Every year we’re getting better and cheaper tech. One area in particular we’re seeing this is wireless speakers. Even just a year or two ago, speakers like the ones on this list were double or triple the price. The upgrade in quality, battery longevity, and decrease in price means great portable speakers are more accessible than ever. And now with the explosion in Amazon Echo and Google Home sales, people have even more reasons to use a wireless speaker. Pairing Alexa or Cortana with a high quality wireless speaker makes using them just that much better. And since you can get an Echo Dot so cheap nowadays, it doesn’t make sense not to pair a wireless speaker with it, since the Dot’s speaker isn’t the loudest or best quality. For just a few bucks you can have a totally hands free system for listening to high quality music, making phone calls, and so much more around your house, when even just a few years ago that wouldn’t be possible.
With WiFi and Bluetooth, you can take these speakers anywhere, connect them to so many devices. And as an added bonus, some of these speakers are even waterproof. Just bring a little handheld speaker with you and throw it on the beach towel or next to the pool, not have to worry about it getting wet, and listen for hours to great music that used to be only for large expensive systems.
JBL Charge 3 Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker
The JBL Charge 3 is just about tied for first place with the Ultimate Ears BOOM 2, the next speaker on the list. The reason why is because both speakers share amazing specs, and their differences are definitely both positive things, it just depends on how you’re planning on using them. First of all, the most important aspect of any speaker – how it sounds. The Charge 3 has an incredible, rich sound, with unexpectedly good bass for a speaker of its size. It’s built very ruggedly, and it’s waterproof, so you can take it anywhere and not have to worry about it getting damaged. It has a 20 hour battery life, and the Bluetooth allows you to connect up to three devices at once to change between. And plus, the price has come down so much that other speakers of similar sound and build quality cannot compete.
Ultimate Ears BOOM 2
The Ultimate Ears BOOM 2 comes in at the just about same price as the JBL Charge 3. The BOOM 2 sounds amazing, and compared to the Charge 3, it is similarly rugged. It stands vertically, which makes it slightly more prone to being knocked or falling over. Although, its “water bottle shaped” lends itself to being very easily and comfortably transportable. It is intended to be a portable “take anywhere” style speaker that is both waterproof and shockproof. So if you’re planning on taking this outside with you often, this form factor is hard to beat. It even comes in a variety of vibrant colors. The one and only negative aspect of this speaker is the battery only lasts 15 hours, compared to the Charge 3’s 20 hours.