{
  "guide": {
    "slug": "teenage-engineering-ob-4",
    "title": "Teenage Engineering OB–4 Buyer Guide",
    "subtitle": "Whether OB–4 is the right Teenage Engineering tool for a design-forward portable speaker with physical playback, FM, and “disk” features.",
    "summary": "Buy OB–4 when you want a design-forward portable speaker with physical playback, FM, and “disk” features; the main tradeoff is far higher price than ordinary Bluetooth speakers and a sound/features mix that only makes sense if you want the object’s character. The official US feed showed $579–$1,150 by listed color/design SKU on 2026-10-18; its status was mixed in-stock/out-of-stock and discontinued variants. As an Amazon Associate, Field Guides may earn from qualifying purchases.",
    "category": {
      "slug": "hardware",
      "name": "Hardware",
      "description": "Product factsheets for computers, devices, peripherals, and buying decisions."
    },
    "tags": [
      "teenage-engineering",
      "portable-audio",
      "music-hardware",
      "ob-4",
      "buyer-guide"
    ],
    "version": "2026-10-18.2",
    "publishedAt": "2026-10-18",
    "updatedAt": "2026-10-18",
    "freshness": "Official product page/catalog, current US price ranges, Root-Nation, Android Central, and owner discussion were checked 2026-10-18. Amazon identity is inherited from the accepted exact-page receipt; color, price, stock, seller, and bundle details remain unverified.",
    "heroLabel": "Portable speaker buyer guide",
    "vaultPath": "Research/Technology/Hardware/Teenage Engineering OB–4 Buyer Guide.md",
    "r2JsonKey": "guides/teenage-engineering-ob-4/2026-10-18.2.json",
    "archetype": "buyer",
    "stats": [
      {
        "label": "Official US price",
        "value": "$579–$1,150 by listed color/design SKU",
        "detail": "Official store feed observation on 2026-10-18; Amazon price remains unverified."
      },
      {
        "label": "Official state",
        "value": "Mixed in-stock/out-of-stock and discontinued variants in the official US feed",
        "detail": "Official US feed state; not an Amazon offer claim."
      },
      {
        "label": "Core role",
        "value": "Portable Bluetooth/FM speaker and media instrument",
        "detail": "a design-forward portable speaker with physical playback, FM, and “disk” features."
      },
      {
        "label": "Main constraint",
        "value": "far higher price than ordinary Bluetooth speakers and a sound/features mix that only makes sense if you want the object’s character",
        "detail": "Check this before paying for the compact workflow."
      }
    ],
    "thesisCards": [
      {
        "label": "The fit",
        "title": "OB–4 is a portable listening object with a replay interaction.",
        "body": "Choose it when high-quality portable listening and rewind/loop play matter; a Sonos Move 2 or Marshall Kilburn III is the ordinary Bluetooth-speaker comparison."
      },
      {
        "label": "The reason",
        "title": "Bluetooth, line input, FM radio, disk mode, and a rolling two-hour replay buffer.",
        "body": "The buffer lets you rewind and loop recent playback, but it is not a saved recording library."
      },
      {
        "label": "The catch",
        "title": "The design and portable listening role carry more of the price than a generic speaker feature list.",
        "body": "Compare single-speaker use with a two-speaker stereo setup and name the color/design or magic-kit configuration explicitly."
      }
    ],
    "sections": [
      {
        "id": "bottom-line",
        "eyebrow": "Bottom line",
        "title": "Buy OB–4 for portable listening with rewind.",
        "body": "{{commerce:amazon-ob-4|OB–4}} Choose it when listening itself—portable, high-quality, and rewindable—is the job. Its replay buffer is a temporary two-hour listening interaction rather than saved recordings. Fresh official rows showed $579 for black EU/US variants and $1,150 for the Off–White EU variant; those checked rows were out of stock on 2026-10-18. Compare a Sonos Move 2 or a two-speaker stereo setup when ordinary playback or room imaging is the real job."
      },
      {
        "id": "product-shape",
        "eyebrow": "Product shape",
        "title": "A speaker whose replay buffer changes listening.",
        "body": "OB–4 is a portable Bluetooth/FM/line speaker with disk-mode sound tools and a rolling two-hour replay buffer. The replay function changes how you revisit live radio, Bluetooth, or line playback, but it does not create a library of saved recordings. Buy it for listening and interaction first, then choose among standard black, red, gray, navy, ochre, orange, or white variants, Off–White/Mind Games designs, and red/white portable magic kits; region rows differ."
      },
      {
        "id": "comparison-ladder",
        "eyebrow": "Comparison ladder",
        "title": "Compare listening roles, not raw speaker counts.",
        "table": {
          "columns": [
            "Choice",
            "Product",
            "What you gain",
            "What you give up"
          ],
          "rows": [
            [
              "Ordinary portable speaker",
              "Sonos Move 2 or Marshall Kilburn III",
              "Choose a mainstream speaker when convenience, app ecosystem, and lower-complexity playback matter more.",
              "You give up OB–4’s replay buffer, FM/disk interaction, and distinctive portable object."
            ],
            [
              "Target",
              "{{commerce:amazon-ob-4|OB–4}}",
              "Choose it when portable listening and rewind/loop interaction are the main use.",
              "You pay for a specialized listening experience rather than generic volume alone."
            ],
            [
              "Stereo alternative",
              "Two-speaker stereo setup",
              "Choose a stereo pair when room imaging and left/right separation matter more.",
              "You give up OB–4’s one-box portability and replay behavior."
            ],
            [
              "TE lateral",
              "{{commerce:amazon-od11|OD–11 stereo alternative}}",
              "Choose OD–11 when fixed-room hi-fi placement and stereo pairing are more important.",
              "It is less portable and has a different documented control path."
            ]
          ]
        }
      },
      {
        "id": "buying-matrix",
        "eyebrow": "Buying matrix",
        "title": "Where OB–4’s replay workflow matters.",
        "table": {
          "columns": [
            "Use case",
            "Fit",
            "Why"
          ],
          "rows": [
            [
              "Portable listening",
              "Strong",
              "Battery, Bluetooth, FM/line input, and the replay interaction are the reason to buy it."
            ],
            [
              "Saved recordings",
              "None",
              "The rolling buffer is for rewind/loop interaction, not a saved recording archive."
            ],
            [
              "Room stereo",
              "Mixed",
              "Compare a two-speaker setup or OD–11 pair when imaging matters."
            ],
            [
              "Configuration",
              "Needs care",
              "Check whether the listing is a standard speaker, an Off–White/Mind Games design, or a red/white portable magic kit, then confirm color, region, and package contents at checkout."
            ]
          ]
        }
      },
      {
        "id": "review-signal",
        "eyebrow": "Review signal",
        "title": "Independent reviews explain the tradeoff better than the feature list.",
        "table": {
          "columns": [
            "Signal",
            "What it supports",
            "Confidence"
          ],
          "rows": [
            [
              "Root-Nation",
              "Root-Nation describes OB–4 as a portable speaker with 92dB stereo output, unusual controls, and a design-led feature set, while recognizing that ordinary speakers can be cheaper.",
              "Professional hands-on review"
            ],
            [
              "Android Central",
              "Android Central highlights Bluetooth, 3.5mm input, FM, disk-mode sounds, physical controls, and the premium price relative to mainstream Bluetooth speakers.",
              "Professional review or launch-context source"
            ],
            [
              "r/teenageengineering",
              "Owners disagree on whether the sound and interaction justify the price; the spread is useful community signal, not a controlled listening test.",
              "Community signal; anecdotal"
            ]
          ]
        }
      },
      {
        "id": "mechanism",
        "eyebrow": "Mechanism",
        "title": "How OB–4 treats playback and replay.",
        "table": {
          "columns": [
            "Area",
            "What the sources describe",
            "Buyer consequence"
          ],
          "rows": [
            [
              "Playback",
              "Bluetooth, line input, FM radio, and disk-mode sound controls.",
              "Choose the source path before buying; the speaker is designed around listening and interaction."
            ],
            [
              "Replay buffer",
              "Rolling two-hour buffer for rewind and loop play.",
              "It lets you revisit recent playback but does not save a file for later editing."
            ],
            [
              "Configuration",
              "Standard black/red/gray/navy/ochre/orange/white variants, Off–White/Mind Games designs, and red/white portable magic kits appear under region-specific rows.",
              "Read the package contents and region rather than comparing opaque bundle identifiers."
            ],
            [
              "Ownership",
              "Official price observation is dated to 2026-10-18.",
              "Confirm current seller, condition, price, stock, and return terms at checkout."
            ]
          ]
        }
      },
      {
        "id": "decision",
        "eyebrow": "Decision",
        "title": "Choose OB–4 when the listening interaction matters.",
        "bullets": [
          "Choose OB–4 when its portable listening and replay behavior will be used often; choose a mainstream Bluetooth speaker or stereo pair when the job is ordinary playback or room imaging.",
          "Do not describe the replay buffer as saved recordings; it is a rolling interaction with recent playback.",
          "Compare Sonos Move 2 or Marshall Kilburn III for ordinary portable Bluetooth use, and a two-speaker setup for stereo imaging.",
          "Check color/design, region, and magic-kit contents at checkout because official package rows represent configurations, not new speaker architectures."
        ]
      },
      {
        "id": "edge-cases",
        "eyebrow": "Edge cases",
        "title": "Separate replay from recording, and name the configuration.",
        "bullets": [
          "Do not describe the replay buffer as saved recordings; it is a rolling interaction with recent playback.",
          "Compare Sonos Move 2 or Marshall Kilburn III for ordinary portable Bluetooth use, and a two-speaker setup for stereo imaging.",
          "Check color/design, region, and magic-kit contents at checkout because official package rows represent configurations, not new speaker architectures.",
          "Test the line, Bluetooth, FM, and disk-mode paths you expect to use before relying on it for a specific listening setup."
        ]
      },
      {
        "id": "cheat-sheet",
        "eyebrow": "Cheat sheet",
        "title": "OB–4 in one minute.",
        "table": {
          "columns": [
            "Question",
            "Answer"
          ],
          "rows": [
            [
              "Core role",
              "Portable Bluetooth/FM speaker and replay-oriented media instrument"
            ],
            [
              "Official US price observation",
              "$579 black EU/US rows and $1,150 Off–White EU row on 2026-10-18; those checked rows were out of stock"
            ],
            [
              "Best first buyer",
              "A listener who values portable sound and rewind/loop interaction"
            ],
            [
              "Main limitation",
              "Specialized listening workflow and configuration/region choices"
            ],
            [
              "Source confidence",
              "Official specifications plus two professional reviews and labeled owner discussion."
            ]
          ]
        }
      },
      {
        "id": "sources",
        "eyebrow": "Sources",
        "title": "How this guide was built.",
        "body": "Official product, guide, and dated US price-feed sources were checked on 2026-10-18. Professional reviews and labeled owner discussion are identified in the source metadata; their workflow observations are not current offer, reliability, or hands-on claims by this guide. Merchant price, stock, seller, fulfillment, delivery, bundle contents, warranty, and returns remain unverified unless a dated source explicitly says otherwise. As an Amazon Associate, Field Guides may earn from qualifying purchases."
      }
    ],
    "sources": [
      {
        "id": "te-price-feed",
        "title": "Teenage Engineering US product and price feed",
        "publisher": "Teenage Engineering",
        "url": "https://teenage.engineering/_api/mw2/products.json",
        "accessedAt": "2026-10-18",
        "sourceType": "official",
        "role": "price"
      },
      {
        "id": "te-ob-4-official",
        "title": "OB–4 official product page",
        "publisher": "Teenage Engineering",
        "url": "https://teenage.engineering/products/ob-4",
        "accessedAt": "2026-10-18",
        "sourceType": "official",
        "role": "spec"
      },
      {
        "id": "review-root-ob4",
        "title": "Teenage Engineering OB–4 review",
        "publisher": "Root-Nation",
        "url": "https://root-nation.com/en/audio-en/speakers/en-teenage-engineering-ob-4-review/",
        "accessedAt": "2026-10-18",
        "sourceType": "review",
        "role": "review"
      },
      {
        "id": "review-android-ob4",
        "title": "Teenage Engineering OB–4 features review",
        "publisher": "Android Central",
        "url": "https://www.androidcentral.com/accessories/audio/teenage-engineering-ob-4-has-features-you-wont-find-anywhere-else",
        "accessedAt": "2026-10-18",
        "sourceType": "review",
        "role": "review"
      },
      {
        "id": "community-ob4",
        "title": "OB–4 buying discussion",
        "publisher": "r/teenageengineering",
        "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/teenageengineering/comments/1bzirsp/if_youre_thinking_about_getting_the_ob4_i_highly/",
        "accessedAt": "2026-10-18",
        "sourceType": "community",
        "role": "community-signal"
      }
    ],
    "claims": [
      {
        "id": "identity",
        "claim": "OB–4 is the portable bluetooth/fm speaker and media instrument in this comparison.",
        "sourceId": "te-ob-4-official",
        "evidenceType": "official",
        "confidence": "high",
        "caveat": "The role is an editorial summary of the current official product page; recheck the exact model and variant before buying.",
        "guideLocation": "Product shape",
        "sectionId": "product-shape"
      },
      {
        "id": "core-specs",
        "claim": "The official page and family catalog identify OB–4 as a portable Bluetooth/FM speaker with line input, replay/disk features, and color/design variants; the accepted identity row covers a generic OB–4 listing.",
        "sourceId": "te-ob-4-official",
        "evidenceType": "official",
        "confidence": "high",
        "caveat": "Manufacturer specifications describe the feature set; they do not guarantee every workflow or host combination.",
        "guideLocation": "Product shape",
        "sectionId": "product-shape"
      },
      {
        "id": "official-price",
        "claim": "The official US feed showed $579–$1,150 by listed color/design SKU for OB–4 on 2026-10-18; the listed state was mixed in-stock/out-of-stock and discontinued variants in the official US feed.",
        "sourceId": "te-price-feed",
        "evidenceType": "official",
        "confidence": "high",
        "caveat": "This is an official store observation, not a live Amazon offer or a guarantee that every color, bundle, or seller shares the same state.",
        "guideLocation": "Buying matrix",
        "sectionId": "buying-matrix"
      },
      {
        "id": "review-one",
        "claim": "Root-Nation describes OB–4 as a portable speaker with 92dB stereo output, unusual controls, and a design-led feature set, while recognizing that ordinary speakers can be cheaper.",
        "sourceId": "review-root-ob4",
        "evidenceType": "review",
        "confidence": "medium",
        "caveat": "This is an independent review of a specific unit and time; it is not a universal performance guarantee.",
        "guideLocation": "Review signal",
        "sectionId": "review-signal"
      },
      {
        "id": "review-two",
        "claim": "Android Central highlights Bluetooth, 3.5mm input, FM, disk-mode sounds, physical controls, and the premium price relative to mainstream Bluetooth speakers.",
        "sourceId": "review-android-ob4",
        "evidenceType": "review",
        "confidence": "medium",
        "caveat": "The review’s sample, firmware, and comparison set may differ from a current unit.",
        "guideLocation": "Review signal",
        "sectionId": "review-signal"
      },
      {
        "id": "community-signal",
        "claim": "Owners disagree on whether the sound and interaction justify the price; the spread is useful community signal, not a controlled listening test.",
        "sourceId": "community-ob4",
        "evidenceType": "community",
        "confidence": "medium",
        "caveat": "Community reports are anecdotal and selection-biased; use them to form inspection questions, not failure rates.",
        "guideLocation": "Review signal",
        "sectionId": "review-signal"
      },
      {
        "id": "buyer-decision",
        "claim": "OB–4 makes sense when a design-forward portable speaker with physical playback, FM, and “disk” features; the main tradeoff is far higher price than ordinary Bluetooth speakers and a sound/features mix that only makes sense if you want the object’s character.",
        "sourceId": "review-root-ob4",
        "evidenceType": "inference",
        "confidence": "medium",
        "caveat": "Fit depends on the reader’s workflow, budget, and tolerance for the stated limitation.",
        "guideLocation": "Decision",
        "sectionId": "decision"
      },
      {
        "id": "compatibility",
        "claim": "The relevant connection, configuration, and ownership caveats for OB–4 are material to the buying decision: Do not buy OB–4 solely for maximum sound per dollar; independent reviews explicitly compare it with cheaper mainstream speakers.",
        "sourceId": "te-ob-4-official",
        "evidenceType": "official",
        "confidence": "high",
        "caveat": "Check the current guide and included accessories for the exact revision before purchase.",
        "guideLocation": "Edge cases",
        "sectionId": "edge-cases"
      },
      {
        "id": "official-configuration-rows",
        "claim": "The official package rows cover standard/design-color/region variants and named portable magic-kit configurations; confirm the package contents rather than comparing opaque identifiers.",
        "sourceId": "te-price-feed",
        "evidenceType": "official",
        "confidence": "high",
        "caveat": "These are dated official US feed rows; current merchant offers, stock, seller, fulfillment, delivery, bundle contents, warranty, and returns remain unverified.",
        "guideLocation": "Mechanism",
        "sectionId": "mechanism"
      }
    ],
    "commerce": {
      "disclosure": "As an Amazon Associate, Field Guides may earn from qualifying purchases.",
      "primaryLinkId": "amazon-ob-4",
      "priceApi": {
        "provider": "amazon-paapi",
        "status": "ready_when_configured",
        "note": "Direct Amazon identity was checked separately; final price, stock, seller, fulfillment, delivery, bundle, warranty, and return terms remain unverified until checkout/API readback."
      },
      "links": [
        {
          "id": "amazon-ob-4",
          "merchant": "Amazon",
          "title": "OB-4 (color unspecified)",
          "label": "OB–4",
          "description": "Direct Amazon product page for OB–4. Confirm seller, configuration, condition, final price, and return terms before buying.",
          "url": "https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08WR5VHYB?tag=sourcebottle-20&linkCode=ll1&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl",
          "relationship": "affiliate",
          "role": "primary",
          "factCard": {
            "eyebrow": "OB–4",
            "summary": "Portable Bluetooth/FM speaker and media instrument",
            "details": [
              "Bluetooth, line input, FM radio, a rolling two-hour replay buffer, and disk-mode sound tools",
              "Official price and Amazon offer state can diverge."
            ],
            "caveat": "Amazon price, stock, seller, fulfillment, delivery, bundle, warranty, and return terms remain unverified."
          },
          "asin": "B08WR5VHYB"
        },
        {
          "id": "amazon-od11",
          "merchant": "Amazon",
          "title": "OD–11",
          "label": "OD–11",
          "description": "Direct Amazon product page for OD–11. Confirm seller, configuration, condition, and final terms before buying.",
          "url": "https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017YSGQHG?tag=sourcebottle-20&linkCode=ll1&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl",
          "relationship": "affiliate",
          "role": "alternative",
          "factCard": {
            "eyebrow": "OD–11",
            "summary": "OD–11",
            "details": [
              "Use it as the comparison option named in this guide."
            ],
            "caveat": "Amazon price, stock, seller, fulfillment, delivery, bundle, warranty, and return terms remain unverified."
          },
          "asin": "B017YSGQHG"
        }
      ]
    }
  },
  "publicUrl": "https://fieldguides.co/g/teenage-engineering-ob-4"
}