Regardless of whether my music taste is deemed cool or not, I’m a complete music wh0re. To me, there’s just something about plugging yourself into your headphones and losing yourself in your favourite song of the now or one which evokes old memories.

Due to the slow demise of physical music and not actually owning a CD player, all of my CD’s are currently packed up and boxed in that “under the stairs” cupboard which becomes home to anything and everything. With that in mind, the only time I tend to listen to music nowadays is through my phone, and with iPhone requiring a ridiculous amount of GB’s in order to update my operating system, my 1600+ iTune library is long gone and in it’s place is Spotify. Ah Spotify. I’m a newcomer to Premium Spotify after dabbling with a free version in the past and loathing adverts and restrictions, but when I upgraded my Vodafone mobile contract to their all singing all dancing “Red Plans” I got 4G (which is rendered useless in ye olde Stoke) and one of their entertainment packs, which offers you a subscription to Sky Sports, Netflix or Spotify Premium built into the cost of your mobile phone plan. BINGO.

With the extent of my music play coming from my iPhone, I wanted to invest in a device which would amplify my music for when I didn’t have the two white buds nestling in my ears and providing a private listening party just for me. I wanted to share the music or simply play the music which seemed locked with the volume constraints of my little the way in which it was intended to be played: loud.

I dabbled with the thought of an iPhone dock which would give speakers to my music but also offer up some much needed charge to the ever depleting battery life us iPhone users suffer with. They tend to be pretty bulky however and usually require a mains charge. The alternative to this? Bluetooth speakers like this coral Philips Bluetooth Compatible Speaker (model no BT100M/00) plays any and all audio through my iPhone. Spotify, YouTube, iTunes – you simply switch the device on and search for it via the Bluetooth options on your phone (this isn’t just iPhone compatible, it works with any phone or tablet with Bluetooth connectivity) and connect and voila. Music to your ears. I’m not going to lie and say that this is boomblaster quality sound, there’s no tininess or crackling that’s for sure and the compact size means you don’t a) get boomblaster shoulder or b) look like a bloody idiot.

Remember when I bought the Google Chromecast and I said it had changed my TV viewing life? Well this simple but magnificent gadget has well and truly improved my music listening life. It’s taken a trip to a friends for decorating, provided pre gig music in our hotel room, accompanied me through many a house clean and dishwashing disco and it would be the ideal handluggage sized gizmo to take away on holiday. Worth the £29.99 investment? Abso-bloody-lutely.

*post in collaboration with Legal and General