The 7 Best Bluetooth Speakers - Spring 2021 Reviews

The best speaker with Bluetooth compatibility that we've tested is the Sonos Move. This well-built speaker 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 the speaker. It's battery-operated, so you can bring it outdoors, and it has an IP56 rating for dust and water resistance, though we don't currently test for this.

Overall, it has a balanced, neutral sound profile suitable for listening to lots of different types of audio content. There are even bass and treble adjustments available in the Sonos S2 app to help you customize its sound. You can use the app to pair two Sonos speakers to create a stereo pair or to amplify your music across a large, crowded party. This speaker lasts over 10 hours off a single charge, which should be suitable for long listening sessions.

Unfortunately, while it can get pretty loud, there are compression artifacts 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 to play it, 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. This tall speaker delivers a good soundstage performance which can result in a more immersive audio experience. It also has low audio latency on iOS and Android, making it suitable for streaming video.

It comes with an Adaptive EQ feature which allows the speaker to optimize its audio reproduction to better suit the room that it's placed in. With this feature turned on, it has a decently well-balanced sound profile with neutral mid and treble ranges, so vocals and lead instruments should be clear, detailed, and accurate. The Ultimate Ears companion app also has a graphic EQ and presets, so you can adjust its sound to better suit your preferences. Thanks to its 23.9-hour battery life, you shouldn't have to worry about recharging throughout the day.

Unfortunately, like many small and mid-sized speakers, it struggles to reproduce a thumpy low bass. It doesn't have voice assistant or Wi-Fi support either. That said, this speaker offers a well-built and customizable audio experience, and it's even one of the best home speakers we've tested.

The best Bluetooth speaker that you can easily bring with you on the go is the Bose Portable Smart Speaker. This small, lightweight speaker is battery-operated and comes with a carrying handle for easy transport. It also has an IPX4 rating for water resistance, though we don't currently test for this.

Out-of-the-box, it has a slightly boomy sound profile, though it can reproduce vocals and lead instruments clearly thanks to its balanced mid-range. You can also tweak its sound profile using bass and treble sliders in its companion app. It has good directivity thanks to its 360-degree design. It comes with Alexa and Google Assistant built-in, and it can understand you even if you're far away or in a noisy environment.

Unfortunately, its battery only lasts for a bit more than five hours, despite being advertised to last for twelve. It also struggles to produce low-bass, which may disappoint fans of bass-heavy genres like EDM. However, this versatile speaker is well suited for most uses, and it's easy to bring with you when you're out and about.

The Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 2 is the best budget Bluetooth speaker that we've tested. It has a great Bluetooth range and can pair to two devices at a time, which can come in handy if you want to switch between devices. It's very lightweight, portable, and even has a handle that you can use to hang it on a hook.

It's outstandingly built with a rating of IP67 for water and dust resistance. The manufacturer even claims it's submergible in water, though we don’t currently test for this. Its 360-design allows it to have a fantastic and wide-sounding soundstage, so your audio should remain clear from all angles. Its neutral sound profile makes it suitable for listening to a variety of audio content. However, it struggles to reproduce low and thumpy bass. That said, it comes with an Outdoor Mode EQ preset, which can help boost the bass in your audio, though we didn’t test this.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t have a graphic EQ feature, which may be disappointing if you like to make adjustments to your sound. It also doesn’t support voice assistants and can’t get very loud. That said, it has very few compression artifacts at max volume, so your audio should stay clean and clear.