The 6 Best Bluetooth Speakers - Winter 2022 Reviews

The best speaker with Bluetooth compatibility that we've tested is the Sonos Move. This well-built model has built-in Alexa and Google Assistant capabilities, and it does an incredible job responding to your voice even if you aren't very close to it. While it isn't as small and portable as the Sonos Roam, the Move has a built-in carrying handle, so you can easily move it from room to room or take it outdoors.

Overall, it has a balanced, neutral sound profile suitable for listening to many different types of audio content. There are bass and treble adjustments available in the Sonos S2 app to help you customize its sound. You can also use it to pair two Sonos speakers together to create a stereo pair or amplify your music across a large, crowded party. It lasts over 10 hours off a single charge, which is suitable for long listening sessions, and it has an IP56 rating for dust and water resistance, so it's certified to be protected against direct contact with water for up to three minutes and dust for around two to eight hours.

Unfortunately, while it can get pretty loud, compression artifacts are present when you play it at max volume, which can be disappointing if you like to use your speaker at crowded parties. Also, it has to downmix stereo content to mono when using it on its own, which doesn't sound as immersive. That said, it offers a versatile overall performance that can please lots of different listeners.

The Ultimate Ears HYPERBOOM is the best stereo Bluetooth speaker we've tested. It's battery-powered, so you can bring it outdoors without needing to worry about plugging it into a power outlet, and it's even rated IPX4 for water resistance, meaning it's certified to be able to withstand small splashes of water. Also, it comes with a built-in carrying strap to help transport it.

There's an Adaptive EQ room correction feature advertised to optimize the speaker's sound to the unique acoustics of the room it's placed in. With this feature turned on, its sound profile is neutral, making it suitable for listening to a wide variety of music genres. It can also get incredibly loud, with few compression artifacts present at max volume, so your audio sounds clean and clear when the speaker is pushed to its louder volume levels.

Unfortunately, its soundstage is also somewhat directional, so you can't hear your audio as clearly from all angles. Also, it lacks some thump and rumble in the low-bass range, which may disappoint some fans of bass-heavy music. Fortunately, you can customize its sound to your liking thanks to the graphic EQ and presets featured in its companion app. If you're looking for a good stereo Bluetooth speaker, it's a solid choice.

The best Bluetooth party Speaker we've tested is the JBL PartyBox 310. This large speaker is battery-powered, has telescopic handles, and includes built-in wheels to help transport it. You can customize its RGB lights in its companion app, and it comes with a 12V DC In port that you can use to charge the speaker from your car's lighter port.

With its Bass Boost feature set to '1' and when placed horizontally, it has a boomy sound profile suitable for a variety of audio content. It can get incredibly loud, so it can easily fill large crowded spaces, and it can even get a bit louder when wired to a power outlet. There are mic and mic/guitar inputs, each with volume knobs and gain adjustments, and the PartyBox app features DJ and Karaoke features which may please some musicians. Its battery can also last over 17 hours from a single charge, which is great for long parties, though this can vary depending on your usage.

Unfortunately, there's some compression present at max volume that may affect the clarity of your audio during louder listening sessions. It also lacks sound customization features like a graphic EQ, so you can't customize its sound profile to your liking. That said, if you're looking for a good speaker to bring to your next party, it's still a solid choice.

The best portable smart speaker we've tested is the Bose Portable Smart Speaker. This lightweight speaker comes with a carrying handle built-in, so you can easily bring your favorite tunes along with you wherever you go. It comes with Google Assistant and Alexa built-in and has no trouble hearing you from far and in noisy settings. There's even a mic mute button you can use when you no longer want it listening to you.

It has a slightly boomy sound profile out-of-the-box, and its mid-range is balanced, so vocals and lead instruments sound clear and present in the mix. However, like most speakers its size, it lacks some low-bass, so you can't feel the deep thump and rumble in bass-heavy music like hip-hop or EDM. Fortunately, you can tweak its sound to your liking using the bass and treble adjustments featured in its companion app. Thanks to its 360-degree design, its soundstage is perceived as open and spacious-sounding. It's also well-built with an IPX4 rating for water resistance that certifies it to withstand small splashes of water.

Unfortunately, its battery isn't great for very long listening sessions, lasting only around five hours in our tests, though this can vary depending on your usage. Also, it doesn't get very loud, and there's a lot of compression present at max volume that can affect audio quality at louder volume levels. That said, if you like relying on voice assistants for support, this versatile smart speaker is a solid choice.

The best budget Bluetooth speaker we've tested is the Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 2. This well-built speaker is rated IP67 for dust and water resistance, so it's certified to be submersible in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes. Also, it has a small built-in carrying strap that you can use to suspend it from a hook or attach it to your backpack.

Out-of-the-box, this speaker has a fairly neutral sound profile with a balanced mid-range, so vocals and lead instruments sound clear and present in the mix. Like most small speakers, it struggles to reproduce the deep thump and rumble in low-bass that's typically present in bass-heavy music like hip-hop or EDM. That said, it comes with an 'Outdoor Mode' preset that's advertised to help with bass reproduction. Also, this speaker has excellent directivity thanks to its 360-degree design, resulting in a wide and open-sounding soundstage.

Unfortunately, it doesn't support voice assistants, and it lacks more comprehensive sound customization features like a graphic EQ to tweak its sound. It also doesn't get very loud, though there isn't much compression present at max volume, so your audio sounds clean during louder listening sessions. If you're looking for a good Bluetooth speaker on a budget, it's still a solid choice.