Best Bose Speakers for 2025

Tribit XSound Go: Even though the Tribit XSound Go has been on the market for many years, it’s still one of the best value for money Bluetooth speakers. In addition to sounding great, playing your favorite music, and more, this affordable Bluetooth speaker is also fully waterproof. It has had some minor upgrades over the years.

JBL Pulse 5: JBL Pulse speakers are now in their fifth generation, with improved sound quality and 360-degree light show. JBL “extended the clear housing” so the customizable light show looks even more impressive. (There’s a companion app for iOS and Android that lets you change the colorful lighting effects.) The speaker also has an IP67 dust and water resistance rating and offers up to 12 hours of battery life at moderate volumes.

Anker sports boom: Anker’s more expensive Soundcore Motion Boom Plus (see above) is a significant sonic upgrade over the original Motion Boom, but this model is still a good value mini speaker. This speaker comes with a handle, weighs a little over 4 pounds, and reminds me of the giant flashlights or “floating lanterns” that were popular about 30 years ago. For the record, the Motion Boom does float: it’s fully waterproof, with an IPX7 rating.

UE super prosperous: Ultimate Ears’ Boom Bluetooth speakers come in a few different sizes, but none quite like super prosperous. The Hyperboom is an extra-large wireless speaker that weighs 13 pounds. UE Megaboom 3 It seems unquestionably trivial. It’s not cheap, but its sound quality is better than many of the giant portable speakers on the market today. Read our review.

Marshall Whalen: Marshall’s small mono Willen speaker is similar to Bose’s SoundLink Micro and other tiny speakers like the Tribit StormBox Micro 2. , and can even be clipped onto your bike’s handlebars. Its 2-inch full-range driver and two passive radiators put out less sound than you might think, and it offers decent clarity and enough bass to avoid sounding harsh (you can choose from three presets Select) sound mode).

Tribit StormBox (Out of Stock): The StormBox looks like a hybrid of UE and JBL speakers. We doubt this was an accident. This fully waterproof speaker costs significantly less than the JBL Flip 5 and Flip 6 and produces much louder sound. Its rechargeable battery provides up to 20 hours of battery life for music playback and more. Tribit’s XSound speakers may be better value, but the StormBox is more stylish.

Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 (2nd generation): A few years ago, Bang & Olufsen upgraded its dome-shaped, aluminum-clad A1 speakers with improved battery life, better speaker performance (now with a three-mic array) and slightly improved sound. Not only is it the Danish company’s smallest wireless speaker, it’s also its most technically affordable.

sonos roaming: Available in five colors and priced at $179, the Roam is the smallest, most affordable Sonos speaker yet (if you don’t count those $99 Sonos-compatible Symfonisk Ikea Wi-Fi bookshelf speakers), though for a mini wireless speaker Said it was quite expensive. This Sonos Roam model, like the larger Sonos Move 2 portable speaker, comes equipped with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to leverage existing Sonos multiroom audio systems and connect with other Series 2-compatible Sonos speakers.

Anker Soundcore Motion Plus: Anker’s Soundcore Motion Plus launched in 2019, but it’s still one of the best-sounding speakers around $100. It’s larger than many mini Bluetooth speakers, but still compact. It sounds fuller than many competitors in its price range, with more bass, more volume, and better clarity. It’s also fully waterproof (IPX7 rated) and supports the aptX streaming codec for devices that support it, such as Samsung Galaxy phones.

Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore: The price is a bit steep for the sound quality it delivers, but the Beosound Explore is a nice little speaker with a sleek, eye-catching design. It’s fully waterproof and dustproof (IP67 rated) and offers excellent battery life, with up to 27 hours of continuous music listening at moderate volumes.

Monoprice soundstage 3: Monoprice tends to make ordinary-looking electronics, and its understated Soundstage 3 Bluetooth speaker may not wow you with its design, although its minimalist aesthetic has its appeal. I wouldn’t buy this speaker at its $245 list price, but it’s frequently discounted to close to $150, and since it’s capable of driving 50 watts of power and plays strong bass with decent clarity, it’s a good value. “concave aluminum cone woofer” flanked by two 1-inch silk dome tweeters. It also has good connectivity options, including digital optical, 3.5mm analog and RCA analog wired inputs, allowing you to connect a TV or other stereo components. There is also a sub-output port.

Tribit XSound Mega (Out of Stock): Over the past few years, Tribit has made a number of Bluetooth speakers that are great value for money. Add its new XSound Mega to the list. Tribit positions the XSound Mega as more of an outdoor speaker—it includes a lanyard so you can carry it around as a mini speaker—but it works just fine indoors. It has an LED light display that you can turn on or off, and there are three sound EQ settings: XBass, Music, and Audiobook. In addition, it can also be used as a power bank to charge your mobile devices.

Other Bose products we tested

Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones: Bose’s new flagship QuietComfort Ultra headphones may not be a huge upgrade over the company’s Noise Canceling 700 headphones, but they offer some sound enhancements with a more premium design and Bose’s new immersive audio features. In addition to great sound quality and excellent noise cancellation, the QC Ultra headphones also feature best-in-class background noise cancellation, making them perfect for phone calls.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds: The QC Ultra earbuds aren’t a major upgrade from Bose’s excellent QC Earbuds 2 released in 2022, but they’re certainly better. They should fit well into most ears and have excellent noise cancellation, arguably the best out there. Natural-sounding transparency mode with the new ActiveSense feature kicks in with some ANC if the sound around you is too loud (it’s somewhat similar to the Adaptive Audio feature of AirPods Pro). They also sound slightly better overall, with more clarity, and the new immersive audio feature opens things up a bit.

Bose QuietComfort headphones: When Bose released its new flagship QuietComfort Ultra headphones, it also replaced the QuietComfort 45s with slightly newer models, the QuietComfort headphones. Like the QC 45, this model inherits the very comfortable, tried-and-tested QuietComfort heritage design that has been around for several generations and continues to be a favorite of many.

Bose ultra-open earbuds: The Bose Ultra Open earbuds have one of the most unusual designs of any earbud I’ve tested over the past few years. They literally clip onto the side of your ear, kind of like an earring, and their open design has tiny speakers that beam sound into your ears while still being able to hear what’s going on around you.

Bose sport open earbuds (Out of Stock): Aimed at runners and cyclists who want their ears open to the outside world for safety reasons, or people who don’t like having any earbuds in their ears, they sound surprisingly good. I ended up liking them, but they are not designed to suit everyone and how comfortable you find them will determine how much you like them. They currently sell for $200 in the United States. (There’s no official international pricing yet, but it’s around £150 or AU$260.)

Bose Quiet Comfort 45: The design of the QuietComfort 45 is almost identical to its predecessor, i.e. Quiet and comfortable QC35 version 2 (Hereinafter referred to as QC35 II). According to Bose, they have the same drivers and the buttons are in the same location. There are some small but noteworthy changes. First, thankfully, they have USB-C instead of micro-USB. With USB-C becoming the de facto charging standard (except for certain Apple devices), most new devices offer USB-C charging, simplifying our cable situation.