5 of the Best Bluetooth Speakers You Can Buy, According to Owners

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Industry-favorite Bluetooth speakers are not uncommon. Year after year, popular speaker brands like JBL, Bose, and countless others continue to offer portable wireless audio products that you can take almost anywhere and pack a punch. Many of these devices even support multi-speaker connectivity, allowing you to link two or more Bluetooth speakers for an expanded soundstage. We and our colleagues in the consumer tech industry like what we’ve heard, but nothing beats feedback from everyday device owners when you’re trying to make a decision.

Indeed, learning the pros and cons from someone who was just as interested in researching a speaker as you and who actually bought and used it can be the best kind of insider scoop. Not only will you get training on how effective a Bluetooth product is for an individual, as well as their friends and family, but you may even get ideas for ways to use the speaker that you hadn’t thought of (for example, using the 3.5 millimeter auxiliary cable to connect a speaker to your TV).

To that end, we looked at what gets Bluetooth speaker consumers excited. We also wanted to know which Bluetooth products you should avoid, so don’t be surprised if a few chart-topping options failed to make the grade.

More than 5,000 Amazon shoppers have shared their feedback on the $200 JBL Charge 6, earning the speaker a 4.7-star rating (out of five). It also cleaned up at Best Buy, where it earned 4.9 out of five stars based on more than 1,100 reviews. People love the Charge 6, and several users praise everything from the sound quality to the overall battery life to the build. As for the latter, JBL claims you’ll get up to 24 hours of playback on a full charge, but lab testing found it’s closer to 19 hours. Still, it’s more than enough for a full day of music.

The Charge 6 is an improvement over the Charge 5, particularly in terms of dust and water resistance (IP68 vs IP67), battery life and portability. The speaker’s sturdy design makes it easy to take outdoors and can even float in water. Out of the box, the Charge 6 delivers excellent midrange and treble performance, and it does a decent job bringing in the bass. You’ll have trouble channeling ultra-low frequencies, but that’s to be expected with small Bluetooth speakers. You can also use the JBL Portable app to change audio presets or the seven-band equalizer (EQ) to create your own sound profile.

Like many other Bluetooth speakers, the Charge 6 is forced to mix stereo tracks to mono, but you can use Auracast to pair it with other compatible JBL speakers. Unfortunately, JBL doesn’t provide a USB-C cable, so you’ll need to purchase one separately. It also takes about two and a half hours to fully charge, and the USB-C port can be used to charge a phone, tablet, and other small devices.

The $400 Bose SoundLink Max is another favorite among consumers, and it’s the largest speaker in the SoundLink family. On Amazon, users gave the Max a 4.5 rating, based on more than 2,300 reviews. Many people were happy with the speaker’s high volume and well-balanced highs, mids, and bass. The Bose app will even let you switch between audio presets or create your own sound profile via the graphic equalizer.

Thanks to its IP67 protection rating, the Max can accompany you safely on every day at the beach or pool, because you won’t have to worry that a little water will spoil your fun. Bose claims you’ll get up to 20 hours of playback on a full charge, but setting the Max to a higher volume may result in less playback time. Luckily, the app has a programmable auto-shutoff timer with increments of five, 20, 40, 60, and 180 minutes to choose from.

Bose also provides a carrying strap for its biggest and baddest SoundLink speaker. We think it’s worth mentioning that a few Max owners have reported faulty buttons, but this doesn’t appear to be an overall quality control issue. And if you care about color variety, the Max offers three options: black, twilight blue, and lemon yellow.

We love when a minimalist, sleek speaker is capable of producing impressive sound, and owners of the Klipsch The One Plus feel the same way. Traditionally known for its home theater speakers, Klipsch has branched out into the portable audio pool, and the results are quite excellent. More than 450 Amazon users have left reviews on the One Plus, earning the product 4.3 stars out of five.

People love the sound of this speaker, with one Amazon shopper reporting “I use it all day at my desk…Sound is great with good bass.” Experts also complimented the sound quality of the One Plus, especially when it comes to voice fidelity. The free Klipsch Connect app even lets you choose from five audio presets, or you can create your own listening profile via EQ.

Something to keep in mind: This is the only Bluetooth speaker on our list that requires wall power at all times. That said, it also includes 3.5-millimeter auxiliary and USB-C ports, the latter of which can be used for reverse charging and playback. Walnut and matte black are the two color options, and the speaker goes on sale on Amazon quite often.

There’s nothing wrong with buying a Bluetooth speaker that costs $100 or less, especially when it’s as good as the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4. Designed to float in a pool, the IP67 rating even protects against submersion up to a few feet. When it comes to sound quality, people love what the Boom 4 brings, earning it 4.4 stars after over 2,400 reviews on Amazon.

According to audio experts, the Wonderboom 4 isn’t incredibly loud, but it produces enough volume to satisfy most listeners. For a little more oomph, you can enable Outdoor Boost or use Podcast mode for enhanced dialogue and vocals. You’ll also get up to 14 hours of playback on a full charge, which is more than enough for a backyard barbecue. Keep in mind, however, that you’ll need to provide your own USB-C charging cable.

In fact, we like that the Wonderboom 4 is app-free: what you hear is what you get! That said, you can pair multiple Boom 4 or Boom 3 speakers for stereo playback or in Party mode. In fact, the Boom 4 can also pair with two Bluetooth devices simultaneously, if you need to outsource DJ duties to dessert time at the barbecue.

Anker’s Soundcore sublabel is behind some pretty impressive audio technology, and the $130 Anker Soundcore Boom 2 is a fan favorite. More than 7,900 Amazon users provided feedback, earning the Boom 2 a 4.6 out of 5 star rating. It also scored well with Walmart shoppers, who gave the speaker 4.6 out of five stars, based on more than 100 reviews. People really like the sound quality and portability of the Boom 2, and the Soundcore app gives you additional audio presets and a custom EQ for more precise tuning.

An Amazon shopper brought up a good point: the Boom 2 downmixes stereo tracks to mono, which is actually quite common for cheaper Bluetooth speakers. That said, you can pair up to 100 compatible speakers via the Soundcore app’s PartyCast feature if you want a larger soundstage. People do, however, like the fact that the Boom 2 offers all-day battery life; you can expect up to 18 hours of playback on average, depending on volume and EQ settings.

The speaker’s IPX7 rating allows for safe use at the beach or at a pool party, and there are three color options to choose from: Phantom Black, Explorer Blue, and Adventure Green. And for a little more bass and a wider soundstage, the $250 Anker Soundcore Boom 2 Plus is next up.

There are hundreds of Bluetooth speakers on the market, but the most important thing for this roundup was finding products that device owners loved, regardless of what industry experts had to say. This is not to say that we did not rely on professional information at all; Rather, our priority was to hear what the average consumer had to say about one of the five speakers we chose.

Sites like Amazon and Best Buy have proven helpful in hearing what people have to say about their daily driving technology. In particular, we made sure that each of these devices was available on Amazon so you know you can get it if you want, and we also only considered products with at least a 4-star rating. We also stuck to trusted, long-standing audio brands for each selection and did our best to highlight deals and discounts.