Speakers or docking station for iPhone?

[BLUEYESTU]

Am needing some home hifi technical advice please. For a few years I’ve had an iPhone docking station in my kitchen for listening to music while I’m getting my cook on. I first had the old iPhone 5 with the wider connection and then when I got the 6s I bought an adapter so I could still use it.
The docking station has finally given up the ghost and I’ve been looking at new ones but it seems that docking stations may not be the way to go now - there aren’t many on the market and there’s brands I don’t recognise, and its more wireless speakers that people are buying.
The thing is, I don’t have a clue with these things. Do I just plug it in to the wall and pair it up with my iPhone with the Bluetooth? And if you just have 1 speaker is it just going to be mono sound instead of stereo? Showing my age here I know (50’s) but I’m clueless what I should be looking at.
Any help on this would be very appreciated, thanks in advance :-)

 

[squirtyflower]

I'm no expert here but I assume some of these speakers will use Apple's Airplay which requires a connection over your wireless system (not with leads).
You can buy some that have an audio lead that plugs into your headphone socket on your iPhone.

Some 'single' speakers can give stereo sound but you need a reasonable separation of distance between the two speakers within the single speaker it is set up to give an enhanced 'stereo' sound.

 

[yeseye]

What is your budget?
Misery has a JBL Flip £100ish) or you can spend a few ton or a tenner!
The outlaws arrived xmas morning with the annual bag full of shite and one of my daughters presents was a accelerate bluetooth speaker which doubles up as a lamp or flashing colours like a bleeding disco in my kitchen ffs! (£10ish)

 

[denislawsbackheel]

In a kitchen do you really need stereo?
get an Amazon Alexa Echo for £69-89 depending on when you get it.
Connect it to your router.
Control it with voice.
You cannot access your own Spotify playlists though.

Or get any of the wireless speakers on offer at Richersounds to stream your own Spotify playlist music to, or anything else you have apps for, radio, Tidal, etc, etc.

 

[domalino]

Am needing some home hifi technical advice please. For a few years I’ve had an iPhone docking station in my kitchen for listening to music while I’m getting my cook on. I first had the old iPhone 5 with the wider connection and then when I got the 6s I bought an adapter so I could still use it.
The docking station has finally given up the ghost and I’ve been looking at new ones but it seems that docking stations may not be the way to go now - there aren’t many on the market and there’s brands I don’t recognise, and its more wireless speakers that people are buying.
The thing is, I don’t have a clue with these things. Do I just plug it in to the wall and pair it up with my iPhone with the Bluetooth? And if you just have 1 speaker is it just going to be mono sound instead of stereo? Showing my age here I know (50’s) but I’m clueless what I should be looking at.
Any help on this would be very appreciated, thanks in advance :-)

Almost all wireless speakers will be either bluetooth or wifi or both. I've had about half a dozen and they usually don't take more than 5 minutes to set up, sometimes you have to get an app from the manufacturer.

1 speaker will give you stereo sound but it won't give you much of a stereo effect. Ie the speaker will play both channels but it won't give you the effect of sounds coming from your left and right like you would get with two speakers set 10ft apart.

You can pair 2 or more speakers from most manufacturers though to create that if you want it, or play the music in different rooms.

 

[denislawsbackheel]

10 feet apart?
LOL!
All that will give is two sources 10 feet apart.
You certainly won’t get stereo through them ie a 3D soundstage within which you can place instruments, singers etc..
The optimum distance for that is the base of an equilateral triangle, with listener at the apex, so in most modern houses about 6-8 feet max.

Anyway the OP wants to listen whilst peeling carrots and mashing spuds, not take in Gotterdammerung!

 

[super_city_si]

Alexa is a good shout or just get a Bluetooth speaker. Plenty of decent ones out there’s that won’t break the bank.

 

[Paladin]

My recommendation is the Ultimate Ears Boom 2, about £100 from John Lewis or Amazon. It charges through USB, and connects via Bluetooth to any compatible device such as your iPhone. Anything you play on your iPhone will play through the speaker.

It is waterproof and shockproof, and its charge lasts for days. I played 5 Live today through this, and listened to the footy whilst I washed up.

The one on the right, available in blue or black also. Ask John Lewis for a demo. They also have cheaper and dearer models.

 

[quiet_riot]

Sonos.


/thread.

 

[brummie blue]

Sonos Play 1 - reduced in price to (£134 Amazon, Richer Sounds) since the issue of the Sonos Alexa version. As long as you have decent wifi, the Songs app on you iphone will work perfectly, and unless you have a massive kitchen, sound will be more than suitable