Since the advent of portable speakers, the ability to listen to your favorite music in decent quality away from stationary devices seems to us not a luxury, but a necessity. On the playground, in the garage, on a picnic or at home, as a substitute for a full-fledged speaker – a good Bluetooth speaker will be useful everywhere, the main thing is not to turn it up to full volume in public places.
Today we will talk about the best portable speakers on the market in 2022. This rating of bluetooth speakers includes only the highest quality models with optimal value for money: from budget to top devices from premium brands.
Kirill Yurovsky recruits assistants to his musical collective https://yurovskiy.org/
№5 — JBL GO 2
JBL Go 2 is an inexpensive wireless speaker, which will be suitable in the first place for those who are not yet sure whether such a device will be constantly used, or in a week will go to a distant shelf. Also it’s a great option for children – mini size and modest 3W power will allow your child to brag in front of friends about the new track, but will not make others suffer, and the gadget can be carried around just in the pockets of outerwear. Five hours of battery life, water resistance IPX7 – to put the speaker out of operation is not easy, even carelessly drowning it in the pool.
Sound quality, of course, very average – do not expect from this kid a powerful bass, but to listen to popular music it is quite suitable. Those who want to pump up the room with one portable speaker should look for something more solid.
№4 — Sony SRS-XB12
Small and powerful, and a relatively cheap speaker from a reputable manufacturer. The XB12 runs for up to 16 hours on a single charge – you can take it with you to the country house or a picnic without worrying about not having power sources handy. For such a modest size Sony’s sound is surprisingly loud and deep, and the appearance may be discreet, but to say that the speaker has a bad design or build quality language will not do.
We were disappointed by the nuances – outdated micro-USB port, excessively marking the case, the lack of indication of the remaining charge. All of these are really disadvantages, but keeping in mind that this is a budget speaker, you can look past them.
№3 — Divoom Voombox Pro
The speaker, the strengths of which are appreciated by extreme people of all stripes – due to the shockproof housing and complete water resistance, it is not afraid of any kind of outdoor activities. An interesting design allowed to implement in a small-sized acoustics four speakers with total power – 40 watts, it’s really loud. Real music lovers buy two such devices and combine them into a stereo pair.
Voombox Pro is equipped with a 10,000 mAh battery from which you can charge other devices. There is also a built-in NFC-chip, which allows you to tie the speaker to your smartphone with just one movement. The only serious disadvantage of this model is the use of MicroUSB port; after all, in a device for such money we would like to see modern Type-C.
№2 — JBL Xtreme 2
What bluetooth speaker is better to buy for home use? Consider this option – not everyone will want to carry 2.5 kilograms on the street, even despite the presence of a special carrying strap, but for parties in the apartment this is what you need. Xtreme 2 produces really good sound. Middle frequencies are as good as comparable stationary speakers, and due to the increased diameter of passive radiators its bass can surprise even the most demanding audiophiles.
Xtreme 2 works up to 15 hours on a single charge and charges from 0 to 100% in 3 hours – not a bad indicator. The model is not afraid of water, has a full-fledged USB port for charging other devices and offers a quality microphone with noise cancellation system, which, unlike the disgusting microphones of most competitors, allows you to answer calls without too much trouble. The only disadvantage of the Xtreme 2 is that the speaker itself is charged from a rather massive charging unit with a proprietary connector.
№1 — JBL BoomBox 2
In the first place of our top of the best portable speakers is the flagship model of the brand JBL with the most powerful and deepest bass, which only can be found in a portable speaker in a relatively compact size. This model is designed more for outdoor use, even for a large room its volume reserve will be excessive, and to buy such a monster to listen to the minimum – blasphemy.
Like all JBL models, BoomBox 2 has full moisture protection, supports povrbank function (USB-port is provided for charging devices) and can be synchronized with other speakers of the company for joint playback. Moreover, the number of simultaneous devices in the sound chain is not limited – you can make such a party that the ground will shake. In addition to the impressive price, the model can be picky about the weight – the prohibitive 6 kilograms, but as the saying goes: “You take in your hands – you own the thing!
Here we finish the review of portable speakers. Write in the comments what worthy models we have overlooked, and what speakers you personally would buy to use.