Nowadays, almost everyone owns a Bluetooth speaker, often more than one. It has become all but an indispensable gadget for music enthusiasts. Manufacturers have responded to this demand with a massive selection of speakers for every specialized niche, from tiny speakers to large speakers, shower speakers, outdoor speakers, party speakers, and everything in between. At the same time, an entire industry of accessories that can enhance your listening experience or help make your speaker even more versatile and convenient has sprung up. In this article, we’ll look at a few of these accessories that you didn’t even know you needed but soon won’t be able to live without.
Speaker Mounts and Stands
Various mounts and stands are available for your Bluetooth speaker, ranging from simple wall mounts and tripod stands to more specialized applications like bike mounts. it is common nowadays to find a standard tripod connection point at the bottom of speakers, making it very easy to mount on almost any compatible stand.
Three Reasons Why You Need this
- Better Sound Projection: It is no secret that the speaker placement can dramatically impact the sound quality. Using a mount or a speaker stand to elevate or position your speaker to an ideal height is the easiest way.
- To Help Protect Your Speaker: Fixing your speaker to a mount or a stand is an easy way to prevent it from being knocked over or scratched. This is particularly true for speakers that are used during parties.
- Saving Space and Looking Good: A speaker on an elegant stand frees up space on your other surfaces and looks great!
Protective Cases and Covers
If you’ve bought a portable speaker, then chances are you intend to move it around or maybe even travel with it. If this is the case, get protective coverage for all the obvious reasons.
Hard cases, typically made from hard plastic or metal, are ideal for heavy, rugged usage and will protect against drops and impacts. In contrast, soft covers, typically made from silicone or neoprene, will protect only against scratches and minor impacts. If you are an outdoor enthusiast or frequent traveler, consider getting a waterproof cover to help protect your speaker against the elements.
Three Reasons Why You Need this
- Protection from Physical Damage: If you use your speaker daily or even regularly, there will be a risk that it can get dropped, bumped, or scratched. A case can help minimize this risk and protect our speaker.
- Shielding from The Elements: While most speakers that you’d consider taking outside would nowadays have an IPX6 rating or higher, there’s no harm in adding an extra layer of protection. Shielding your speaker from UV rays can only be done with some cover.
- Longevity and Maintenance: Using a case or cover can significantly extend the life of a speaker by reducing the need for repairs or replacements.
Solar Chargers
Solar chargers convert sunlight into electricity through photovoltaic panels. This is a convenient way to charge any electronic device with a battery; your Bluetooth speaker is no exception. Solar chargers are ideally suited for outdoor speakers, but nothing prevents you from harnessing the sunlight in your living room to keep the batteries on your speaker charged at all times.
While solar chargers are not (yet) regularly integrated into portable Bluetooth speakers, they are commonly found on outdoor garden speakers and garden rock speakers that spend their lives in the open. The alternative to an integrated solar charger is a flexible mobile solar charging panel that can be used for all your devices.
Three Reasons Why You Need this
- Portability: Solar chargers are designed to be lightweight and portable, making them ideal for outdoor activities like camping, hiking, or beach trips.
- Off-Grid Charging: Solar chargers provide a convenient way to charge your Bluetooth speaker when you’re off the grid or away from traditional power sources.
- Environmental Benefits: Solar chargers are environmentally friendly, as they harness renewable energy from the sun, reducing the need for traditional electricity sources.
Portable Battery Packs
Unlike solar chargers, almost everyone owns a portable battery pack nowadays, and in most cases, use it to charge phones. Don’t forget that your battery pack is also a great accessory for your portable Bluetooth speaker! It’s just a power source, so if you’ve forgotten to charge your speaker, earphones, or earbuds and there’s a looming threat of the beats dying down, charge it up with your battery pack.
The good news is that many Bluetooth speakers nowadays will return the favor. Because speakers are often equipped with substantial batteries, manufacturers often include a USB charging point that allows you to charge your phone from your speaker, doubling as a battery pack.
Three Reasons Why You Need this
- Extended Playtime: Portable battery packs provide additional power to extend the playtime of your Bluetooth speaker, ideal for long outdoor adventures or events.
- Convenience: They offer a convenient solution for charging your speaker on the go, eliminating the need to rely on traditional power sources.
- Emergency Power Source: Battery packs can also serve as an emergency power source for your speaker and other devices when traditional power sources are unavailable.
Bluetooth Transmitters and Receivers
Bluetooth transmitters and receivers expand connectivity and, in some cases, the range of your Bluetooth speaker and streaming device.
A Bluetooth transmitter is a device that connects to non-Bluetooth audio sources, like TVs or older audio systems, and transmits audio wirelessly to Bluetooth speakers. It is usually shaped like a small box with all sorts of audio input ports. Bluetooth receivers look pretty much the same but do exactly the opposite. It receives audio from a Bluetooth device and can then relay it via the connection ports to a non-Bluetooth-enabled device. Since you likely have a Bluetooth speaker, chances are you’re more likely to need or use a transmitter to stream from your older non-digital devices.
Three Reasons Why You Need this
- Compatibility: Transmitters and receivers bridge the gap between devices with different connectivity options, making using Bluetooth speakers with a wider range of devices possible.
- Range Extension: They can also extend the range of your Bluetooth speaker, allowing you to stream audio from your device even when it’s far away from the speaker.
- Multi-Room Audio: Transmitters and receivers can create multi-room audio systems where you can play synchronized music in different rooms using Bluetooth speakers.
Waterproof Floating Devices
The market is flooded (pun!) with waterproof portable Bluetooth speakers with IPX7 ratings – meaning they are fully waterproof and can be submerged in shallow water for up to 30 minutes. While this is great, the problem is that some speakers float, and some will sink like a rock to the bottom of the lake if they drop off your kayak! There are pool speakers designed specifically to float with their speakers above the water. Hence, they continue to deliver audible audio, but there’s no guarantee that your speaker, even if it floats, will not flip over and become an underwater speaker.
Fortunately, quite a few floatation systems and accessories can solve both problems. First, ensure that your speaker floats, which is, of course, the most important part, and secondly, in some cases, ensure that it floats the right way around so you can continue enjoying your music.
You should consider getting one if you have regular pool parties, kayaks, or boats or spend much time on some open body of water while enjoying your music.
Three Reasons Why You Need this
- Enhanced Water Usability: Waterproof floating devices are specifically designed to keep Bluetooth speakers afloat in water, allowing them to be used in various environments such as pools, lakes, or beaches.
- Protection and Security: These devices ensure that the speaker remains on the water’s surface, preventing it from sinking or getting damaged by water. They also provide a secure and stable platform for the speaker, even in waves or currents.
- Shock and Impact Resistance: These devices often feature shock-resistant materials or cushioning to protect the speaker from accidental bumps or drops.
Voice Assistant Integration Accessories
Voice assistants allow us to control our speakers, adjust the volume, play music, and more with simple voice commands. Smart home integration also allows us to control almost every aspect of a modern connected home, like setting alarms, checking the weather, or controlling smart home devices.
Some Bluetooth speakers ship with integrated support for some of the more common voice assistants like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple’s Siri. There are adaptors available for speakers without built-in voice control that will give your speaker the same capabilities. An external microphone is a related accessory since not all Bluetooth speakers have mics. You will need a connection port for this tough, so ensure your speaker has this. If there’s no mic on your speaker and no way to connect an external mic, you must opt for an adaptor with one.
Three Reasons Why You Need this
- Enhanced Functionality: Voice assistant integration accessories enable Bluetooth speakers to be controlled using voice commands, allowing for hands-free operation and access to a wide range of features and functions.
- Compatibility: These accessories are designed to work with popular voice assistants such as Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri, depending on the speaker’s compatibility.
- Popular Brands: Highlight some well-known brands that offer voice assistant integration accessories for Bluetooth speakers, along with their key features and benefits.
Sound Enhancement Accessories
Many portable Bluetooth speakers by the more popular brands have an app that enables you to tweak and manage the speaker and the soundstage to your liking. There are also 3rd party apps available that will help with this, to some extent, regardless of your speaker brand. Equalizers can be used to adjust the frequency response of Bluetooth speakers, allowing users to fine-tune the sound to their liking. Sound processors, on the other hand, can enhance your audio signals before they reach the speaker, improving clarity and fidelity.
Sound quality is often, though not always, somewhat directly related to how much money you spend on a speaker. If your budget didn’t allow you to buy the sound you were hoping for, or your speaker doesn’t excel in the frequencies that suit your music genre out of the box, this is a great way to tweak it to your liking.
Three Reasons Why You Need this
- Enhanced Bass: Sound enhancement accessories can provide a more robust and powerful bass response, adding depth and richness to the audio.
- Improved Clarity: By reducing distortion and background noise, these accessories can improve the clarity of audio playback, making it easier to hear fine details in the music.
- Wider Soundstage: Some accessories can create a wider soundstage, making the audio feel more immersive and spacious as if coming from a larger speaker system.
Conclusion
Bluetooth speaker accessories offer a lot of ways to enhance your listening experience. While some of these are more commonly used, there are devices available that we often don’t even consider or know about. Adding these accessories to your Bluetooth speaker setup allows you to customize and optimize your audio experience to suit your lifestyle and preferences.
