Portable Speakers for Dancing, review, and Tivoli audio

The Problem:

I usually move around for practice, sometimes in gyms, hallways, or where ever. Although it would be nice to go to a studio, sometimes that's not possible nor feasible.

So, I need a portable speaker with enough volume and quality, but can't be too big since it has to fit in my bag and is easy to set up. The trouble with boomboxes is either that they are too big or don't have a line-in for mp3 player(CDs only). I also need a good bass to hear the beat in standard and latin.

The Solutions:

1) The Sonic Impact flat panels speakers:

Availability: Amazon.com
price: ~$20
rating: 5/10
how it works: It uses vibrating membranes which feel like sturdy foam-core. You wire up each speaker to the amp, and plug your music source to the amp.
pros: cheap, light and small, can run on batteries or AC
cons: not loud enough to fill a room, bass is horrible, and too many wires takes a while to setup
overall: okay for small rooms, but has a "cheap" sound. There's a version which is built into a CD case.



2) Sound Bug
availability: ?
price: ~$10
rating: 3/10
how it works: you stick this thing to any smooth, flat surfaces by suction and make the whole surface a speaker!
pros: very small - pocket sized!, runs on batteries.
cons: cumbersome and hard to setup. The concept is cool, but it is not loud enough even on ideal survaces(they recommend glass), and the bass varies drastically on the material you stick it on.
overall: nice ideal, but disappointing performance.


3) Generic PC speakers.

Availability: any computer store
price: $10-50
rating: 6/10
how it works: buy any off-the-self pc speakers, either powered or not, and plug in your music source
pros: widely and easily available, quality can vary greatly
cons: I find that many are not lound enough, most are AC powered only, or the none-powered ones are definitely not loud enough to fill a good sized room. Also, all the wires can be tangled and a mess, especially if they require both speakers when you really only need one.
overall: it's probably the easy solution with okay results. you should definitely try them out first before buying(eg. go to Bestbuy and try the displays). Also, note that high speakers like the Bose computer speakers can fall into the category below.


4) Tivoli iPal Speakers
Availability: tivoliaudio.com, sometimes Best Buy
price: ~$100, $150 on their website
rating: 9/10
how it works: It's a portable speaker which can be AC powered, or powered by an internal rechargable battery.
pros: made by world reknown audio designer Henry Kloss(he created Dolby Sound systems), good balance of bass and treble(frequency response is good), does a good job of filling a room(in a basketball court), AC and battery power is a real plus! fast to set up by plugging in only the music, smaller than most PC speakers and fits in a messenger bag with two pairs of shoes and other stuff!
cons: pricey! although it is loud enough to fill a silent room, it's not enough to overcome noise, and definitely not enough for a party/social
overall: I highly recommend for the sound volume and quality, size is great. A few people have seen me use it at practice, and bought their own.

Conclusion

I've assumed that there's already a good source of music via a 35mm jack, which can be CD players, mp3 players, or some other media player. However, it's another discussion to talk about the various options in music players. I would also like to hear what other people use.


Update: oops, sorry, I accidentally turned off the comments. comments are back on.