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Best Bluetooth and wireless speakers 2025: top models for great sound

Whether you want an audio powerhouse in your living room or something you can carry arround with you, see our favourite speakers from the likes of Bose, JBL and Sonos
Martin PrattPrincipal researcher & writer
How-to-buy - Bluetooth speaker

In this article

For every household name (think Bose and Sonos), there are a multitude of smaller speaker brands releasing everything from multi-room systems that will set you back hundreds to pocket-sized ones that cost less than a meal for two at Nandos. This guide will help you navigate this sea of brands and get you safely to shore with a brilliant new speaker.

Speakers fall broadly into three camps. Sedentary speakers that need to be plugged into the mains and are controlled from your phone over wi-fi, bulky speakers that are designed for the home but use Bluetooth rather than wi-fi, and more portable Bluetooth speakers designed to be chucked in a bag and taken on the road.

Whatever you're after, or even if you don't know yet, you'll find our expert advice and top recommendations here.

Browse all our speaker reviews - more than a hundred speakers for you to peruse and find your perfect model

Best Bluetooth speakers

These excellent Bluetooth speakers are on the bigger end and are designed for home use since most require a plug. There's often some crossover though, since some big Bluetooth speakers have batteries and some wi-fi multi-room speakers also support Bluetooth.

Which? members can log in to see the products behind the scores. If you’re not already a member, try Which? and get access to all our online reviews and product test scores.

Best wireless multi-room speakers

Wi-fi speakers connect to your home internet and you can control them with devices, such as a phone or tablet, which are connected to the same network. Most wi-fi speakers are also multi-room, which means you can have speakers dotted around your home. You can control one multi-room speaker at a time, group them to play the same music or have different songs playing in different rooms.

The speakers we've chosen here can work as part of a multi-room system.

Which? members can log in to see the products behind the scores. If you’re not already a member, try Which? and get access to all our online reviews and product test scores.

Great Value Bluetooth and wireless speakers

Our Best Buy speakers set a high bar but can cost a fortune. If you'd rather spend a bit less then choose a Great Value speaker. These are cheaper options and still score well in our tests.

Bluetooth speakers by type

Bluetooth speakers by price 

How much should I spend on a Bluetooth or 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, but expect to spend closer to £1,000 if you want a multi-room system with speakers dotted around your home.

How we test wireless, smart and Bluetooth speakers

Unlike other tech publications, Which? uses 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, which means you can directly compare our results, including sound quality, to find out which speaker really is best for you.

We're also entirely independent – we don't take advertising and buy every product ourselves just like a consumer would. For more, read our guide on how we test wireless, smart and Bluetooth speakers .

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.

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. 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. Smaller speakers typically sound worse than bigger models – so be sure to check our reviews to find the exceptions.
  • Easy to use – For portable Bluetooth speakers this will mean easy-to-use controls on the speaker housing and an easy-to-set-up Bluetooth connection. For home speakers, this will 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. Some speakers also have wi-fi, and this makes them more self-sufficient. The wi-fi connection offers more functionality, such as the listening to the same or different music from speakers in your home.
  • Apps – 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 you can use to control your music. Very few speakers come with a remote control.
  • 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.

Wired vs wi-fi vs Bluetooth speakers

It used to be accepted knowledge that wired speaker connections offered better sound. This was because it was much easier to transmit large amounts of electrical audio data down a wire than it was to transmit it wirelessly.

However, wireless technology has now come on leaps and bounds – including Bluetooth. With an excellent product, any remaining gap has narrowed to the point where it has become extremely hard to notice the sound difference, even to trained ears. Unless you’re spending thousands on the most high-end audio systems money can buy (these speakers will be clearly marketed towards audiophiles or music industry professionals) and using very high-quality audio recordings, wireless technology effectively now matches wired connections in the vast majority of scenarios.

In Which? tests, we still choose to test wireless speakers over wi-fi when there's the option versus Bluetooth, so we can score them on the best possible sound they can produce. This is since you can still transmit more data over wi-fi than Bluetooth for the potential for higher-quality sound. But we also check the Bluetooth sound quality as well, and with the latest Bluetooth versions, rarely does it disappoint when the sound proves great over wi-fi.

We’re confident that, these days, even those looking for audiophile-friendly high-end speakers will find the sound produced over wireless connections from the best models acceptable.

What is far more important for sound quality is the quality of the speakers themselves, so make sure you check out our wireless speaker reviews to make sure you get the best-sounding wireless speaker possible.

Water ratings explained

Many wireless speakers, particularly portable models, are rated as being water-resistant or waterproof.

The official system for this is known as IP ratings (ingress protection). This system is also used for dust protection – such as to prevent sand getting in if using the speaker on a beach.

The first digit of an IP rating tells you the level of protection against solids such as dust, and the second digit is the key one for protection from water.

RatingsWhat it means
IPX4Protection from splashes of water or a bit of drizzle.
IPX5Protection from jets of water - from a garden hose, for example.
IP55The same water resistance as IPX5, but this speaker is also dust-protected. You’ll only ever see a ‘5’ or ‘6’ for dust protection on speakers. 5 means small amounts of dust may enter, but not enough to impact the function of the speaker.
IPX7

For properly waterproof speakers, look for a second digit of 7 or 8. IPX7 means the speaker can be fully immersed to a depth of up to one metre in water. The manufacturer will state how long this is for – a typical time would be up to 30 minutes.

IP67The same water resistance as IPX7, but this also means the headphones are fully dust tight, meaning no dust should enter. This is the most common IP rating for portable speakers, and is a good choice if you regularly use your portable speaker on the beach.
IP68This is the highest waterproof IP rating on the scale. The speaker can be immersed in water to depths beyond one metre, and the manufacturer will state the maximum depth and time. The speaker is also fully dust tight. This rating is rare – IP67 should be enough for anything other than the most extreme environments.

Do take care though: don’t assume a waterproof model can survive any amount of submerging. The tests are done by the manufacturer under lab conditions to limited time and depth, and usually only done in fresh water and not salt water.

If your speaker has any flaps, such as for the charging port, these often need to be firmly secured, and if they degrade over time this can affect the waterproofing. The water resistance rating is usually only intended as protection from accidents.

Can I use music streaming services?

All wireless speakers can access music streaming services, such as 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. 

Each wi-fi speaker will support a different range of music streaming services, so make sure it has the one you want to use. To discover the best music streaming services to go for, see our expert best music streaming services guide.

Where to buy a Bluetooth or wireless speaker

It's not uncommon to find Bluetooth speakers anywhere tech is sold – including places like supermarkets, corner shops, and hundreds of online sellers. To help you narrow it down, we've highlighted retailers that scored highly in our survey on the best tech shops.

  • John Lewis has many Bluetooth speakers available, most notably from brands like JBL, Bang & Olufsen, Marshall, and Sonos. A home speaker from these brands will typically set you back between £100 and £300, with many portable Bluetooth speakers costing less at around £40 to £80. Most models will qualify for John Lewis' free delivery on orders over £50, but if you don't cross that threshold shipping will cost £4.50.
  • Richer Sounds, the winner of our 2024 retailer of the year award, stocks a wider variety of wireless speakers than other sellers. The cheapest Bluetooth speakers start from £39, but it also sells premium 'audiophile' models that cost well into the thousands of pounds. If you're looking for a speaker for your home, you'll typically be spending between £100 and £500. Luckily, there's free delivery on most orders over £50. You can also click and collect for free from most locations every day of the week.
  • Very offers a variety of Sony, Marshall, JBL, and Sonos speakers. Most speakers available cost between £90 and £300, and you'll get free standard shipping or click and collect on most models. It also offers next-day delivery from £6.

To browse all the wireless speakers we've tested, head to our wireless, smart and Bluetooth speaker reviews.

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