Best portable bluetooth speaker for my specific needs?

April 25, 2021 1:06 PM

I bought a small speaker that was described in reviews as having fantastic sound quality and great bass. I don't know why I fell for that, it sounds tinny and has no bass. I guess I thought it would be bigger than it turned out to be. I'm returning that one and thought I should ask for help before I make another purchase. What's the best bluetooth speaker under $200 that actually sounds good?

I'm on the hunt for a portable bluetooth speaker, and am getting bogged down in conflicting reviews. I get why this is happening, as there are so many different factors that different buyers will value differently: portability (size and weight), ruggedness (waterproofness, dustproofness, durability), power (how loud can it play without distortion) and actual sound quality (clearness and crispness of sound, is it balanced, is there any actual bass to speak of?) The various comparisons I see by online publications (Techradar, Wirecutter, etc.) also keep pitting much larger speakers against much smaller ones, and much more expensive speakers against much cheaper ones.

For my needs, I don't have an at home audio system and want to be able to listen to music at my desk while I work. I'm looking for sound quality above all else. I've been somewhat spoiled by the sound systems in our cars (Harman Kardon and Burmester). I know that one single speaker can't compare with a full surround sound system, but I do want it to be reasonably good. I don't want to cringe when a certain song comes on and have to change the track because it sounds so terrible. I listen to music of every genre but a good deal of it is RnB, hip hop, and electronic, so having decent enough bass would be important.

It doesn't need to be extremely loud. I have headphones for when I want to be immersed in music, but while I'm working I hate the feeling of having something clamped around my ears all day. Earphones never fit in my ears properly and always hurt after a while.

I do want the speaker to be portable in case I want to bring the speaker anywhere else, but I'm not at all concerned about it being small or light. It'll mostly be traveling between my office and the backyard. I'd much rather have a larger, heavier device that sounds great, than a smaller, lighter device that doesn't sound as good. I'm also not as concerned about waterproofness aside from the occasional splash of water, or ruggedness as I'm not bringing this speaker hiking or doing anything where it's going to get banged around or covered in sand or dust.

In summary, I'd rank the above factors in order of importance: sound quality (by a mile), portability, waterproofness, ruggedness.

I'm hoping to spend less than $200. Please let me know if I'm out to lunch with that budget.

posted by keep it under cover to Technology (26 answers total)

IMHO, some of the Bose BT speakers have excellent bass but they're also quite expensive. Soundlink Revolve II is right at your price limit at $199, and claims to be water and dust resistant, and claims up to 13 hours of battery life.
posted by kschang at 1:10 PM on April 25, 2021 [1 favorite]

I have the Bose Soundlink Mini and I feel that it meets all of your criteria.
posted by ashbury at 1:15 PM on April 25, 2021 [3 favorites]

I have had a UE Boom for several years, and it fits all of these criteria. Warning: I bought the MEGABoom a couple of years ago, to have Alexa capability as well, but returned it because it did not work properly.
posted by yclipse at 1:32 PM on April 25, 2021 [3 favorites]

I have the Lofree Poison M and it’s great. Good bass for the size, 4-6 hr battery life, not terribly rugged but it’s been fine moving around my house/patio/suitcase for occasional trips, and looks cute too. Runs about $100.
posted by A Blue Moon at 1:37 PM on April 25, 2021

I've been happy with my JBL Flip 5. Sound quality is pretty subjective in my opinion, but I think it has a good deal of bass. It packs enough of a punch that I can hear podcasts over the kitchen sink while I wash dishes without feeling like I have it up terribly loud.

I would say it doesn't have a very nuanced and detailed sound in the higher frequencies, but the sound is big and it's definitely portable. To me, it's a party speaker and would probably work well with your favorite genres. It comes in fun colors too, if that's your thing.
posted by wondermouse at 1:45 PM on April 25, 2021 [4 favorites]

We have a Marshall bluetooth speaker that we love, though the one we have is a bit outside your price range and has to be plugged in - that being said, they have some smaller portable ones that seem to fit your requirements.
posted by brilliantine at 1:47 PM on April 25, 2021

A friend who runs a sound company raved about the MiniRig and did a custom group order through his business. Just got mine a couple of weeks ago (full kit with 2 speakers and a sub) and the sound output/quality of even a single speaker is incredible. Highly recommended, the brushed steel version is gorgeous as well.
posted by JaneTheGood at 1:48 PM on April 25, 2021 [3 favorites]

I have a Bose Soundlink Mini II that I love. The battery life is great, and the sound quality is outstanding. It's not waterproof and I wouldn't call it rugged, but I definitely drag mine all over the house. It gets the most use in the kitchen & backyard.
At the lower end for Bose, I also have a Bose Soundlink Micro. I bought it primarily for its size/portability, but the sound quality is excellent for its size. It's tiny, fully "drop it in the pool" waterproof, and designed for rugged use, but the sound quality isn't as good as the Mini II.
posted by girlstyle at 1:49 PM on April 25, 2021 [2 favorites]

i have the studio 4 version and the sound quality and portability is bang on - this is might be worth looking at ... Harman-Kardon ONYX MINI Bluetooth Active
posted by burr1545 at 2:17 PM on April 25, 2021

I have a Fender Newport. I HATE it. It's tinny and crappy and cost $199. Don't buy it.
posted by DMelanogaster at 2:20 PM on April 25, 2021

Seconding the JBL Flip 5. Sounds quality is quite good considering the price. And I suspect the battery is quite large because that thing lasts for-EV-er.
posted by armoir from antproof case at 2:41 PM on April 25, 2021 [2 favorites]

Coming in to nth the Bose Soundlink Mini 2. It has great overall sound, excellent base, and can get loud without distortion. Battery life has never been an issue. It's not waterproof or designed for "rugged" activities but I carry mine all around my house and into my backyard without any worries.
posted by rpfields at 2:44 PM on April 25, 2021 [1 favorite]

We also have a JBL flip 5. It’s pretty awesome. Great sound quality, portable, good volume - I highly recommend.
posted by lyssabee at 2:45 PM on April 25, 2021 [3 favorites]

I have three of the UE Booms, the megaboom, the wonderboom and the middle sized boom. The smallest, the Wonderboom, is actually the most impressive for it’s size and cost versus quality of sound output. I use it constantly.
posted by Jubey at 2:59 PM on April 25, 2021 [2 favorites]

I've been like, surprisingly happy with our Bose soundlink micro which was only $99 CAD on sale. My sister has a JBL flip 5 and I think our little micro sounds better, but it's subjective!

If it was me, I'd go cheap like that on the portable and spend the rest of my budget on a set of computer speakers with a subwoofer - even the non-fancy brands sound good (for instance, I have this set of logitechs that sound quite nice), and that's where I listen to like 80% of my music, so I appreciate the actual subwoofer.
posted by euphoria066 at 3:09 PM on April 25, 2021 [2 favorites]

Nthing a good experience with the JBL Flip 5. Amazing battery, strong bass, waterproof and durable.
posted by mcbaya at 3:23 PM on April 25, 2021 [1 favorite]

I've been extremely happy with my Tribit XSoundGo. It's inexpensive, but don't let that fool you - for very little money you get well balanced, room-filling sound. It's also waterproof, light, durable, and reasonably sized, and the battery life is impressive - I'm not sure it's the 24 hours that Tribit claims, but I easily get two work days and a bit out of it between charges.
posted by pdb at 3:29 PM on April 25, 2021 [1 favorite]

Most of the big brands are overpriced or trash. Minirig or minirig mini.
posted by turkeyphant at 3:49 PM on April 25, 2021

I have a Bose Soundlink Mini II that I love.

This is what I have and I've been happy with it.
posted by Dip Flash at 4:50 PM on April 25, 2021

I have a Sonos move that I got for free. I like it but not sure I’d buy it. Sound is good.
posted by jeffamaphone at 6:23 PM on April 25, 2021

Love love love my JBL Flip 5, so much that I got another two so we can link them and have them playing in different rooms/outside when we start having people over again...someday.
posted by cooker girl at 6:44 PM on April 25, 2021 [1 favorite]

I just got a Minirig 3 for my birthday, and I'm frankly astonished at the sheer amount and quality of noise this single speaker the size of a loo roll can kick out, even at low power. My brother suggested a Bose but that was beyond our family's usual birthday present budget; this one was his next-one-down choice.
posted by HypotheticalWoman at 6:49 PM on April 25, 2021 [1 favorite]

This may not be exactly what you're looking for, but if you have any old stereo speakers lying around, this is an inexpensive way to bluetoothify them. It's as good as the speakers you connect it to! I find it has good bass, and it sounds great through the mid-range bookshelf speakers I hooked it up to.
posted by signsofrain at 7:26 PM on April 25, 2021

I think the UE Wonderboom is surprisingly good for the size and price. For under $200 you could get two and use them as a stereo pair.

I haven’t heard the minirig but people seem to love them.
posted by riddley at 10:28 PM on April 25, 2021 [2 favorites]

All of the UE Boom speaker models I own have been discontinued, but I've been very impressed by the sound quality in comparison to size/portability. Pretty sure I'd get another one in the range if the ones I have currently gave out.
posted by Aleyn at 2:19 PM on April 26, 2021

Marshall Stockwell is amazing, especially for it's size. Incredible sound, portable, 20 he's battery life.
posted by whatdoyouthink? at 9:30 PM on April 26, 2021