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This review by Optimum Fitness looks at the very best portable bluetooth speakers for fitness instructors. With clear vocals and motivational music, your classes will become more popular than ever!
Portable Bluetooth PA speakers
Fitness instructors can now play music and instruct classes via wireless microphones, without wasting time connecting up music systems. The days of tangled cables, CDs skipping, dodgy connections and audio interference, have long gone.
The quality of fitness classes have improved forever more, as portable PA speakers can now produce outstanding crisp, smooth sounds, even at loud volumes.
Simply connect to a PA speaker using bluetooth on your phone or tablet.
What do I need to consider when buying a portable bluetooth PA speaker?
The four most important considerations are:
- Wattage (audio output)?
- Battery or Mains powered?
- Bluetooth enabled?
- Weight of speaker?
Audio Output
The wattage usually determines how good the quality of sound will be at higher volumes. An important consideration is how big your class size is (or could be) and what the size and height of the room you are teaching in is. The bigger the class and room, the more sound you will need to fill it! Unless you have a very small class in a very small room (e.g. teaching yoga to 4-6 people), we would recommend at least 50 watts of amplifier power.
Battery or Mains Powered?
A PA system that is battery powered is completely portable with no reliance on cables/power sockets/electricity supply. However, battery powered PA system tend to lack the amplifier power required by fitness instructors, as mentioned above. We would therefore recommend a PA system that is mains powered, but also has a battery-powered option (as a back-up).
Bluetooth Enabled
This is currently the most effective way of connecting a phone or tablet to your PA system, so it is essential that your speaker is bluetooth enabled. As a back-up, it is helpful if there is also a USB port and audio input port, so you can connect with cable should the bluetooth connectivity malfunction.
Weight of Speaker
If you are teaching classes in different locations, the weight of the speaker will be a consideration. Technology is improving, but speakers with larger amplifier power also tend to be larger is size and weight. A really useful addition are wheels and a trolley handle, so you can roll into class with your ‘speaker suitcase’!
The three best portable bluetooth PA speakers for fitness instructors
ECOXGEAR GDI-EXBM901 Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker
This bluetooth speaker from Exogear packs a powerful punch.
With 100 watts of audio output, the speaker can play music at seriously impressive volumes.
Music played through this speaker can be heard in larger venues, including swimming pools, parks and beaches.
It is also waterproof so an ideal choice for Aqua instructors.
Microphones can be purchased separately to be connected via cable or wirelessly to the speaker.
Features include:
- 100% Waterproof and Dustproof! Even if dropped in water, this speaker will float!
- A powerful 100 Watts amplifier for BIG sound at good quality
- 10 hours of playing time, at full volume, using the in-built battery (or connect to a power socket)
- Telescopic handle and oversized wheels for easy transportation
- Includes a waterproof smartphone storage and USB charging compartment
See here for price!
What do Users Say?
‘I ordered this to play music for my classes and it works great!! The sound and clarity is great. the battery life is wonderful as well. I use the speaker throughout the week and I don’t have to recharge it often”
“Did I mention how LOUD this thing plays? None of us could believe it, but we certainly appreciated it!”
‘This speaker is the best thing I’ve bought in a long time. Don’t waist money on a shelf stereo or those other Bluetooth speakers, this thing sounds excellent and it’s so loud you can barely turn it up at all!’
Any Cons?
This Exogear speaker weighs 27 pounds (12 KG), but there is a telescopic handle and chunky wheels for easy transportation
If you also want to use a wireless microphone headset for your classes, this would need to bought separately, along with a receiver that can connect to the USB port or the microphone output port (6.5 mm port). Our recommendation:
Our Summary of the Exogear GDI-EXBM901 Waterproof speaker
A fantastic loud speaker for those who want to energize and motivate! Suitable for large classes (20-30 participants) in larger venues such as parks, beaches and swimming pools.
Just pair with a wireless microphone headset, like this one from Zoweetek and you have the complete fitness instructor sound package!
Rockville RPG15 Professional PA Speaker
BOOM!!!! A MASSIVE 1000 Watts of Amplifier Power!
This is a serious sounding speaker, for a very reasonable price.
Ideal for fitness professionals that teach big indoor classes (up to 50 participants) in large venues, such as sports halls and gymnasiums.
This speaker will produce some great quality sound to really help motivate and energize your fitness classes!
Features include:
The specifications with this speaker are all about the sound quality:
- 15” woofer with a 3″ aluminum voice coil for outstanding acoustic power
- Incredibly deep bass
- Distortion free system
- Built-in bass and treble equalizers for fine-tuning and tweaking the sound
The speaker comes with microphone aux input port (6.35 mm or 1/4 inch) and is fully bluetooth enabled, with a USB port for alternative connectivity.
It also comes with a handy remote control (ideal for fitness instructors!)
See price here!
What do Users Say?
“This has been a great little speaker. We use it for our softball games. We connect via bluetooth and the girls like it loud. Its easy to set up and lite enough to move easily. I would recommend it to anyone looking for an affordable option.”
“It’s been a wicked long time since I’ve felt this strongly about a product, been spreading the word about this thing to anyone I can
For the price and what you get for it, it can’t be beat
After I got this in I went back and read all the 5star reviews for $400 Bose and Beats by Dre crappy lil sound bars and laughed my ass off”
Any Cons?
This Rockville speaker is pretty heavy! At 55 lbs, this is one of the heaviest portable speakers. but it does have built-in wheels and a retractable handle to make it easier to transport in and out of venues. There is also an ergonomically shaped carrying handle, for ease when taking the speaker in/out of cars etc.
This speaker is not battery powered, due to the immense audio output, but a power cable is provided.
The speaker is available with or without bluetooth enabled technology and USB input. Make sure you select the right option for you!
You will need to buy a separate wireless microphone headset and receiver. Our recommendation is this option from Zoweetek:
Our Summary
A superior quality speaker, with HUGE sound! Ideal for fitness instructors who want really want to pack a punch in their classes.
Simply pair with a wireless headset, like this one from Zoweetek, and you are ready to blast out the tunes and get the party started!
Hisonic HS120BT HL Portable PA System
This portable speaker is one of the best sellers on Amazon, and for for good reason.
With over 1000 reviews and a solid 4 star rating, this is a ideal starter pack for fitness instructors looking for a basic yet good quality speaker. One major bonus is that this speaker also comes with a wireless headset microphone!
Most PA speaker packages include hand-held microphones, so this is a fantastic opportunity to buy a great speaker and microphone headset in one simple package.
Ideal for small fitness classes, due to the modest 40 watt amplifier:
Features include:
- A belt-pack transmitter for use with the microphone headset
- Bluetooth connectivity for simple wireless streaming of music from phone to speaker
- Extremely lightweight! It weighs only 4 pounds (2 KG). There are no wheels, but it is still very portable due to it’s light weight!
- Mains charger or up to 12 hours of battery life, with an in-built re-chargeable Li-on battery
- Auxilary input for cable connectivity if required
See here for price!
What do Users Say?
“This speaker is just what I needed. I am a fitness instructor at multiple gyms and this is the second time I’ve purchased this product”
“My wife is teaching Barre in a local rec center. We decided to look at this as it has a hand-held mic, lapel mic, and headphone mic. and was portable. What a great buy it was! The design seems a little old school, but the quality is superb. She uses the headphone mic and its light, relatively inconspicuous, and projects her voice really well”
“I teach exercise classes and the gym does not have a sound system for voice. I use this in class and can now enjoy the workout without having to yell ! The participants also love that they can actually hear everything I say!”
Any Cons?
The Hisonic HS120BT Speaker is very light, but it does not have wheels so must be carried using the convenient handle
It is a 40 watt speaker, which is sufficiently powerful for small classes held in small rooms, but will not be powerful enough for bigger classes in larger venues.
There is bluetooth connectivity and auxilary input connectivity, but no USB connectivity
Our Summary
A simple solution for fitness instructors who teach small classes in small venues.
The three best portable bluetooth PA speakers for fitness instructors
Don’t forget that you will also need a wireless microphone set, like this one from Zoweetek
Don’t forget to to purchase a wireless microphone set, like this one from Zoweetek
