THE BEST Speakers

The latest edition of JBL’s Charge Bluetooth speaker upgrades its durability with an IP67-rated waterproof and dustproof enclosure. Sound quality has also seen a bump with a larger bass driver and a wider soundstage. A built-in 7500mAh battery offers up to 20 hours of playback and can charge gadgets. Available 4.18.2021.

Koble’s wood and fabric side tables feature an integrated Bluetooth Speaker, along with a 5-watt wireless charging plate on their surface. They come in two designs – the rectangular Ralph, and the circular Zain, which adds USB charging ports and a subwoofer.

UK audio gear maker Naim packs 450-watts of power and six high-end speaker drivers into this beautiful light wood audio system. Its sound is crystal clear, natural, and expansive, and it can play music or movies via AirPlay 2, Chromecast, HDMI, digital, or analog sources. Read our full review of the Mu-so Wood Edition on Technabob.

This portable gadget turns any hollow surface into a Bluetooth speaker. Set it on top of a cardboard box, stick it on a hollow-core door, or even a hard-shell suitcase, and it sends mechanical vibrations through the object, resulting in surprisingly loud sound from a pocket-sized device. Save 40% in The Awesomer Shop.

Soundbars are fine, but if you want truly immersive home theater sound, a component system like the Onkyo OHTS3900 is best. This 5.1 surround sound system decodes Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, and has four HDMI ports that support 4K/60 Hz and HDR content. Save $100 off the MSRP in The Awesomer Shop.

This 2-in-1 device combines Roku’s excellent streaming apps with a 14″ wide, 4-driver speaker that can upgrade the sound on your TV set without taking up a bunch of space. It offers Bluetooth and AirPlay2 wireless connectivity, along with Alexa, Google voice assistant, Spotify Connect, and Dolby Audio support.

This clock radio is a beautiful tribute to retro technology. It combines a clock, an AM/FM radio, and a high-quality Bluetooth speaker in one. Each handmade radio is built with warmly-glowing vintage nixie tubes to display the time and an American black walnut enclosure with a 360 brass bezel and knurled knobs.

The Motorola Sonic Sub 500 is a slim and compact Bluetooth speaker with an integrated wireless charging pad. Its 5W RMS speaker kicks out big sounds for its size, while its 10W charging pad juices up phones quickly. It’s IPX7 waterproof, so you’re safe to use it outdoors without worry.

This substantial wood speaker looks like something from a high-end audio line, but it’s actually the result of a DIY build. King Minhvuong walks us through their process of recycling pallet wood into this beautiful portable audio system. If you’re feeling inspired, there’s a full parts list in the video’s description on YouTube.

Founded by former Apple designers and engineers, Syng is showing off their high-end wireless speaker. It packs upward- and downward-firing woofers and a three-element beamforming driver array. Three built-in microphones calibrate the speaker to your room, and multiple Cell Alphas can be networked for surround sound.

Placing a turntable close to a speaker can cause unwanted feedback and resonance. But the SpinBase uses proprietary tech to eliminate these issues, so it can sit right underneath your record player. It kicks out room-filling sound and works with any turntable. It also doubles as a Bluetooth speaker. Measures 18″ w x 13.5″ d x 3.25″ h.

Despite being just 3.3″ tall, Apple’s smart speaker kicks out room-filling 360º sound. Its spherical mesh enclosure looks great, and it works as a wireless audio system, voice-based smart home controller, and personal assistant for up to six different people. To protect privacy, it ONLY listens when you prompt it with “Hey Siri.”

Ampere’s waterproof Bluetooth shower speaker never needs to be plugged in. Instead, it uses a hydroelectric generator to capture energy from the water flowing to your shower head. Its design provides omnidirectional sound and it can pair with a second mini speaker for sound throughout your bathroom.

Maker King Minhvuong shows off a really sweet design for a tabletop Bluetooth speaker. He built it using hundreds of stacked colored pencils set into epoxy resin, then cut, shaped, sanded, and varnished the resulting block to form an eye-catching enclosure.

Go back to the ’80s with this retro-style speaker that looks like an old-school Walkman. Instead of popping a cassette in, stash your smartphone inside of it, then clip it onto your belt loop for full effect. It has working control buttons and a 3.5mm aux in jack. Why not go all-in and use it with that Bluetooth cassette player?

Audio gear maker Teenage Engineering has a great eye for industrial design. Their minimal Bluetooth speaker continues that trend, and packs a pair of 4″ bass drivers, neodymium magnet tweeters, and a 38w per channel amp. The “Magic Radio” also records everything you play onto a 2-hour loop that you can rewind and time-stretch.

Amazon’s Alexa-powered speaker is now an orb, which not only looks cooler, but improves audio quality. The room-filling speaker can stream music from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, SiriusXM, and more, and can control smarthome devices via voice commands. There’s also a spherical Echo Dot and a Echo Dot for kids.

This unique spatula integrates a remote control into its handle, so you can adjust volume, play, pause, and skip tracks while cooking. It connects with one or two Bluetooth speakers. The spatula handle is heat- and water-resistant, and the remote can be detached during washing. The spatula also has a built-in bottle opener.

Muzen’s palm-sized Bluetooth speaker has a rugged look and great sound quality for its size. It’s perfect for hanging off of your backpack or tent, and its all-metal case gives it a substantial feel. It also packs a built-in flashlight with three modes, and its IPX-5 rating means it’s water-resistant. Offers 6 hours of playtime per charge.

This tabletop speaker features iconic Marshall amp styling, with the usefulness of a built-in Amazon Alexa voice assistant. It has a 30-watt class-D amplifier, Airplay 2, Bluetooth, and Spotify Connect capability, and you use them to create a multi-room audio system. A Google Assistant version is also available.

Next time you’re throwing a party, kick out the biggest and best audio with JBL’s oversize Bluetooth sound system. It cranks out a massive wall of sound via its two 6.5″ woofers and three 2.25″ tweeters, and can run for up to 18 hours on battery. It’s also got mic and guitar inputs, and you can pair two together for true wireless stereo.

Altec Lansing’s rugged Bluetooth speaker is waterproof, snowproof, and shockproof. It has built-in Qi wireless charging and a USB charge port for your smartphone, and LED lighting which can sync with your tunes. It offers 20-hours of playtime per charge, though if you need more, there’s a 30-hour version, the Super LifeJacket Jolt.

This bedside alarm clock uses a matrix of 121 RGB LEDs to display the time. It also works as a Bluetooth speaker, and can display colorful images and animations you program via a smartphone app. Available in white or black plastic, or wood. They also make a mini version.

This waterproof LED lantern doubles as a Bluetooth speaker with 360º sound. Its 4400 mAh battery offers up to 24 hours of light, or can recharge gadgets too. Its 400 lumen light source has 5 modes including bright white, red, color fade, music synced, and emergency.

Marshall’s latest Bluetooth speaker is small, but still packs a punch. Its acoustics are designed to produce an enveloping 360º sound, while its battery offers up to 20 hours per charge. It’s IPX7-rated for water resistance, and at just 2.68″ x 6.30″ x 2.99″, it’s compact enough to toss in your bag for everyday use.

The latest version of Harman Kardon’s Aura Bluetooth speaker features an undulating, wave-like design under its dome that not only helps produce enveloping, 360º audio, but produces beautiful ambient lighting effect. It packs in six mid-high drivers, and a subwoofer, along with two 15W amps and one 100W amp.