Bottom Line: Amazing sound for the bedroom…kitchen…beach…or anywhere else.
If you’re playing music on the built-in speakers of a smartphone or tablet, you’re selling your music short. Most speakers on mobile devices are tiny and tinny, and even the better ones won’t do justice to your favorite music, podcasts, audiobooks or whatever else you like. You can wear earbuds or headphones, of course, but that’s not much fun for hanging or working around the house or for having an intimate dinner, is it?
Easy solution: External speakers that connect to your music library and to music-streaming services wirelessly via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi (or both). Whether you’d prefer a portable, tabletop or whole-house system, the sound quality of wireless speakers has improved markedly—and setting up speakers to play what you love on command has gotten a lot easier. Among the best models you can buy now…
These battery-powered speakers are lightweight and compact enough to tote along with you, and they provide excellent sound quality for the price.
Best value: Sony SRS-XB31 is, as the popular song goes, all about the bass. This mono Bluetooth-compatible model has angled speakers that send sound to a wide area for a music-festival vibe that will be a hit at your next backyard or beach party. The waterproof/rustproof/dustproof construction means that you can take this sub-two-pounder anywhere without worrying about damage. The rechargeable battery can play music for up to 24 hours on one charge. $149.99* (9.1˝ x 3.5˝ x 3.3˝). Sony.com
Best portability: Ultimate Ears Wonderboom weighs just under a pound and is small enough to store in a fanny pack, yet it still delivers bright, balanced, 360-degree mono sound. This waterproof model—a smart pick for the pool or a shower—is Bluetooth capable and runs for 10 hours on a single USB charge. $59.99 (4˝ x 3.7˝ x 3.7˝). UltimateEars.com
Best stereo-sound quality: Cambridge Audio Yoyo (M), while portable, isn’t designed for carrying long distances. Each speaker in this stereo Bluetooth pair weighs around three pounds, but they make for a powerful system that delivers music very close in sound to that of high-quality stand-alone stereos. The built-in rechargeable batteries can play for 24 hours. $349.99 (4.9˝ x 8˝ x 4.9˝). CambridgeAudio.com
Don’t be fooled by appearances. While these devices look a bit like retro radios (and all plug into an outlet, the old-fashioned way), they actually are wireless speakers capable of filling a room with deep, clear and crisp high-quality sound.
Best value: Tivoli Audio Model One Digital recalls a 1960s vintage radio, but it has decidedly modern capabilities such as support for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth music streaming. If you want to go beyond the Model One Digital’s plenty impressive mono sound, you can connect it to Tivoli’s stylish round Sphera wireless speakers to create an aesthetically pleasing wireless stereo hi-fi system. $299 (4.5˝ x 8.7˝ x 5.5˝). $249 for each Sphera speaker (9˝ x 9˝ x 2˝). TivoliAudio.com
Best sound quality for a not-astronomical price: Como Audio Musica also is reminiscent of the classic desktop radios of the ’60s, but it features stereo sound and includes a single-disc CD-player. It also features built-in access to streaming music services and 30,000 Internet radio stations (assuming that you have a Wi-Fi Internet signal to feed it, of course). You can use one of the eight buttons on the front as shortcuts to your favorite stations or streaming services. You also can stream music files from your mobile devices. The high-fidelity sound is an audiophile’s delight from deep bass up to sparkling treble. The Como Audio Musica also can be used as a TV speaker…and if you own another Como device and download the app, you can sync the devices to use as a multiroom music system. $599 (5.6˝ x 15.9˝ x 6.5˝). ComoAudio.com
These multispeaker systems let you listen to music from a single source as you (and your guests) move from room to room.
Best value: Sonos speakers (pictured above) offer great sound and a simple setup. The Sonos app lets you choose music from your own library or from a streaming service such as Sirius, Spotify or Pandora and play music in any room where you’ve plugged in a Sonos speaker—including every room in your house if that’s what you wish. You can have different speakers playing different music in different rooms at the same time, very convenient for couples and families. The Sonos Play:5 single speaker can be placed in a horizontal or vertical position. When it’s vertical, it’s a mono speaker and when horizontal, a stereo speaker—so if you own two, you can use them separately as single-cabinet stereo speakers in two separate rooms or together as left and right stereo speakers in one room. The Play:3 is slightly smaller and has more limited bass but is enough speaker for a typical den or bedroom. It also can be positioned for mono or stereo sound like the Play:5. The Sonos One “smart speaker” has Amazon’s digital assistant Alexa built in. It’s a good bet for small spaces, or if you spring for two, you can enjoy impressive stereo sound for your music or home theater. The sound quality is great but not quite up to the levels of the Play:3 or Play:5. $499 for the Play:5 (8˝ x 14.3˝ x 6.1˝)…$249 for the Play:3 (5.2˝ x 10.6˝ x 6.3˝)…$199 for the Sonos One (6.4˝x 4.7˝ x 4.7˝). Sonos.com
Best sound quality for a not-astronomical price: Riva Festival wireless stereo speaker is engineered with three woofers, three tweeters and four passive radiators. Together, they reproduce more of the musical spectrum more accurately than anything else in this price range. Instead of accessing a streaming service directly from the speaker as you can with some brands, you’ll need to stream your own music sources via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or Apple Airplay. The payoff: A speaker with superior sound rivaling that of some high-end wired speaker systems. And if you have more than one Festival speaker, you can connect them with the Riva Wand app. $499 apiece (14.4˝ x 7.9˝ x 7˝). RivaAudio.com
A lot of people love the sound quality of their older speakers, stereos or home-theater systems but wish they could use this wonderful equipment to wirelessly play today’s digital and streaming music files and listen to audiobooks and podcasts.
Problem solved: The Sonos Connect is a digital adapter for older audio equipment. The Connect includes analog, optical and coaxial outputs, so you can plug in whatever music-system device you desire, whether it’s an amplified turntable, a CD player, a home-theater system or other type…and then stream away. $349 (2.9˝ x 5.4˝ x 5.5˝). Sonos.com
*Recent prices in this article are from online retailers and may be below the manufacturer’s suggested retail prices.
