Some Bluetooth speakers are cheaper than a round of drinks but spending more will always get you a significantly better experience and more than just sound quality. If you can spend a bit more, then here are ten of the best Bluetooth speakers you can buy.
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You might be looking for the biggest speaker for your house party or the smallest one to travel everywhere with you. Some offer a reasonable balance of the two and there are plenty of other options, too.
As mentioned, we’re looking at the more expensive premium Bluetooth speakers here from the likes of Bose, Bang & Olfsen, UE and Marshall. So if you’ve landed here but your budget is tight, head over to our best cheap Bluetooth speakers chart for something more affordable – they are all under $100/£100.
With so many models on the market and loads from each brand, we could never test them all, but here are the best that we’ve reviewed with a wide range of choices.
Best Bluetooth Speakers 2023
1. Marshall Middleton – Best Overall
Pros
Amazing sound with on-board EQ
Rugged construction
Doubles as power bank
Aux input
Cons
Expensive
Relatively slow charging
Price When Reviewed:
299 €
Marshall has made an absolutely brilliant Bluetooth speaker with the same stylish design and incredible sound we’ve become used to but in a bigger package to some of its portable models.
Not only does the Middleton pack in woofers, tweeters and passive bass radiators but has on-board controls for bass and treble so you can quickly customise the audio.
As per other models, you can pair multiple together with Stack Mode, there’s an aux input for non-Bluetooth devices, there’s IP67 dust and waterproofing and the speaker can even charge your phone or other gadgets via its internal battery.
If you need something cheaper and don’t mind losing the aux port, then Marshall’s Emberton II is an excellent choice.
Read our full
Marshall Middleton Bluetooth speaker review
2. Sonos Roam – Best for Multi-Room
Pros
Amazing sound
Wi-Fi for multi-room
Smart features
Price When Reviewed:
199 €
Sonos has hit a decent price-point with the Roam and there’s a lot to like about this stylish, compact and clever speaker.
It’s IP67, can be used in either orientation and has something rarely found on a speaker in the form of wireless charging. As you’d expect from Sonos, the sound quality is excellent too.
This is really a purchase for existing Sonos users or those who plan to create a multi-room system. Bluetooth is limited to streaming so you’ll only get the most out of the Roam by using it over Wi-Fi as well with digital assistants and Sound Swap features.
Battery life is behind rivals, too, at up to 10 hours.
Read our full
Sonos Roam review
3. JBL Charge 5 – Best for Parties
Pros
Link countless speakers
Durable design
Also a power bank
Cons
No smart features
Basic app
Price When Reviewed:
149,99 €
JBL hasn’t added smart features to the Charge 5 like some rivals, so there are no microphones to use your digital assistant or take calls.
But this is a speaker designed primarily for parties with its portable and robust design. An IP67 rating means it’s fully dust and waterproof, and chunky buttons make it easy to use.
Importantly, the sound quality is great and you can link up almost endless amounts for even the biggest parties.
Battery life is long plus, as the name hints, the Charge 5 can be used as a power bank to top up devices like your phone to keep the tunes flowing.
Read our full
JBL Charge 5 review
4. Bose SoundLink Revolve II – Best 360 Sound
Pros
300 design
Microphones
Aux input
Cons
Old USB port
Middling battery life
Price When Reviewed:
229,95 €
There’s not a huge amount of upgrades here but that doesn’t stop the SoundLink Revolve II from being an excellent Bluetooth speaker.
It looks the same, so it’s a well-made attractive compact cylinder with buttons on top but Bose has boosted the durability to IP55. It’s a shame that this still has Micro-USB and you can’t tweak the EQ but those are minor downsides.
Sound quality is excellent for a small speaker with a true 360-degree experience and battery life is much longer than the quoted 13 hours. Furthermore, the Revolve II has things others don’t like an aux input and the ability to take phone calls and use your phone’s digital assistant.
Read our full
Bose SoundLink Revolve II review
5. B&O Beosound A1 (2nd-gen) – Best Build Quality
Pros
Stylish & durable
360 sound
Alexa & useful app
Cons
Awkward buttons
Expensive
Price When Reviewed:
299 €
The Beosound A1 2nd Gen is an almost perfect portable Bluetooth speaker with a luxurious design and high-end build quality. It’s also durable with an IP67 rating for full dust protection and water submersion.
While the buttons are better than the original, they are still more tricky than many rivals and we’d like more LEDs to get volume and battery info.
Still, you can get that from the app which, when it connects properly, has some useful extra features headlining with a customisable EQ. Even without adjusting the tuning, the sound quality is excellent, there’s plenty of power and a 360-degree experience.
Battery life is solid and support for Amazon Alexa (via your phone anyway) is a standout feature but then, in a negative way, so is the high price. It’s also a shame you can’t stereo pair with the original A1.
Read our full
B&O Beosound A1 (2nd-gen) review
6. Creative Stage 360 – Best Soundbar
Pros
Great sound
Bluetooth
Dolby Atmos
Affordable
Cons
USB can’t power streaming stick
No 3.5mm input
Price When Reviewed:
229,99 €
Not many
soundbars come with Bluetooth but the Stage 360 from Creative does and it’s still a lot cheaper than many rivals at under £200/US$230.
So if you’re looking for a Bluetooth speaker for a room where there’s a TV or a PC then this soundbar will kill two birds with one stone.
The sound is great and it has a whole host of features including Dolby Atmos, HDMI ports, remote control and even comes with a subwoofer. The lack of an aux input shouldn’t be an issue here but note that the USB port won’t power a streaming stick.
Read our full
Creative Stage 360 review
7. Sonos Move – Best for Outdoors
Pros
Big sound
Multi-room
Smart features
Cons
Bulky
Expensive
Middling battery life
Price When Reviewed:
399 €
The Sonos Move really achieves what it sets out to by being both an indoor part of the Sonos system, but also something you can take outdoors (or around the house) when needed.
The addition of Bluetooth means that you can go even further than your garden but the Roam is better for that.
The design is robust albeit heavy, but sound quality is excellent and very powerful. Auto Trueplay makes sure the Move sounds good wherever you put it.
The price might put some off and it’s not the Sonos speaker for everyone, but it’s certainly the Sonos speaker we’ve been waiting for.
Read our full
Sonos Move review
8. Apple HomePod 2 – Best for Apple Users
Pros
Excellent sound quality
Dolby Atmos & Spatial Audio
Mics pick up voices well
Lossless streaming
Cons
Siri is bad
Must use Apple Music for voice
No line in port
Limited EQ options
Price When Reviewed:
349 €
In a somewhat surprising move from Apple, the HomePod is back and while the second-generation model is very similar to the original, it’s an excellent speaker in various ways.
As you would expect, it offers premium build and audio quality with Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio on board. Unlike a lot of Apple’s audio products, the HomePod 2 even supports lossless streaming and using them as a stereo pair hooked up to an Apple TV and you’ve got yourself a pretty sweet entertainment setup.
However, that’s an expensive hit on your bank balance and there are other issues to consider including the fact that Siri is an awkward digitial assistant at times, especially the fact you can only use it for Apple Music playback. As a Bluetooth speaker, you’re options are wide open, but a line-in port and better control over the sound would be better.
Read our full
Apple HomePod (2nd generation, 2023) review
9. Soundcore Motion Boom Plus – Best Rugged Design
Pros
IP68 dust and waterproof
Long battery life
Incredible sound
Power bank
Cons
Much larger than rvials
Heavy
Those looking for a rugged and powerful speaker for outdoor usage such as gardens, camping and the beach should consider the Motion Boom Plus.
For starters it’s IP68 dust and waterproof, completely buoyant and comes with a handy shoulder strap. It’s also got a USB-A port to charge devices like a phone as well as aux input and a long 20-hours of battery life.
The device is a bit chunky and weighs 2.4kg so isn’t ideal for a long hike but it makes up for it in audio performance, both in terms of quality and volume.
Read our full
Soundcore Motion Boom Plus review
10. UE Hyperboom – Best Battery Life
Pros
Huge sound
Long battery life
Connectivity options
Price When Reviewed:
449 €
So the Hyperboom isn’t exactly portable in the traditional sense but this chonky speaker can still travel around with you if you’re not planning to lug it too far.
Expensive and heavy, sure, but if you perhaps want a speaker to use inside and then transport a short distance to the garden then it’s great. And you’ll be rewarded with serious sound so it’s great for parties where smaller speakers will struggle to provide enough oomph.
If the booming bass isn’t enough, you can pair up more speakers and UE offers 24 hour battery life and wide range of connectivity options so you’re not limited to Bluetooth.
Read our full
UE Hyperboom review
What to look out for when buying a Bluetooth speaker
So, what kind of things should you watch out for when on the market for a high-end Bluetooth speaker?
There are many different types of Bluetooth speakers so if you want to easily take one around with you then make sure it’s small and portable. And that it has a battery to power it rather than needing mains power.
Although you’re likely to connect your phone or tablet to the speaker over Bluetooth, having other connections can be really useful. For example, you might have an mp3 player like an old iPod which still works fine but doesn’t have Bluetooth. If so, look for a speaker with a 3.5mm jack (some have them but it’s getting rarer).
Whereas Bluetooth used to be a primary way of connecting to a speaker without wires, some now feature Wi-Fi on the spec sheet which is useful for various reasons. It might mean you can connect your device to it over Wi-Fi instead of Bluetooth – this is how Apple’s AirPlay works (although not exclusively).
Having Wi-Fi might also add the ability to use the speaker directly with music streaming services like Spotify or internet radio stations so you’re not limited to what tunes you’ve got on your device.
Note: Where we mention pairing up devices as a stereo pair or multi-room capabilities, this is not something we’ve been able to test every time as we’ve only been sent one of each speaker.
Find out how we test audio.
