We've found 17 of the best speakers to blast your music at parties and in the park - sorry, neighbours!
Life’s a real rollercoaster at the moment, isn’t it? Now that we're finally allowed to socialise indoors and we're nearing an end to all lockdown restrictions, suddenly our schedule is jam-packed with plans. Now over a year in, we're almost used to a new routine. Some days start with a workout at 8am, followed by a vitamin-filled juice, blasting our favourite playlist in our headphones, while others are spent getting ready with our favourite tunes in the background before heading to the pub for long-overdue catchups over G&T's with friends.
Because whether your music taste leans towards Drake, old school Spice Girls or Justin Bieber (no judgement), music has been scientifically proven to be a mood-booster, and able to help us mentally escape to a better place. And when you consider the strain seemingly endless lockdowns have had on our mental health, we could all use a lot more of that right now.
So now that Uber sing-a-longs and summer barbeques are back on the agenda it’s time to bring your night-out game in the house – even if it’s only a party for six. Enter: our round-up of the best speakers, each designed to deliver said party playlist, your lunchtime podcasts or some chilled-out Sunday morning Bublé in high resolution.
Fortunately, home speakers have gotten pretty damn good of late, offering high-quality sound, portability and customisable audio in one fell swoop. Whatever your listening needs there's a speaker to suit you - be that surround-sound speakers, multi-room speakers or portable speakers - all at a range of price points. Our edit of the best speakers ranges from under £40 with this Anker Soundcore 2 Speaker all the way to £900 for this top of the range, seriously stylish Bose® SoundLink® Revolve+ Water-resistant Portable Bluetooth Speaker. It's certainly not cheap but the audio is powerful - perfect for when we can have parties at home again.
What is the best speaker to buy in 2021?
From our extensive research, we've found the best speaker overall is the Sonos One. It’s sleek in design, easy to use and has great sound quality wherever you are in the house. If lockdown lethargy has gotten to you, controlling your music or starting the podcast of your choice, with just your voice has never been easier. Our top pick's would be for Amazon’s Echo or the Bose Home 300 speaker which has built-in voice control from Google Assistant. Put your feet up and your favourite banger will be on repeat with just one command.
From La Redoute to Soho Home.
Best portable speaker for 360° sound
Bose® SoundLink® Revolve+ Water-resistant Portable Bluetooth Speaker, £279.95, Amazon
The main selling point of this portable Bose speaker is that it has a 360° sound so that everyone at your socially-distanced party gets the same great sound quality. It is splash proof, portable and seriously robust - perfect for future holidays. Come soon, please.
Best speaker under £50
Anker Soundcore 2 Portable Speaker, £39.99, Amazon
This is, by far, the best cheap Bluetooth speaker on the market right now. It's compact and transportable, with 24 hours' worth of battery life and plenty of choice in colour. It sounds far more high-end than it should for its price, also offering IPX5 water-resistance and a built-in microphone for hands-free calls and smart technology.
Best Beats speaker
Beats by Dr Dre Pill+ Speaker, £179, Very
Seen in the background of many a music video, the Beats Pill speaker has a 12-hour rechargeable battery, fast connecting Bluetooth, high-quality audio and a slick, stylish design. Perfect for BBQ's in the garden, it has a fuss-free interface and voice performance so you can use it to make and receive calls too.
Best Bang & Olufsen speaker
BANG & OLUFSEN BeoSound A1 2nd Gen Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker, £200, Selfridges
Bang & Olufsen are well-known for their super-slick designs and this portable, this compact speaker is as stylish as you would expect. It's super lightweight and won't weigh you down as you bring it from your house to the BBQ you've got scheduled in the diary and 18-48 hours of battery life too.
Best Sonos speaker
The first properly portable Sonos speaker (finally!) is a force to be reckoned with, with four Wi-Fi antennae, Bluetooth and sound quality that's just as good outside as it is inside. It's weather proof (sun as well as rain), has a battery life of around 10 hours and a wi-fi range good enough that you shouldn't really need to use the Bluetooth setting too often. The only tripe is that, at 3kg, it's slightly heavier than we'd like in something portable. But since the sound quality and ease-of-use is so great? Sonos is forgiven.
Best speaker for big sound on a small scale
Marshall Emberton Portable Bluetooth Speaker, £129, Amazon
Design-led and super stylish, Marshall's speaker releases are always ones to watch - since the sound quality and audio power of their offerings are undeniable. This speaker is the smallest in the Marshall family, able to fit in the palm of your hand. It's heavier than you'd expect but extremely durable and waterproof. The sound is great, too. In fact, we found it sounds its best at around 75% of maximum output, so feel free to crank up the volume.
Best speaker with Alexa
Bose Home 300 Smart Speaker, £249, Selfridges
This speaker packs a hell of a lot of punch for its tidy, compact size. It has excellent sound quality and built-in voice control from Google Assistant - so you can get Alexa to play the latest ep. of The Receipts podcast without even leaving your bed. Dream.
Best speaker for ease-of-use
This is our favourite speaker of the bunch. It's not too pricey, can connect to Spotify and Amazon Music and the sound quality is really good. It's also super easy to use, if you're a bit of a technophobe. (No judgement here).
Best speaker built into furniture
Tabblue Bluetooth Table Speaker, £175, Not on the Highstreet
If even the most stylish speaker offerings can't tempt you as they'll ruin your home's look, this side table with built in Bluetooth speaker is the perfect solution. Made from real wood veneers and a high-quality fabric, the Tabblue also gives you 360' sound from the 6 speakers inside, this allows the room to fill evenly with sound. It is also equipped with 2x USB charging ports to keep your smartphone or tablet charged at all times.
Best speaker under £100
Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2, £69.99, Amazon
For just £72.99, this speaker is a total bargain. It doesn't have voice control, but it can connect to Bluetooth and has a 13 hour battery life. Picnics in the park, we're coming for ya.
Best speaker for pool parties
Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3 Waterproof Speaker, £169.99, John Lewis
Available in seven really cool colourways ('Unicorn' gets our vote), this speaker is powerful and portable with booming base and a long battery life. The Bluetooth range is much wider than on their previous models, and the "magic button" allows you to pause, skip and play with one touch. It won't break the bank, either.
Best speaker to fill your entire house
Audio Pro Addon C10 Mutliroom Speaker, £278, Amazon
The control app which comes alongside this speaker might not be ground-breaking, but the sound quality is good. And, if you're dreaming of playing your music in every room of your house, this is a great starter speaker. Once you've got to grips with it, you can get different speakers from the range and link them up.
Best budget speaker
John Lewis & Partners On-the-go Wireless Portable Speaker, £35, John Lewis
If you didn't know, John Lewis has recently launched a new range of affordable lifestyle products called ANYDAY. This bright blue speaker is one of them and if you're shopping on a budget, it's ideal. It has a built-in mic for phone calls, 360° sound, a long-lasting rechargeable battery and is made for the wear and tear of using it outdoors.
Best speaker between £300 and £400
Dali Katch Bluetooth Speaker, £284.99, Amazon
The best speaker between £300 and £400 is this one by Dali Katch: one of the best portable Bluetooth speakers you'll find. It can last for 24-hours on a single charge (post-lockdown party, anyone?) and is light and portable. Added bonus: there's more than one colour to choose from.
Best speaker for Apple music
Apple HomePod, £199, Very.co.uk
This simple, no-fuss speaker has built-in Siri and an ability to sense its location so that it can tune the music to sound amazing wherever you are in the room. That's clever stuff. If you're an avid user of Apple Music, this is a great choice.
Best speaker for small spaces
YOYO (S) Portable Bluetooth Speaker, £129, Cambridge Audio
In this speaker's name, (S) stands for small. And from the outside, that's exactly right. This speaker is compact, tidy and easy to move around - perfect for taking away or using in small homes. That said, what you can't see if far from small: this speaker boasts a range of components which have been selected to offer the most powerful, high-quality sound you can fit into a speaker this size.
Best novelty speaker
The Tech Bar Divoom Ditoo Pixel Art Bluetooth Speaker, £99.95, Selfridges
A quality speaker that will also provide a talking point when you next have guests, The Ditoo speaker features an old-fashioned PC design and super-retro pixel display - which you can literally edit and change! Yes it's small and cute looking, but don't let that fool you - it still has startlingly good audio quality.
