL Charge. Great volume and good room filling sound. Good battery life. Very portable and comes with a thick neoprene sleeve case. Rugged enough to be fairly kid friendly.

I pair mine with a Sansa Clip+ so I don't have to use my phone battery, which there's room in the case for (plus, any of these bluetooth speakers will sound better with a direct connection instead of bluetooth). Unlike the Bose, it does not require a proprietary charging adapter, but uses a micro USB connection--that proprietary adapter on the Bose would be a deal breaker for me. It also has a 6,000mAH Li-ion batter built in with a USB connection so you can use it to charge your phone if need be.

Right now they are on sale at Amazon for $135. Hard to beat for that price/performance.

Thank you both Cel4145 and HotShotMedic for your comments, those are both good options. I have seen the JBL on sale at Radio Shack, but have not been able listen to it. I did demo the Soundlink and Soundlink Mini at the Bose store in my city. I will be buying one of those two units by week's end.

I used to be a big fan of the Bose Music Wave and I still have a Bose clock/radio that I have had for 15 years that is amazing. But I have never been a huge fan of the Bose headphones.

Thank you again.

Thank you again for your comments, I ended up going to both BestBuy and Bose to listen to their products, keeping in mind the recommendations form this thread.
 
I probably forgot to mention that the purchase was a gift for my daughter 15th birthday and her taste is less discriminating than mine and since she will be taking it to the beach, pools, school and on trips, it has to be more durable than audiophile quality.
 
After listening to the Bose and JBL units, I agree that the Soundlink Mini probably sounded the best, but two thing drove me away from it.  First, the add ons.  If you buy the Bose Mini, you have to pay extra for a rubber sleeve that goes around it and even the employee at the Bose store said that the sleeve was awkward and hard to put on.  The sleeve costs an additional $25 or so.  Then to get a case, you need to spend an extra $45 (or so), so you could have a canvas/cloth bag to carry the unit and the charger.  Also, I listed to the Bose pre-programmed music and was thoroughly impressed with the sound, but then the Bose rep allowed me to sync a unit to my iPhone and I played several songs, including Jungle by Jamie N Commons and it sounded very distorted at a high volume.  The rest of my play list sounded terrific, however at this point my mind was already made up.  So ultimately, probably out of principal more than anything, I walked out of the Bose Store and into the Apple store and bought............'
 
..............a UE Boom.  The Boom comes with a protective coating and seemed to be more ready for mobile use than the Soundlink Mini and while I really liked the JBL Charge, for some reason the UE Boom sounded just a little bit better to me.  When my daughter opened the gift for her birthday, she could not have been more excited and for several hours had an impromptu dance party with her sister and her girlfriends.  So for her, this really was the perfect choice.  Another cool feature with the Boom is that when you download the UE Boom App, you can "double" them up and play two at one time, in mono or stereo mode.  While I am not sure that is a feature we will ever use, it is a nice concept.  Syncing via blue tooth was simple, music played well and commends responded well, as did EQ settings.

My suggestion is that there is no big difference between them, wireless speakers always don't have a great sound quality. So if you need one just choose a not expensive one and the one comes with a good warranty plan. 

daddymojo said:

.............a UE Boom.  The Boom comes with a protective coating and seemed to be more ready for mobile use than the Soundlink Mini and while I really liked the JBL Charge, for some reason the UE Boom sounded just a little bit better to me.  When my daughter opened the gift for her birthday, she could not have been more excited and for several hours had an impromptu dance party with her sister and her girlfriends.  So for her, this really was the perfect choice.  Another cool feature with the Boom is that when you download the UE Boom App, you can "double" them up and play two at one time, in mono or stereo mode.  While I am not sure that is a feature we will ever use, it is a nice concept.  Syncing via blue tooth was simple, music played well and commends responded well, as did EQ settings.

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Awesome! I think going with the UE Boom is smart over the Bose. Like the Charge, it just seems more portable for teenage use/abuse

The new ROAR by Creative looks pretty sweet, and Tyll from Inner Fidelity certainly had a lot of good things to say about it. It's not out yet but if you're willing to wait a bit, I think its coming out soon. http://www.creative.com/roar/#roar
 
Tyll's review / preview: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/audio-toolkit-creative-sound-blaster-roar-sr20
 
I own the TDK A33 and like that it's compact, water-resistant, visually appealing, and pretty loud. I got it on sale but it's not too much now: http://www.amazon.com/TDK-Life-Record-Wireless-Weatherproof/dp/B008VMT2HQ/

thievesarmy said:

  The new ROAR by Creative looks pretty sweet, and Tyll from Inner Fidelity certainly had a lot of good things to say about it. It's not out yet but if you're willing to wait a bit, I think its coming out soon. http://www.creative.com/roar/#roar
 
Tyll's review / preview: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/audio-toolkit-creative-sound-blaster-roar-sr20
 
I own the TDK A33 and like that it's compact, water-resistant, visually appealing, and pretty loud. I got it on sale but it's not too much now: http://www.amazon.com/TDK-Life-Record-Wireless-Weatherproof/dp/B008VMT2HQ/

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Thievesarmy
 
That is very cool, I will have to check that out.  I still want to by another speaker to use for events, and the UE Boom seems like a likely candidate if you can pair two together, but I am always interested in new gear.

For anyone who's still reading this thread, my experience with UE boom for about a year has been fantastic. I've heard the sound from Bose before. It's also great. I think the two have similar sound quality. They amazed me with the sound that came out from these little devices. I love the UE boom more because of the superior portability. Its shape made it very easy to throw in any backpack or maybe even a women's purse. It has smaller footprint, and it's also water repellent. I dipped it in water before. So, you can practically take it anywhere you want, i.e. beach, swimming pool, camping, etc. However, if your main use is outdoor, I would suggest choosing darker color. My Boom's white base started to turn a little yellow. It's not very noticeable though.

Cryozeal:
 
I never thought to think about color being an issue, but that is a good idea.  We have used the UE Boom extensively, at home, at church, at the beach, on the boat and it is really a cool piece of machinery.  It was a perfect choice for my daughter and she really enjoys it.  She and I share the same musical taste, as opposed to my son (house, electronic) and my youngest child (pop, dance), so the performance that I look for suit her just fine.  I bought another with the idea that I was going to use it in my office, but the sound was so big that it was just too much.
 
Any ideas of a smaller bluetooth unit to use in my office?

DaddyMojo:

Well, I think IEM or over-ear headphones are best for office use, so that you can walk around with them without bothering anyone.
 
I think smaller bluetooth speakers wouldn't really help. It depends on the volume you choose. Even UE boom can work if you turn the volume very low.
 
I have tried smaller bluetooth speakers from Brookstone before (1/3 of UE boom size), and they are horrible.

Since I am on the phone and in meetings most of the day, iems like my Westone UM3X, are just not practical. I do use my Klipsch S3M in my car, but it is not practical for my office. I was looking at Amazon reviews today and compared the Mini Boom with the JBL Micro. (Both are sold at BestBuy and I have a gift card, purchased from my son who used the money to buy some Grado headphones he could not live without.) I will probably try to check them out this weekend.