I was thoroughly impressed with this new Bluetooth speaker system. They're small, inexpensive, portable Bluetooth speakers that sound about what you'd expect, individually. Which is to say one small small speaker sounds pretty good for what it is, on par with with others of its size. But when you get two together, spaced apart just so, I have to admit the stereo effect really got me. It reminded me what a great format old-fashioned stereophonic sound really is. Probably because I never expected to hear it transmitted into my backyard while barbecuing some burgers from these tiny speakers. But I actually got a sense of soundstage and imaging and ended up spending a bunch of time tweaking their positions to maximize the effect. They're quite easy to use, and just angling them slightly can have significant effect on how they project the stereo image, they get suitably loud without distorting and you can get a pair for well-under $300.
Of course, they're just small speakers, so there's no sub-bass to speak of, but for rock music they actually sound pretty good. Until I can build my own Smart Home and put high-end sound into every room in the house, I'll have to stick with a portable Bluetooth speaker and phone as my roving music source. I've been doing it this way for years, but now I get stereo, which really stands out when I'm not just listening to a podcast while I do work around the house.
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