5 Best Portable Voice Amplifiers For Teachers In 2024

Believe it or not, many teachers face more or less serious vocal problems during their careers. When you think about it, it’s actually quite understandable – the voice is their main instrument, they use it every day, and they have to be loud (or even yell) most of the time, especially when there’s too much ambient noise. So, is there a way to protect your vocal apparatus and avoid talking loudly if there’s no preinstalled PA system? Well, you can bring your own PA system with you.

Portable voice amplifiers are simple and affordable devices that can help you avoid vocal problems. In this article, we will give you a few tips on what to look for when buying portable voice amplifiers, discuss their advantages, and present to you our selection of 5 best portable voice amplifiers for teachers in 2024.

What Are Portable Voice Amplifiers?

A portable voice amplifier is a device that amplifies your voice. Quite obvious, huh? It usually consists of two devices – a headset with a mic (or a handheld mic) and a portable speaker. The headset goes on your head and the speaker can either be attached to your waist, placed on a table, or you can have it in your hand. In some cases, the headset is connected to the speaker with a cable and in other cases, the headset and the speaker communicate wirelessly. Some portable amplifiers include only a headset with a built-in wireless transmitter and a wireless receiver with a 3.5 or 6.35mm jack. These amplifiers don’t come with a speaker – you can connect the included receiver to any speaker with a mic input but you have to buy the speaker separately. 

After testing dozens of voice amplifiers, comparing their features and performances, we’ve put together the following list of 5 best portable voice amplifiers for teachers in 2024. Whether you’re looking for a cheap and tiny voice amplifier or the most durable and loudest, there will be at least one device that meets your requirements. You just have to go through our reviews and find it. These are our favorites. 

5 Best Portable Voice Amplifiers for Teachers in 2024

1. Best Portable Voice Amplifier Under $50 – Zoweetek ZW-Z258

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Zoweetek is a generic (probably Chinese) brand. ZW-Z258 is a fairly cheap amplifier with a wired mic and it offers pretty good performance for the price. It’s our top choice under $40.

Things we like

The packaging contains your voice amplifier, wired headset with a boom mic, charging adapter with a detachable micro USB cable, a detachable lanyard, user manual, and a warranty card.

The voice amplifier is basically a compact speaker with a 3.5mm mic input. The speaker is 4.1in wide, 1.4in deep, and 3.4in tall, and weighs only 0.36lbs. On the back, there’s a clip that allows you to attach the speaker to your belt or pocket. 

The speaker has a simple control and input scheme. On the left side, you have a USB input for audio playback (up to 32GB). On the right, there’s a micro USB charging port. The rest of the controls and inputs are on the top. You have 3 playback control buttons, the mode button, and a volume/power dial. There are also two inputs – mic input and a micro SD card slot. 

The mic is wired so you don’t have to worry about unstable wireless signal. The voice amplifier delivers very reliable performance. The mic arm is bendable so you can adjust its position.

Inside the speaker, there’s a built-in rechargeable battery. The capacity is 1,800mAh and it delivers up to 12 hours of playtime per charge. The recharge takes 3-5 hours (it’s faster when using the adapter).

The voice amplifier has a built-in 10W speaker. Now, that won’t be loud enough for large groups like the manufacturer claims, but it’s good enough for smaller classrooms of up to 30 students.

The amplifier can also be used as a wired speaker with all kinds of audio sources with a 3.5mm output (you would have to use the mic input). And you can also play audio files from a USB stick or a micro SD card.

Things we don’t like

Both the speaker and the mic are made of ABS and don’t feel very durable, especially the microphone.

ZW-Z258 doesn’t have a separate AUX input. Also, it doesn’t feature Bluetooth connectivity. 

2. Best Portable Voice Amplifier with Bluetooth Connectivity Under $50 – Giecy Voice Amplifier

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Giecy is another generic brand on our list of 5 best voice amplifiers for teachers in 2024. Their speakers and voice amplifiers are also quite affordable and offer good value for the money. The biggest difference between this one and the previous Zoweetek amplifier is in the Bluetooth connectivity. The Bluetooth is not used for the communication between the mic and speaker (the mic is wired). You can use Bluetooth to pair the speaker with Bluetooth-enabled audio sources (phones, tablets, etc.).

Things we like

The box contains the main unit (speaker/amplifier), a wired headset with a boom mic, DC charging adapter, detachable lanyard, user manual, and a warranty card.

The speaker unit is squarish with rounded edges. It’s very compact and has a clip on the back so you can attach it to your belt or pocket. The speaker driver is on the front, protected with a strong ABS mesh. All the physical inputs are on the right – there’s a mic input, micro SD card slot, USB port, and a DC input (not micro USB) for charging. 

All the controls are on the top. There’s an LCD display showing the frequency, track number, battery status, etc. On the left and right ends of the top panel, you have two dials – the reverb dial and volume/power dial. Below the display, there are three buttons for playback control and the mode button that allows you to switch between amplifier mode, Bluetooth speaker mode, FM mode, USB mode, or micro SD card mode. 

The included headset with a boom mic is wired and connects to the mic input on the main unit. You can’t use wireless mics with this unit. The mic arm is made of flexible plastic/silicone and is adjustable. 

The main unit has a built-in 2,800mAh rechargeable battery and can provide up to 15h of work in mic mode or up to 8h in Bluetooth speaker mode. The recharge takes approx. 4 hours.

Besides voice amplifier mode you can use the main unit as a regular Bluetooth speaker (Bluetooth 4.2). You can also connect a USB drive (up to 16GB), a micro SD card (up to 32GB), or listen to FM radio.

Inside the speaker, there’s one 30W driver (peak power output). The continuous power output is probably 10W. The sound signature is quite mid-centric. The vocals are very clear and distortion-free, even at max volume. According to the product description, Giecy voice amplifier can cover very large areas and can be used for large groups (100+) but, in our opinion, this thing is not loud enough for such large groups. We think it’s probably good enough for smaller groups of 50-100 people/students.

Things we don’t like

The instruction manual is poorly written and not very helpful – you will have to figure out how to do different things on your own. 

When used as a speaker, the amplifier doesn’t deliver any bass. It’s tuned to be mid-centric.

3. Loudest Portable Voice Amplifier Under $150 – Hisonic HS120B

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Hisonic is much more professional-looking and it’s definitely a much better performer than the previous two voice amplifiers. This thing is significantly larger and louder than most other voice amplifiers. The downsides are its size (it’s not as portable as other voice amplifiers) and maybe its price (it’s priced over $100). However, you get a lot for the price so it wouldn’t be fair to consider it expensive.

Things we like

The packaging contains the main unit (the speaker with all the connections), three microphones (handheld mic, wireless belt-pack transmitter, Lavalier mic, and a headset with a boom mic), two power cables (one AC power cable and a 12V DC power/charging cable for car use), carrying bag, user manual, and a 1-year warranty. The speaker comes with a Lithium-ion rechargeable (and removable) battery. The handheld mic and the wireless transmitter also require batteries, but they are not included. 

The main unit (the speaker) features a simple boxy design with a plastic handle on the top. The entire enclosure is made of thick ABS. The main unit is a bit chunky – it weighs 4 pounds and the dimensions are 11in x 7in x 4.5in.

On the front side, there’s a plastic grille protecting one 6.5in full-range woofer. On the top, there are 6 dials – two dials for wired microphones, one volume dial for the wireless mic, echo dial, tone dial, and AUX input volume dial. Power, charge, and RF/connection indicators are also located on the top.

On the left panel, you have a series of inputs – two mic inputs for wired mics, AUX input, AUX output, and speaker output. On the right panel, there’s a power switch and AC input.

As mentioned, the speaker comes with 3 mics. Only one is completely wireless (handheld mic). The other two are wired and they connect to the wireless belt-pack so there’s no direct connection between the main unit and the transmitter or mic, which gives you much more freedom.

The main unit and the mics/transmitters communicate through UHF frequencies (900MHz). There are 16 channels of communication and you just have to find one without interference. You can be as far as 100ft away from the main unit. 

The rechargeable battery inside the speaker will provide you with up to 8 hours of constant use. 

When not used for voice amplification, you can also use it as a speaker. Just connect any audio source with AUX OUT and play your music. You can even daisy-chain it to another speaker. 

The speaker houses one 6.5in full-range driver with a 40W output. It’s great for all kinds of indoor and outdoor events, even large ones (100+ people). What’s also great is that you can play some background music via AUX input and use the mic at the same time. 

Things we don’t like

The main unit doesn’t feature Bluetooth connectivity. 

4. Best Portable Voice Amplifier Under $60 – VoiceBooster MR1506

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The VoiceBooster MR1506 is maybe not as feature-rich and versatile as some other mini voice amplifiers but it delivers a very clear and loud sound and that’s, after all, the most important thing for a voice amplifier.  

Things we like

The packaging contains the main unit (the speaker with inputs), wired headset with a boom mic, detachable lanyard, AUX cable, power adapter, user manual, and a warranty card. 

This is probably the simplest-looking mini voice amplifier on the market. It looks kind of old. It’s the same boxy looks with a plastic mesh on the front we’ve seen on many similar devices, but it’s still somehow more retro.

On the top, you have the mic input, volume/power dial, and a power indicator. On the right panel, there’s an AUX input and a DC power/charging port. 

The included mic has a flexible arm so you can adjust the distance from your mouth. 

Inside the VoiceBooster M1506, there’s a built-in rechargeable battery. The battery will provide you with 6-8 hours of playtime (depending on the volume). 

The speaker output is rated at 10W. The sound signature is mid-centric, which is perfect considering the main purpose. The voice comes out clear and crisp. MR1506 is fairly loud, especially when used indoors and for smaller groups of up to 30 persons. 

The main unit can accept audio signals from both inputs (mic and an external audio source connected via AUX input) and can play them at the same time. 

Things we don’t like

Unlike some other mini voice amplifiers, VoiceBooster doesn’t have a USB port or a micro SD card slot for music playback. Also, VoiceBooster doesn’t feature Bluetooth connectivity. 

The recharge time is longer than usual – it takes almost 5h to fully charge the battery.

5. WinBridge WB001

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WB001 is another small, super-portable, and fairly cheap device. Like the first two, it’s also priced under $40 and it offers pretty good performance for the price.

Things we like

The packaging contains the main unit (the speaker), a wired headset with a boom mic, detachable lanyard, USB cable for charging (wall adapter not included), user manual, and a warranty card. 

The main unit is simple, boxy, and quite compact. It weighs less than 5oz. On the front side of the speaker, there’s a plastic mesh protecting the driver, the WinBridge logo, and all the control buttons (playback controls and power button). On the top, there are all the inputs – mic input, micro SD card slot, and a USB port. On the right panel, you have the volume wheel and a micro USB port for charging. On the back, there’s a large plastic clip so you can attach it to your belt or pocket.

The microphone is wired. It has a gooseneck and you can adjust the distance between the mic and your mouth. 

Recommended Reading :

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The main unit has a relatively small 800mAh rechargeable battery built inside. The advertised playtime is 5-8 hours but you will probably get less than 5h when using it at full volume. Why would you use it at full volume? Well, because the built-in full-range speaker is not very loud (5W). The sound output is clear. It’s vocal-oriented, which is a good thing if you’re going to use it for voice amplification but not great if you are going to use it for music playback since there’s no bass. 

WB001 can also be used as a speaker – you can connect a USB drive or a micro SD card and play audio files stored on them. 

Things we don’t like

WB001 is not a good choice for large rooms and large groups of people/students.

WB001 doesn’t feature Bluetooth connectivity.

This was our list of 5 best portable voice amplifiers for teachers in 2024. Hopefully, it helped you understand why portable voice amplifiers are good for you and why you should have them. Before you go away, take a minute or two to go through the FAQs and find out more about portable voice amplifiers. 

 FAQs

Q: What is the best voice amplifier for teachers?

A: It’s difficult to single out just one since there are so many differences between them – some are big and loud, while others are smaller and more portable, some have longer battery life, while others have better mic quality, some are priced under $30 or $40 while others are priced over $100. Your choice also depends on the size of the classroom you want to cover. The best advice we can give you is to go through our list of 5 best portable voice amplifiers for teachers in 2024, check them out, and find the one that meets your requirements.

Q: How can I amplify my voice?

A: You can amplify your voice easily by using a voice amplifier. Portable voice amplifiers are a cost-efficient and very effective solution to your problem. They are basically mini PA systems that you can bring with you wherever you go – from one classroom to another. If you have to cover larger areas, you can always buy a larger PA speaker with a mic, preferably a speaker with wheels since they are easier to transport. 

Q: How do voice amplifiers work?

A: They have two parts – headset with a mic (or just a handheld mic) and a speaker. Sometimes, the connection between these two parts is wireless (via radio frequency) and sometimes you have to use the included audio cable to connect them. The working principle is pretty much the same as the working principle of any PA system – mic picks up your voice, sends it to the speaker, and the built-in amp inside the speaker amplifies the audio signal and reproduces it. 

Q: What to look for when buying a portable voice amplifier?

A: There are two crucial things to look for – battery life and loudness. Your daily use determines the necessary battery life. In some cases, a 5-hour battery will be just fine, but if you want to be sure, go for the system with the longest possible battery life.

Another very important thing is the loudness of the amplifier. Some are tiny and have a built-in 5W or 10W speaker, while others are much more powerful (up to 50W) and can cover larger areas/classrooms. 

Furthermore, you should also check if a portable voice amplifier is wired or wireless. Wireless amplifiers are more convenient but if you are looking for a wireless one, you should also check the connection reliability. Having a PA system that cuts in and out constantly can be very annoying.

Finally, check the size and price of the portable voice amplifier. You can find a cheap one for less than $30 but some are priced over $100 or even $150.