Sony GTK-X1BT vs Marshall Stanmore

With the emergence of all these bluetooth speakers in market today, it took me months to decide which one is perfect for me and my needs. 

Factors to be considered: 

1. Being a basshead, I need a speaker that is at par with my car audio setup (Pioneer Head Unit + Ground Zero 30SPL Subwoofer + Sound Magus amps + Kicker Coax + Kicker separates), or at least near what my Sennheiser Momentum headphones are giving me. 

2. Portability. I need something that I can carry and move around the house. From the living room, to the dining room, down to the garage where we usually chill and have some drinks. 

3. Should be within the price range of PHP 10,000 - 25,000 (US $200-550). Over 25k is just too much for a portable speaker system. I'll go for a decent Hi-Fi system at 35k and above. 

With those 3 factors considered, in the end I was torn between 2 awesome bluetooth speakers: 

Sony GTK-X1BT vs. Marshall Stanmore 

Both of them have very good reviews. Both are beautifully designed in their own respects. Sony GTK-X1BT has this geometric, very modern design with LED lights and DJ Effects. While the Marshall Stanmore has this classic vintage design with old school knobs and switch. 

I first auditioned the Sony GTK-X1BT at a Sony Centre, I played a high quality demo audio from my Xperia Z3 and was immediately blown away. It is surprisingly GREAT considering a price tag of just PHP 12,995 (approx. US $280), plus additional features such as Bass Bazuka, DJ Effects, and LED lights that pump up the atmosphere with club-like illumination... it's perfect! 

I wanted to buy it on-the-spot (that's how good it is) but I somehow I managed to stop myself and walk away, coz I need to audition the Marshall Stanmore first. 

After a few days, I found a store that has a Marshall Stanmore on demo so I auditioned it. It's really beautiful in person and I was really hopeful that it would be as good as the Sony GTK. The audio quality is crisp and superb, no doubt about that, typical Marshall quality. But it just lacks that full low-end power that the Sony GTK has. Even if I adjusted both treble and bass knobs on the Stanmore,  doesn't have much effect, adjustments were fairly conservative. I think it's best for Rock, Classical, Acoustic, Pop, and vocals. But if you in to EDM, RnB, Hip-hop and Dance/Club music you might find the Stanmore lacking on the lower end. 

After careful consideration, the Sony GTK-X1BT is the clear winner for me. I never regret my decision up to this day. The Sony GTK surpasses all my expectations from a Bluetooth Mini Hi-Fi system. I connect it to my iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Xperia Z3, MacBook Pro, Projector and Sony Bravia (it even performs better than our Sony 5.1 home theatre system). It's a real bang for the buck!