The 7 Best Bluetooth Speakers - Fall 2021 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. It's battery-operated and has a built-in carrying handle, so you can easily take it with you when you're on the move.

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 the app to pair two Sonos speakers to create a stereo pair or amplify your music across a large, crowded party. It lasts over 10 hours off a single charge, 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 that we've tested. It's rated IPX4 for water resistance, meaning it's certified to be protected from small splashes of water. It's outstandingly portable and comes with a built-in carrying strap to help with transporting it. Also, it has a fantastic battery performance that could last just under 24 hours from a single charge in our tests, though this can depend on your usage.

It has an Adaptive EQ room correction feature that adjusts its sound according to the unique acoustics of your room. With this feature enabled, it has a neutral sound profile, making it suitable for listening to a wide variety of audio content. Its companion app features a graphic EQ you can use to tweak its sound to your liking. This speaker can also get amazingly loud, with little compression present at max volume, so your audio sounds clean at louder volume levels.

Unfortunately, it struggles to reproduce low-bass, so you can't feel the deep thump and rumble typically present in bass-heavy music. Its soundstage may be perceived as somewhat narrow and directional, and it also doesn't support voice assistants, which may disappoint some users. That said, it's still a solid choice if you're looking for a good stereo Bluetooth speaker.

The Bose Portable Smart Speaker is the best portable Bluetooth speaker that we've tested. It has a built-in carrying handle, making it easy to take with you on the go. It offers incredible voice assistant support with Alexa and Google Assistant built-in and can understand your commands from far away and in noisy environments. You can also mute its mic when you no longer want it to hear you.

Out-of-the-box, it has a slightly boomy overall sound profile, with a balanced mid-range that ensures vocals and lead instruments are clearly and accurately reproduced in the mix. Like most small speakers, it struggles to reproduce low-bass, making it difficult to hear the deep thump and rumble in bass-heavy music like EDM. Fortunately, there are bass and treble adjustments featured in its companion app, which you can use to customize its sound. This speaker also has incredible directivity, resulting in a wide and natural-sounding soundstage.

Unfortunately, its battery only lasted around five hours in our tests, though battery performance can depend on your usage, and your experience may differ. Also, it can't get very loud, and there are compression artifacts present at max volume, so your audio doesn't sound as clean at louder volumes. That said, if you're looking for a good portable Bluetooth speaker, it's still 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, this speaker is one of the best Bluetooth speakers under $100 that we've tested.