The 5 Best-Sounding Bluetooth Speakers - Fall 2024

The JBL Boombox 3 is one of the best-sounding Bluetooth speakers we've tested. Right out of the box, this premium speaker brings an impressive sound quality suitable for everything from classical music to EDM and hip-hop. Its balanced frequency response ensures plenty of thumpy, rumbly bass without muddying vocals and lead instruments, so you'll enjoy a clear and accurate reproduction of all your favorite tracks. If you want a different sound, the JBL Portable app features a graphic EQ that lets you customize its output.

This speaker is great for listening to music at home or outside. Since it's battery-powered, you can take it wherever you go, and its IP67 rating for dust and water resistance keeps it safe against the elements. It even floats in water, which is great for your next pool party. With a battery life of almost 30 hours, you can rock on all day without worrying about a recharge.

The Ultimate Ears EPICBOOM is a great alternative if you're looking for a Bluetooth speaker at a more affordable price. While it reproduces a little less thumpy low-bass than the JBL Boombox 3, this speaker remains a great pick for all sorts of music genres, and it has lots of tools to make the most of its sound. Notably, as with other premium speakers, it has a room correction tool called Adaptive EQ designed to optimize its sound based on your room's unique acoustics. You can manually adjust its performance with its graphic EQ and presets if you prefer.

Thanks to its portable design, this speaker is more than suitable for listening wherever you go. It's a little larger and heavier than some of our budget picks, but it's still easy to carry in one hand with its built-in strap. Plus, it's rated IP67 for dust and water resistance, so it can withstand a little wear and tear. That said, its 7.8-hour battery life isn't the most impressive, especially compared to the more premium JBL. Still, this speaker is worth checking out if you want a great sound at an even better price.

Looking for something more wallet-friendly? Check out the Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4. Despite its mid-range price point, its sound quality rivals some of our top picks. Whether you're listening to classical music or bass-heavy pop tunes, it's a solid choice. It reproduces voices and lead instruments with relative clarity, albeit with a little extra boom in the bass. Best of all, this speaker is lightweight and super portable. Its built-in hook makes it easy to transport, and it's rated IP67 for dust and water resistance.

The Ultimate Ears app has many of the same sound customization features as more premium devices on the market, including a graphic EQ and presets. That said, it can't reproduce as much low-bass as the Ultimate Ears EPICBOOM due to its smaller size, and its lack of room correction feature means it sounds a little different depending on your room. If you don't mind manual customization, you may find it's the better value overall.

You don't have to break the bank to find a speaker with good sound quality. The Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 4 is a great option for the budget-conscious and offers versatile performance at a low price. It's a smaller, more portable speaker ideal for on-the-go listening. It floats in water, so you can use it at your next pool party, and its IP67 rating for dust and water resistance helps keep it safe against the elements. It lasts around 13 hours off a single charge, too.

While you won't get much low-bass out of this pint-sized speaker, voices and lead instruments are clear and detailed right out of the box, making it suitable for most genres. Plus, its 360-degree design brings a consistent sound from all angles around the device. Fewer sound customization tools are available than on the Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4. However, it still has an Outdoor preset to make music clearer in larger, more open spaces like a backyard. If you're willing to spend a bit more, you can also opt for the Sony ULT FIELD 1, which has a more balanced default sound, as well as a graphic EQ and presets in the companion app. However, its directivity is much worse than the Ultimate Ears, and it compresses much more at max volume.

The JBL PartyBox 310 is a great party speaker for bass lovers. It's much larger than the previous speakers on this list, but with an impressive low-frequency extension, it easily brings out all the thump and rumble in your favorite tracks, especially EDM and hip-hop. You can even use its Bass Boost tool to add more punch to the mix, or if you prefer more manual customization, there's a graphic EQ available in its companion app. Like any good party speaker, it gets loud, too, and its customizable RGB lights help you set the mood. The bass doesn't muddy other elements of your songs, either. With a balanced mid-range, this speaker accurately reproduces voices and lead instruments in the mix, so it's also great for plenty of other music genres.

This feature-packed device lets you interact with your music in many different ways, so you can plug in a microphone or guitar to sing along or use the DJ effects in the app to rock out. It's a big speaker, though, so if you're looking for big bass with a smaller footprint, it's worth checking out the Brane X instead. This premium, lunchbox-size speaker defies its small frame with a pretty loud output and a surprisingly prominent bass response. It also comes with smart features like Alexa and Wi-Fi integration. However, its design has some limitations, as its directivity isn't the best, and its battery life is on the shorter side.