Chasing Great Sound on the Road Less Travelled
For nearly a decade, I lived on the move—packing bags, boarding flights, and checking into places you’d never see in travel brochures. This wasn’t business class travel or boutique hotel living. It was noisy airports, remote industrial towns, budget hotels with flickering lights, and the hum of diesel engines outside your window. Lots of uninvited crawling things.
But when you live like that, music becomes more than just background noise—it becomes your escape.
The Ritual That Kept Us Sane on the Road
I was lucky to travel with a mate who shared the same obsession for music. Whether it was a buzzing city or a one-road village with nothing but a chip shop and a tired-looking pub, we’d hunt down live music whenever we could.
And when there was nothing to find?
We brought the music to us with what we called The Jukebox Challenge.
After long shifts, we’d grab a couple of beers, sit back, and take turns playing tracks—sometimes matching the mood, sometimes flipping the vibe completely. One minute it was Fleetwood Mac, the next it was Wu-Tang. The only rule was to keep the energy alive, even if the room around us felt like it hadn’t seen life in years.
The Problem With Cheap Travel Sound
The soundtrack might have been great, but the sound itself?
Awful.
We started with cheap Bluetooth speakers that sounded like music trapped in a tin can. Sometimes, it was even worse—just the thin, lifeless hum of phone speakers or budget earbuds .
It didn’t do the music justice.
So, like all good obsessives, we started looking for something better.
Portable Audio, Packing Audiophile Sound Into a Suitcase
We took different paths.
My mate went for Bang & Olufsen gear—slick, compact, and surprisingly powerful for the size:
- B&O E8 Wireless Earbuds
- B&O A1 Bluetooth Speaker
Meanwhile, I was chasing something else entirely.
I didn’t just want louder sound—I wanted that open, room-filling sensation, the kind you get from sitting in front of a proper speaker setup. I was done with that closed-in, boxed-up feeling you get from noise-cancelling or closed-back headphones.
That’s what led me to Grado.
I started with the SR80e, eventually upgrading to the 325e, looking for that airy, natural soundstage that feels like the music is happening around you, not just pressed into your ears.
My full travel kit looked like this:
- Denon Envaya Mini DSB-100 – a tiny but mighty Bluetooth speaker.
- Grado SR325e open-back headphones.
Both travelled with me in a makeshift hard case lined with the original Grado foam.
It wasn’t glamorous, but it worked.
And when I’d set it all up in another bland hotel room, it felt like I’d carved out a little piece of home.
Moments That Stick With You
I remember one trip, somewhere up north, freezing cold outside, the windows rattling from the wind. I sat there with a cold beer and the Grados on my head, completely zoned out to the War on Drugs- Disappearing
Just for a moment, I wasn’t on the road.
I was somewhere else entirely.
That’s the power of a great listening setup, even in the most uninspiring places.
What I Didn’t Expect to Love
Despite the open-back design, the Grados worked for me—until I hit the skies.
One long-haul flight later, I finally gave in and tried a set of Bose QuietComfort noise-cancelling headphones.
Honestly? They blew me away.
The jet engines disappeared, the cabin hum vanished, and I could finally relax into my playlists without cranking the volume.
It wasn’t the same open, airy sound I loved from the Grados, but for flying, it was unbeatable.
Meanwhile, the Denon Envaya Mini kept proving its worth.
It filled hotel rooms with proper, balanced sound. And now, years later, it’s still blasting out tunes in my kitchen and garden like the loyal little speaker it is.
Would I Recommend It?
If you want wide, speaker-like sound in a hotel room or quiet space, Grado open-backs are still hard to beat. Just don’t expect privacy—they leak sound everywhere.
If you need to block out the world—planes, trains, noisy neighbours—Bose QuietComfort are worth every penny. They’re not as lively as open-backs, but they make travelling so much easier.
And if you just want a tiny speaker that delivers big, the Denon Envaya Mini is still one of the best I’ve owned. It’s discontinued now, but if you spot one second-hand in good shape, grab it.
Music turns even the loneliest travel days into something you remember.
So here’s to chasing great sound, wherever the road takes you.
Looking for something different to soundtrack your next journey? Check out the weekly vibes
