Which bluetooth speaker should i buy

We've tested hundreds of models in the past few years, and we can happily say they are still some of the best small devices you can listen to. Here are our favorites right now. Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day. If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. It puts out some of the most pleasant, balanced sound for its size. The waterproof cylinder comes in multiple colors, lasts 15 hours between charges, and gives you feet of Bluetooth range.

On top of all that, it has a two-year warranty. The larger Sonos Move is great if you want a speaker that usually lives inside, and which you can occasionally carry outside. But it's not the kind of thing you'd want to throw in a backpack. This tiny Sonos speaker has all the same smarts as its bigger siblings, but with an IP67 dust- and water-resistance rating and 10 hours of listening time. It's about the size of a ounce beer can and easily fits in cup holders and knapsacks alike.

You probably haven't heard of Tribit, but its line of Bluetooth speakers sound a lot better than they should for the price.

The StormBox is my favorite model. It has dual-firing drivers and passive radiators in a 7-inch-long pill shape.

No, it can't fuel a trance dance party on its own, but its sound clarity is impressive, and it has a fun extra bass button that adds some surprising, if slightly muddy, thump.

With ish hours of battery and an IPX7 waterproof rating—which means it's not dust-proof but can be submerged in water—it's a great companion for backyard tunes, a trip down the river, or other informal gatherings. Sonos invented wireless multiroom speakers. Its speakers connect to nearly every streaming service, and they work with Google Assistant or Alexa.

They also sound amazing by every measure. The Move streams music over your Wi-Fi network, but it can also function as a Bluetooth speaker when you take it outside. It gets 11 hours of battery life, plus it's splash-resistant. We shot a hose at it, so we know it can handle getting wet. It also has a charging dock for when the outside fun is over. The Wonderboom 2 is even better. Start your Independent Premium subscription today.

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Computer accessories Wireless printers Photo printers Computer monitors Computer keyboards Dictaphones Mice and trackpads External hard drives Travel adapters Laptop stands. Best laptops Top-rated devices for working from home Which Sonos speaker should you buy? The benefit to the Wi-Fi pairing is that you are able to control the speaker with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant voice controls.

JBL has been a pioneer in the Bluetooth audio industry and the Charge series is no exception. The latest, Charge 5, brings the familiar JBL sound quality that we've come to expect -- superb clarity and a rich heart-pumping bass. What separates the Charge 5 from other speakers is its rugged, yet stylish design, and an IP67 rating.

That means the speaker can be submerged up to 1. As the name suggests, the Clip 4 is designed to be portable, latching onto your backpacks, duffle bags, and other strapped carry-ons.

It's compact and lightweight, yet packs an impressive mid-range sound. However, don't buy this Bluetooth speaker for a kick of bass or loud volume -- buy it for the convenient design and reliable connection. Remember when parties didn't start until someone walked in with a boom box on their shoulder? Anker's audio brand, Soundcore, is bringing back the nostalgia with the Motion Boom. It's one of the most affordable yet hard-hitting Bluetooth speakers that you can buy right now.

For the price, you get drivers that are built with titanium diaphragms to get great sound clarity, and a battery that Anker promises will last you hours before the next charge. At a glance, you wouldn't expect the Tribit Stormbox Micro to pack as much bass and power as it does. That includes an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance, loud sound, and Bluetooth connection up to ft.

The built-in XBass tuning gives the small speaker enough power to pump up any setting. The Ultimate Ears Hyperboom is a big Bluetooth speaker -- it weighs in at a hefty 13 pounds and looks the most like a conventional speaker than any other on this list. But, that may just be what you want. You can pair to it via Bluetooth, a 3. Given the size, the speaker is flanked by a carrying strap. It can charge external devices a party-favorite feature at the expense of the promised 24 hours of playback.

The type of Bluetooth speaker that you have can make or break the life of a party. We considered several factors when picking the best of Sound quality : Some users prefer a more bassy sound while others just want clarity at the mids.

If you're looking for more, we can also recommend the best smart speakers and the best Wi-Fi speakers and music systems. When it launched, Bose made some bold claims about its new SoundLink Flex Bluetooth speaker, particularly its bass performance. But it mostly lives up to the hype and arguably is the best-sounding wireless speaker for its compact size. Available in three color options -- black, white smoke and stone blue pictured -- it's equipped with Bose's PositionIQ technology to automatically detect the speaker's orientation and deliver optimized sound based on whether upright, hanging or flat on its back.

The speaker is IP67 dust- and waterproof, and rated for 12 hours of battery life at moderate volume levels. The Flex also floats and Bose says it can survive drops and bumps, with a soft silicone back and powder-coated steel grille that "won't peel or flake and is resistant to corrosion and UV light.

Bose's SoundLink Micro also delivers impressive sound for its tiny size and this speaker is bigger, weighing just over a pound 0. For some reason, it uses the older Bluetooth 4. Bose says it can fill a living room with sound. From my tests, I'd say it would have to be a relatively small living room -- it can only output so much sound as a single speaker. However, if you pair two of them together in stereo mode, the sound gets to a whole other level and indeed fills a larger room with sound.

It's a larger speaker than many mini Bluetooth speakers, but it's still compact. 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. Read our Anker Soundcore Motion Plus review.

Tribit's StormBox Micro is one of the best sounding pocket-sized Bluetooth speakers I've tested, with bigger bass and volume than most other tiny speakers. Aside from its great design, Bose's SoundLink Micro stood out because it was able to deliver more bass than every Bluetooth speaker in its size class, and it also managed to have limited distortion at higher volumes.

And it's the Tribit's bass and overall volume level for its tiny size that allows it to stand out. It's IP67 dust-proof and water-resistant it can be fully submerged in shallow water for a short time and has up to eight hours of battery life at moderate volume levels with USB-C charging.

Like the Bose, this portable Bluetooth speaker has an integrated strap so you can clip it to your backpack or bike's handlebars. Read our Tribit StormBox Micro review. This portable Bluetooth speaker does seem more durable, with a sturdier integrated carabiner "clip.

With an IP67 water-resistance rating, it's not quite fully waterproof the Clip 3 is , but it's now dust-proof. The older Clip 3 is frequently discounted. Read our JBL Clip 4 review. 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. Anker says the Motion Boom delivers "huge stereo sound" and yes, it plays pretty loud and has a decent amount of bass with reasonable clarity.

I kept the bass boost on at all times because the speaker sounds better with bass boost on. It also travels well, so it's ideal for a beach excursion or a little tailgating. Read our Anker Soundcore Motion Boom review. JBL's Charge 5 offers a good balance of size, performance and durability. It's bigger than some of the mini speakers on this list like the Flip 5 , but is still compact and packs more bass punch and overall volume. Featuring a built-in USB charging port for juicing up your mobile devices, it offers improved audio and a dust- and waterproof design that's elevated from the previous Charge.

According to JBL, the speaker is equipped with a "racetrack-shaped driver," with a separate tweeter and dual passive radiators, which improves both clarity and bass performance over the Charge 4.

In my tests, this indeed proved to be the case. Battery life is rated at 20 hours at moderate volume levels. This model is also equipped with JBL's PartyBoost feature that allows you to connect it to other compatible JBL portable speakers to augment their sound.