It’s the end of the day, and you want nothing more than to kick back and relax. You whip out your phone, turn on your Bluetooth speakers and start playing your favorite tunes in crystal-clear HD sound. Everything is working fine and dandy, when all of a sudden your music is interrupted because you said something that sounded like “Alexa.” What gives?
The fact of the matter is speakers with virtual assistants like Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant are always listening for a wake word. This means that your conversations can potentially be swept up during “improvement auditing” sessions, which can deal a serious blow to your privacy. Tap or click here to see how to stop this from happening.
If you’d rather not deal with privacy pitfalls and perplexing legal agreements, a Bluetooth speaker is your best bet. Not only are most of these speakers quite affordable, their sound and build quality are out-of-this-world. Here are our favorite picks to delight your ears with.
Sony’s SRS-XB32
If pure aesthetic joy is what you’re looking for, the Sony SRS-XB32 has it in spades. This speaker comes equipped with beautiful pulsing lights that “dance” to whatever you’re playing — making it the perfect companion for those who want to party hard while maintaining social distancing.
The Tribit X-Sound Go
For music-lovers on a budget, the Tribit XSound Go is more than enough for your listening pleasure. The speakers come standard with deep, rich bass and hefty battery life. It’s also waterproof and can go wherever you do.
The UE WonderBoom 2
The UE Boom series of Bluetooth speakers is beloved for fusing modern design and high-def sound into a single, cohesive package. And now, the latest WonderBoom speaker delivers a compact, waterproof product with sound quality that matches some of the biggest high-end speakers you can buy. Plus, it comes in a ton of fun colors.
Bonus: For audophiles, the premium JBL Extreme 2 delivers premium sound
If you’re willing to spend a bit more for better sound, you can’t go wrong with Kim’s favorite speaker on the list: The JBL Xtreme 2. Just like the XSound Go and WonderBoom 2, this speaker is waterproof and perfect for poolside antics. It also delivers amazing sound quality and rumbling bass in a speaker that’s many times smaller than boomboxes of yesteryear.
Oh, and it also boasts a 15-hour battery life. How many albums do you think you can play in that stretch of time?
By clicking our links, you’re supporting our research, as we may earn a very small commission. Recommendations are not part of any business incentives.