Enceintes bluetooth
Flip 6
IP67 waterproof and dustproof 12 Hours of Playtime PartyBoost allows you to pair two JBL PartyBoost-compatible speakers together for stereo sound
Requirements:
- Wireless
- Portable
- Waterproof / water-resistant
- Stereo pairing
- Charging? (USB-C, power adapter…)
- Surround sound? (1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 3.1, 4.2, 5.1…?)
- How many?
- Brand: JBL, Bose, Sony…
- BLUETOOTH SPEAKERS
- How do I choose a Bluetooth speaker?
- WIFI SPEAKERS
- Is Bluetooth better than Wi-Fi?
- How do multiroom speakers work?
- How do I connect my WiFi to my music?
- What are the different Wi-Fi music standards?
BLUETOOTH SPEAKERS
In assessing what the best Bluetooth speakers are, we consider the design of the speaker, and particularly how durable it seems, along with sound quality and overall value.
The list includes everything from compact mini models and pocket-size micro versions to heftier models with powerful audio. For more, check out our lists of the best smart speakers and the best Wi-Fi speakers and music systems.
How do I choose a Bluetooth speaker?
When choosing a Bluetooth speaker, what it really comes down to is size and price. If you're looking for a very portable speaker, you'll want to get something very compact, but remember that smaller speakers usually produce less sound and bass than larger ones. So while there are plenty of mini Bluetooth speakers that deliver bigger sound than you might expect, they do have their sonic limitations. For a lot of people it's a question of finding a speaker that's not too big or too small -- one that travels well but also is capable of producing good sound for its size. But finding the best portable Bluetooth speaker also comes down to your budget.
Price can be a limiting factor. You may not want to spend $150 or more for a small speaker. Luckily, there are plenty of good options for $100, and some decent mini Bluetooth speakers can cost less than $50. Also, certain "value" brands that sell primarily on Amazon are strongly worth considering because they do offer a lot for the money.
If you're looking for the best sound quality, as I said, bigger is usually better, and some larger portable Bluetooth speakers -- sometimes referred to as Bluetooth boom boxes -- can put out a lot of sound and have an integrated handle for toting them around.
It's also worth noting that Bluetooth speakers from the same company can be daisy-chained together to augment their sound or paired together as a left-right stereo pair. Often, the best way to get bigger sound is to pair two Bluetooth speakers together in a stereo pair.
JBL Flip 6 - Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker, Powerful Sound and deep bass, IPX7 Waterproof, 12 Hours of Playtime with Megen Hardshell Case - $130
JBL Xtreme 3 - Portable Bluetooth Speaker, Powerful Sound and Deep Bass, IP67 Waterproof, 15 Hours of Playtime, Powerbank, JBL PartyBoost for Multi-speaker Pairing (Black) - $300
Sony SRS-XB43 EXTRA BASS Wireless Bluetooth Powerful Portable Speaker, IP67 Waterproof & Durable for Home, Outdoor, and Travel, 24 Hour Battery, Party Lights, USB Type-C, and Speakerphone, Black - $178 - $278
WIFI SPEAKERS
Wireless audio is nothing new, especially if you're even a little tech-savvy. However, speakers that utilize Wi-Fi streaming instead of Bluetooth are a little more rare -- though their number has grown over the last few years. Wi-Fi streaming lets you control music in a multiroom environment, and most Wi-Fi speakers also offer voice control (for instance, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant or Apple's Siri). That means you can ask your speaker for a specific song, and it'll play it back for you. For more on this, don't miss CNET's guide to the best smart speakers.
Is Bluetooth better than Wi-Fi?
Both of them can be termed as wireless speaker system. Wi-Fi delivers the same basic convenience as Bluetooth: using your phone's Wi-Fi connection to play music over an external speaker or sound system. Just like speakers that use Bluetooth connectivity, it can work with a subscription music service app such as Spotify (via Spotify Connect) or Apple Music, a radio service like Pandora or TuneIn, or your own music collection. Here are the best reasons to get a streaming Wi-Fi speaker:
- A Wi-Fi speaker sounds better than a Bluetooth speaker due to its higher bandwidth.
- Wi-Fi has better range.
- Wi-Fi doesn't take over your phone's audio channel -- so you can take a call without interrupting the song, for example.
- It also works great for multi-room audio, allowing playback from multiple speakers all over the house via your Wi-Fi network, all controlled by a single phone app.
How do multiroom speakers work?
Mutli-room enables users to play from one or multiple speakers anywhere in the house at once, with most systems able to support up to a dozen or more different zones. If you want to play a song in "house party mode," for example, where it blasts from multiple speakers throughout the house simultaneously, all of those speakers have to share the same ecosystem. For Sonos and other proprietary systems, all of those speakers will have to be Sonos (or connected to a Sonos device). For Chromecast, all of the speakers regardless of brand, will need to be Chromecast-compatible. And so on.
How do I connect my WiFi to my music?
Most speakers come with a dedicated companion app for iOS and Android which is used for both setting up and controlling your system. It goes without saying that you'll need a internet connection to use a Wi-Fi speaker and most speakers support at least 2.4GHz connections or even 5Ghz. Check your documentation for the name of the app you need and make sure you also have your Wi-Fi password handy. Most apps use a simple step-by-step process and you should be listening to music in a matter of minutes.
What are the different Wi-Fi music standards?
When you buy a Wi-Fi speaker, you're also investing in an ecosystem -- a family of products and apps that work together, but don't always work with other ecosystems. Here's a look at the major Wi-Fi systems out there today.
- Apple AirPlay/AirPlay 2: The reach of Apple's AirPlay 2 will continue to grow alongside its Music streaming service -- with its most intriguing feature being multiroom -- but there are plenty of speakers out there that still support the original AirPlay. Great for iPhone users.