With stiff competition from brands like Sonos, JBL, Sony and Bose, it’s harder than ever to decide which Bluetooth or multi-room speaker to buy. Our experts help you choose the best.
Hi-fi quality music was once only the preserve of audiophiles and those with expensive sound systems. But the rise of wireless speakers has brought high sound quality in reach of the masses – provided you know which speakers to buy. Our tests reveal the top products on the market. Our expert lab and professional listening panel prove it no longer costs the earth to get superior sound. We’ve found remarkable Best Buy portable speakers for well under £50, and even exquisite-sounding multi-room speakers for less than £100. So whatever your budget, our experts give you the insider knowledge so you don’t have to compromise.
And for those looking to invest long-term in a multi-room audio setup, when even a single speaker can stretch into the hundreds of pounds, it’s even more important to make sure you’re spending your money the most wisely.Below we reveal the best speakers from our tests – whatever type or price you’re looking for.
Considering a smart speaker?
Smart speakers have voice assistants you can talk to to perform functions, rather than controlling them through your smartphone or the physical buttons on the speaker. If you’re considering a smart speaker, see our separate guide to how to buy the best smart speaker.
Best portable speakers (battery powered)
Portable Bluetooth speakers come in all shapes and sizes, from ones that will fit in the palm of your hand, to larger varieties intended for use at home. Their built-in batteries let you move them around easily without needing to be in range of a plug socket. We’ve selected excellent Bluetooth speakers of different sizes to best suit your needs below.
Portable speakers pros and cons
All portable wireless speakers have Bluetooth which lets you wirelessly connect to play audio from devices such as your smartphone, and the best portable speakers will be easy to carry around with you and have battery power that’ll last throughout the day.
Pros
The best small Bluetooth speakers are lightweight and don’t take up much space, and are often simple and easy to use. Great for playing and improving the sound quality of music stored on your mobile device or streamed from the internet (including music services such as Spotify – which in some cases Bluetooth can also grant access free versions of such services).
Cons
Small, light portable speakers often have poorer sound quality – so be sure to check below to find out which are worth buying. Bluetooth connections have a limited operational range of around 10 to 30 metres before the connection is lost. Calls and alerts from your phone can disturb your listening, and not all devices support Bluetooth (such as older desktop computers and laptops).
Best multi-room speakers
Our experts have selected their top multi-room speaker recommendations in the table below. Smart speakers (which have voice assistants) are also often multi-room speakers
Multi-room speakers pros and cons
Some multi-room speakers can be among the most expensive on the market, offering premium build quality designed to last and a wide range of features, but cheaper options are available too. These days, multi-room systems usually connect over wi-fi to avoid costly and messy cable installations. That said, investing in multi-room audio with multiple speakers can cost thousands. Many brands including Bose and Sonos only let you connect to other speakers from the same brand, so you need to choose carefully as you become restricted to the brand’s app and speaker ecosystem – regretting your choice later is incredibly costly. To avoid this, many Chromecast and other Google Home app-supporting speakers let you connect to one another across different brands (to find out what speakers support Chromecast, head to our wireless speaker reviews and select ‘Chromecast’ using the filter menu).
Pros
The best wireless speakers with wi-fi are easy and convenient to use while offering great functionality. Wi-fi speakers typically have a longer wireless signal range than Bluetooth (the same as that of your wi-fi network). Most brands give you access to a host of online radio and music streaming services (the latter usually requiring subscriptions to connect directly over wi-fi).
Cons
Wi-fi connections can be more difficult to set up. Music streaming services usually require subscriptions when connecting directly over wi-fi (this can sometimes be avoided when streaming over Bluetooth from your phone). Some of the best multi-room speakers at the top end of the market can be very expensive, particularly if you intend to buy more than one of them to form a multi-speaker setup.
Other great cheap speakers
Our Best Buy speakers set a high bar, and so if you’re not quite as demanding, we recommend Great Value models as well. These are cheaper options and still score well in our tests, making for excellent bargains.
How much should I spend on a wireless speaker?
Wireless speakers can vary greatly in price. Entry-level small Bluetooth speakers that are light on features can be picked up for less than £50, whereas larger, premium models can cost 10 times as much. Wi-fi-enabled wireless speakers tend to cost a little more. There are few sub-£100 models on the market, so creating a multi-room speaker system can soon become an expensive venture.
How do we determine what’s a Great Value speaker?
Best Buy speakers need to score 70% or more in our expert tests, and Great Value speakers 60% or more. To be awarded Great Value, a speaker also needs to cost at least 20% less than the average speaker of that type (such as other portable Bluetooth speakers). We only make speakers that offer the very best value for money Great Value. Some Great Value speakers even also score well enough to be Best Buys as well.
Wireless and Bluetooth speakers to avoid
Particularly when buying online, it’s very difficult to know how good speakers really sound compared with each other. Every manufacturer will say their speaker sounds exceptional, and that’s clearly not true.
We’ve found speakers costing many hundreds of pounds with poor sounding bass, and many portable speakers with tinny sound that distorts unpleasantly even if they have modest maximum volumes. Below we are three of the many offenders our expert tests have exposed as well below standard – despite what their marketing says.
How we test wireless, smart and Bluetooth speaker
Unlike other tech publications, We use a professional lab and expert listening panel with decades of experience between them to really find out which wireless speakers are the best on the market – and those that offer superb value for money. Which? uses a unique benchmarking system that means you can directly compare our results, including sound quality, to find out which speaker really is best for you.
What makes the best wireless or Bluetooth speaker?
Modern wireless speakers aren’t simply passive speakers you plug into a hi-fi. Everything is built-in, and they come in all shapes and sizes from large, powerful wi-fi speakers that can be audio systems in their own right, to compact battery-powered small Bluetooth speakers.
Wired or wireless?
The term ‘wireless speaker’ doesn’t mean they have no wires whatsoever. It means you have the option to connect wirelessly to your devices, typically using a Bluetooth or wi-fi connection. Here are the key things to consider to buy the best wireless speaker for you:
great sound – Sound quality is the top consideration when choosing the best wireless or Bluetooth speaker. But there are lots of other factors to consider as well. The very best sound may not be worth the compromise if the speaker is too large, but there’s no point getting a super-cheap wireless speaker that sounds little better than your phone’s tinny speakers. We use a discerning listening panel at our expert audio lab to rigorously test the sound quality of each wireless speaker.
Portability – If you want to be able to take your speaker away from the mains, choose a portable model with battery power. Truly portable speakers should be small and lightweight with good battery life. However, smaller speakers will have a lower maximum volume and it’s more challenging to find one with good sound quality – so be sure to check our reviews to find the exceptions to the trend. If you only want to move the speaker occasionally, you can afford to get a larger one.
Easy to use – For portable, small Bluetooth speakers this will mean easy-to-use controls on the speaker housing and an easy-to-set-up Bluetooth connection to your smartphone or tablet. For home Bluetooth and wi-fi speakers, this’ll mean a simple-to-use app on your smartphone or tablet, and a straightforward setup process.
Durable and reliable – We’ve found speakers with painful buzzing sounds at certain frequencies that’ll ruin your listening, and others with extremely dubious build quality – even with more expensive models. Make sure you check our reviews to ensure you don’t get caught out.
Bluetooth and wi-fi – Bluetooth-only speakers are typically the simplest to use. They rely on a Bluetooth wireless connection to your smartphone, tablet or Bluetooth-enabled laptop. Bluetooth has a limited wireless range (typically 10-30 metres), which is fine for most. Some speakers also have wi-fi, and this makes them more self-sufficient. The wi-fi connection is more complex to set up initially but offers much more functionality, such as the ability to access music streaming services such as Spotify (may require subscriptions) and voice assistants including Alexa.
Apps – Wi-fi speakers and multi-room systems can be trickier to set up, and usually it all hinges on their accompanying apps (for your smartphone or tablet), as many speakers have only minimal physical buttons on the device itself. Some apps are really easy to use, but we’ve found others can be really clunky and poorly designed, which can make using your speaker very frustrating. If you’re not a fan of using apps, you can buy a wi-fi speaker with a voice assistant instead, which (following one-off setup via the app) you can use to access much of the same functionality on a day-to-day basis. Very few speakers come with a remote control, although you could buy a cheap second-hand smartphone or tablet one and install the app if you wanted a dedicated remote for your wireless speaker.
Voice assistants – Many of the latest wi-fi speakers offer the convenience of controlling them hands-free with only your voice. The voice assistants on offer for speakers are Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri. Many wi-fi speakers will only support one of these, but some give you a choice (such as models from Sonos and Bose). They also give you great additional ever-growing functionality, such as asking for the latest news update, or being able to access internet radio directly. Read our complete guide to Alexa for more ideas.
Water resistance – Many portable speakers now have some level of water resistance. Choose one that has the level of protection you’re likely to need – if a speaker is water resistant, it will usually give its IP rating (ingress protection). To find out more about this, see the following section explaining these ratings.
Can I use music streaming services?
All wireless speakers can access music streaming services like Spotify by streaming it over Bluetooth from your smartphone (may require subscriptions). If you’d like music streaming built-in to the speaker itself, you’ll need a wireless speaker with wi-fi, so it can connect to the internet directly.
How we uncover the best wireless, smart and Bluetooth speakers
We uncover the best speakers
We listen to hours of music every year – from solo vocal tracks and heavy rock anthems, to large orchestral pieces and radio recordings – to enable us to separate the best speakers from the worst. We also assess each and every speaker we get in relation to their installation and set up, how easy they are to connect to various devices, plus we look at additional features, such as tone controls and accompanying mobile apps.
Sound quality: Five audio experts assess each speaker and listen to classical, jazz, pop and rock music, so you can be sure that your music will sound great across a range of genres.
Ease of use: We assess how simple it is to get the speaker out of the box and start playing music, including using different connections.
Remote control: Any remote control or mobile app that comes with the speaker is tested and rated depending on how easy it is to use or navigate.
Tone controls: We take a look at any settings that can alter the dynamics of the audio played through the speaker.
Brand reliability: Our annual survey of hundreds of speaker owners enables us to rate and rank each brand for reliability, so you can be sure your speaker will go the distance.
Wireless or Bluetooth speakers Reviews
B&O Beoplay M5 review
Test scoreShow Context
86%
Key features
- Home speaker
- Multi-room
Compare
Which? verdict: Great room-filling sound
You’ll need to dip into deep pockets, but the Best Buy Beoplay M5 does all it can to justify the price. Within the minimalist design is sound that can rival the best wireless speakers in test lab.
Pros
- Fantastic sound quality
- Great build quality
- Highly capable speaker
Cons
- Expensive
- App isn’t as good as
Polk Audio Assist review
£130.00Typical price
Test scoreShow Context
85%
Key features
- Home speaker
- Voice control (smart speakers)
- Google Assistant
- Multi-room
Compare
verdict: Superior quality sound
It certainly delivers in spades. This is one of the very best wireless speakers we’ve seen, and is proof that you don’t need big brands and deep pockets to get great sound quality. It easily makes the grade to be a Which? Best Buy.
Pros
- Very strong sound quality
- Easy to use
- Chromecast multi-room support
- Google Assistant voice control works well
Cons
- No physical wired connections to connect to other devices
Naim Audio Mu-so Qb (2nd Gen) review
Test scoreShow Context
85%
Key features
- Home speaker
Compare
verdict: Excellent, but not the easiest to use
The Naim Audio Mu-so Qb (2nd Generation) does sound even better than its exceptional, easy-to-use predecessor, but we’ve actually scored it slightly lower than the original overall. It’s certainly a Best Buy with top-notch sound quality, but Naim Audio seems to have lost track of targeting the mainstream consumer market. All the bells and whistles the company has added have made it fiddly and more difficult to use. For those looking for the very best audio it’ll be worth putting up with these niggles, but more mainstream users might want to look elsewhere at our other superb top-scoring Best Buys.
Pros
- Sound quality
- Build quality
- High maximum volume
- Great range of wireless and wired connectivity options
Cons
- Ease of use niggles
- Heavy
- Expensive
Sonos One SL review
Test scoreShow Context
82%
Key features
- Home speaker
- Multi-room
Compare
verdict: Top-quality sound at a great price
It certainly does. The Sonos One SL is an exceptional-sounding wireless speaker. It takes a while to set up, but from then on it’s easy to use. The Sonos One SL is one of the best-sounding wireless speakers around, easily making the grade as a Which? Best Buy.
Pros
- Excellent sound quality
- Easy to use
- Well built
Cons
- Time-consuming to set up
- Sonos Controller app takes some learning
- Top of speaker shows fingerprints
- No Bluetooth
Anker SoundCore Flare review
Test scoreShow Context
82%
Key features
- Portable speaker
Compare
verdict: Great sound at a great price
Anker has played a blinder with the SoundCore Flare. In one fell swoop it has steamrolled through the long-established audio brands to net our highest-scoring portable speaker score since 2015. It may have a fun lightshow and useful waterproofing, but at its heart it’s a sensational-sounding speaker that’s a dream to use. It’s well-deserved – Anker’s first-ever Best Buy speaker.
Pros
- Exceptional sound
- Strong battery life
- Fun light show
- Easy to use
- Excellent app
Cons
- A bit plastic
- Sound distorts close to its high maximum volume
Google Nest Audio review
Test scoreShow Context
82%
Key features
- Home speaker
- Voice control (smart speakers)
- Google Assistant
- Multi-room
Compare
verdict: Google has a winner
The flagship Nest Audio is an outstanding smart speaker with top-tier sound quality that’s a level above almost all its rivals – remarkable considering its conveniently small size and price. It’s easily a Best Buy. You can also combine two Nest Audios for stereo sound much more cheaply than Sonos speakers, plus connect it to any Chromecast-supporting speakers without restriction to any particular brand. The minimalist design will blend well into any home as well. It’s well worth buying and a real triumph.
Pros
- Top-tier sound
- Great voice control
- Easy to set up and use
- Well built
Cons
- Limitations for those with personal music collections
- No physical wired connections to connect to other devices
Ultimate Ears Hyperboom review
Test scoreShow Context
78%
Key features
- Portable speaker
Compare
verdict: Superb choice if you’re looking for a powerful portable speaker
This is an excellent, large, portable wireless speaker. Despite its ‘outdoor party’ credentials, its subdued styling means it wouldn’t look out of place in a home environment. The sound is very well balanced too, and it sounds exceptional across a wide range of genres. It’s easily good enough to be a Which? Best Buy, but it is certainly expensive.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Great sound
- Looks quite discreet
- Good for parties
- Fantastic 27-hour battery life
Cons
- Expensive
- Large and heavy despite the carry handle
- Sound spreads best in larger rooms rather than smaller ones
Bluesound Pulse Flex 2i review
Test scoreShow Context
77%
Key features
- Home speaker
- Voice control (smart speakers)
- Alexa, Siri
- Multi-room
Compare
verdict: Sensational sound and easy to use
The Bluesound Pulse Flex 2i is the best of both worlds – it sounds exceptional and is easy to set up and use. On top of all that, it’s superbly built. Just don’t expect much from the claimed voice assistant support. This is an extraordinary speaker for a wide variety of uses – easily worthy of a Best Buy.
Pros
- Excellent sound
- Easy to set up and use with great accompanying app
Cons
- Extremely limited voice assistant support
JBL Charge 5 review
Test scoreShow Context
77%
Key features
- Portable speaker
Compare
Which? verdict: Entertainment in a dependable package
The JBL Charge 5 delivers where it really counts with great sound in an easy-to-use package. Its size and weight mean it’s not as portable as smaller models, but if you’re looking for a wireless speaker with some real oomph you can turn up pretty loud then this Best Buy model has all that you need.
Pros
- Great sound
- Good 11.5-hour battery life
- Sturdy build quality
- Waterproof
- Can charge your portable devices
Cons
- Heavy
- Awkward to carry
- While battery life is good it’s well below JBL’s 20 hour claims
Apple HomePod Mini review
Test scoreShow Context
76%
Key features
- Home speaker
- Voice control (smart speakers)
- Siri
- Multi-room
Compare
verdict: Convenient size with excellent sound, but lacks many third-party services
For its size, the Apple HomePod Mini sounds remarkable. It’s similar in size to the Amazon Echo Dot (4th Gen), yet it rivals larger smart speakers for sound quality. Apple has improved its Siri voice assistant, too, but it’s still missing lots of key services at launch including BBC radio and Spotify. It comes at a price, but if you’re looking for Best Buy sound in a tiny package, this is it – and it’ll work nicely with other Apple devices and services you use.
Pros
- Superb sound for its size
- Tiny shot-put-like dimensions
- Lightweight
- Easy to set up and use
- Good maximum volume
- Responsive Siri voice control
- Apple Music integration
- High build quality
Cons
- For Apple device owners only
- Lacks services including BBC radio station Siri support at launch
- Omission of Spotify and YouTube Music Siri support
- No Bluetooth or wired audio options (you connect with wi-fi)
- Expensive compared with rivals
Sonos Five review
Test scoreShow Context
75%
Key features
- Home speaker
- Works with Alexa
- Multi-room
Compare
verdict: Setting the standard for multi-room audio
- Superb well-balanced sound
- Easy to set up
- Huge range of features
- Full multi-room and surround sound system support
Cons
The Sonos Five re-establishes Sonos’s position as a leader in multi-room audio. The sound quality is exceptional, basic functions are easy to set up and use, and Sonos offers the complete package for those looking to build a home-audio system. Sonos now has serious rivals, including Chromecast speakers, but if you’re willing to invest and explore all Sonos has to offer, these speakers will offer an exceptionalpackage.
Pros
- Will be too complex for some
- Advanced app functions can be fiddly
- Very heavy
- No Bluetooth
- Collects fingerprints
Sony SRS-XB43 review
Test scoreShow Context
74%
Key features
- Portable speaker
- Works with Siri, Works with Google Assistant
Compare
verdict: Heavy, but a great all-round package
This is the largest, best-scoring model in Sony’s refreshed range of popular Extra Bass Bluetooth speakers. It’s one of few portable speakers on the market to truly have powerful sound, and while certainly bassy it isn’t overly so at the expense of the rest of the sound. This powerful sound does make it very heavy though (3kg), and it’s also a foot long, so while it’s suitable to take down the garden and lug in your bag to a party or campsite, it’s certainly not one to carry about regularly. If that’s fine with you, it’s a great, fun model to choose.
Pros
- Big and powerful sound
- Very high maximum volume
- Strong bass
- Exceptional battery life
- Flashing light effects
- Easy to use
- USB socket can charge your devices
- 3.5mm socket
- Robust build (waterproof
- Dustproof
- Shock-resistant and washable)
Cons
- Not truly portable as very heavy and unwieldy to carry
Amazon Echo (4th Gen) review
Test scoreShow Context
74%
Key features
- Home speaker
- Voice control (smart speakers)
- Alexa
- Multi-room
Compare
verdict: One of the best Alexa speakers available
This is a great-sounding speaker with fast and responsive Alexa voice controls. While it doesn’t sound quite as good as the rival Google Nest Audio, it’s a worthy Best Buy, and actually sounds better than the Amazon Echo Studio that’s supposed to top Amazon’s range. It’s a more capable smart speaker than its predecessors, adding a Zigbee smart hub built-in for direct control of smart lights and other home devices. The Amazon Echo (4th Gen) is a highly desirable choice for great sound and Alexa control at a very competitive price.
Pros
- Very good sound and high maximum volume
- Responsive Alexa voice control
- Easy to set up and use
- Well built
- 3.5mm audio-in and audio-out socket
- Competitively priced
- Built-in Zigbee smart hub for efficient control of smart home devices
Cons
- Can’t play your own music collection over wi-fi
- Works best with Amazon services to access all features (may require subscriptions)
Kitsound Diggit 55 review
£49.99Lowest price (not in stock)
Test scoreShow Context
74%
Key features
- Portable speaker
Compare
verdict: Superb bargain
This innovative Bluetooth speaker is a sensation. Whether you use the garden stake or not, this a remarkably affordable, stylish portable speaker. Sound quality is strong and it’s surprisingly feature-rich, with the option to combine two for stereo sound. British brand Kitsound certainly has a hit on its hands. Pros
- Very good 360-degree sound
- Looks more premium than the price
- Detachable stake for use in garden
- Great battery life
- Dust and sand-proof
- Highly water resistant
- 3.5mm socket and cable supplied
Cons
- No carry handle and medium weight (564g)
- Plastic stake and rubberised flap could show signs of wear over time
- Need to switch to outdoors mode for higher maximum volume
Sonos Roam review
Test scoreShow Context
74%
Key features
- Portable speaker
- Voice control (smart speakers)
- Alexa, Google Assistant
- Multi-room
Compare
verdict: Conveniently-sized and feature-packed
The Sonos Roam is a superb all-round package: offering the full Sonos experience and great sound quality in a conveniently compact and lightweight design. It’s even a smart speaker too, with Alexa and Google Assistant voice control. Connect it up in a multi-room setup with other Sonos speakers when at home, or switch to a Bluetooth connection to your phone when you’re out on your travels. It’s overkill to choose the Roam if you’re just looking for a simple Bluetooth speaker, but for those looking for a feature-packed travel-friendly model, it’s well worth buying.
Pros
- Exceptional sound quality
- Responsive voice control
- Conveniently portable
- Full feature-packed Sonos app support (including audio streaming and multi-room)
- Waterproof
- Excellent build quality
Cons
- Battery only lasted for five hours and 40 minutes in our tests
- More complicated to use than simple Bluetooth speakers
Yamaha MusicCast 50 review
Test scoreShow Context
73%
Key features
- Home speaker
- Works with Alexa
- Multi-room
Compare
verdict: Highly flexible all-rounder
While many wireless speaker brands keep cutting back traditional features from their speakers in favour of the latest tech, Yamaha has resolutely resisted this with the MusicCast 50. It offers the best of worlds: wired connections to connect to TVs, turntables and similar devices, as well as the latest wireless music streaming and voice-control support via separate Alexa devices (such as an Amazon Echo). The sound quality is excellent – it’s a well-deserved Best Buy. We highly recommend it.
Pros
- Strong
- Powerful sound
- Great range of connectivity
- Home theatre compatible
Cons
- App could be simpler
- Sound could be spread more evenly round room
Audio Pro A10 review
Test scoreShow Context
71%
Key features
- Home speaker
- Voice control (smart speakers)
- Alexa
- Multi-room
Compare
verdict: Superb sound at a great price
Don’t be afraid to consider lesser-known audio brands. The Audio Pro A10 speaker can beat many of the biggest brands. It has exceptional sound, is really easy to set up with an excellent accompanying app that puts many top brand speakers to shame. Just don’t bother with the claimed Alexa support. It’s a well-deserved Best Buy.
Pros
- Good sound quality
- Very user friendly app
Cons
- Poor Alexa voice assistant integration
JBL Boombox 2 review
Test scoreShow Context
71%
Key features
- Portable speaker
Compare
Which? verdict: Gets the party started
The JBL Boombox 2 is a very powerful portable speaker – and a worthy Best Buy. It’s expensive, though. And if you’re not a party goer, it’s well worth considering cheaper Best Buys – with many offering plenty of bang for your buck.Pros
- Very powerful speaker
- Incredibly long battery life
- Easy to use
- Water resistant.
Cons
- Expensive
- Sound is very bass-heavy
- Not very portable
Sony SRS-XB01 review
£30.00Typical price
Test scoreShow Context
71%
Key features
- Portable speaker
Compare
Which? verdict: Fantastic sound and a breeze to use
It’s very rare for a portable speaker of this size to excel in our testing, but the Sony SRS-XB01 has done it. Superb sound defies the odds for a speaker of this size, and it’s so simple to use. It’s well worth your money.
Pros
- Small and compact with good sound
- Impressive battery life
- Easy to use
Cons
- Not much
Denon Home 150 review
£219.00Typical price
Test scoreShow Context
70%
Key features
- Home speaker
- Works with Alexa, Works with Google Assistant
- Multi-room
Compare
verdict: Powerful and feature-packed
There’s much to like here, particularly for those who are looking for extra features, including physical connections and multi-room capability. The build quality is exceptional, too. If you’re a fan of a powerful bass, this is an excellent model to choose – it’s a Best Buy.
Pros
- Sound quality
- Build quality
- Plenty of features
- Lots of connection options
Cons
- Top is a fingerprint magnet
- Bass will be too strong for some
