Music lovers can only get so many copies of Adele’s 25 over the holidays before they start to have a tough time faking smiles. Below are a few of my favorite Bluetooth speaker selections from 2015, as well as some of the top music gizmos chosen by our resident social media guru (and fellow music lover) Travis.
Whether you’re looking for hardware, music subscriptions or just a cute little stocking stuffer – here are some great gift options for your musically inclined friends.
Fugoo Sport XL
One of the best – if not the best – rugged Bluetooth speakers out there. At $270 you’re definitely paying for it, but for that you get powerful sound, a 35-hour battery life and a totally waterproof design. It also functions as an external battery if you want to charge your mobile devices, which can be super handy.
UE Mini Boom
A nice, great, tiny little Bluetooth speaker that delivers some quality sound with relatively low distortion and also packs max portability. You can grab a new one for about $100, but if the recipient isn’t super picky you can find a factory refurbished one on Amazon for about$45.
The Pitchfork Review
A 200-page quarterly publication focused on long-form music writing and photography. The articles are awesome, and it makes for a great coffee table read when friends visit.
Harman Kardon Onyx Studio Wireless Bluetooth Speaker
Another cool, higher-end Bluetooth speaker. Really beautiful and not all that outrageously priced at $135 on Amazon. However, it isn’t really something meant to be thrown into a bag so it’s a bit more of a niche item, and the battery life only being five hours is definitely a drag.
Bleep top 100 tracks of 2015
Every year Bleep puts out a “Top 100 Tracks” for download, and it’s always filled with a ton of gems. This is a great gift for your music friend that has already heard of every band you know. It tends to skew a little more on the electronic and experimental side, so don’t go in expecting rock and pop.
Bose SoundLink III
Say what you will about Bose gear being overpriced, but they really do have a nice line of Bluetooth speakers at the moment. At $269, the SoundLink III is a major improvement over previous iterations and sports a 14 hour battery. Added bonus for NFL fans: you can get this speaker outfitted in a Packers, Bears, Jets or Seahawks paint job.
Numark MixTrack Pro 3 DJ Controller
If you’re looking for a great entry level controller, this is the one to get. The price is around $249 at most shops, but depending on which DJ software you want to use, you might also need to pay for a software upgrade.
Gama Go Cassette Tape Bottle Opener
At $7, this little guy makes for a great stocking stuffer.
iOttie Easy One Touch 2 Car Mount Holder
Sure – this might make you look like a Lyft or Uber driver, but how many times has changing the song on your phone caused you to get distracted? This helps. A lot.
Anker Classic Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker
This little dude is one of the better cheap Bluetooth speakers out there at $35. I really love Anker products. So cheap, generally quite reliable and honest about what their products do and do not do. 15-20 hour batter life, oh and $35, did I mention that?
8GB USB Mixtape
The art of mixtape has been lost with the transition to digital and streaming. With thisretro personalized gift, you can bring back the good ole days.
Prescribed Vinyl subscription
A few friends of mine got this for me aswedding gift, and I loved it. Select a genre, pay a monthly fee, get a record in the mail. It’s that simple. I also recommend Vinyl Me Please if you are looking for exclusives that you can’t find anywhere else. Personally I think the bros at Prescribed Vinyl have slightly better musical tastes (go with the electronica/beats/downtempo prescription and you won’t be disappointed).
Juno gift voucher
Don’t know exactly what your buddy needs? This gift voucher is great place to start. Juno has everything from records and MP3s to DJ equipment and accessories.
