With that slight nip in the air still there, it’s a better time than any to be outdoors with friends. Whether it’s chilling out at one of the city’s sea faces or going out on a trek or even relaxing on your terrace, music makes all those moments better. Here are a few Bluetooth speakers that will be perfect to bring the music outside. They’re not just any garden variety wireless speakers, for these bring on a light show so you can have a little party on the go.
JBL Pulse 2 – Rs 12,499
The one product that sparked off the Pulsing LED light speaker craze is the JBL Pulse. JBL’s waterproof Pulse 2 has made the sound better as well as the light show brighter. This speaker is like one big bass tube with speakers on either end, producing some of the best sound you’ve heard from a speaker this small. A bit pricey, but the Pulse 2 really makes that party come alive. If your friends too have Pulse 2s you can connect them together for more a powerful sound. Connect up to three phones and play your tunes on the Pulse 2 one by one and watch the lights jump and move to the music.
Zoook ZB-ROCKER 2 - Rs 2,249
A Pulse clone from Zoook, the Rocker 2 is almost identical, except it’s a hexagon cylinder. Other than that, it’s got decent sound with an LED light show at almost quarter the price of the JBL Pulse 2. Plus, you can also connect a USB drive or an SD card with your music. The light show does dance according to the beats and the sound is pretty loud with good enough bass. Also, the hexagon shape allows you to prop the Rocker 2 safely without worrying about accidents.
MarsBoy Orb - Rs 6,000 onwards
Like the name suggests, MarsBoy Orb is a globelike Bluetooth speaker. It’s equipped with a top circumference dotted with LED lights. It’s different from the others mentioned above because of its sound virtualisation ability. Just turn off the lights, and watch the nodes light up and the sound pulsate around the orb in a pretty trippy way. The unit is quite small and can be taken anywhere you want and yet it’s capable of producing up to 5W RMS sound. It’s available in several colours but looks best in black.
ION House Party – Rs 12,000
While LEDs are great for EDM or dubstep, nothing can beat the tried-and-tested disco ball effect. ION Audio fortunately has several products that rock this look. The ION Party Starter Portable is a mini Bluetooth speaker with a tiny rotating disco ball to take around with you. However, the real fun is in the bigger speakers, like the ION House Party, with a large faceted disco ball on it and a big speaker to output some amazing bass. If you want to spend a bit more, ION has an even bigger device called the ION Block Party. A bit pricey, but it’s the perfect speaker to blast Bee Gees or whoever else you’re into.
Umeko Bounce - Rs 999
If all of the above cost too pretty a penny, you can go for the Umeko Bounce. It’s the cheapest way to get a small Bluetooth speaker with those nifty dancing and jumping LED lights. Just so that we’ve covered all shapes, the Bounce is a rectangular unit. It’s perfect as a companion to your laptop to light up your desk and small enough to fit in your bag to be taken outdoors.
MiPow Smart LED Speaker Bulb - Rs 4,490 per bulb
Sony recently unveiled a smart speaker bulb, however, MiPow already has one in the market. LED bulbs are capable of changing multiple colours. Just fix them into a socket and control them with your smartphone. It’s perfect if you want to hide your speakers and have decent sound, especially if it’s emanating from a desk lamp.
The author is a freelance tech, video gaming and lifestyle writer
