We liked the JBL Charge 5’s full bass response. We also didn’t hear any sibilance in the high end that would make listening to the speaker over a long period of time unpleasant. But we found that anything in the mid-range, like male vocals and most instruments, sounded just a little dull—especially when compared to the same ones played from the Megaboom.
Still, it’s waterproof and supports PartyBoost, which let you pair the speakers with other JBLs to create a fuller soundscape. Plus, as you may have guessed from the name, there’s a USB output that allows it to charge your smartphone, so your playlist never has to die when your phone battery does.
The Best Take-Everywhere Bluetooth Speaker: Sonos Roam
We were really taken by the crisp sound quality of the Roam when it launched in 2021. Then again, why would we have expected anything less from the audio genies at Sonos? We’ve taken this little thing everywhere, from outdoor adventures to pool-side hangs, which is especially easy considering its light weight and slim profile. The IP67 rating is more than equipped to handle some cannonballs, so long as you don’t let it swim there for longer than 30 minutes (or let it sink deeper than three feet). We’ve even used the Roam to connect to a Nintendo Switch, and if you’ve never rocked out to the banger that is the Super Mario Kart 8 soundtrack, then you aren’t living life to its fullest.
The Best Bluetooth Speaker with Lights: Balmuda Speaker
Balmuda’s not exactly known for its audio products—the Japanese brand’s most famous for its $300 toaster oven— but we have to admit that it makes a pretty impressive speaker. We found it to be a little light in its bass range, but it really excels at accentuating vocal-heavy tracks like SZA’s “Gone Girl” or Maggie Rogers’ “Alaska.” Snaps, pops, and transcendent falsettos come out so crisp and clean that you almost feel like you’re getting an intimate concert, which we’re chalking up to the speaker’s 360-degree sound. Like the Anker Soundcore Flare 2 below, the Balmuda speaker also offers a vibey LED light show that’s synced up to what you’re listening, and does a great job of following along with your music. Its battery is pretty weak compared to everything else on this list, and there’s no water resistance baked in, but it’s still a mighty fine keep-at-home speaker.
4 More Speakers We Like
Chances are, you’ve spotted Marshall out at a live music show. The brand’s amps are synonymous with rock music, and its recently released Middleton Bluetooth speaker feels like its condenses those epic sounds into something you can port nto your studio apartment. The mid-sized speaker offers beefy sound like the Megaboom, whether you’re bumping to the heavy bass of Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust” or the high-throttle thrash of Metallica’s “Whiplash” (which just so happens to include the lyrics: “Here on stage, the Marshall noise is piercing through your ears.”)
One of the best parts about the speaker is that you can actually control the bass and treble through controls on the speaker, so you never need to fuss with yet another app. It’s a feature borrowed from Marshall’s guitar amps that makes it a killer party speaker, though it’s certainly a price hike from the Megaboom (which is why we’d still recommend that one as our top pick). If you decide to get another of these puppies, you can pair them together for even bigger and better sound. Hell, if you buy a ton of Middletons, build a literal wall of noise to piss off the neighbors in true rock n’roll spirit.
Three iterations into the JBL Go series, we get this highly durable, bass-heavy bopper that costs just under $50. The pocket-sized Go 3 features front-firing speakers, so it’s not exactly going to fill a room, but it’s compact enough to act as a trustworthy sidekick on the road. It’s also available in a handful of bold hues that help it stand out despite its petite size. You’re a bit limited to what you can control directly from the speaker—volume, pause, play, and skip—but that’s not a surprise since there’s really no room to put more buttons on the Go 3. We also wish it had longer battery life, but hey, for a $40 speaker blessed with JBL’s superior sound quality, how much can you really ask for?
If the Soundcore Flare 2 looks like it was built for a rave, that’s because it is (those party lights are its giveaway). That light show is a little corny, like something you’d expect from a college kid’s dorm room, but it can be fun for a few minutes. And if you really are a student, or just someone on a shoestring budget, you’ll appreciate the sound quality and water resistance that come with your budget speaker. Its IPX7 means it’s as water-resistant as speakers rated IP67, but it lacks the testing to determine that the speaker is actually dust-proof. That means the Soundcore Flare 2 can perform perfectly fine by the pool, but maybe don’t take it to the beach where sand can mess it up. The speaker offers 360-degree sound, but if you’re hoping for more, you can link up to 100 (!) of these together for some true party vibes.
If you know Bose, you know crisp, clear audio quality is the brand’s whole thing, and its SoundLink Flex lives up to that sterling reputation: It’s an intuitive little speaker that manages to pack a decent amount of bass-heavy notes into a small package. One cool feature is that it automatically detects its orientation—whether it’s upright, on its side, or so on—and will adjust its EQ to best suit its environment. At 1.3 pounds, it’s one of the lightest options on this list and its IP67 rating means it’s perfectly capable of performing well in the great outdoors, despite dust or rain. Someone who’s constantly on the road will love having this speaker on hand because it’s so easy to toss into a checked or carry-on bag, without adding much weight or bulk.
Daniel Varghese, Tyler Chin
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