Akai Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker with Built-In Rechargeable Battery and Microphone, Crystal Clear 3 W Speaker, Elegant Fabric Design, Black

Product Information

Building on the success of the original Stormbox Micro and featuring an all but identical woven finish design, the Micro's sequel trumps its predecessor when it comes to delivering enjoyable audio and massively improved battery life. We easily coaxed 12 hours of listening out of a single charge, while an IP67 rating let one of our reviewers use it in the bathroom/shower without any issue or damage. Again, the Stormbox Micro 2's diminutive size and durable design make it well-suited for travelling far beyond the confines of a bathroom or kitchen. What this all translates into is vastly improved sound, and while the Sonos One was mono only, the Era 100 distinguishes itself by providing a superb stereo experience. The bass is deeper and fuller, there's more clarity and detail throughout and even at higher volume, timing is excellent and the tonal balance is wonderfully even. It's predominantly a stationary, use-at-home type of product, but the Era 100's Bluetooth connectivity gives it more flexibility in use and makes it eligible for a spot on this list.

When choosing a Bluetooth speaker, the first thing you should ask yourself after setting a budget is what you want from it. Does the speaker need to be portable and versatile enough to use both indoors and outdoors? Or are you happy with a mains-powered speaker that can fill a big room with brilliant audio? 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.As you'd expect, Bluetooth speakers are wireless in that they don't require a wire to connect to an audio source; they use a Bluetooth codec. However, they don't necessarily also support wi-fi, which is a necessary feature of what we term 'wireless speakers'. A wireless speaker can connect to an audio source via the internet (i.e. wi-fi) – by way of Apple AirPlay or Google Chromecast, for example – whether or not it also has Bluetooth. Set-up is a painless process whether you choose a Bluetooth or wi-fi connection. When setting up a multi-room system, the app searches for other Audio Pro speakers in the vicinity on the same network, and you can then drag-and-drop from here to group or separate speakers, either in stereo pairs or multi-room zones, or else make manual adjustments to bass and treble. No, the Echo Dot isn't a traditional Bluetooth speaker in the sense of what we traditionally deem to be a Bluetooth speaker here at What Hi-Fi?. It's not portable, for one thing, as it requires a plugged-in connection to the wall to work, and it relies on wi-fi to function as an AI-boosted virtual assistant. You can (and will), however, utilise Bluetooth to connect your iPhone to the Echo Dot, especially if you want to play music stored locally, qualifying it as a Bluetooth speaker on more than a mere technicality. If you want more from the midrange and less from the treble, you can now tweak it thanks to a new EQ feature in the app, which adds significant value. For a nominal price hike over the launch price of the Flip 5, there’s certainly more detail here, too.

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. About the size of a burrito and weighing just 550g, JBL's Flip 6 is the one to go for if you're looking for a reliable, super-sounding speaker to take on your travels. The Katch oozes a sort of continental class, finished to the highest quality and with a luxurious aesthetic that really can rival some of the best dedicated domestic speakers in the style stakes. When we took our Katch G2 home for some hands-on pics, we found it to be akin to a great model or a timeless beauty of the age; stunning from every angle. It boasts similar dimensions to a large floury bap, but that's where any comparisons with baked goods end. The new A1 supports Qualcomm’s latest aptX AdaptiveBluetooth 5.1 codec, and of course, Alexa is built-in. While this will depend on the kit you are using and your wi-fi limitations at home, transmitting audio over wi-fi rather than Bluetooth comes with certain benefits: wi-fi doesn't have as limited a signal range as Bluetooth, generally facilitates better sound quality and is capable of transmitting higher-quality audio (Bluetooth is not widely capable of transmitting CD-quality or above music).Want a speaker roughly the dimensions of a bottle of wine that'll charge your phone and sound great? Enter the Charge 5. 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.