The Best Bluetooth Speakers

A good Bluetooth speaker lets you take your music on the go, but the best allow for easy carrying and are durable enough to handle the trip. To find our top picks, we consulted audio experts, looked across audiophile sites and consumer reviews, and then we tested 10 highly regarded speakers for portability, Bluetooth range, durability, and sound.

How We Chose

Sound quality

We consulted Dan Wiggins, an acoustics and audio expert, who told us that “when you’re talking about Bluetooth speakers there really isn’t such a thing as high-fidelity; that’s a limitation of Bluetooth.” In other words, Bluetooth speakers aren’t designed to reproduce perfect audio.

That being said, the best Bluetooth speakers should still sound good. We combed through audiophile reviews on sites like What Hi-Fi? and CNET, as well as consumer reviews on Amazon, in order to find Bluetooth speakers that were widely celebrated for their audio quality. In the end, we came away with 10 candidates:

Size

Wiggins told us “if you’re looking for something to use around home, go bigger because to create large powerful bass, and a great sound experience it will take size and volume. On the other hand, deemphasize sound quality just a bit if you want a portable speaker to drop in your backpack or suitcase.”

We looked at various lifestyle choices and needs. A large speaker will be difficult to move around but will also be louder. This means they’re better suited for use at home or situations where you needed your speaker to cover more ground — think listening at a bonfire versus around a campfire. However, if you’re always on the go, the portability of a smaller speaker is ideal. We divided speakers into three size categories:

Large Speakers

• Fugoo Style XL
• Braven BRV-X
• Libratone Zipp

Medium Speakers

• B&O Beoplay A1
• Bose Soundlink Revolve
• Jbl Flip 4
• UE Roll 2
• VAVA Voom 20

Small Speakers

• JBL Clip 2
• Creative MUVO 2c

Portability

Large speakers will naturally be harder to carry around than smaller ones, so we didn’t spend much time comparing portability across size categories. Instead, we focused on identifying the most portable speaker within each size group. In addition to size and features, we also considered weight.

The Beoplay A1 was only slightly larger than the UE Roll 2, for example, but it had considerably more heft — enough that we noticed picking it up, versus the comparatively weightless Roll 2. Particularly bulky or heavy speakers, like the Libratone Zipp, scored low for portability.

Sound check

Wiggins told us that “most [Bluetooth speakers] don’t play very deep in frequency response. They’re mid-range [devices] that may disappoint bass lovers.” In other words, Bluetooth speakers will have difficulty producing the deep bass you can get with wired speakers, but when it comes to vocals and lead instruments, they’ll sound great.

We took the advice of our experts and listened to speakers for bass and overall volume: A deeper bass and louder volume will be able to fill a room and provide a better listening experience. We listened to each speaker multiple times to get a good sense for how each speaker sounded.

Durability

We looked for speakers that would be able to withstand common accidents such as a spilled drink or falling from a table. We gave preference to speakers with high IPX ratings — a certification published by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) that marks a product’s water and dust resistance.

For example, the Fugoo Style XL had an impressive IP67 certification, which meant it could handle exposure to harmful dust and immersion in up to 3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes. Put simply, you won’t have to worry about any accidents while listening poolside. Competitors like the Bose Soundlink Revolve only had IPX4 certification for handling spills but not immersion.

OurPicks

• UE Roll 2 – Most Portable
• Fugoo Style XL – Best Volume
• X-Mini Kai X1 – Budget One