Suitcaseable speakers worth owning?

I still have one of the old Cambridge Soundworks PCworks speakers in a box somewhere; still far and away better than any of the Logitech 2.1 setups that have come out in the past couple decades. It's the shame the company is all but a shell of it's former self these days.

Here's another option; bigger but transportable. I've used the non-studio version before which was ok but geared more for voice than music overall. This one looks more promising:
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PassStudio

 

I have them linked stereo in wireless. Anyway they're being returned.

 

The speakers are very well reviewed. I'm wondering if there's a more affordable but good sounding DAC/AMP that would drive them well. I don't like the ratio of 200 buck speakers with the 800 dollar Dacmini.

 

A $100 Topping amp will do just fine.

 

Anyone heard the Kef Muo/s? They seem to be pretty audiophile focused and well reviewed in those circles. Can be paired or solo.

 

Check out the JBL Duet series.

Not much bass but very nice balance and a DAC can improve the sound noticeably.

 

Miccas have a pretty good reputation

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E7H8GG2/

Bring your own amp or get the powered version

https://www.amazon.com/Micca-PB42X-Powered-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B00NXAEPDC

Another option is the Yorkie from Well Rounded Sound

http://wellroundedsound.com/collections/products/speakers

I use the same drivers in a bigger enclosure and it sounds great. If you are traveling you might want to attach grills though. You can probably ask WRS to do it for you if you order directly.

 

OK so I got the B&O A1 for Christmas and so far I'm pleased. It's mono but considering the small size I think they made the right choice going with a good larger speaker rather than try to squeeze stereo out of tiny(ier) speakers and comprise everywhere else. Tonality and dynamics are all much better the the Riva S I tried. The bass also goes impressively deep without being overbearing and bleeding into the mids.

 

This thing is surprisingly good. I run it wired from my GO 450 and I'm getting surprising clarity, balance, deep tight bass and small room-filling sound. Oddly it doesn't sound nearly as good out of my ZX2.

While I read in some reviews the battery life was underwhelming, when running wired it's good. Charge it about once a week with regular daily listening.

One thing is that it sounds much better on it's edge (hanging or standing) then lying down flat. Lying flat the bass gets much boomier.

 

Haha, here are the same suitcase speakers I have...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Model-T...207639?hash=item465cd58457:g:rLwAAOSw2xRYh9q6
Don't expect the world, but they're good for a 2.1 portable system with the convenience of the suitcase. I've seen it go for cheaper though.

 

Now this is kinda neat... http://www.amphion.fi/en/create/products/mobileone12/

 

Great! ...Or do I mean crate?

Speakers with the suitcase. Probably not much room for stuff like shirts, underpants and stuff though.

I wish I'd actually heard Amphions, especially as I took a ride on the Gearslutz hype train.

 

Has anyone heard the Vanatoo Transparent Zeros?

 

I’ve not heard any of them but when I was looking into transportable solutions the top three mains powered contenders were the Eve Audio SC203, Genelec 8010, and Focal XS 2.1. This roundup includes the former two: http://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/group-test-powered-3-inch-monitors-639747

Out of the wireless options the Vifa one’s seem to be the best of the bunch. clavinetjunkie does some good work on wireless speakers including binaural videos and frequency response measurements. Though I’m unsure that his critical listening would cut the mustard here at SBAF: https://www.youtube.com/user/clavinetjunkie

 

I've read that the ILoud Micro are also contenders.

Yes the Vifa is supposed to be good but at that size I'd rather get two smaller speakers for stereo.

 

As best as I could tell from listening to binaural youtube videos with a pair of EQ’d HD800s and reading around the Muo was the highest fidelity mini speaker, but not by that much and with even less bass extension than it’s competitors. I was considering hooking them up to that little Minirig subwoofer.

These things all using Class D amps and DSP require ADCs if you’re using the AUX. I’ve used a Jambox Mini and the ADC was so bad that SBC bluetooth sounded better, I expect it’ll be the same with all the others.

Before I decided not go down this dark path I was set to buy a Dali Katch. It has speakers on both sides which at least disperses the sound in a room better. It also has a removable battery, unlike everything else.

 

I trust what NoAudiophile has to say about them

http://noaudiophile.com/Vanatoo_Transparent_Zero/

 

I suspect that I do too. I like his style!

Interesting speakers.

 

I almost feel like those Vanatoo Zeroes are stackable into a mini line array.