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Hi Everyone,

I have a question regarding which bluetooth speaker is best for teaching classical lessons on zoom. I know using headphone is one option, and perhaps an option that a lot of you are using. But I prefer not to use a headphone when demonstrating. I also teach lessons at different locations, so that's why I choose to use a bluetooth speaker instead of a wired sound system.

I know a lot of Bose and Sony bluetooth speakers are designed for pop/rock. So I am looking for a speaker that is not bass heavy. I also know some people may use multiple bluetooth speakers to get the stereo sound. I am only looking for one speaker though. Any recommendations?

Also, just a side question here. I know this may not be possible with the current bluetooth technology. But is there a bluetooth speaker that has a decent mic for capturing the piano? There is perhaps a very small market for such a speaker even if the technology allows it. Just a thought...


Tony

The mic and speaker should be kept separately, otherwise the output of the speaker will be registered by the mic.

Did you ever test a bluetooth connection for live audio?
It adds a substantial lag, you might find it unusable for live playing.
Al least get a speaker with auxiliary cable input.

-Rhodes74

I have not. I certainly don’t want too much lag as it won’t work when teaching more advanced students. If Bluetooth speaker and mic need to be separate, any recommendations for a good Bluetooth speaker (not wired) that’s not designed for rock or pop music? Also, any recommendations for a USB mic that I can use for both (which is important) talking and playing? Perhaps a USB mic with a built-in compressor? I tried Blue Yeti and it did not work for talking and playing. I use a grand piano. So either my talking was too soft while piano playing volume was fine, or the other way around. I would not want to purchase XLR mics with an additional USB audio interface. Thanks.

I have Lewinner microphone that works absolutely fine for my Zoom meetings. Also it functions as Karaoke mic for my kids. So it's a good option to get

I don't understand the question:

. . . Is the piano digital (with its own loudspeaker),

. . . or is the piano digital, using the Bluetooth speaker for its sound output,

. . . or is the piano acoustic (in which case, what's the Bluetooth speaker for?) ?


If the piano is digital, almost always the best recording will come from its "Line Out" (or "Headphone") jack, without using a microphone at all. If you need extra "Line Out" jacks, get a small mixer.

Acoustic piano.
The Bluetooth speaker is for listening to student's playing as my MacBook Air speaker is not loud enough.

I know you don't want to use headphones:

. . . But they might be the best way to hear your student,

. . . and not create a feedback loop through your own microphone.

Zoom really sounds better with "Original Sound" enabled -- that avoids the "gating" that prematurely ends notes, and makes speech sound "choppy". But in my experience, it only works well if all participants wear headphones. With loudspeakers, it tends to have feedback loops.

If you want something inconspicuous, try "in-ear monitors" -- earbuds, with good frequency response, designed for musicians rather than people listening to pop music. The Shure SE215 is one example, there are lots of others.

You really should be using a open air style headset to avoid feedback. The open air design will also allow you to hear perfectly yourself playing

Bluetooth latency is at best about 32ms - and can go upwards of 100ms. This does not include any other processing of the signal. 30ms is way too long a latency for serious work. 5-10ms is good.

A wired speaker eliminates at least some of the latency issues.

The OP uses an acoustic piano. The Bluetooth speaker lets him hear the student's DP(or acoustic).

So I don't think latency is a problem. But feedback might be.

If the OP wants to see and hear the student playing, latency will cause a mismatch between the video and audio outputs for which compensation will be needed.

Also, consider this: there is a real chance that your computer's mic will pick up the sound of the speaker and feed it back to your student with considerable latency. So you would need to mute your mic when the student plays.