If you love listening to music in the shower, you'll want a speaker that can hold up against water. Many speakers have an IP rating or a score that demonstrates their dust and water resistance based on accredited third-party standards. Depending on where you like to keep your speaker in your bathroom, you may prefer a speaker with a different IP rating. For example, one with an IPX7 rating can be fully immersed in water for up to thirty minutes at a depth of up to one meter, while another with an IPX6 rating can withstand high-pressure jets from a nozzle like your shower head. An IP rating can help you understand just how water-resistant your speaker is. Note that you should always check with the manufacturer before bringing one into the shower, as some manufacturers advise against this use in the manual despite the speaker's IP rating.
We've tested over 85 speakers, and below you'll find our recommendations for the best speakers to use in the shower. If you're looking for more speakers, check out our recommendations for the best Bluetooth speakers, the best waterproof Bluetooth speakers, and the best cheap speakers.
The Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 3 is the best Bluetooth shower speaker for music that we've tested. This portable Bluetooth speaker is well-built with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, meaning it's certified to be fully dust-tight and immersible for up to 30 minutes in a meter of water.
With its 'Standard' preset enabled, it has a boomy sound profile overall, with a balanced mid-range, so vocals and lead instruments sound clear and present in the mix. However, higher-pitched voices and instruments can sound a bit dark at times. Fortunately, its companion app features a graphic EQ and presets you can use to tweak its sound to your liking. Thanks to its 360-degree design, it has excellent directivity, resulting in a wide and open-sounding soundstage.
Unfortunately, while it can get decently loud, there's some compression present at max volume that can affect the clarity of your audio during louder listening sessions. Like most speakers its size, it also struggles to reproduce the deep thump and rumble in low-bass that's typically present in bass-heavy music. If you like listening to music while you're in the shower, this speaker is still a solid choice.
The Bose SoundLink Flex is the best Bluetooth shower speaker we've tested for bass. While you can't customize its sound profile like the Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 3, it can produce a more extended low-bass out-of-the-box. This portable speaker is very well-built with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance that certifies it to be dust-proof and immersible in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes. The manufacturer even says it can float in water and comes with a small built-in carrying strap you can use to hang it somewhere in your shower.
Its sound profile is neutral with a touch of extra warmth and boom in the high-bass range, making it suitable for listening to a wide variety of audio content. It also supports Google Assistant and Siri through your smartphone and does an excellent job of understanding your commands in noisy rooms, which is good if you want it to hear you over the noise of the water in your shower.
Unfortunately, like most speakers its size, it still struggles to reproduce the deep thump and rumble in low-bass that's typically present in bass-heavy music like EDM and hip-hop. It also has to downmix stereo content to mono which isn't as immersive. If you're looking for a portable speaker to bring along with you in the shower that can produce a more extended low-bass, it's still a good choice.
The Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 2 is the best small shower speaker we've tested overall. This remarkably-built speaker has an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance that certifies it to be dust-tight and immersible in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes. This means you don't have to worry about it getting wet when you want to bring your favorite tunes along with you in the shower.
While it doesn't come with a removable suction cup like the iFox iF012, it has a better-balanced sound profile out-of-the-box, and you can still hang it somewhere near your shower using its small built-in carrying strap. Its balanced mid-range ensures vocals and lead instruments sound clear and present in the mix, making it good for dialogue-centric audio content like audiobooks and podcasts.
Unfortunately, like most small speakers, it lacks low-bass, so you can't feel the deep thump and rumble typically present in bass-heavy music. Also, apart from its 'Outdoor Mode', there aren't any sound customization features to adjust its sound to your liking. If you're looking for a speaker with a customizable sound profile within the same price range, check out the Anker Soundcore Flare 2, though it isn't as small. If you don't want to pause your music or podcasts when you want to take a shower, the WONDERBOOM 2 is still a solid choice.
The Sonos Roam is the best smart shower speaker we've tested. It offers outstanding voice assistant support with Alexa and Google Assistant built-in and has little trouble registering your commands from far away and in noisier settings. You can activate your assistant with your voice, and you can mute the speaker's mic when you no longer want it to listen to you.
With its Trueplay room correction feature enabled, its sound profile is fairly balanced, making it suitable for listening to a wide variety of audio content. It lacks low-bass, and higher-pitched voices and lead instruments also sound a bit dark at times. Fortunately, there are bass and treble adjustments in the Sonos S2 app to tweak its sound. It's also amazingly built, with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance that certifies it to be immersible in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes.
Unfortunately, its room correction feature is only available with iOS devices. It also doesn't get very loud, and there's some compression present at max volume that can affect the quality of your audio when the speaker is pushed to its louder volume levels. If you like singing along to your favorite tunes in the shower and rely on voice assistant support, this versatile speaker is still a solid choice.
The Anker Soundcore 3 is the best cheap shower speaker we've tested. It's decently well-built with an IPX7 rating for water resistance, meaning it's certified to be immersible in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes. This remarkably portable speaker even comes with a carrying cord, meaning you can hang it in your shower or bathroom.
With its 'Bass Up' feature enabled, it has a well-balanced mid-range, so voices and lead instruments are reproduced clearly and accurately in the mix. However, some higher-pitched instruments and vocals can sound a bit dull and veiled. Fortunately, you can customize its sound to your liking thanks to the graphic EQ and presets featured in its Soundcore companion app.
Unfortunately, like most speakers its size, it struggles to reproduce low-bass, so you can't feel the deep thump and rumble typically present in bass-heavy music like hip-hop and EDM. It also doesn't get very loud, and there's some compression present at max volume, so your audio doesn't sound as clean at louder volumes. That said, it's still a good choice if you're looking for a cheap speaker to use in the shower.
May 06, 2022: Added the Anker Soundcore Flare 2 to the Notable Mentions and restructured the rest of the picks in the article for clarity and accuracy.
Mar 09, 2022: Added the iFox iF012 to the Notable Mentions. Text was updated for consistency.
Jan 11, 2022: Added the Sonos Roam as the 'Best Smart Shower Speaker', and the Bose SoundLink Flex as an 'Alternative With More Bass'. Moved the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 2 and the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore to the Notable Mentions since the manufacturer advises against exposing these two speakers to soapy water.
Nov 16, 2021: Replaced the Ultimate Ears MEGABLAST with the Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 3, since the MEGABLAST is currently difficult to find in stock. Moved the MEGABLAST to the Notable Mentions.
Sep 17, 2021: Replaced the Anker Soundcore Motion+ with the Anker Soundcore Flare 2 since it's no longer within our price point for budget speakers. Moved the Motion+ to the Notable Mentions.
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best shower and bathroom speakers for most people to buy, according to their needs. We factor in the price (cheaper speakers win over pricier ones if the difference isn't worth it), feedback from our visitors, and availability (no speakers that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).
If you'd like to choose for yourself, here's the list of all our reviews for speakers with an IPX5 rating or higher for water resistance. Be careful not to get caught up in the details. There are no perfect speakers. Personal taste, preference, and listening habits will matter more in your selection.