Whether you’re a beach lover that likes listening to music by the ocean or a karaoke superstar in the shower, the best waterproof speakers are built to keep you entertained in the wettest conditions. These portable speakers are built to survive a sudden rain shower, as well as some splashing by the hot tub and even the occasional dunk in the pool. You’ll even find that they share many of the same high-end features as the best Bluetooth speakers overall.
At the top of the class is the newly launched Ultimate Ears Epicboom, a monstrous-sounding speaker with extended wireless range, long battery life, and robust exterior for dealing with extreme conditions. Our top value pick remains the Anker Soundcore 3 that holds up to 24 hours of listening time and pumps out loud, big sound from a small design.
Naturally, we’ve tested these mini sound-blasters for audio performance, battery life, and durability. One thing we know for certain is that these speakers will grant you peace of mind against potential moisture damage and make a great pairing with one of the best waterproof cameras for a trip to the beach this summer. And don't forget to check out our guide to the best outdoor speakers for backyards and patios.
Scroll down for all our best waterproof speaker picks and see which is best suited to your activities.
The best waterproof speakers to buy right now
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The Ultimate Ears Epicboom Bluetooth speaker may only score four stars overall, but when it comes to offering strong waterproofing and durability in a rugged design, it's the portable to beat. It's larger than many portable models we've seen and is similar in size to the Sonos Move 2 (ranked below), but comes with a practical carry strap, has a strong IP67 durability rating with protected waterproof controls, and it even floats.
The larger speaker design helps it deliver a bigger sound than many portables. It make a great carry speaker companion out on a walk, where it managed to deliver an energetic and exciting sound with the speaker at my side while on a stroll. It also performed well in open spaces, although the Outside Boost mode was less effective than I would have liked. Also, remember not to set the volume level too loud as this can overdrive the main speaker, which makes the sound harden up.
Add in 17 hours of playtime to keep your music soundtrack playing wherever you go, and the carry anywhere Epicboom is a great rugged solution for on-the-go lifestyles.
Read our full Ultimate Ears Epicboom review.
The Anker Soundcore 3 is an amazing little Bluetooth speaker for outdoor sounds. For just over $50, this tiny powerhouse delivers loud, well-balanced sound within an IPX7-rated design that can survive water, dust, while the robust rubberised outer case takes care of protection from every day knocks. The speaker lasts up to a whopping 24 hours, thanks to Anker's best-in-class battery technology, and the Soundcore 3's dual tweeter drivers and central mid/bass woofer allied to a passive bass driver and Anker's BassUp technology, ensure you'll get powerful sound in any setting.
The Soundcore's compact, 6.75 x 2.25 x 2.25-inch design makes this speaker perfect for tossing into your bag for a quick road trip, and SharePlay allows multiple Soundcore speakers to be synced for an even bigger sound. It's also available in blue, red and silver colors for a little extra ($50) cost in addition to the standard slick black we tested.
Read our full Anker Soundcore 3 review.
The UE Megaboom 3 is, at its core, simply an excellent Bluetooth speaker. Its cylindrical design allows for high-quality sound to pump out in all directions, and with a healthy rated battery life of 20 hours it can keep going all day. In fact, according to our own testing, it can go even longer than that between charges.
What takes the Megaboom 3 to the top of our best waterproof speakers list is a substantial assortment of bonus features, including the ability to pair with another Megaboom 3 for stereo sound, and its enviable IP67 waterproofing. That’s enough to let the speaker get utterly soaked and still keep playing without issue, something we confirmed by dunking it in a sink to no ill effect. You won’t find a better combination of portability, practicality and sound quality.
Read our full UE Megaboom 3 review.
The updated Sonos Move 2 ups battery life to 24 hours compared to 10 hours from its predecessor, and with it comes a $50 price increase. As with the original Move though, it's Wi-Fi-equipped with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant support, and offers Bluetooth connectivity for when you're away from your home network. In fact, our audio editor has been some impressed with the Move 2's capabilities that it ranked among his favorite portable speakers of 2023. Switching between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi is seamless, and the latter also enables direct streaming from services like Spotify and Apple Music. AirPlay 2 also works as well.
It looks identical to the original Sonos Move portable speaker, and is relatively big and heavy compared to many other waterproof portables. Its size and TruePlay tuning pays sonic dividends though, and it produced a balanced sound that had similar characteristics as we found on Sonos Era 100, and delivered plenty of energy in outdoor spaces. Durability is respectable with an IP56 rating, which means it's able to cope with water splashes as well as dust, so you can take it out and about with confidence.
Read our full Sonos Move 2 review.
The Sonos Roam takes the concept of the preceding Sonos Move — a battery-powered smart speaker with water resistance — and makes it tougher, more portable and even more affordable. At less than half the price of the Move, it’s a great choice if you want to stay within the Sonos ecosystem of interconnected speakers.
Upgrading on the Move’s IP56 rating, the IP67-rated Roam is not simply splash-proof but fully waterproof, and like the Megaboom 3 can be fully submerged for up to 30 minutes without harm. It has plenty of other tricks that cement its ‘smart’ status, too: Auto TruePlay adjusts the Roam’s sound output according to the acoustic properties of its surroundings, and an useful handoff feature lets you swap playback from the Roam to a wired Sonos speaker as soon as you carry the Roam through your front door.
Read our full Sonos Roam review.
This update to our favorite budget waterproof speaker carries over its predecessor’s hallmarks and improves on sound quality. What comes out of the drivers is impactful lows and transparent mids that enliven showers. Many of the lo-fi songs we played on Spotify were well amplified. Bluetooth 5.3 produces broad wireless range, plus you have multipoint technology to pair this speaker with another unit for stereo sound. There’s even a mobile app to personalize the Equalizer.
That’s about it in terms of major features. Also, the 7 hours of playtime is shorter than what most waterproof speakers on this list generate when fully charged.
Read our full JBL Go 4 review.
Even if it's not as smart as the Sonos Roam or doesn't sound quite as superb as the UE Wonderboom 3, the JBL Charge 5 is still one of the best waterproof speakers on the market. It's easy to use, audio performance improves on the Charge 4 and there's a handy phone-recharging feature that enables the speaker itself to top up your mobile device if it runs low.
Its waterproofing is top-notch too, achieving an IP67 rating. In addition to surving dunks up to 1 meter for 30 minutes, then, the Charge 5 is also nigh-immune to dust ingress. It's definitely one to consider if you need something that will endure trips to the beach, or camping excursions.
Read our full JBL Charge 5 review.
The UE Wonderboom 3 is one of the best waterproof speakers that crams a surprising amount of bass-rich sound into a small, go-anywhere enclosure. Balanced sound and a portable design make it a great companion, while the Outdoor Boost feature does its job. And for most people 14 hours of battery life is plenty.
If you think you need beefier sound or a longer battery life, the Megaboom 3 (top) might be worth the investment. It also can be paired with additional UE speakers for stereo sound. Charging the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 is our only real disappointment. Going from dead, the speaker took over two hours to reach the chime that indicates a full charge. This is probably due to Micro-USB charging, which is rather outdated, and we wish it had USB-C charging like most of my other devices. Otherwise, the UE Wonderboom 3 is one of the best options for the price.
Read the full UE Wonderboom 3 review.
If you're looking for a model with bigger sound for outdoor sounds than the Wonderboom 3 (above), then the Flip 6 is well worth considering. It costs a little bit more but this next-gen version introduces a new cosmetic design with a large JBL motif embedded in the woven cloth grille that wraps around the cylindrical speaker, meaning there’s no doubt about who made this speaker. Also, the carry strap is now a seamless loop rather than a bootlace with a fancy knot fastening the two ends together.
The easy-to-carry design delivers a sound that belies its size, and with better-than-average bass. There's and app to tinker with EQ controls, and the PartyBoost tab enables it to be paired with another JBL speaker to either mirror the sound, or assign speakers as a left/right stereo pair. JBL says you can pair up to 100 of its speakers in PartyBoost mode. The price has increased to $129 (the Flip 5 was $119), but this is still a great value portable Bluetooth speaker with strong performance.
Read the full JBL Flip 6 review.
We’re still in the process of fully reviewing the new Beats Pill, but we can acknowledge it as a terrific purchase for Apple users who want water-resistant protection in the most attractive design available. Beats developed new audio architecture that produces fine-tuned sound with impactful bass delivery and wide frequency range. Blasting the speaker at max volume leads to heavy distortion, but finding the right volume level gives you satisfying results. Lossless audio is introduced and can only be enjoyed when connecting the USB-C wire to a compatible device such as a laptop or phone. USB-C? That’s right. The Pill now supports the most universal charging method and generates up to 24 hours of playtime, while also doubling as a portable charger. Multiplatform support (iOS/Android) and speakerphone capabilities are on-point too.
This version of the Pill could benefit from extra features like EQ customization and spatial audio, something we feel is a given, coming from an Apple product. Still, functionality and the sleek design choices (we love the attachable lanyard) earn it a spot on this list.
Read our hands-on Beats Pill review.
While most of the devices on our best waterproof speaker list are portable enough to easily toss in a bag, only the Tribit StormBox Micro is truly tiny. Measuring 3.9 x 3.9 x 1.4 inches and weighing a relatively featherweight 8 ounces, the StormBox Micro is a Bluetooth speaker that will fit in your palm, never mind a carry case.
Tribit has still found room for a set of onboard controls, though an aux input didn’t make the cut. Still, if anything this helps with waterproofing, and the StormBox Micro is rated at a very reassuring IP67. It’s cheap, too.
Read our full Tribot StormBox Micro review.
Say hello to UE’s biggest and boldest Bluetooth speaker yet. Its hefty drivers and vicious loudness make this the best waterproof speaker for parties, and the quality of clarity of the audio hasn’t been sacrificed at the altar of volume. The Hyperboom still sounds commendably balanced even when it’s making the glasses shake.
The only downside is that with an IPX4 rating, the Hyperboom isn’t as water-resistant as its smaller UE cousins. It’s still protected against light splashes — a misplaced drink, say — or light rainfall, but unlike the Wonderboom 2 we don’t think this is one you’d be happy to retrieve from an unexpected dip.
Read our full UE Hyperboom review.
Also tested...
Tom's Guide's audio experts test many wireless speakers. Not every model makes it into our buying guides. However, just because they’re beaten by rival selections with stronger features or performance doesn’t make them any less valuable. The picks in this guide are the very best we've tested and have all been given full reviews. These alternatives have all been through our rigorous testing processes and have been put through the wettest conditions to ensure their IP ratings match what is advertised. They just fell short of making the grade to rank among the best of the best.
How to choose
What to look for when choosing a waterproof speaker
Waterproofing: You should consider the degree of waterproofing you’ll think you’ll need, which means understanding IP ratings. As you’ll have seen these are given in the “IPXX” format, where the first number represents protection against solids and the second against liquids. Higher numbers mean better protection, so an IPX7 device can survive full submersion in up to 1 meter of fresh water for up to 30 minutes, whereas IPX6 can endure strong water jets but not full submersion.
Anything above IPX4 will be at least splash-proof, so that’s fine if you just want peace of mind that unexpected rain won’t ruin your speaker. For a bathroom or pool party speaker, we’d suggest at least IPX6 and ideally IPX7 protection.
Portability: Think also about how portable you want your speaker to be. Smaller, lighter speakers are easier to carry out to the park but might not deliver the space-filling volume output of bigger, heavier models.
Voice control: All of the speakers in this list connect via Bluetooth but some support Wi-Fi as well. This opens up a lot of new opportunities for smart assistants and streaming services, which you may find useful. If you plan to use your speaker in your backyard, it could be useful to have Google Assistant’s or Alexa’s powers at your disposal. That way you can change the music using your voice, rather than controlling the audio through your phone. These smart features will not work beyond your home’s Wi-Fi, so opt for a non-smart Bluetooth speaker for the beach or other outdoorsy locales.
Pricing considerations: Obviously, price is a big consideration when looking for the best Bluetooth speakers. Although there are always exceptions, big-name brands will always command a bit extra, but generally speaking, the less you spend on a Bluetooth speaker the greater the chance that sound and features will be compromised. Going for a budget option isn't always the best choice, as any money you save on your purchase won't do you much good if you're constantly needing to recharge your audio gear, or the sound quality is poor.
As the saying goes: timing is everything; and right now many of our favorite models can be found discounted at online retailers, meaning you can bag a bargain for even less. Bookmark our best tech deals pages to keep track of the latest savings.
How we test
As with any speaker we review, we spend hours listening to each waterproof speaker to judge how good they sound with a variety of musical genres. For portable speakers we’ll often pay special attention to volume, as these are often used for outdoor parties and need to provide the appropriate power.
We’ll also test any special features to make sure they work, like voice commands, and will judge the connectivity and controls of each speaker based on how easy they are to use. As most waterproof speakers are wireless, we’ll also measure battery life to see if it stands up to the manufacturer’s claims.
Naturally, we’ll also test waterproofing in practical settings. While we don’t set out to intentionally destroy each speaker, we’ll hold them under running water, splash them, leave them in a shower or (where appropriate) submerge them in water to ensure they’re as tough as they say they are.
To determine sound quality, we listen to many tracks across multiple music genres as possible, including hip-hop, rock, jazz, classical, and electronic, while evaluating volume, clarity and fullness.
If a speaker offers smart features, we enable the supported voice assistant to see how it fares against other top rated smart speakers. We’ll use it to control smart home devices, browse playlists and get answers to other common queries.
We also test battery life, exhausting each speaker’s battery after a full charge to see how long it can last under realistic conditions. A smart speaker connected to Wi-Fi should last at least 10 hours, while a standard Bluetooth speaker should last around 20. Most people want to know how much play time they can expect when their speaker comes along on a day trip.
Star ratings explained: We evaluate earbuds based on a five-point system (1 = worst, 5 = best). If a product hits nearly every mark, it’s awarded a coveted Recommended badge, while our Best Value award speaks for itself. Only products with truly exceptional performance across the board are awarded an Editor's Choice badge.
Find out how we test for more information on our reviewing procedures.
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