1 week Ago By David Carnoy
Budget Before anything else, you'll want to figure out how much you're willing to spend on a new Bluetooth speaker. Value-priced wireless speakers continue to improve, so you can find good "cheap" Bluetooth speakers from Chinese brands like Tribit for not too much money (less than $60). If you're looking for a more premium speaker, you can expect to pay $100 or more, especially for larger portable speakers that deliver better sound.
Size Bigger speakers tend to sound better, delivering a bigger sound with more bass. Going bigger means they weigh more, which can make them a little harder to carry around. So you have to balance size with performance if you're looking for something that's easily portable.
If you're interested in a larger portable speaker, one feature worth looking for is a built-in handle. Durability Many Bluetooth speakers are now fully waterproof and some are fully dust-proof. If you're planning on taking the speaker with you to the beach or on a hiking trip, having a more durable speaker is a desirable trait.
Speakerphone capabilities Some speakers have a built-in microphone that turns them into a speakerphone when making calls on your cell phone. Many speakers don't offer that feature, so choose accordingly if that's something you're looking for. In assessing what the best Bluetooth speakers are, we consider the design of the speaker and how durable it seems, along with sound quality, battery life, extra features (such as additional connectivity options) and overall value.
We test speakers in real-life environments both indoors and outdoors and compare it to other speakers in the same price range. The list includes everything from compact mini models and pocket-size micro versions to heftier models with powerful audio. For more, check out our lists of the best smart speakers , and the best Wi-Fi speakers and music systems .
Tribit XSound Go : Despite being on the market for several years, the Tribit XSound Go remains one of the top Bluetooth speakers for the money. Besides sounding decent for streaming your favorite music and more, this affordable Bluetooth speaker is also fully waterproof. It has had some small upgrades over the years.
JBL Pulse 5 : JBL's Pulse speaker is now in its fifth generation, and both the sound quality and 360-degree light show have been improved. JBL has "expanded the transparent outer body" so the customizable light show looks more impressive. (There's a companion app for iOS and Android that allows you to alter the colorful lighting effects.
) The speaker is also IP67 dustproof and waterproof, and it offers up to 12 hours of battery at moderate volume levels. Anker Motion Boom : Anker's more expensive Soundcore Motion Boom Plus is a substantial sound upgrade over the original Motion Boom, but this model remains a very good mini boom box for the money. Equipped with a handle and weighing a little over 4 pounds, the speaker reminds me of one of those giant flashlights or "floating lanterns" that were in vogue about 30 years ago.
For the record, the Motion Boom actually does float and is fully waterproof with an IPX7 rating. Learn more about the original speaker in our hands-on Motion Boom review . UE Hyperboom : Ultimate Ears' Boom Bluetooth speakers come in a few different sizes, but none of them are as big as the Hyperboom .
A supersize wireless speaker that tips the scales at a hefty 13 pounds, the Hyperboom makes the UE Megaboom 3 look unquestionably puny. It's not cheap, but its sound quality is better than a lot of the jumbo portable speakers on the market right now. Read our review .
Marshall Willen : Marshall's little mono Willen speaker is similar to Bose's SoundLink Micro and other micro speakers like the Tribit StormBox Micro 2 . Also like those speakers, it has an integrated strap on its base so you can clip it onto a backpack or even to your bike's handlebars. Its 2-inch full-range driver and two passive radiators put out more sound than you'd think it would for its tiny size, and it offers decent clarity as well as just enough bass to avoid sounding tinny (you can choose from three preset sound modes).
Tribit StormBox (Currently unavailable): The StormBox looks like a cross between a UE and a JBL speaker. We suspect that's not an accident. This fully waterproof speaker costs significantly less than the JBL Flip 5 and Flip 6 and produces a bigger sound.
Its rechargeable battery offers up to 20 hours of battery life for playing music and more. Tribit's XSound speakers are probably a better value, but the StormBox is more stylish. Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 (2nd Gen) : A couple of years ago, Bang & Olufsen upgraded its dome-shaped aluminum-clad A1 speaker with improved battery life, better speakerphone performance (it now has a three-microphone array) and slightly improved sound.
It's not only the smallest wireless speaker from the Danish company, it's technically the most affordable. Sonos Roam : Available in white or black for $179, the Roam is currently the smallest and most affordable Sonos speaker (if you don't count those $99 Sonos-compatible Symfonisk Ikea Wi-Fi bookshelf speakers), although it's fairly expensive for a mini wireless speaker. This Sonos Roam model, like the bigger Sonos Move 2 portable speaker, is equipped with both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and can tap into an existing Sonos multi-room audio system and link with other Series 2-compatible Sonos speakers.
Learn more about the Sonos Roam with our hands-on review . Bose SoundLink Micro : Although a little pricey and due to be upgraded, the Bose SoundLink Micro sounds remarkably decent for its tiny size, delivering more bass than other pocketable speakers. It's a fully waterproof Bluetooth speaker and is available in three color options, although the blue version appears to be hard to find.
Anker Soundcore Motion Plus : Anker's Soundcore Motion Plus came out in 2019, but it remains one of the best-sounding speakers for around $100. It's larger than many mini Bluetooth speakers, but it's still compact. It manages to sound quite a bit fuller than much of the competition in its price range, with bigger bass, more volume and better clarity.
It's also fully waterproof (IPX7-rated) and has support for the aptX streaming codec for devices like Samsung's Galaxy phones that support it. Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore : While it's a little overpriced for the sound quality it delivers, the Beosound Explore is a very good little speaker that has a sleek, eye-catching design, is fully waterproof and dustproof (IP67 rating), and offers excellent battery life, with up to 27 hours of music listening at moderate volume levels. Monoprice Soundstage 3 (Currently unavailable): Monoprice tends to make pretty generic-looking electronic products, and its understated Soundstage 3 Bluetooth speaker probably isn't going to wow you with its design although its minimalist aesthetic has its appeal.
I wouldn't buy this speaker at its list price of $250, but it's often discounted to closer to $150, where it's a good value thanks to its ability to play big sound with strong bass and decent clarity, with 50 watts of power that drives a 5.25-inch "concave aluminum cone woofer" flanked by two 1-inch silk-dome tweeters. It also has good connectivity options, including digital optical, 3.
5mm analog and RCA analog wired inputs that allow you to connect your television or another stereo component. There's also a sub-out port. Tribit XSound Mega (Currently unavailable): Over the last few years, Tribit has made several Bluetooth speakers that deliver a lot of boom for the buck.
Add its new XSound Mega to the list. Tribit is billing the XSound Mega as more of an outdoor speaker — a lanyard is included for toting it around as a sort of mini boombox — but it works just fine indoors. It has an LED light show that you can turn on or off and there are three EQ settings for sound: XBass, Music and Audiobook.
Additionally, it can be used as a power bank to charge your mobile devices. When choosing a Bluetooth speaker, it comes down to size and price. If you're looking for a very portable speaker, you'll want to get something very compact, but remember that smaller speakers usually produce less sound and bass than larger ones.
While there are plenty of mini Bluetooth speakers that deliver a bigger sound than you might expect, they do have their sonic limitations. For a lot of people, it's a question of finding a speaker that's not too big or too small — one that travels well but also is capable of producing good sound for its size. Finding the best portable Bluetooth speaker also comes down to your budget.
Price can be a limiting factor. You may not want to spend $150 or more for a small speaker. Luckily, there are plenty of good options for $100, and some decent mini Bluetooth speakers can cost less than $50.
Also, certain "value" brands that sell primarily on Amazon are strongly worth considering because they do offer a lot for the money. If you're looking for the best sound quality, as I said, bigger is usually better, and some larger portable Bluetooth speakers — sometimes referred to as Bluetooth boom boxes — can put out a lot of sound and have an integrated handle for toting them around. Well, first of all, you need a TV, video streaming device or set-top cable or satellite box that has Bluetooth.
You connect a Bluetooth speaker just like you do Bluetooth earbuds: through the Bluetooth settings menu on your TV or those aforementioned devices (Apple TV, for instance, has Bluetooth connectivity, making it easy to connect your AirPods). The only issue with connecting a Bluetooth speaker to your TV is that there can be some audio-video syncing issues due to Bluetooth lag. In some cases, where your Bluetooth speaker has an audio input (a few high-end Bluetooth speakers even have digital audio inputs), you can use a wired connection to the speaker via the audio outputs on your TV.
Soundbars tend to use the optical or HDMI connection on your TV to get sound. Many soundbars have a Bluetooth option so you can wirelessly stream music from your phone to the soundbar. The loudest Bluetooth speakers are the biggest ones.
Sometimes they're referred to as boom boxes or "party" speakers. Some of those speakers are portable and have built-in rechargeable batteries while the biggest party speakers have wheels on them for transport and need to be plugged in with an AC adapter because they require so much power. We have a list of the best wireless boom box speakers if you're looking for a bigger Bluetooth speaker.
It's also worth noting that Bluetooth speakers from the same company can be daisy-chained together to augment their sound or paired together as a left-right stereo pair. Often, the best way to get a bigger sound is to pair two Bluetooth speakers together in a stereo pair..
