Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

A tale of 5 Blue Tooth Speakers (get comfy) Following is a review of 5 BT Speakers I purchased over the past few months: Oontz Angle($24.95) , OOntz Angle Ultra($39.95), Anker Soundcore($24.95), VAVA voom($29.95), Tribit xSound($35.99). I used the reviews from Amazon as a basis for my purchases as I have no experience with BT speakers. This speaker was to be used more or less exclusively on an Amazon Echo Dot for relatively near-field music replay. Features such as waterproof, portability, stereo capability, super bass, and loud volumes were secondary to natural sound reproduction. In other words, they would not be used at loud volumes to fill a room with sound for a party. I know……what do I expect for under $40? Test: All testing was done with 2 tablets and an Amazon Echo Dot connected via Bluetooth. We did not use the AUX connection (tested later and all worked fine). Being a cheapskate, I initially purchased the Oontz Angle and Anker Soundcore thinking one would be for my wife, and I would “settle” for the other. Between the 2, she preferred the Anker to the Oontz. The Anker produced a better all-around range albeit somewhat muffled (to me) . The Oontz, while more detailed, had too much high-end bias for most music. After a day or two, my wife agreed with me about the Anker, and we decided to get 3 more speakers and pick 2 among the 5. The Second Test: Once we received the other 3 speakers, Oontz Angle Ultra, Tribit XCore, and the VAVA Voom, it became immediately apparent the Oontz Angle and Anker SoundCore were going back. There was no comparing the initial 2 with the 3 new kids on the block. All three were obviously better…albeit a bit more expensive. Ontz Angle Ultra: a bit bigger than the original, and we both agreed the sound was better. Much better in fact. The speaker sounded bigger and the lower end had filled out nicely. Music with piano especially gained the weigh so lacking in the original Oontz which could sound small and tinkley. A good mid-range and nice bass, but not Beats level (thankfully). We both agreed that this speaker sounded the best across the different music genres we tested. It also had the unique trait of masking it's exact location; sound came from a large area near the speaker versus from an exact point. Soundstage on a $40 dollar BT speaker? Tribit Xcore: Surprisingly loud and bassy, but without going over the top. The least “cool” of the designs, but hefty for its size and did nothing badly across different music types. I especially noticed how well /full it sounded at lower volume levels. It placed second in my rankings. VAVAVoom: I liked the look and feel of this speaker the best, and being the same design as the much more expensive JBL Flip and Charge speakers I expected a lot. I especially liked the idea of the 2 side passive woofers, but it actually produced the least effective bass of the 3, even though the side woofer cones were working their little hearts out. I generally I enjoyed the sound ….but it was inconsistent among different music genres. Placed 3rd for me My rankings: Oontz Ultra, Tribit, VAVA -- My Wifes rankings: Oontz Ultra, VAVA, Tribit All connected via Bluetooth without drama to an Echo Dot, Amazon Fire, and Dell tablets. Though different sounding, the sonic differences between the VAVAVoom and the Tribit were much less than the sonic difference between those 2 speakers and the Oontz Ultra. The Ultra won hands down, and we have been very happy with it for about 4 weeks now. The VAVAVoom was returned, but I *did* keep the Tribit.....you know.....for my troubles. :-)