Best Wireless Bluetooth Boom Boxes for 2023: Portable Pool and Beach Speakers, Ranked

David Carnoy/CNET

Anker’s authentic Soundcore Movement Increase speaker (see under) has been on this record for some time and remains to be an honest worth at slightly greater than $100. However the new-for-2022 Movement Increase Plus is considerably improved, notably when it comes to sound high quality. It is simply among the best new Bluetooth audio system of 2022. 

Weighing 5.29 kilos (virtually a pound greater than the Movement Increase), it makes use of Bluetooth 5.3 and is supplied with upgraded twin 3.5-inch woofers and newly added twin 1-inch tweeters, delivering as much as 80 watts of audio output (60W for the woofers and 20W for the tweeters). Battery life is rated for 20 hours at average quantity ranges. It is also IP67 waterproof and dustproof and floats in case you occur to drop it in a physique of water.

I used to be impressed with the sound high quality, which measures up properly in opposition to a number of dearer — and a few bigger — audio system on this record. You’ll be able to tweak the sound profile (with EQ settings) and improve the speaker’s firmware in Anker’s Soundcore companion app for iOS and Android. I tended to go together with the bass increase engaged — there is a button on the speaker to activate it — and located that the speaker delivers full sound with good readability within the mids and highs and good bass definition. For its dimension, the speaker is ready to put out loads of sound and largely manages to keep away from distorting at greater volumes (I tended to maintain the amount within the 50-75% vary). 

In the event you’re sitting inside a number of ft of the speaker, there is a little bit of stereo separation. However in case you actually wish to up the sound high quality, you may wirelessly pair two Soundcore Movement Increase Plus audio system to create an actual stereo pair. You should definitely apply the $20 prompt coupon when buying with Amazon to get the $160 worth.

You are receiving worth alerts for Anker Soundcore Movement Increase Plus

David Carnoy/CNET

Tribit is understood for its inexpensive smaller Bluetooth audio system that ship excellent sound high quality and options for the worth. Its new Stormbox Blast speaker is its first Bluetooth increase field speaker, and it delivers largely spectacular sound for its dimension and in addition has a built-in gentle present and USB-out charging. 

Weighing in at 12 kilos (5.45 kg) with two 30-watt midwoofers and two 15W tweeters, it is mainly twice as heavy as Anker’s Movement Increase Plus (see above) and pumps out extra quantity and bass in comparison with that speaker, however lacks a little bit of readability. Additionally, the midrange — the place vocals stay — is a bit recessed at its XBass default setting (I most popular the Music EQ setting within the companion app, which is a little more balanced). The speaker’s firmware is upgradeable, and you may pair two Stormbox Blasts to create a stereo pair, which might enhance the sound significantly. 

Battery life is excellent. It is rated at up 30 hours at average quantity ranges. And the speaker has an IPX7 ranking, which suggests it is totally waterproof. Once more, just like the Soundcore by Anker Movement Increase Plus, the Tribit Stormbox Blast is an effective worth that measures up properly from a sound standpoint in opposition to dearer JBL increase field audio system that arguably supply superior styling. Apply the $20 prompt coupon when buying with Amazon, to make sure you get the $180 worth.

You are receiving worth alerts for Tribit Stormbox Blast

Screenshot by David Carnoy/CNET

The Soundcore by Anker Rave Social gathering 2 could be stood up vertically or laid down horizontally and includes a built-in gentle present and deal with. Like different bigger audio system that boast greater energy scores (on this case, 120 watts), this speaker must be charged with its personal AC adapter moderately than a USB-cable and has a USB-A out port on the again for charging your smartphone or every other units that want some juice. 

Although it prices greater than Tribit’s Stormbox Blast, the 11.7-pound Rave Social gathering 2 is a extra attractively designed speaker and arguably sounds barely higher. Its two 4-inch woofers and two 2-inch tweeters ship aggressive, punchy sound with sufficient quantity to fill bigger rooms (the Tribit’s bass goes slightly deeper, however I used to be fairly happy with this speaker’s low-end capabilities). For even greater sound, you may wirelessly hyperlink a number of Rave Social gathering 2 and different Soundcore audio system that assist the corporate’s PartyCast 2.0 characteristic. 

Whereas this speaker is not totally waterproof and may’t float like some audio system can, it is splash-proof, with an IPX4 ranking, and has a microphone enter with discrete acquire and reverb controls (no microphone is included). Within the companion app for iOS and Android, you may customise the sound profile and light-weight present. Battery life is rated at as much as 16 hours, however that quantity will drop in case you crank the amount.

I did assume the sound held collectively fairly properly at greater volumes — it largely averted distorting — and the speaker is designed to play loudly open air. That mentioned, indoors the speaker sounds greatest under 75 % quantity, except you are having a celebration, wherein case all essential listening goes out the door. 

David Carnoy/CNET

JBL’s third-generation Boombox 3 options some design modifications from its predecessor’s, together with a brand new swankier deal with and a brand new three-way driver system that delivers clearer extra detailed sound and related spectacular bass efficiency, creating greater, richer sound general. I may simply hear the distinction when evaluating this mannequin to the Boombox 2. 

Whereas the battery life ranking stays the identical (as much as 24 hours at average quantity ranges), this Gen 3 mannequin contains Bluetooth 5.3 as an alternative of Bluetooth 5.1. Additionally, the speaker weighs about 1.7 kilos extra (14.7 kilos or 6.7 kg) and simply feels that rather more substantial. 

Just like the UE Hyperboom (see under), this has a USB-out port that means that you can cost exterior units like your cellphone, and there is additionally an analog audio enter if you wish to go wired and join a tool with out utilizing Bluetooth connectivity (the Hyperboom provides an optical digital enter).

For out of doors use, I just like the design of the Boombox 3 higher than UE Hyperboom. The moveable Bluetooth speaker is less complicated to hold round and simply seems extra like an out of doors speaker. It is also totally waterproof and dustproof with an IPX67 ranking (the earlier mannequin was waterproof however did not have a dustproof ranking).

With the JBL Boombox 2, I felt that the speaker, whereas well-designed, did not fairly stay as much as its costly price ticket from a sound high quality standpoint. The Boombox 3 remains to be dear, however its sound now has a extra premium high quality to it — for moveable boomboxes anyway. And when you’ve got actually deep pockets, you may hyperlink two collectively to create a stereo pair (or hyperlink a number of collectively to cowl a wider space with sound). 

You are receiving worth alerts for JBL Boombox 3

David Carnoy/CNET

The JBL Partybox Encore Important is the corporate’s smallest PartyBox speaker up to now nevertheless it’s nonetheless bought some heft to it, weighing in at 13 kilos (5.9 kg). It is a 11.54 by 10.87 by 12.87-inch dice that has a hoop of sunshine over the motive force that pulsates and syncs to the beat of your music because it modifications colours. The Important is IPX4 splash-proof and has an built-in deal with for straightforward toting. 

Rated for 100 watts of energy (we at all times take energy scores with a grain of salt), the speaker does not have fairly the amount or sound high quality of the step-up PartyBox 110 (see under). However it has a 5.25-inch woofer and two 1.75-inch tweeters and has loads of kick to it, and it is simpler to hold round. In that sense, it affords a pleasant stability between dimension and energy. 

Battery life is rated at 6 hours at average quantity ranges, and this speaker fees with an included AC adapter. It additionally has a charge-out port on the again together with a microphone port if you wish to discuss or sing to a crowd (microphone not included). 

To be clear, it is a mono speaker that is designed to place out loads of sound (there is a bass increase mode) from a fairly sized design. You’ll be able to wirelessly pair two of those audio system and get considerably higher sound (in stereo). However that might get slightly dear.

David Carnoy/CNET

Launched in 2021, the PartyBox 110 packs some critical punch and delivers greater sound than a number of the moveable boombox audio system on this record, together with JBL’s personal Boombox 2 (see under). There’s an built-in deal with for toting the speaker, however the PartyBox 110 is fairly hefty, weighing in at 23 kilos and measuring barely greater than 22 inches tall. You’ll be able to put this bluetooth increase field up vertically as proven within the image above or place it horizontally, because it has rubber ft on each side of the speaker.

It is rated for as much as 12 hours of playback time at average quantity ranges and has a redesigned gentle present that syncs to the beat of your music (you may customise the sunshine present from the speaker itself or use the JBL PartyBox companion app). 

The speaker has Bluetooth or a wired USB connection and there are guitar and mic inputs. It is also value noting that the speaker is IPX4 splash-proof and you may wirelessly hyperlink two PartyBox 110 audio system collectively for stereo sound. I did not check the stereo mode, however I used to be impressed with the sound of a single PartyBox 110 — this bluetooth system places out a number of well-defined bass with good general readability within the highs and mids — and I think that pairing two of those collectively could be fairly superior. 

I additionally favored how the speaker has no exterior AC adapter brick and solely requires a twine for charging (the ability adapter is within the speaker). For longer events throughout which you are actually cranking the tunes, you’d wish to plug the speaker in if potential. However it does ship sufficient quantity to fill a spacious front room with sound and in addition performs loud sufficient for a small pool or seashore social gathering. 

The PartyBox 710 ($800) is an enormous social gathering speaker that has built-in wheels and requires an influence supply to function; it doesn’t have an built-in rechargeable battery. That is your greatest guess in order for you a transportable speaker that may ship huge, high quality sound and operates on battery energy. To be clear, this affords greater and higher sound than the JBL Boombox 2 — however it’s tougher to hold round.

You are receiving worth alerts for JBL Partybox 110

David Carnoy/CNET

Anker’s Soundcore Movement Increase is what I would name a mini moveable boombox speaker. It is type of a poor man’s model of JBL’s well-regarded Xtreme 3 speaker, which lists for $350. Geared up with a deal with and weighing slightly over 4 kilos, the speaker jogs my memory of a kind of big flashlights or “floating lanterns” that had been in vogue about 30 years in the past. For the report, the Movement Increase truly does float and it is bought an IPX7 waterproof ranking. 

Anker says the Movement Increase delivers “enormous stereo sound” and, sure, this moveable bluetooth speaker performs fairly loud and has an honest quantity of bass with affordable readability — however I would not name it enormous and there is not a lot stereo separation (I stored the bass increase on always as a result of the speaker sounds higher that method.) It may well’t compete in opposition to greater and dearer audio system like JBL’s Boombox 2 ($500) and Final Ears’ Hyperboom ($400), nevertheless it packs much more quantity and punch than extra compact Bluetooth audio system like JBL’s Flip 5 that value across the similar. It additionally travels properly, so it is ideally suited for a seashore tour or slightly tailgating. It additionally can be utilized as a backup battery to cost your smartphone or different cell system.

The newer Movement Increase Plus (see above) does supply a big bump in sound high quality for about $65 to $75 extra, relying on pricing fluctuations. In the event you can afford it, the Movement Increase Plus is the higher choice. If you wish to go smaller, the Anker Soundcore Movement Plus Bluetooth speaker delivers excellent sound for its dimension. It isn’t a Bluetooth boombox, nevertheless, and does not characteristic an built-in deal with just like the Movement Increase and Movement Increase Plus.

You are receiving worth alerts for Anker Soundcore Movement Increase

David Carnoy/CNET

Sony’s SRS-XG500 is probably the most direct competitor to the JBL Boombox 2. They’re equally priced and sized, with each that includes an built-in deal with. The Sony is slightly bigger however weighs barely much less at 12.34 kilos (5.6 kg). 

I went backwards and forwards evaluating the sound of the 2 audio system. Whereas I favored the JBL’s sound a bit extra as a result of it got here throughout as sounding slightly clearer with higher element, the Sony pumps out loads of bass — it has a hotter, boomier sound high quality that some individuals could desire.

It is IP66 waterproof and dustproof, which means it may possibly take a sustained spray of water however it may possibly’t be totally submerged. You additionally get a mic/guitar rear enter and twin USB-out ports for charging your units. (The speaker has its personal energy adapter; you may’t cost it by way of USB-C.) Battery life is rated at 30 hours at average quantity ranges, which is excellent. Crank your tunes and that quantity drops considerably. 

At night time, you may gentle up the speaker with the LED gentle strips that ring the within of the bass ports and use the Fiestable app to manage the LEDs. The Sony Music app means that you can tweak the sound profile. Moreover, you may hyperlink the speaker with different Sony Bluetooth audio system to reinforce the sound.

You are receiving worth alerts for Sony SRS-XG500

David Carnoy/CNET

You are receiving worth alerts for Final Ears Hyperboom

Amazon

Final yr I reviewed Anker’s Soundcore Rave Neo social gathering speaker and gave it excessive marks. The Trance Go is basically that speaker with out the built-in LEDs that assist you to create a mini gentle present. It prices proper round $100, performs loud for its dimension (it is a medium-size speaker that weighs about 6 kilos) and has a built-in deal with that makes it straightforward to tote round. The speaker is totally waterproof and may rise up to 24 hours on a single cost at average ranges. A USB port means that you can cost units. Additionally value noting: For individuals who need extra expansive sound for streaming music, you may hyperlink a number of Trance Go audio system. 

You are receiving worth alerts for Anker Soundcore Trance Go

David Carnoy/CNET

In the event you do not wish to get one thing fairly as huge because the JBL Boombox 2, the Xtreme 3 weighs a superb deal much less however remains to be giant by Bluetooth speaker requirements and places out loads of sound (although not as a lot because the Boombox 2). As a substitute of a built-in deal with, a removable shoulder strap is included.

Like JBL’s smaller Bluetooth audio system, the Xtreme 3 is a flexible increase field that may be stood up vertically or positioned horizontally. Although a tad greater than the Xtreme 2, at first look it does not look a lot totally different from the earlier mannequin, nevertheless it does have upgraded sound with barely higher bass and readability whereas truly weighing barely much less. Listed below are the important thing variations between the 2 audio system, in keeping with JBL: 

• Performs barely louder: The Xtreme 3’s rated output energy is 2 x 25W versus the Xtreme 2’s 2 x 20W.
• The Xtreme 3 is IPX67 (waterproof/dustproof) versus the Xtreme 2’s IPX7 (waterproof).
• The Xtreme 3 affords JBL PartyBoost whereas the Xtreme 2 has JBL Related Plus syncing applied sciences.
• The Xtreme 3 improves cost time to only 2.5 hours, down from 3.5 hours for the Xtreme 2 (each have 15 hours of battery life)
• The Xtreme 3 has Bluetooth 5.1, the Xtreme 2 has Bluetooth 4.2 .
• The Xtreme 3 is barely bigger however at 4.3 kilos weighs lower than the Xtreme 2, which is 5.3 kilos.

You are receiving worth alerts for JBL Xtreme 3