The best portable speakers you can buy

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The Insider Pick:

• A great portable speaker should sound good, offer decent battery life, and have features like water-resistance for added durability on the go. We think the Riva Turbo X is the best portable speaker you can buy because it checks all the boxes.

Great home speakers can make listening to music and other audio a much better experience, but what if you want a similar experience on the go? These days, there are quite a few great portable speakers available for music on the go, so whether you’re going to a picnic, hosting a BBQ, or simply going to the beach, you should be able to still enjoy your tunes.

Of course, there are a few things to consider if you’re in the market for a wireless speaker. For starters, you’ll want to think about the speaker size in terms of both sound and portability. There are lots of differently sized speakers that are portable, but the larger speakers offer better bass response. You'll have to consider just how big is too big to take with you.

You’ll also want to think about where you’re going to be using the speaker because if you’re using it near water, you’ll want water resistance. Many of the best portable speakers these days offer water resistance, so you shouldn’t have to look much to find one.

Lastly, you’ll want to think about how big of a battery you want, and you’ll want to think about whether you want a smart speaker with a digital assistant built in, or if you are fine with a slightly less intelligent speaker.

Although the Riva Turbo X is our top pick, for various reasons laid out in the slides below, you should also consider the UE Roll 2, the JBL Link 10, the Creative Muvo 2c, and the UE Boom 2.

The best portable speaker overall

RIVA/Facebook

Why you'll love it: The Riva Turbo X is well-designed and easy to use, but the best thing about it is that it sounds great and has a long-lasting battery.

Sometimes, the best products come from the most unexpected places. That’s kind of the case here because Riva isn’t really a well-known company. In spite of that, the Riva Turbo X has been getting excellent reviews ever since it was launched a few years ago, and for good reason.

For starters, the speaker is very well-designed. It looks sleek and stylish, plus it offers plenty of controls on the top, including volume controls and a mute button. Perhaps even more interesting are the other controls. There’s a big “T” button which puts the speaker in “Turbo” mode and increases the maximum volume, and there’s an “S” button, which puts the speaker into a surround sound mode that subtly widens the audio. 

So how does it sound? Really quite good. The bass on the speaker is smooth and deep, thanks largely to the passive radiators, which help deliver the solid bass. Don’t take that to mean that the speaker is a bass monster – if you’re looking for next-level bass you may want to look elsewhere. The midrange is also well-tuned, particularly in the upper-mids, where things like the vocals and guitars sit. Last but not least are high frequencies, which are relatively sibilant and clear here.

Since it's a bigger speaker, the battery should last up to 26 hours, which is far longer than you normally get from a portable speaker. Obviously, it's a little larger, but it's still portable enough to bring in your bag. It measures 9.1 x 4.1 x 3.5 inches and weighs 3 pounds, so if you want something smaller or lighter, check out our next few picks.

The downsides to the speaker? Well, there aren’t a ton, but the biggest one is that it’s probably not small enough to take on the road very often.  

Pros: Good sound, loud volume, long-lasting battery, still fairly portable for a larger speaker

Cons: A bit bigger and heavier than others

Buy the Riva Turbo X on Amazon for $179

The best ultra-portable speaker

UE

Why you'll love it: The UE Roll 2 sounds pretty good and is super easy to use, but the best thing about it is that it’s ultra-portable with a diameter of only 5.3-inches.

UE is known for its Bluetooth speakers that come in fun colors with unique styles. The company offers a slew of awesome speakers, including the great-looking and super portable UE Roll 2. The speaker is super small and portable, plus it has pretty great sound quality.

First up is the design. The semi-flat circular speaker is around 5.3-inches in diameter, so it’ll easily fit in a bag or backpack without taking up too much space. It comes in a few fun colors to suit different styles. The speaker is super easy to use, too, thanks to its minimalistic design and two large buttons for volume control.

Thankfully, the speaker also sounds pretty good. Because it’s small, the bass on the speaker isn’t going to be as powerful as it is on larger devices, but the mid-range and high-end is quite well-tuned, and the bass is still present enough for most. The speaker can get pretty loud, too, especially for its size. The UE Roll 2 is water-resistant, so it’ll work great at the beach or near the pool.

The UE Roll 2 has gotten good reviews from experts, too – Tom’s Guide and Trusted Reviews both gave the speaker an excellent 8/10. Our guides editor Malarie Gokey uses this speaker at home and loves it for its style, sound, and portability.

Pros: Ultra-portable, inexpensive, easy to use, water-resistant

Cons: Could use more bass

Buy the UE Roll 2 on Amazon for $65.99 and up

The best smart portable speaker

JBL

Why you'll love it: The JBL Link 10 sounds pretty good and features a simple design, but what makes this speaker shine is how smart it is, thanks to the Google Assistant.

Looking for a slightly more intelligent speaker that's still portable? The JBL Link 10 is the speaker for you. Not only is it super easy to use and relatively portable, but it also has the Google Assistant built right into it. Thanks to the voice control, you can communicate with the speaker directly for things like home control, music control, and more — just like you would with Google Assistant on any other device.

The speaker is pretty sleek and easy to use. It has a black color scheme, and on the top, you’ll find a few playback control buttons, including volume buttons and a play/pause button. You’ll also get a Google Assistant button, so you can activate Google manually if you so choose.

Thankfully, the speaker isn’t just smart — It also sounds pretty good. Now, this still isn’t a huge speaker, so the bass is a little weak compared to some other speakers, but it’s still good enough for most. The mid-range and highs, however, are pretty well-tuned, and the speaker has a warm tone.

There are some downsides to the speakers. For example, the battery life on the speaker comes in at only five hours. Safe to say, this is a speaker that’s best suited to being portable within the home or for day trips, rather than on long road trips.

Pros: Well-designed, decent sound, Google Assistant

Cons: Lackluster battery life

Buy the JBL Link 10 on Best Buy for $99.99 (originally $149.99)

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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SEE ALSO: The best Bluetooth speakers you can buy