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The Best Portable Bluetooth Speaker

By Brent Butterworth
Updated May 12, 2022
Photo: Rozette Rago
UpdatedMay 2022

Portable Bluetooth speakers are the easiest, most affordable way to spread the sound from your phone or tablet across a room, backyard, or beach blanket. Because Bluetooth speakers come in a variety of designs and sizes, it’s impossible to proclaim any one model perfect for every situation. But we think the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2 will appeal to almost everyone. Its full, clear sound and its ultra-rugged, compact design make it a perfect travel companion.

How we pick and test


  • Panel testing

    We test Bluetooth speakers with expert listeners, and we conceal the identities of the products to eliminate bias.

  • Wide product range

    The speakers we test range from eight-ounce travel models to 40-pound backyard blasters.

  • Real-world trials

    We spent (and continue to spend) many hours with top picks and other models to make sure they survive day-to-day use.

  • Price range

    To give readers a full picture of the category, we test models priced as low as $15 and as high as $500.

Read more

Our pick

Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2

The best portable Bluetooth speaker

The Wonderboom 2 has a natural sound and a cool design, and it’s built to survive almost any outdoor adventure.

Buying Options

*At the time of publishing, the price was $82.

The Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2 is as euphonious as Ariana Grande but as tough as Lara Croft. In our brand-concealed tests, our panelists picked this Bluetooth speaker as the all-around most versatile choice. With clear vocal reproduction and a decent amount of bass for its size, it offers satisfying sound for a small area, such as across a picnic table or a couple of lounge chairs on a patio. It has an IP67 rating and is one of the most rugged Bluetooth speakers we’ve tested, able to survive a 5-foot drop and a dunking in 1 meter of water—but because it floats, it’ll probably never dive that deep. The Wonderboom 2’s only downside is its battery life, which at 8 hours in our testing is adequate but not impressive. We like the Wonderboom 2’s compact design, even if the almost-spherical shape makes this model a little tougher to pack away in a suitcase pocket or laptop bag.

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Upgrade pick

JBL Xtreme 3

For large spaces and far-flung places

The Xtreme 3 plays loud enough for outdoor parties yet sounds smooth enough for relaxed listening—and it’s built to survive rough handling.

Buying Options

*At the time of publishing, the price was $300.

The JBL Xtreme 3 is a great choice if you want a Bluetooth speaker that sounds bigger and bolder than our top pick yet is still portable enough to take to the beach or the tailgate. The Xtreme 3—which replaces its predecessor, the Xtreme 2, as our upgrade pick—is the best-sounding portable Bluetooth speaker we’ve tested, as our panelists praised it for its clear sound on voices, guitars, and pianos (though its bass tended to get a little quiet at maximum volume). This speaker is built for adventure: The IP67 rating means it’s waterproof and dustproof, the strong carrying strap makes it easy to lug along anywhere, and in our testing the Xtreme 3 ran for 17 hours on one charge. But it’s much larger and more expensive than the UE Wonderboom 2.

Budget pick

Tribit XSound Go

Very good sound for under $35

The Tribit XSound Go is the best speaker we’ve heard in its price range, and it’s compact and waterproof to boot.

Buying Options

$37 from Amazon

25% off with on-page coupon

If you want to spend the bare minimum on an all-around good portable Bluetooth speaker, the Tribit XSound Go is a great choice. Its sound is obviously clearer and louder than that of almost all other budget Bluetooth speakers. The XSound Go is small enough to slip into a laptop bag or an already stuffed suitcase, and it runs 10.5 hours on a charge. Plus, it has an IPX7 rating, which means it’s sufficiently waterproof to survive a half-hour dunking in 1 meter of water, and it has a speakerphone function. Tribit recently upgraded the XSound Go with USB-C charging and stereo pairing.

Also great

Sony SRS-XB33

For bigger, fuller sound in a midsize package

The SRS-XB33 has a detailed, clear sound, with a rugged design and lots of features.

Buying Options

$128 from Walmart

Save with everyday low prices at Walmart

If you need something that sounds a little louder and fuller than the UE Wonderboom 2 but is more portable and affordable than the JBL Xtreme 3, the Sony SRS-XB33 finds a nice middle ground. It’s powerful enough to fill a 20-by-15-foot room, and it gave us about 16 hours of battery life in our tests. With an IP67 waterproof and dustproof rating, it’s also built to take punishment, and it has multicolor lights and strobes, as well as a speakerphone function. However, it’s about two and a half times bigger and heavier than the Wonderboom 2, so it’s nowhere near as portable.

Also great

Ultimate Ears Hyperboom

For pool parties and tailgating

The Hyperboom plays loud enough to fill a backyard yet offers sound quality comparable in many ways to that of a good small stereo system.

Buying Options

$450 from Walmart

May be out of stock

The Ultimate Ears Hyperboom might be the closest thing we’ve found to a portable Bluetooth speaker that does everything well. It plays almost twice as loud as the JBL Xtreme 3, so it’s ideal for pool parties and tailgating. It also sounds beautiful, with smooth and natural vocals, ample deep bass, and surprising ambience for a one-piece speaker—so you’ll probably want to use it indoors, too. At 14.3 inches high and 16.6 pounds, it’s impractical for airline travel, but it’s compact and light enough that most people can carry it easily. It also has an IPX4 rating, so it can survive all the splashing that goes on around a pool. In our tests, it played at a fairly loud volume for 27.5 hours on a single charge.

Everything we recommend

Our pick

Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2

The best portable Bluetooth speaker

The Wonderboom 2 has a natural sound and a cool design, and it’s built to survive almost any outdoor adventure.

Buying Options

*At the time of publishing, the price was $82.

Upgrade pick

JBL Xtreme 3

For large spaces and far-flung places

The Xtreme 3 plays loud enough for outdoor parties yet sounds smooth enough for relaxed listening—and it’s built to survive rough handling.

Buying Options

*At the time of publishing, the price was $300.

Budget pick

Tribit XSound Go

Very good sound for under $35

The Tribit XSound Go is the best speaker we’ve heard in its price range, and it’s compact and waterproof to boot.

Buying Options

$37 from Amazon

25% off with on-page coupon

Also great

Sony SRS-XB33

For bigger, fuller sound in a midsize package

The SRS-XB33 has a detailed, clear sound, with a rugged design and lots of features.

Buying Options

$128 from Walmart

Save with everyday low prices at Walmart

Also great

Ultimate Ears Hyperboom

For pool parties and tailgating

The Hyperboom plays loud enough to fill a backyard yet offers sound quality comparable in many ways to that of a good small stereo system.

Buying Options

$450 from Walmart

May be out of stock

I’ve reviewed audio gear professionally since 1990, and I’ve written reviews for numerous magazines and websites, including Sound & Vision, Home Theater Review, Mashable, Lifewire, and Home Theater. I’ve probably conducted more brand-concealed tests of audio products than any other journalist, and I’ve tested somewhere around 400 wireless speakers to date. Since 2008 I have taken portable Bluetooth speakers on more than 100 trips, from bike tours to transoceanic junkets to weeklong trade-show slogs.

Wirecutter senior staff writer and headphone editor Lauren Dragan has served as a listening panelist for this guide for the past few years, and most of our current picks have also been auditioned by woodwind player Dan Gonda and drummer Sammy Velick. Dan and Sammy have considerable experience in music performance and production. Both of them own a few Bluetooth speakers and have heard many more in my home, where I use such speakers to demo jazz tunes for musicians in my jam sessions.

Anyone who owns a smartphone or tablet would probably enjoy owning a portable Bluetooth speaker, which can improve the listening experience anywhere. Bluetooth is available in every current smartphone and tablet, as well as in most laptop computers, so you don’t need additional equipment. Unlike smart speakers and Wi-Fi speakers, Bluetooth speakers don’t require a network connection and the use of special apps—whatever you play on the phone will play through the speaker.

Portable Bluetooth speakers have a rechargeable battery and are frequently waterproof or splashproof, so you can easily move them around the house or take them to a park or the beach. We’ve found that they make hotel rooms feel more like home.

The best of these speakers deliver sound quality that’s good enough for casual music listening, podcasts, and internet radio. Although Bluetooth does degrade the sound quality slightly, you’re unlikely to hear the effects through speakers such as these.

If sound quality and volume are your top priorities, and you don’t plan to take your speaker out of your house, you may want to check out the larger, more powerful speakers featured in our tabletop speaker guides:

For true high-fidelity sound, we recommend a pair of decent bookshelf speakers and a stereo receiver or one of the top picks from our best computer speakers guide. From one of those systems, you get clearer sound, much better stereo imaging, and usually much deeper bass response. You can add a Bluetooth adapter if the system doesn’t already have Bluetooth built in.

Voice control of the sort popularized by Amazon Echo and Google Home speakers is uncommon in portable Bluetooth speakers. However, you can find a few portable models, such as the Sonos Roam and Ultimate Ears Megablast, that support both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections and have smart-speaker functions. Some Bluetooth-only speakers provide a button that activates your smartphone’s voice-command technology (such as Google Assistant), but because you can access those features straight from your phone, this isn’t a big advantage.

I’d estimate that there are a couple thousand models of Bluetooth speakers now available, many sold under obscure brands and sometimes only through Amazon. Considering that new ones seem to appear every week, it would be impossible to find and hear them all. But we’ve listened to most of the major models, and we’re always on the lookout for promising new models to test.

We use the following criteria to help us decide which Bluetooth speakers to call in for testing:

  • Portability and battery life: Although any Bluetooth speaker can be lugged around, we focus on models that have rechargeable batteries and are designed to take a trip to the beach or the park with no hassle. For our top pick, we prioritize speakers that are compact and easy to toss into a backpack, beach bag, or suitcase—yet still produce great sound.
  • Ruggedness and waterproof design: We give priority to speakers that are built to survive the knocks and bumps of travel. Although we don’t limit our testing to waterproof speakers, we do give preference in our judging to speakers with an Ingress Protection (IP) rating, which tells you exactly how waterproof and dustproof a speaker is.
  • Price: Even though we would like to test every type of portable Bluetooth speaker, we set a bottom price of $15. Bluetooth speakers are often available for as little as $5, but we’ve never found such an inexpensive model to sound good enough to bother using—especially when the speakers built into today’s better phones can play loud enough for light listening.
  • Playback controls: Because you can control the playback from your Bluetooth source device (usually a phone or tablet), we don’t require the speaker itself to have playback controls, but it’s a convenient plus.
  • Special features: Bluetooth speakers offer all sorts of features beyond the ability to play audio from Bluetooth-sourced devices. These extras include speakerphone capability, pairing (the ability to play the same material through two Bluetooth speakers at once), built-in lighting, and even integrated bottle openers. In Wirecutter reader polls and comments we’ve read, every person has seemed to have their own opinion as to which (if any) Bluetooth speaker features are the most important, so we don’t require any particular features when picking models to test.

We don’t award extra points for inclusion of additional Bluetooth codecs beyond the standard SBC codec found in all Bluetooth devices. The sonic differences among these codecs are insignificant next to the huge, easily heard differences among the speakers themselves. And because most people use portable Bluetooth speakers for music, podcasts, and internet radio—not for movies, TV, or gaming—the reduced latency of codecs such as aptX Low Latency offers few benefits in this case.

Since this guide’s original publication in 2013, we’ve tested 337 Bluetooth speakers, including 13 new models for our latest update in March 2022.

As has become my standard practice for updates to this guide, I started this round by giving all of the new models a long listen, connecting them via Bluetooth through my Samsung Galaxy S10 phone and playing the same four test tracks, in this case two pop/folk, one heavy rock, and one jazz. I compared the speakers not only with each other but also with some of our previous picks.

During these tests, I measured the maximum output of each speaker indoors at a distance of 1 meter using an NTi Minilyzer audio analyzer and a calibrated NTi MiniSPL test microphone, with a pink-noise test tone. For this test, I used the analyzer’s Leq mode, measuring the average maximum level, in decibels, when playing a 34-second section of ZZ Top’s very loudly mastered tune “Chartreuse” (video). Here are the results for our current speaker recommendations:

This chart shows the maximum output of the portable Bluetooth speakers we recommend, measured indoors at 1 meter, averaged over a 34-second clip of highly compressed commercial music. We’ve included a general recommendation about room size for those times when you may use these portable speakers indoors. Chart: Wirecutter

I narrowed the group of contestants to the models that I thought had a real chance to impress our listening panel, and I included all of our past picks. Then I divided the set of speakers into four groups: ultra-compact, small, medium, and large. I set the volume of the speakers within a particular group to the same level, using a shaped-noise channel-balancing test tone recorded from a Dolby Digital receiver. For the ultra-compact and small speakers, the level was 74 dB at 1 meter; it was 78 dB and 85 dB for the medium and large speakers, respectively. Because of the widely varying performance, the coarse volume-control steps, and the unpredictable actions of the volume limiters in these speakers, it was impossible for me to match the levels accurately, but in most cases I was able to get them within ±0.3 dB. At the end of each speaker’s run, I cranked it full blast and played Kanye West’s “Love Lockdown” (video) to see how well the speaker tolerated high volume and strong, deep bass.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I wasn’t able to conduct our usual brand-concealed panel tests for our last major round of testing in May 2021, but I was able to drop off the most promising models with senior staff writer Lauren Dragan, Wirecutter’s headphone reviewer, so that she could give me a second opinion. Lauren used a process similar to mine to test the limited selection of speakers I sent to her. Ultimately, only our upgrade pick changed; all of our picks that carry over from the previous edition of this guide have been panel-tested.

During these tests, we paid particular attention to:

  • how clear the speakers sounded at normal levels
  • how the speakers balanced bass to midrange to treble
  • how loud the speakers were able to play when cranked up
  • how clear they sounded when cranked up

I checked the battery life of each of our top picks by repeating Steely Dan’s “Aja” (video) at an average level of 75 dB (measured at 1 meter) over and over until the power ran out (for the UE Hyperboom, I increased the level to 81 dB). Note that our results may not agree with the manufacturers’ stated battery life, likely because their testing methodology—which they almost never publish—varies from ours. I also measured the maximum Bluetooth range of all our picks.

For models that offer speakerphone functionality, I tried placing a call with each model to Lauren, who has helped me evaluate speakerphone quality for years. I speak to her from the same place in my living room, starting with my mouth 2 feet from the speaker; then I note how she sounds to me, and she tells me how my voice sounds.

Photo: Rozette Rago

Our pick

Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2

The best portable Bluetooth speaker

The Wonderboom 2 has a natural sound and a cool design, and it’s built to survive almost any outdoor adventure.

Buying Options

*At the time of publishing, the price was $82.

A portable Bluetooth speaker should be compact, rugged, and affordable, and most of all, it should sound good. The Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2 ticks all of those boxes and then some. All but one of the listeners on our original four-person panel praised the Wonderboom 2 for its natural balance of bass to midrange to treble, as well as its clear reproduction of voices. The Wonderboom 2 is about the size and weight of a large apple, so it’s easy to carry around. It also has lots of useful features, including an Outdoor Boost mode (which makes it louder, at the expense of bass), an ultra-rugged design, stereo/mono pairing, an extra-long Bluetooth range, and a top button that lets you pause and restart the music, as well as skip to the next track.

“The sound is surprisingly clear for such a small speaker,” Sammy said. Lauren added: “It sounds bright, but it’s got enough bass to balance that out—it’s boom and sizzle, whereas most of the small speakers are all sizzle.”

With an IP67 rating, the Wonderboom 2 is dustproof and waterproof, and it can tolerate being submerged in up to 1 meter of water for a half hour. It also floats, so you won’t lose it if you drop it off a boat or dock or into a swimming pool. Ultimate Ears says the Wonderboom 2 can withstand a 5-foot drop; we confirmed this by dropping it from 5 feet, first onto a hardwood floor and then onto concrete. Not only did it keep working, but it barely even showed a scuff mark. A small, elasticized strap on top lets you hang the Wonderboom 2 from a shower rod, tent pole, or other object, provided you have a carabiner, hook, or strand of string to attach it.

In our measurements, the Wonderboom 2 put out 85.1 dB at 1 meter, about the same level you’d hear from the traffic noise if you were standing at a busy city intersection—and enough for the speaker to fill a small room with sound. The Outdoor Boost mode increased the output by about 3 decibels—not a dramatic boost, but noticeably louder. However, this mode reduces bass, so the speaker doesn’t sound as full and pleasing. We measured Bluetooth range at an impressive 95 feet through one window.

Since we originally made the Wonderboom 2 our top pick, numerous Wirecutter editors have tried it and fallen in love with its rugged but cute design and its full sound. In fact, our editor-in-chief selected it from the thousands of top picks on Wirecutter to write about in our “52 Things We Love” series.

If you like lots of bass, the Wonderboom 2 probably isn’t your speaker. I was bothered to hear its little speaker drivers choking on some of the deep bass notes in my favorite jazz and pop recordings. If you prefer more bass, the Walmart-exclusive Anker SoundCore Rave Neo or the Sony SRS-XB33 may be more to your liking.

The Wonderboom 2 lacks a speakerphone function. We wouldn’t use that feature often, but you might.

Battery life is rated at 13 hours, but we measured roughly 8 hours, and that’s with four trials of two different units, with the Outdoor Boost mode disengaged. That amount of battery life is adequate to cover a full workday, but there won’t be any reserve if you forget to keep the battery charged. Charging happens through a Micro-USB port; Micro-USB cables are readily available, but many readers tell us they prefer USB-C.

Finally, though the Wonderboom 2 is light and compact, it’s not slim. Its cylindrical design, measuring about 3½ inches in diameter and 4 inches high, takes up more space in a suitcase than some slimmer designs and prevents it from fitting comfortably in a laptop bag.

Photo: Rozette Rago

Upgrade pick

JBL Xtreme 3

For large spaces and far-flung places

The Xtreme 3 plays loud enough for outdoor parties yet sounds smooth enough for relaxed listening—and it’s built to survive rough handling.

Buying Options

*At the time of publishing, the price was $300.

The JBL Xtreme 3 replaces the JBL Xtreme 2 as our upgrade pick for those who are willing to pay more for a bigger sound. Like the earlier model, the Xtreme 3 is a roughly football-sized design with a thick canvas shoulder strap, and it delivers a big, full sound that’s rare in a portable Bluetooth speaker. The main differences between the old and new models: The Xtreme 3 adds USB-C charging, so it works with most laptop and tablet chargers, but it omits the Xtreme 2’s speakerphone function. The Xtreme 3 also carries an IP67 rating, so unlike its predecessor, it’s dustproof in addition to being waterproof.

Lauren liked the Xtreme 3 the best of all the speakers in its size range. “The Xtreme 3 has clear highs, without the shushing, piercing treble that so many of these speakers have,” she said. “It also has strong, pumping bass, which I like.” I also thought the Xtreme 3 had the clearest highs in its class, which helped it avoid the sibilance (or hissing quality) that most portable Bluetooth speakers have. That extra clarity worked well not only with voices but also with most instruments, including guitar, piano, and saxophone.

Probably the biggest difference in the sound of the new model is that it plays a little louder—92.8 dB at 1 meter, versus 90.8 dB from the Xtreme 2. But that’s not necessarily the advantage it might seem to be: When the Xtreme 3 is playing bass-heavy material at full volume, the internal limiter reduces the bass output for the sake of a little more maximum volume, so the sound thins out a bit. The bass comes back to full strength if you lower the volume a click or two.

The Xtreme 3 isn’t what we’d call compact—it measures about 11¾ inches long by 5½ inches in diameter, and at 4.4 pounds, it weighs about 3 pounds more than the UE Wonderboom 2. But the shoulder strap makes it easy to lug around, and a bottle opener is built into the strap buckle.

JBL rates the battery life at 15 hours, but we got 17 hours in our tests. We measured Bluetooth range at about 55 feet through one window—which is fine, but we got 110 feet out of the Xtreme 2.

The Xtreme 3 is larger and heavier than our Ultimate Ears and Sony picks, but the included shoulder strap makes it easy to carry around. Photo: Rozette Rago

The play button on top lets you pause and restart playback and skip to the next track. The Xtreme 3 supports JBL’s PartyBoost feature, which lets you connect multiple PartyBoost-equipped speakers for group playback; however, this feature is not compatible with the similar Connect+ function found on older models such as the Xtreme 2. A USB-A output lets the Xtreme 3 charge portable devices. JBL offers an app to control the Xtreme 3, but the only feature exclusive to the app is the ability to turn off the audio feedback on functions such as Bluetooth connection and power on/off, as well as to update the firmware.

Photo: Rozette Rago

Budget pick

Tribit XSound Go

Very good sound for under $35

The Tribit XSound Go is the best speaker we’ve heard in its price range, and it’s compact and waterproof to boot.

Buying Options

$37 from Amazon

25% off with on-page coupon

If you want a great all-around portable Bluetooth speaker for about $30, the Tribit XSound Go is a terrific choice. Even four years after its debut, it still sounds better than almost everything else in its price range, offering clearer vocals and more bass than most competitors can muster. It’s small enough to slip into a laptop bag or any suitcase, and it’s IPX7-rated, which means it’s sufficiently waterproof to survive a half-hour swim in 1 meter of water.

When the XSound Go accompanied me through four weeks of travel, I continued to be surprised by how clear and full its sound was. Voices were natural and distinct, never bloated or hoarse, as they can be on most inexpensive Bluetooth speakers. The XSound Go doesn’t come across as full, or play as loud, as the UE Wonderboom 2, but all of our panelists thought it delivered amazing sound quality for its price. The measured maximum volume was 82.2 dB—not enough to get a party going, but enough for light listening in a typical living room.

The XSound Go has (from left) buttons for power, Bluetooth pairing, play/pause, and volume control. Photo: Rozette Rago

There’s nothing flashy about the XSound Go, but it doesn’t have that cheap, plasticky look that many budget Bluetooth speakers have. While it sports a play/pause button on the top, it lacks track-skip buttons, which would come in handy if you wanted to use the XSound Go in the shower. The battery is rated for 24 hours of life; we got only about 10.5 hours, but for a cheap Bluetooth speaker, that’s fine.

For the price, the XSound Go’s speakerphone function is acceptable. Lauren’s voice sounded full but a little garbled to me, and she complained of a high-frequency hissing noise that accompanied my voice. Bluetooth range is pretty good for the price—I measured about 50 feet through one window.

Photo: Rozette Rago

Also great

Sony SRS-XB33

For bigger, fuller sound in a midsize package

The SRS-XB33 has a detailed, clear sound, with a rugged design and lots of features.

Buying Options

$128 from Walmart

Save with everyday low prices at Walmart

The Sony SRS-XB33 is the speaker to get when you need a bit more speaker than the Wonderboom 2 but don’t need the party-level volume of the Xtreme 3. It’s more than twice the size and weight of the Wonderboom 2, but it has a clearer, fuller, bassier sound that gets it fairly close to the performance of a small set of desktop speakers—making it an ideal choice for a dorm room, office, or bedroom. The SRS-XB33 is packed with features, although some are of questionable utility.

“Best sound I’ve heard all day,” Lauren said, although she wasn’t testing any larger models at the time. “The highs sound clear, the bass and the treble are well balanced, and it didn’t misbehave when I played ‘Love Lockdown.’” I agreed; the SRS-XB33 was good enough for me to enjoy through hours-long jazz listening sessions. The app offers a three-band equalizer, as well as Extra Bass and Live Sound modes. Our advice: Turn Extra Bass on and Live Sound off, and then never adjust the sound again.

The app offers four DJ sound effects, such as Jet and Noise, but I found no use for them beyond eliciting adorable puzzled reactions from my shih tzu. And of course, the app lets you access numerous lighting schemes for the unit’s built-in strobe and multicolor LED lights, which you can enjoy or banish.

The SRS-XB33’s top panel includes (from left) controls for power, Bluetooth pairing, play/pause, and volume. Photo: Rozette Rago

The SRS-XB33 measures 9.5 by 3.1 by 3.3 inches and weighs 2.4 pounds—too big to fit easily into a suitcase but small enough to toss into a beach bag. Its IP67 rating, which indicates that it is dustproof and waterproof, means there’s no need to worry if it encounters sand, splashes, or rain. It’s also said to be shock resistant, but Sony provides no additional details, and we didn’t conduct impact testing.

Sony rates the battery life at 24 hours; with the Extra Bass mode on, we got 16 hours before the speaker started announcing “Please charge” every couple of minutes. Charging occurs through a USB-C port. At full blast, the SRS-XB33 puts out a very impressive 92.3 dB at 1 meter—within half a decibel of the Xtreme 3, although in our tests it didn’t sound as clear as the Xtreme 3 at high volume. That’s also 7.2 dB more than the output of the Wonderboom 2, or about the difference between speaking in a normal voice and raising your voice so others can hear you in a conversation with a half-dozen people.

We measured Bluetooth range at about 70 feet through one window. You can connect up to 100 compatible Sony wireless speakers for synchronized playback, and you can even sync the lights. The play/pause button on top lets you pause and restart playback, as well as skip to the next track. When we tested the speakerphone function, Lauren’s voice sounded wonderfully full and natural, but she reported that my voice, while reasonably easy to understand, had a crackly, rough character.

Photo: Rozette Rago

Also great

Ultimate Ears Hyperboom

For pool parties and tailgating

The Hyperboom plays loud enough to fill a backyard yet offers sound quality comparable in many ways to that of a good small stereo system.

Buying Options

$450 from Walmart

May be out of stock

The Ultimate Ears Hyperboom is a speaker anyone could use, from the parent who wants to fill their backyard with music for a pool party to the audio aficionado who wants a portable speaker whose sound quality comes close to that of a decent stereo system. It plays very loud, maxing out at 102.9 dB—about 9 dB louder than the output of the JBL Xtreme 3. That’s plenty of volume for a big pool party. And with an IPX4 rating, the Hyperboom is water resistant enough to survive splashes. “For picnics or group workout sessions in the park, this is ideal,” Lauren said.

From a sonic standpoint, the Hyperboom is the most technically sophisticated Bluetooth speaker we’ve encountered. With two tweeters (to reproduce the higher-frequency sounds), two woofers (for the lower-frequency sounds), and two passive radiators (to further help with bass reproduction), it’s like two good stereo speakers in one box—in fact, I noted that it had the kind of clear, robust sound I’d heard from the ELAC Debut 2.0 B6.2, a pick in our best surround-sound speakers for most people guide, but rarely in a Bluetooth speaker. The Hyperboom also incorporates an Adaptive EQ feature, which is said to adapt the speaker’s sound automatically to the acoustics of the surroundings. In our tests indoors, Adaptive EQ allowed a little too much bass to sneak through, and the full bass tended to obscure some of the treble, so acoustic guitars had less twang and cymbals less ping. (Of course, many listeners prefer a bassier sound.) Outdoors, Adaptive EQ seemed to work perfectly. If you don’t like the sound with Adaptive EQ, the app has a five-band equalizer plus Bass Jump, Game/Cinema, and Podcast modes.

Along with a standard analog input, the Hyperboom has an optical digital audio input. Photo: Rozette Rago

The Hyperboom also offers a few unusual features. First is an optical input, which makes it easy to connect the speaker to TV sets for louder, fuller sound. (You have to control the volume on the Hyperboom, though.) Next is a top-mounted ring switch that lets you choose between two Bluetooth sources and select the optical and analog inputs. Through the app, you can connect the unit to any number of additional Hyperbooms, as well as any speakers from the Ultimate Ears Boom and Megaboom lines.

At 16.6 pounds and 14.3 inches high, the Hyperboom is large, but a rear-mounted retractable rubber handle makes it pretty easy to lug around. It has a rated battery life of 24 hours; we got 27.5 hours with it running at 81 dB, or 6 decibels louder than the other speakers. We measured Bluetooth range at 110 feet, which is outstanding—although getting a range at this length sometimes required that we turn the Hyperboom in a particular direction, probably because the sheer size of the unit can interfere with the Bluetooth antenna.

The only real downside to the Hyperboom is its rather high cost, but it’s less pricey than the Sonos Five, which from an audio standpoint is similarly sophisticated—although of course the Sonos model offers Wi-Fi audio instead of Bluetooth. (If you need fuller sound and don’t mind something larger, the JBL PartyBox 110, described below, is a better and more affordable choice.) Also, the Hyperboom has a dedicated charger, which you’ll have to remember to bring if you take the speaker along on your vacation for more than a day or two. It lacks a speakerphone function, but most people are unlikely to demand a speakerphone feature in a speaker this large.

If you want smart-speaker functions or a speaker that works with a Sonos system: The Sonos Roam is technically a portable Bluetooth speaker, with a small, travel-friendly, IP67-rated design—but it’s so much more. It offers Wi-Fi support and can join a Sonos S2 multiroom speaker system (it’s not compatible with the older S1 operating system), automatically reconnecting to your Wi-Fi network when you bring it home from an outing. It also works as a smart speaker, with built-in support for both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, and it serves as a Bluetooth interface for a Sonos system—so you can stream content from a Bluetooth source to the Roam, and that content can stream to your Sonos S2 system. It’s about the same size as the Tribit XSound Go and plays only 1 decibel louder. But thanks in part to its TruePlay technology, which automatically optimizes the sound for the space you’re in, it sounds much smoother and more natural than any small Bluetooth speaker (and most large Bluetooth speakers) we’ve tried. As you can read in our first look at the Roam, the two downsides are a short battery life (about six hours, depending on how you use the speaker) and a high price.

If you want a non-Sonos, Bluetooth-capable smart speaker: The Ultimate Ears Megablast Bluetooth speaker also doubles as a Wi-Fi–connected smart speaker. It’s one of the picks in our guide to the best Alexa speakers.

If you want a lower-priced alternative to our top pick: The Anker Soundcore Flare 2 is an ideal choice for anyone who wants a good speaker in the mid-two-figures price range and doesn’t need the extreme portability and durability of the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2, which is a little more than half the Flare 2’s height. As of this writing, the Flare 2 is less expensive than the Wonderboom 2, and Lauren and I both thought it sounded better—with more bass, a little more volume (1.5 decibels), and a fuller, smoother sound that made voices sound more natural. App-based EQ controls let you fine-tune the sound. It also has a speakerphone function (which the Wonderboom 2 lacks) and app-controlled multicolored LED lighting (which you can turn off).

If you want the least-expensive portable Bluetooth speaker that still sounds decent: The Oontz Angle Solo sells for the price of a cheap T-shirt, but sounds surprisingly good. There’s almost no bass but voices sound clear and natural, so it’s great for podcasts and lighter music. It’s small enough to fit almost unnoticed into a suitcase, and its IPX5 water-resistance rating should ensure it can survive an errant hose blast.

If you want a less-costly alternative to our upgrade pick: The JBL Xtreme 3, the Sony SRS-XB43 is a nice and (as of this update) relatively affordable choice. We preferred the Xtreme 3’s clearer sound on voices and its superior portability, although the SRS-XB43 plays 1.6 decibels louder and offers the same lighting and sound features as the SRS-XB33. The downside of the SRS-XB43 is that it’s only marginally portable, with a weight of 6.4 pounds and no carrying handle or provisions for attaching a strap. Toting it is like carrying a football filled with sand, and for many people that means a two-handed carry.

If you want a speaker for backpacking or cycling: The Tribit StormBox Micro 2 is the best speaker we’ve found for ultra-portable use. At about 4 inches square and 1.5 inches thick, it’s a hair larger than its predecessor, the StormBox Micro—but the Micro 2’s extra 1/10 inch of height and ounce of weight was used to house a bigger battery, which boosted the runtime to a whopping 13 hours, up from just 5 for the original Micro. An integrated rubber strap attaches it to bike handlebars, tent poles, or backpack straps. Its sound quality is basically the same as its predecessor, and very similar to that of the XSound Go, although it’s nearly twice as expensive.

If you want yard-filling volume with plenty of bass: The JBL PartyBox 110 is one of our favorites (along with the Ultimate Ears Hyperboom) among the growing class of portable Bluetooth speakers designed to power large parties. At 23.8 pounds and 22¾ inches high, it plays loud, but it sounds as smooth and refined as many of the best wireless speakers. Although it maxed out at 1.1 decibels less volume than the Hyperboom in our tests, it sounded fuller and a little clearer when cranked up. Input jacks and level controls for a guitar and microphone make this speaker a great choice for casual DJing and musical performances, too. It is less expensive than the Hyperboom, but it doesn’t sound quite as smooth and even through the whole audio range. The PartyBox 110 is splash-resistant (with an IPX4 rating), and JBL’s new app allows adjustment of the LED lighting and access to a karaoke function and DJ sound effects such as an air horn and applause. The desk speaker sounds similar to the PartyBox 110 and provides a few more decibels of sound output, even more deep bass, and an IPX4 splash-resistance rating, but it’s roughly twice the size and price.

If you want a speaker for your swimming pool or spa: The Wow World of Watersports Sound Buoy floating speaker sounds surprisingly good in or out of the water. A detachable bottom “anchor cup” section fills with water to keep the Sound Buoy upright; it can be removed so the Sound Buoy sits securely on flat surfaces. In our tests, it played loud enough to be heard easily over a bubbling spa with a decorative waterfall. It easily survived dunks under the water and quickly shed any water that got behind the speaker grilles. The Sound Buoy also has an LED ring around the edge that can be set for the color of your choice or turned off. The anchor cup allows it to sit in a cupholder, and there’s also a bottle opener built in. It’s available in yellow or blue.

Many readers are concerned about how the manufacturing, shipping, and normal use of the products we recommend impact the world we live in. We take that seriously too, which is why we’ve asked the manufacturers of all our picks to answer some basic questions about materials, life cycle, and other sustainability issues. While our product recommendations are based completely on the criteria outlined in How we picked and How we tested, we offer this information to supplement the decision of any reader who uses environmental impact as a deciding factor in their purchases. We also recognize that this may not paint a complete picture of a product’s supply chain and life cycle impact.

For portable Bluetooth speakers, we asked manufacturers whether the packaging and/or the products use recycled materials, and whether the packaging and the products are recyclable. The former is a big plus. The latter should be a plus, ideally, because most electronics contain many recyclable materials, but the methods of recycling these products may have their own adverse impacts. We asked how long the product’s battery is projected to last and if it’s replaceable—because in these speakers the battery is usually the first component to fail, so having one that lasts longer or is replaceable means replacing the product less often. We asked whether the product’s firmware can be updated by the consumer; updatable firmware also extends a product’s life because it can allow bugs to be fixed or new features to be added.

Logitech, the parent company of Ultimate Ears, publishes a Recycling Standard (PDF) and maintains a Recycling Page that tells consumers where they can drop off the company’s products for recycling. Except for the foam used in the Hyperboom’s packaging, the packaging of the Wonderboom 2 and Hyperboom is recyclable, but neither the packaging nor the products use recycled plastic. The batteries are not replaceable and are expected to deliver 70% of their original capacity after 300 charge/discharge cycles. The Wonderboom 2’s firmware is not user-updateable, but the Hyperboom’s firmware can be updated through the UE Boom app.

JBL says neither the Xtreme 3 nor its packaging are made from recycled materials, but half the materials used in the packaging are recyclable. The battery reaches about 50% run time after 600 to 700 charge/discharge cycles. The battery can be replaced, but only by professional repair facilities. The firmware can be updated through the JBL Portable app.

According to Tribit, the XSound Go’s cardboard packaging and outer plastic shell can be recycled, and the company works with organizations in China to recycle products at the end of their life cycles. The battery is not replaceable. The company says it expects the battery to deliver 80% of its original capacity after 500 charge/discharge cycles. The firmware is upgradable via USB.

Sony has a web page devoted to sustainability. The packaging of the SRS-XB33 is recyclable, but the product is not. Sony didn’t provide battery life data, but says the battery can be replaced by a Sony service center. The SRS-XB33’s firmware can be updated through the Sony Music Center app.

In the world of portable Bluetooth speakers, there are always new products to test. We received a few new models just as our latest update was set to publish, including the JBL Encore Essential and Flip 6, and the Marshall Emberton II and Willen. We’ve also requested samples of many just-released or soon-to-be-released models, such as the Soundcore Motion Boom Plus, the Sonos Roam SL, and the JBL Wind 3 and Wind 3S, BassPro Go, Boombox 3, and Pulse 5.

We’ve tested 337 portable Bluetooth speakers specifically for this guide. Some competitors came close to our top picks in performance and value, and they may be worth considering, depending on your priorities. Here’s a list of some of the more recent models we’ve considered, in alphabetical order.

The Altec Lansing RockBox XL generally sounded very good and played pretty loud. We prefer the more compact designs of the JBL Xtreme 3 and Sony SRS-XB43, but if you like the boombox format, the RockBox XL is a good buy.

The Altec Lansing Soundbucket XL is what its name says it is—a big, bucket-shaped speaker. In our tests, it had a dull sound that made voices somewhat muffled and bloated.

The Anker Soundcore has a low price and an appealingly simple design, but it didn’t sound as full and smooth as the Tribit XSound Go.

In our tests, the Anker Soundcore Boost lost voice clarity with its bass boost mode activated, but without that mode, the bass was usually lacking.

We thought the tiny Anker Soundcore Icon Mini didn’t play loud or clear or full enough to warrant the investment.

For such a small speaker, the Anker Soundcore Mini 3 is packed with features, but in our tests it tended to vibrate on a table when it played deep bass notes, and the Tribit StormBox Micro played 2.9 decibels louder.

The Anker Soundcore Motion+ played very loud for its size and cost, but voices had a boosted, unnatural quality, and the bass didn’t cut it for hip-hop and pop.

The Anker Soundcore Motion Boom is a good lower-cost alternative to the Sony SRS-XB33. For its price, it plays loud and sounds full, but Lauren noted that it was “sweet spotty”—it sounded very good when we were right in front of it, but rather dull when we moved off to the side.

The Anker Soundcore Rave Neo is a cheaper, larger alternative to the Sony SRS-XB33. It played about as loud as the Sony but didn’t sound as clear on vocals.

We liked the clarity of the Audioengine 512 on vocals and most instruments but concluded that its bass and lower midrange weren’t strong enough to handle most hip-hop and heavy rock.

Although our panelists loved the sound of the B&O Beoplay A1, they lost their enthusiasm when they saw its high price.

Bitty Boomers’s Star Wars: The Mandalorian – The Child is surely the cutest Bluetooth speaker ever, but in our tests Baby Yoda played only a couple of decibels louder than a good smartphone could.

The Blackfire BBM9113 by Klein Tools has a cool, super-rugged design with a mounting strap and a magnet that allows it to attach easily to many surfaces. But it doesn’t have enough bass for our taste.

We like the Bose SoundLink Color II a lot. The Sony SRS-XB33 and Anker Soundcore Rave Neo sounded more powerful in our tests, but if you want something more compact and colorful, the SoundLink Color II is a good choice.

The Bose SoundLink Flex is a sleek, super-packable design that sounds very clear and natural in the midrange and treble, but it falls about 5 dB short of the maximum volume of the similarly priced Sony SRS-XB33, and it’s easy to hear when its internal limiter clamps down on the bass.

The Bose SoundLink Micro sounds surprisingly full for its size, but for its price it doesn’t play all that loud.

The Bose SoundLink Revolve+ II had the same problem we heard in the Bose SoundLink Revolve+: The overly aggressive internal limiter made the volume fluctuate unnaturally.

The Braven 105 doesn’t play very loud, but it sounds fairly clear and full for its size, and its integrated elastic strap makes it a more affordable alternative if the Tribit StormBox Micro is too pricey.

The Braven BRV-360 had a harsh, overly trebly sound in our tests.

The Cambridge SoundWorks OontZ Angle 3 plays extremely loud for its price and size, but our panelists found its sound rather shrill. The same goes for the OontZ Angle 3 Ultra.

We found the sound of the Doss SoundBox Plus thin and unpleasant, especially on voices.

The Doss SoundBox Pro didn’t really sound better than the Tribit XSound Go, and it’s larger and costlier.

The Doss SoundBox Touch is a former pick for the best budget Bluetooth speaker, but the Tribit XSound Go delivers comparable sound in a smaller chassis.

A campsite-friendly speaker with integrated LED flashlights, the Doss Traveler played clear and loud, but our panelists liked the Tribit XSound Go better.

Two of our panelists praised the EarFun UBoom for its clear and balanced sound, but two other panelists thought its clarity was lacking.

The Edifier MP700 sounded impressively clear, but it didn’t play as loud for its size as we’d hoped, and its metal handle made it heavy to lug around.

The iHome iBT374 is nicely priced for the volume and bass it delivers, but our panelists said the unit’s strong bass and treble overshadowed vocals.

The IKEA Eneby is a neat design, but the Tribit XSound Go plays much louder and sounds clearer.

The iLive ISBW108B is inexpensive but sounded shrill and grating in our tests.

The Jam Hang Around is a beautifully designed, affordable waterproof speaker with a cool integrated charging cord, but its sound distorted too often for our taste.

Although the JBL Boombox 2 sounded good and played very loud, the JBL PartyBox 110 and UE Hyperboom both played louder and sounded a little smoother and more natural with voices. If you want a boombox-style party speaker, we think the Sony SRS-XB500 is a better choice.

Our panelists thought the JBL Charge 4’s bass sounded too dull and boomy.

The JBL Charge 5 is a strong competitor to the Sony SRS-XB33. Lauren preferred the Charge 5’s more vivid sound, but the SRS-XB33 has more features, and I thought its sound was a little smoother, especially on voices.

The JBL Clip 4 had a somewhat buzzy and sizzly sound in our tests; we preferred the fuller sound and more versatile shape of the Tribit StormBox Micro 2.

Falling between the UE Wonderboom 2 and the Sony SRS-XB33 in price and performance, the JBL Flip 5 came very close to being a top pick. Our panelists thought it sounded a tad bright but very good overall. However, we got only about 6 hours of battery life from it.

The JBL Go 3 is a nice ultra-tiny, ultra-portable speaker, but it didn’t sound as full as the Tribit StormBox Micro.

A cute design and built-in lights make the JBL Jr Pop an appealing choice for kids; it sounded clear but had less bass than most other speakers in its price range.

If you want something larger and more powerful than the UE Wonderboom 2 for about the same price, the JLab Crasher XL is a good choice. Our panelists generally liked the Crasher XL’s loud, full sound.

The Kicker Bullfrog BF400 has a great design for outdoor use, but even though it sounded good at lower volume, it distorted too much for us at high volume.

The LG XBoom Go PK7 sounded very clear, clean, and balanced, but despite its large size, it didn’t play loud enough to fill a bedroom.

For the price, the LG XBoom Go PL5 doesn’t sound better or play louder than less-expensive models like the Votomy VR360. The same is true of the XBoom Go PL7, which in our tests sounded about as good as the Sony SRS-XB33 but produced a maximum volume that was 4.5 decibels lower.

We considered the Libratone One Click as a potential top pick because it played pretty loud and has a beautiful design, but it sounded a little too trebly to us.

Although the Libratone Too sounded notably clear and natural and boasted an attractive design, we didn’t think it played loud enough for the price.

We liked the full sound and compact design of the House of Marley No Bounds, but deep bass made it rattle across whatever it was sitting on.

For such a small speaker, the Marshall Emberton sounded wonderfully clear and full at moderate volume, but it’s expensive for its size, and the sound thinned out a lot at full volume.

The Marshall Kilburn II tended to clamp down the volume abruptly when it hit a deep bass note, and voices had a sort of canned quality.

The Marshall Tufton played admirably loud, but its bass sounded excessively pumped up and punchy, even when we turned the bass knob down. Also, it’s only IPX2 rated, so it’s rated to survive dripping water but not a splash.

The Monoprice Harmony Capsule 200 sounds like it has a big dip in the midrange, which gives voices a thin, trebly sound.

The Monster Blaster 3.0 played pretty loud in our tests, hitting 98.6 dB, but it distorted badly on deep bass notes and had a rough, coarse sound on voices.

The Morpheus 360 Sound Ring is inexpensive and has a handy ¼-20 tripod/bike mount socket, but in our tests it produced very little bass and below-average maximum volume.

Comparable in price and size to the Anker Soundcore Flare 2, the Morpheus 360 Sound Ring II sounded similarly good, but it fell a few decibels short of the Flare 2’s maximum volume.

Our panelists said the Nyne Boost sounded tinny and needed more bass.

The Philips S7505 actually sounds smoother and more natural than the Sony SRS-XB33. Voices sound unusually clear for a speaker of this price, and we heard almost no distortion even at full volume. It doesn’t produce the powerful, thumping bass that the XB33 slams out, it doesn’t have the XB33’s lights or control app, and it falls 3.6 dB short of the XB33’s max volume—but it costs less. The S7505 might be a better buy for those whose tastes lean toward jazz, folk, light classical, or vocal music.

The Positive Grid Spark Mini doubles as a Bluetooth speaker and a digital guitar amp that can be programmed with a huge variety of sounds and effects. It excels as a guitar amp, but its boosted midrange makes it sound shouty with voices when it’s used as a Bluetooth speaker.

The Raycon Everyday Speaker has a cute, ultra-portable design with a pretty smooth sound in its Balanced mode, but it lacks bass and doesn’t play very loud for the price.

The Raycon Fitness Speaker sounds exceptionally clean and smooth, but in our tests it didn’t play any louder than the much smaller UE Wonderboom 2.

The Sanag M7 looks like a low-cost knock-off of the UE Wonderboom 2, but the bass is barely audible and the speaker distorts badly when turned up all the way.

The Scosche BoomBottle MM was a little light on the bass but otherwise sounded good, and it’s a decent buy if you like its rugged design. However, as of our last update, its availability was questionable.

We liked the sound and design of Sony’s SRS-XB13, but for its price, it doesn’t play very loud.

Sony’s SRS-XB23 is pretty good, but for the same price we have found other speakers with more volume, deeper bass, and a smoother sound.

The boombox-style Sony SRS-XB500 is similar to the JBL PartyBox 110 in that it plays almost as loud and has a microphone/guitar input (although just one). It sounds good, too, but it costs much more than the PartyBox 110. The big handle and light weight make it easy to carry around.

The Sony SRS-XP500 looks and works much like the JBL PartyBox 110 and costs about the same, but we thought the PartyBox 110 sounded a little smoother on vocals.

The Soul S-Storm Max sounds fairly decent for its price, but its bass distorts easily and it maxes out only 0.7 decibels louder than the much smaller UE Wonderboom 2.

The Treblab FX100 didn’t play loud enough for its size; at maximum volume, it fell 3 decibels short of the level we used to test the smallest speakers.

With the Treblab HD7, voices sounded pretty clean but the bass output was very limited for the speaker’s size.

The Treblab HD77 tended to distort voices far more than most speakers of its size did.

If you want something about the size of the JBL Xtreme 3 but more affordable, the Treblab HD-Max is a good choice. It actually played slightly louder than the Xtreme 3 and sounded nice overall, but Lauren found that it rattled a bit when playing deep bass notes, and that its midrange was a bit muted.

The Tribit MaxSound Plus is a good-sounding, affordable speaker that falls between the UE Wonderboom 2 and the Tribit XSound Go in price and performance. If we had more picks, this model might be one.

We didn’t like the Tribit StormBox as much as its predecessor, the 360° Sound Speaker (a former top pick), because its sound seemed brighter and more sibilant than what we heard from the previous model we tested.

The Tribit StormBox Pro played really loud (91.8 dB) for its size, but its sound often distorted, and it sounded rough and uneven on voices.

The Tribit XSound Max is like a beefier version of the XSound Go. We liked it overall, and it does play a couple notches louder than the UE Wonderboom 2, but it sounded a bit bright and trebly for our taste.

The Tribit XSound Surf costs a little less than the XSound Go, but it sounds a bit distorted and the design makes it a little less convenient to carry because there’s no provision for a lanyard.

The Tronsmart Bang speaker looks like it might be a lot of sound for just a little over $100, but try as we might, we couldn’t get it to pair with an Android or an iPhone; it appears some bugs need to be worked out with the accompanying app.

The Tronsmart Force didn’t put out enough bass for our panelists.

We like the round design of the Tronsmart Splash 1, but other models of similar size produce much more bass.

The Ultimate Ears Boom 3 sounded good and played loud—and it has lots of great features—but our panelists preferred a little more bass for the price.

Our panelists really liked the Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3 for its features and rugged design, although we preferred the fuller sound of speakers such as the Sony SRS-XB33. The Megaboom 3 has recently been deeply discounted and seems like it’s not long for this world, but it’s a nice speaker if you can get it for a very-low-three-figures price.

The hockey-puck-sized VicTsing SoundHot C6 didn’t play real loud, but it did sound good. And its detachable suction cup and IPX5 rating make it a good, cheap shower speaker.

We can’t pick the Vifa Oslo because few people want to spend almost half a grand (its price at this writing) for a portable speaker. But it played loud and had a wonderfully full, clear sound.

The VisionTek SoundCube is chunkier than the Tribit StormBox Micro and didn’t sound as full and smooth in our tests, but if you want a decent, affordable speaker for the shower, its low price and convenient hanging strap make it a good choice.

The VisionTek SoundTube Pro produced very low maximum volume for its size and price.

The VisionTek SoundTube XL is a great option if you want an inexpensive speaker that sounds full, plays loud, and slings over your shoulder. It sounded smoother than the similarly priced Anker Soundcore Rave Neo in our tests, but the Rave Neo played about 5 decibels louder, enough to fill a backyard instead of just a patio.

At its original $300 price, the elegantly designed V-Moda Remix was very pricey for the sound quality it offers, but it’s now selling for less than $100, which makes it a pretty good buy.

The Votomy VT360’s maximum output matched that of the Anker Soundcore Flare 2, and it sounded a little fuller in our tests, but we could hear its limiter clamping down on the bass more.

The Wharfedale Exson S sounded a little light in the bass and a bit boosted in the midrange.

The Zamkol ZK106 didn’t sound as clear and full as the smaller, less expensive Tribit XSound Go.

About your guide

Brent Butterworth

Brent Butterworth is a senior staff writer covering audio and musical instruments at Wirecutter. Since 1989, he has served as an editor or writer on audio-focused websites and magazines such as Home Theater, Sound & Vision, SoundStage, and JazzTimes. He regularly gigs on double bass (and occasionally ukulele) with Los Angeles–area jazz groups.

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