It works a treat, too, delivering a pleasingly comfortable yet authoritative performance that you'd be happy listening to all day. Throw in its classy, well-made design, easy-to-use operation and the bonus of Alexa, and you're looking at a Bluetooth speaker sequel that has very much been worth the wait. In the audio world, it is tough to compare how good one brand is to another on the whole, especially when it comes to big brands that have many products in their arsenal. While we do recommend some JBL speakers on the above list, don't assume that everything JBL makes is better than everything Bose makes. How we test Bluetooth speakers

Besides the sound quality of a Bluetooth speaker, which we test with every genre of music from classical to pop, we also scrutinise other aspects of its design, including battery life, the robustness of its Bluetooth connection, how easy it is to use and set up, and finally how well built it is. Our review philosophy doesn't change whether we're evaluating a basic, budget Bluetooth speaker or a more premium model. Sound, of course, should play a huge part in your decision, because there's absolutely no guarantee that two models of a similar price will end up sounding the same in terms of quality, audio presentation and general timbre. Some Bluetooth speakers will be peppy and exciting, while others will prioritise pulsating bass to get the party started. The only issue is that it can start to suffer from distortion at louder volumes, but we found it to be one of the best-value options if you’re really on a tight budget. Really impressive stuff.At What Hi-Fi? we review hundreds of products every year at our state-of-the-art testing facilities in London, Reading and Bath. We have complete control over the testing process, and we also review products as a team as opposed to individually, ensuring no opinion goes unheard. Our team is filled with experts in the audio world with over 100 combined years of reviewing experience.

And while we're not expecting audiophile-grade quality sound here, brands have realised that people do care about sound quality alongside other user-friendly features, so the quality of Bluetooth speakers' audio has risen significantly in recent times. Its dedicated mains charging port and bundled UK, EU and US plugs make it an easy fit for your lounge too, though, and once there, it'll sound as detailed, clear and expansive as this sort of money can buy. It's at the pricey end of the market, yes, but the Dali Katch is a stone-cold stunner, delivering excellent clarity, impressive bass weight and good looks in spades – so much so that we've handed it a What Hi-Fi? Award in 2021, 2022 and 2023. If you've got the money, we'd struggle to recommend anything else at the same price. Bluetooth is like a short-range, low-powered, low-bandwidth version of wi-fi used to connect compatible devices together rather than to the internet. Bluetooth uses radio waves like wi-fi does but at a different scale.

Pairing a Bluetooth speaker and Bluetooth device is easy: you simply put the speaker in 'pairing mode' (usually by pressing a button), go into a device's Bluetooth settings and 'scan' for available speakers and then select your speaker. Is JBL a good brand? Better than Bose? Given that the Flip 5 is a past What Hi-Fi? Award winner, it will come as little surprise to learn that the Flip 6 is another resoundingly five-star product. We might have thought we’d be advising JBL to rework the Flip by now – add a few more features, change it up a bit to keep up with the competition – but instead, we are left praising the sonic chops of a proposition that offers extra durability (it is now IP67 water- and dust-proof, over the waterproof-only IPX7 Flip 5) as well as an extra ounce of space within its trademark zealous and musical presentation.Yes, it's still 'just' a Bluetooth speaker – but what a great-sounding Bluetooth speaker it is. With such high levels of performance, it's one of the best wireless Bluetooth speakers you can find on the market today at this price. The Addon C3 is basically the wi-fi-enabled, multi-room version of Audio Pro's Addon T3. It has the same minimalist looks that the Scandinavian company is known for, complete with textured surfaces and an embossed leather carry handle, but the wireless tech adds a whole new dimension to your listening. If all you want from a decent outdoor speaker is portability and affordability, you really couldn't do much better than the excellent Tribit Stormbox Micro 2. A tiny, satchel-friendly Bluetooth speaker, this is easily one of the best we’ve tested at this meagre price point.