**Ratings Explained**

When it comes to Bluetooth speakers, there are many factors that can affect their performance and durability. One such factor is protection against dust and water. Most devices have a rating system that indicates how well they can withstand these elements.

A rating of zero means no protection, while 1-6 indicate varying degrees of protection from dust and water. The numbers correspond to specific standards, such as IPX0 being completely unprotected, while IPX7 is fully waterproof. If you see an "x" in the rating, it means that the company has not provided testing details for the specific rating.

**Bluetooth Versions**

Bluetooth technology has evolved significantly over the years, with each new version offering improved performance and functionality. The latest major revision is Bluetooth 5, introduced in 2017. This version has several key improvements, including four times the range and double the speed of its predecessor, Bluetooth 4.0.

This means that you should be able to stream audio from a Bluetooth 5 device to another Bluetooth 5 device more easily and over longer distances than with Bluetooth 4 devices. However, it's worth noting that both devices will need to support Bluetooth 5 in order to take full advantage of its features. Additionally, performance can vary depending on the environment, so results may differ.

**USB-C vs. Audio Inputs**

When shopping for a Bluetooth speaker, you may also come across other input options, such as USB-C or auxiliary (3.5mm) inputs. If you have a device with a USB-C port, you'll want to make sure that your speaker can take advantage of it. Some speakers also offer additional inputs, such as an optical input for connecting a TV or computer.

In some cases, the only way to connect your Bluetooth speaker is through Bluetooth itself. In these cases, you won't have the option to use a separate audio source, like a phone or music player.

**Sound Quality**

When it comes to sound quality, there are many factors that can affect performance. The type of speaker used, the size and shape of the enclosure, and the materials used in its construction all play a role. In general, speakers with more advanced technology and higher-quality components tend to produce better sound.

In terms of specific features, some speakers offer additional audio enhancements, such as noise cancellation or equalization. Others may have more flexible settings options, allowing you to customize the sound to your liking.

**Recommendations**

Based on our testing and research, here are some top recommendations for Bluetooth speakers:

* **Best Mini Speaker:** The Bose SoundLink Flex is CNET's top pick for mini Bluetooth speakers. It has an IP67 rating, making it fully waterproof, and is available in three colors.

* **Best Value Micro Speaker:** Our second pick for the best value micro speaker is the Anker Soundcore Motion+. It's a small device that fits in a pocket and offers great sound quality, including big bass and clear highs. It also has an IPX7 rating for water resistance.

For those who want to go bigger, we recommend:

* **Top-Sounding Jumbo Speaker:** The Ultimate Ears Hyperboom is our top pick for the best-sounding jumbo Bluetooth speaker. It's huge and heavy, but produces incredible sound with strong bass and clear highs.

* **Budget Option:** For a more affordable option under $100, check out the Anker Soundcore Motion+. It offers great sound quality and an IPX7 rating for water resistance.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enso you're looking for a bluetooth speaker alright let's talk about it if you're looking for a wireless speaker you have tons and tons of options so first up we're going to talk about what you should know about bluetooth speakers in general then it's on to our recommendations as chosen by cnet editors if you want just the recommendations go to this time code so what do you need to know when you're considering a bluetooth speaker here are the things to look out for price size water resistance bluetooth version speakerphone capabilities connector type and inputs all of those things you can find in the spec sheet of any bluetooth speaker then there are things a spec sheet won't help you with specifically that sound quality so let's start at the spec sheet side with water resistance you may see something like this in a spec sheet ip67 ip stands for ingress protection and it's a standard by the international electrotechnical commission or iec the iec says the code is composed of two numerals the first numeral refers to protection against solid objects and is rated on a scale from zero no protection to six no ingress of dust the second numeral rates the enclosures protection against liquids and uses a scale from zero no protection to nine high pressure hot water from different angles so that first number should never be higher than 6 and the second no larger than 9. if you see an x in the rating that means the company has not provided testing details so the rating number is replaced with an x for example an ipx8 rated device can survive being submerged in water but it has not officially been rated for any protection from dust next up bluetooth versions will try to stick with what you need to know for audio because you can get really really into bluetooth if you wanted to so bluetooth is a wireless tech standard that has been around since 1998. it's been updated many times over its lifespan the latest major revision is bluetooth 5 introduced in 2017. bluetooth 5 has 4 times the range and double the speed of bluetooth 4. now what does that mean you should be able to stream from a bluetooth 5 device to a bluetooth 5 device quicker and further away than with bluetooth 4 devices keep in mind that both your devices likely your phone and a speaker in our case would need to support bluetooth 5 to get all the benefits of the newer standard also performance will vary depending on the environment also do yourself a favor and take a look at the input section of the spec sheets maybe you've decided usbc is the future and you have a bunch of those cables lying around well you may not want a speaker that uses a micro usb port also some speakers have inputs so you can attach your phone to a speaker using an aux cable that would mean you're tethered to the speaker but you'll never have a lost connection issue as for sound quality that's why we're here to help so let's get to the recommendations as chosen by cnet editors first up is the bose soundlink flex cnet's david carnoy says this is the best mini bluetooth speaker you can buy right now it's available in three colors and has an ip67 rating in the case you drop the sound link flex and water it floats you will not find an audio input on the speaker by the way the only way you're getting audio out of it is through bluetooth strangely this speaker uses the older bluetooth 4.2 most of the new bluetooth speakers out there are using 5.1 bose said that it didn't see a significant benefit for its customers to move up from 4.2 that does mean you're at standard bluetooth range of 30 feet or 10 meters you can place the speaker in either horizontal or vertical positioning bose says the speaker's sound is automatically optimized according to the position you have it this is a mono speaker so if you want stereo sound you could buy yourself a second bose product and pair them what if you want an even smaller speaker check out the tri-bit stormbox micro our pick as the best value micro speaker the stormbox micro is a small device that fits in a pocket with a small price tag of around fifty dollars on the spec side its ip67 rated can be linked to another stormbox micro to create stereo sound and it even comes with an integrated strap so you can attach the speaker to your backpack or bike or something the stormbox micro was able to deliver more bass than every bluetooth speaker in its size class and it also managed to have limited distortion at higher volumes what if you want to go big well there's the ultimate ears hyperboom it's our pick for top sounding jumbo bluetooth speaker this thing is huge weighing it at 13 pounds but it's got a strap so you can lug it around like a massive toolbox it supports four input sources two bluetooth one 3.5 millimeter input and an optical input it can also charge other devices via its usb port it's ip ratings ipx4 so it's splash proof what about sound quality you're going to get big sound strong bass and good detail it also has an integrated mic that calibrates sound depending on the environment if you want even bigger sound you can pair a couple of hyper booms for stereo sound oh one hyper boom will cost you around 400 well what if your budget is around a hundred dollars check out the anker soundcore motion plus it's ipx7 rated and it is arguably one of the best sounding speakers under 100 if not the best you'll get big bass plenty of volume and good clarity you can tweak the speaker sound using a companion app for ios and android there's also a 3.5 millimeter audio input for wired connections you can also link up two anker soundcore motion plus speakers to create a stereo pair don't forget that tech changes all the time and new gadgets are always being released definitely check out cnet for full reviews of what i've mentioned as well as other bluetooth speaker options i'm maya zakhtar and i'll see you onlineso you're looking for a bluetooth speaker alright let's talk about it if you're looking for a wireless speaker you have tons and tons of options so first up we're going to talk about what you should know about bluetooth speakers in general then it's on to our recommendations as chosen by cnet editors if you want just the recommendations go to this time code so what do you need to know when you're considering a bluetooth speaker here are the things to look out for price size water resistance bluetooth version speakerphone capabilities connector type and inputs all of those things you can find in the spec sheet of any bluetooth speaker then there are things a spec sheet won't help you with specifically that sound quality so let's start at the spec sheet side with water resistance you may see something like this in a spec sheet ip67 ip stands for ingress protection and it's a standard by the international electrotechnical commission or iec the iec says the code is composed of two numerals the first numeral refers to protection against solid objects and is rated on a scale from zero no protection to six no ingress of dust the second numeral rates the enclosures protection against liquids and uses a scale from zero no protection to nine high pressure hot water from different angles so that first number should never be higher than 6 and the second no larger than 9. if you see an x in the rating that means the company has not provided testing details so the rating number is replaced with an x for example an ipx8 rated device can survive being submerged in water but it has not officially been rated for any protection from dust next up bluetooth versions will try to stick with what you need to know for audio because you can get really really into bluetooth if you wanted to so bluetooth is a wireless tech standard that has been around since 1998. it's been updated many times over its lifespan the latest major revision is bluetooth 5 introduced in 2017. bluetooth 5 has 4 times the range and double the speed of bluetooth 4. now what does that mean you should be able to stream from a bluetooth 5 device to a bluetooth 5 device quicker and further away than with bluetooth 4 devices keep in mind that both your devices likely your phone and a speaker in our case would need to support bluetooth 5 to get all the benefits of the newer standard also performance will vary depending on the environment also do yourself a favor and take a look at the input section of the spec sheets maybe you've decided usbc is the future and you have a bunch of those cables lying around well you may not want a speaker that uses a micro usb port also some speakers have inputs so you can attach your phone to a speaker using an aux cable that would mean you're tethered to the speaker but you'll never have a lost connection issue as for sound quality that's why we're here to help so let's get to the recommendations as chosen by cnet editors first up is the bose soundlink flex cnet's david carnoy says this is the best mini bluetooth speaker you can buy right now it's available in three colors and has an ip67 rating in the case you drop the sound link flex and water it floats you will not find an audio input on the speaker by the way the only way you're getting audio out of it is through bluetooth strangely this speaker uses the older bluetooth 4.2 most of the new bluetooth speakers out there are using 5.1 bose said that it didn't see a significant benefit for its customers to move up from 4.2 that does mean you're at standard bluetooth range of 30 feet or 10 meters you can place the speaker in either horizontal or vertical positioning bose says the speaker's sound is automatically optimized according to the position you have it this is a mono speaker so if you want stereo sound you could buy yourself a second bose product and pair them what if you want an even smaller speaker check out the tri-bit stormbox micro our pick as the best value micro speaker the stormbox micro is a small device that fits in a pocket with a small price tag of around fifty dollars on the spec side its ip67 rated can be linked to another stormbox micro to create stereo sound and it even comes with an integrated strap so you can attach the speaker to your backpack or bike or something the stormbox micro was able to deliver more bass than every bluetooth speaker in its size class and it also managed to have limited distortion at higher volumes what if you want to go big well there's the ultimate ears hyperboom it's our pick for top sounding jumbo bluetooth speaker this thing is huge weighing it at 13 pounds but it's got a strap so you can lug it around like a massive toolbox it supports four input sources two bluetooth one 3.5 millimeter input and an optical input it can also charge other devices via its usb port it's ip ratings ipx4 so it's splash proof what about sound quality you're going to get big sound strong bass and good detail it also has an integrated mic that calibrates sound depending on the environment if you want even bigger sound you can pair a couple of hyper booms for stereo sound oh one hyper boom will cost you around 400 well what if your budget is around a hundred dollars check out the anker soundcore motion plus it's ipx7 rated and it is arguably one of the best sounding speakers under 100 if not the best you'll get big bass plenty of volume and good clarity you can tweak the speaker sound using a companion app for ios and android there's also a 3.5 millimeter audio input for wired connections you can also link up two anker soundcore motion plus speakers to create a stereo pair don't forget that tech changes all the time and new gadgets are always being released definitely check out cnet for full reviews of what i've mentioned as well as other bluetooth speaker options i'm maya zakhtar and i'll see you online\n"