In a world with a zillion home speaker options already available, what's the trick to standing out? If you're Bose, then it's down to a couple of factors – with its new Lifestyle Ultra Speaker bringing not only style, but a distinctive additional channel.

The LS Ultra Speaker (as it's known for short) has a built-in upfiring output as part of its arsenal, offering additional height to its soundstage. That's something you won't find in a Sonos Era 100, for example, providing a key point of distinction.

This is a wired-only speaker for the home, however, with Wi-Fi, various casting options, and Bluetooth providing myriad ways to get your music on board. However, it's not a multi-functional moveable device such as the Sonos Play, despite carrying the same asking price.

Does all that equate to enough for the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker to set itself apart from the competition as the ultimate small-scale home speaker? As a solo option it's a compelling choice among its peers, with some caveats, as I'll address in this review.

Price & Availability

You can buy the Bose LS Ultra Speaker right now, with the recommended price set at £299 / $299 / AU$549. That's for either the Black or White Smoke finishes.

There's also a special edition version, called Driftwood Sand, priced at £349 / $349. Which, as the name hints at, adds a real wood base and a marbled sand-colour finish.

If you wind back to when the Sonos Era 100 was launched – more than three years ago at the time of writing – then its original price was £249 / $249 / AU$399. It's since dropped, plus a cheaper 'SL' version has been launched. Nonetheless, Bose is positioned with that core competitor in mind.

The Sonos Play, meanwhile, is like-for-like priced, keeping competition as tough as ever. Brand allegiance – however applicable – may therefore play a big part in your purchase incentive here.

Design & Setup

On the assumption you buy a single, standalone LS Ultra Speaker – I'll cover stereo pairing issues and home theatre successes separately in a section down page – then setting it up is an absolute doddle.

Simply plug in, load up the refreshed Bose app, and you'll get a step-by-step walkthrough. It'll educate you about the on-body controls and how they function, before leaving you to make personalised sound adjustments should you wish.

The on-body controls are a real highlight of this design. Up top – and akin to a smaller version of what you'll find on Bose's LS Ultra Soundbar – is a control 'wheel', which you can spin your finger around to adjust volume, akin to an old iPod control. It doesn't have any moving parts, it's just a nicely recessed, touch-sensitive design.

As an object, I really like this Bose speaker's style. It's well finished, brings a 'floating' material shield to its frontage to add visual interest, while that exposed, round upfiring speaker is clearly visible on the top panel.

There are no flashy displays to distract, with only two LED dots illuminating as required: a (multi-coloured) one to the front, above the protruding Bose logo, to reflect status; another up top to signify whether the microphone is muted – so Alexa can't listen and react. It's pared back nicely.

Sound Quality

For a speaker of such diminutive size – the LS Ultra measures only 12cm wide (although it's not a cylinder, with a 16.7cm depth) – this Bose has a fair stab at audio bigger than its chassis would suggest.

It sits just 18.5cm from a surface – think of that like an adult's palm with fingers casually extended – which is near-identical to the Sonos Era 100. I've been testing the two side-by-side to gain additional context in how the Bose sounds by comparison.

What's very apparent from the off is how the Bose's additional height channel succeeds in projecting sound upwards and outwards, creating this much taller soundstage. This composition really does give the Bose an edge that's a joy – wherever it's set up for you to listen.

Bass delivery is tight and well-shaped, too, which is to its credit. It's not nearly as bass-driven as the Sonos by comparison, but that product has a 'looser' sense to its low-end – as if it's less controlled and more warbly. Which you prefer will be a case of preference, though, noting there's simply less low-end from the Bose.

The Sonos is also inherently louder overall. The Bose isn't quiet, per se, but doesn't deliver quite the same wallop as the Era, as I've found in my A-B testing. Driving the Bose beyond 80% volume and it loses cohesion, too, lacking balanced dynamics when stretched and eventually pushing into distortion.

Keep the Bose within a sensible remit, however, and the overall sound is nicely judged, with attention to detail and decent separation that functions well across multiple genres.

And if you want to make adjustments then there's plenty of tweaking that can be done in the app – from simple bass/mid/treble levels, to a height adjustment, all proving effective.

Stereo Pair – A word of caution

When I first tried out Bose's LS Ultra Speaker, I was impressed by the promise of stereo pairing – which I heard for myself and thought sounded far better than a solo product – and even the brand-agnostic take, meaning you could add multiple non-Bose products into your setup and Cast to them.

Problem is: I can't get any of it to work. The Bose app tells me I have a stereo pair with two LS Ultra Speaker units, but it will only play from one speaker at a time. Casting from various audio sources – Spotify, Soundcloud – fails on repeat. I've hard reset the two products five times, but to no avail. My Wi-Fi connection is excellent – showing a consistent 300Mbps down, 100Mbps up at the site of testing – so that's not to blame.

I'm not the only one suffering issues either. A quick Reddit search shows up plenty of frustrated users who can't get their pairings to function correctly. Some speak of sync/timing issues (which I've not experienced at all). It seems, therefore, there are bugs afoot at the time of writing – and I'd strongly recommend not buying two LS Ultra Speaker units for stereo pairing at this time.

On the flip side of that, I've used my two units in tandem with the excellent LS Ultra Soundbar and LS Ultra Subwoofer, creating a 7.1.4 surround sound system that's worked faultlessly for weeks. That experience, for me, has been a million miles from the stereo pairing frustrations – so I'd wholeheartedly recommend buying for a home theatre setup.

However, I think Bose could address the LS Ultra Speaker's multi-functional use aspect better. When two units are part of a home theatre setup, as shown in the Bose app, you can't simply switch off the rears (well, you can, it's a simple toggle in the app) and then use one elsewhere in your home.

It ought to be more flexible and rapid to adjust from single speaker to stereo to home theatre rears in a flash – even if that feature wasn't used frequently. I, for one, would use a single unit in my office, for example, then move it back into my home theatre setup for one of those special Dolby Atmos movie nights.

Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker review: Verdict

Taken from the perspective as a standalone product – as stereo pairing two units has issues in my experience – Bose's Lifestyle Ultra Speaker delivers good looks with well-judged sound.

Its upfiring channel upsell works very well, too, providing a taller and wider soundstage than many a small-scale speaker can muster. Taut bass and a balanced overall mix please, while the app provides an excellent personalisation contorls.

That upfiring output pays dividends if you're going all-out in buying a pair with the LS Ultra Soundbar and LS Ultra Subwoofer – as that home theatre package truly excels. Buy in this format, however, and you're 'locked in' – as the Speaker units effectively become dedicated rears that are too much faff to disconnect and use standalone.

It's impossible to ignore the competition, too. The similarly sized Sonos Era 100 is now far cheaper, delivering a bassier (albeit less controlled) and louder output. The Sonos Play, meanwhile, is priced the same – but doesn't have to be hard-wired to a socket at all times, bringing the versatility that many want.

All in all, then, Bose's Lifestyle Ultra Speaker gets many key components right. It looks stylish. It's got that distinctive upfiring output. The sound is nicely rounded – and easily enhanced further via the app. There's a lot that gives it an edge – but it needs a slightly broader one to really appeal to the masses.

Also Consider

There's been a big rise in powered wireless speakers of late, so don't rule out the Kanto Ren or Ruark MR1 Mk3 products of this world – which are inherently designed to be used in stereo from the off, thus justifying their asking prices.

Otherwise, in the visually like-for-like stakes, there's no denying that Sonos' now older Era 100 will save you some cash yet deliver bigger sound – just minus the upfiring addition that Bose brings to the party.

Marshall's in the middle of quite a big summer from what is objectively one of the more boutique-sized audio brands out there. It's already released the Milton ANC, a really interesting new thrust in the world of headphones, and now it's also refreshing one of its most popular speakers.

The Stockwell III is a welcome upgrade on its predecessor in a few key ways, but it looks very similar, which is no bad thing. Like the Stockwell II, it's a sort of portrait-orientation Bluetooth-only speaker, standing on a relatively narrow base with a carrying handle for convenience.

Atop the speaker, there are control knobs that give it a really tactile feeling, something that has been Marshall's speciality for quite some time. Its main face is one big grille with that famous logo, too. The new version has some beefier internals, though, including a battery life of 40 hours, doubled from last time out.

The Stockwell III also now features 360-degree sound, which should make it easier to position wherever you are, since there's no longer a clear sweet spot to be found for the best audio. Its durability should be reliable, too, since it's IP55-rated for dust and water resistance.

The Stockwell II launched all the way back in 2019, which makes this an impressively long gap between speaker generations, and that also means that even a small upgrade like moving to USB-C for charging is quite consequential. That USB-C port can also charge your gadgets when needed.

Crucially, this speaker also demonstrates how Marshall is getting its ducks in a row ahead of the EU's incoming rules about user repairs. It promises real repairability, including user-replaceable batteries, which makes it part of the vanguard of new devices bringing that feature to the market.

The speaker won't be available until 18 August, though, so it's a couple of months off at this stage. When it does launch, it'll cost £199.99 in the UK, €229 in the EU, and $249.99 in the US. That makes it a little more expensive than the Stockwell II at launch, but given the pretty much 7 years between the two, that's no real scandal.

We'll be reviewing the Stockwell III closer to its launch, so keep your eyes on T3 for more information about this fairly gorgeous-looking speaker launch.

IKEA has launched its new indoor and outdoor lamp from its popular Vappeby collection, and it’s exactly what I need for my summer garden entertainment. As a 2-in-1 device, the IKEA Vappeby Bluetooth Speaker Lamp offers lighting and music, and even has its own Spotify Tap playback function for easy music control.

The Vappeby range from IKEA is a collection of portable Bluetooth speakers that can suit any occasion and room in your home. Within the range, you can find different portable designs, including ones that look like mini radios, and even models that are waterproof so they can be used in your bathroom.

But I have to say, the IKEA Vappeby Bluetooth Speaker Lamp is my favourite addition to the range. Suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, it offers 360-degree sound so you can hear your music clearly from every angle, regardless of where you’re sitting.

The design of the IKEA Vappeby Bluetooth Speaker Lamp is quite similar to that of a lantern. It measures just 25cm x 17cm, and has a handle at the top for you to easily carry it around. It has three simple buttons at the base to adjust the lighting and to control your music.

Speaking of music, the IKEA Vappeby Bluetooth Speaker Lamp uses Bluetooth to connect to your Spotify account. By simply pressing the button on the speaker, the song you’ve been listening to on Spotify will instantly play through it. If you tap the button again, you can skip the song – most importantly, you don’t have to use your phone for any of this.

Aside from its musical talents, the IKEA Vappeby Bluetooth Speaker Lamp delivers a pleasant glow that can sit on your outdoor table to set the mood for your garden party. It’s a great part of your outdoor lights line-up, and is rainproof so you can use it in all weather conditions.

Another handy feature of the IKEA Vappeby Bluetooth Speaker Lamp is its built-in rechargeable battery which offers between 10-12 hours of playing time. It’s also available in blue or grey colours.

The IKEA Vappeby Bluetooth Speaker Lamp is priced at £60 / $89.99 and available to buy at IKEA.

Few pairings in history are as iconic as Jimi Hendrix and a Marshall stack. 2026 marks 60 years since the rock legend first plugged into the brand's amps, and that occasion is being marked with a small collection of special editions.

For guitarists, there's a lot to love here. The collection centres around the hand-wired 1959 JMH Half Stack, which is finished with a purple splatter pattern on the speaker grill and the plexiglass panel.

There's also a version of the iconic Fuzz Face – a guitar pedal as crucial to the Hendrix sound as that Marshall amp – with the same purple splattered finish. And for those of us who like our music played for us, there's a Marshall Acton III speaker which rounds things out.

That's going to be a popular pick. The elegant finish of the front panel is still black enough to fit comfortably with most home décor, but with just a splash of personality to differentiate it. Whether you're a Hendrix superfan, a Marshall superfan, or simply love the colour, that's going to be popular.

There is a touch of added personality, though, with a purple crushed velvet finish on the outer shell. That's certainly a choice, though it's obviously very on brand for this collaboration. It's worth noting that the amp and pedal combination don't have the crushed velvet treatment.

The Acton III will be priced at £259.99 (approx. €300 / US$350 / AU$485) which is broadly in line with the base model. There's no word on whether or not they'll be limited, but it's likely that they'll be a bit harder to come by.

For those who fancy donning a Strat and wailing Voodoo Child, the bundle with the half stack and the Fuzz Face offers everything you need to nail that tone, and is priced at £3,799.99 (approx. €4,375 / US$5,140 / AU$7,115).

JBL waited quite a few years between the Xtreme 3 and Xtreme 4, but now has left just a year before bringing out a new model, the predictably-named Xtreme 5, and I've been using it over a week to see how it stacks up to both its chunky predecessors and the best Bluetooth speakers competition.

This is a speaker that puts the emphasis on oomph, with a pretty serious bulk to it, and an included carrying strap that's more of a necessity than optional extra. Does it add enough to make this a worthy successor to last year's five-star Xtreme 4, or is it a pretty minor update that won't really make ripples? Read on to find out.

Price and Availability

The Xtreme 5 was announced earlier this year and is now available through JBL directly and a range of storefronts, priced at £329.99 here in the UK and $399.95 in the US.

That means those paying attention to the history of the range will see it hasn't gone up in price in the UK, which is always nice. The US isn't so lucky, where it's been given a minor $20 price bump, for what that's worth.

Design and features

Put the Xtreme 4 and the Xtreme 5 next to each other, and from the right angle, plenty of people might struggle to see many differences between the two generations of speakers. But they are there if you're paying attention.

It still has the same overall shape, in a massive sort of oval, but there's now more rubber in its design – with a foot that extends up into the grille a bit more, ending in a strip of mood lighting that can pulse while your music plays.

The top controls are now mounted on a larger rubber area that similarly has some lighting strips along its edges, while the carrying strap's hooks also live in this same area. It gives the speaker a slightly different feeling, with the buttons more obvious to the eye, but whether you prefer it or not will be down to individual taste – I'm not sure either design is way ahead of the other.

The sextet of buttons on offer hasn't changed from last year, though. You still have a big play/pause button with volume keys to either side of it, while the upper row offers power, pairing and Auracast buttons, too. At the back of the speaker, a small panel holds the USB-C charging port.

The design has one massive upside, of course, in the form of IP68 water and dust resistance, meaning it's completely waterproof and can be relied upon even in pretty terrible conditions.

One interesting tweak that might not stand out is that the bottom of the speaker now features two subtle screws and a panel that could visibly be removed. This is almost certainly to facilitate battery replacements, and probably represents JBL getting its ducks in a row before the EU deadline for replaceable batteries hits next year.

A more crucial detail to note about the Xtreme 5 is that it's now an even heavier speaker than before. The Xtreme 4 weighed in at 2.1kg, which has gone up to a chunky 2.9kg for the Xtreme 5, which is a massive leap. That'll make it more cumbersome to move around with – especially without the included, very sturdy clip-on strap.

Still, you're unlikely to be even considering the Xtreme 5 unless you want a big speaker, so arguably that comes with the territory. The weight gain hasn't come with major battery life boosts, either – it's still 24 hours of normal use, or 28 hours if you use the Playtime Boost mode.

Sound and Performance

Of course, with the added heft of this year's model, JBL is very much pitching it as having boosted and improved sound, and while I haven't used the Xtreme 4 personally, the sound profile offered by the Xtreme 5 is indeed punchy and aggressive.

This is a speaker that, frankly, sounds better than I expected it to, despite long-time familiarity with JBL's smaller speakers, many of which I've been recommending for years. The Xtreme 5 is bigger and consequently bolder, but retains much of the same sound signature.

That means real warmth and surprising balance, and I found the speaker paired really nicely with the sort of bouncy music you might want to play outdoors in the sun. Jungle's debut album is full of groove, and its beats were excellent on the Xtreme 5, with plenty of precision to the arrangement, too.

If you crank up the equaliser (EQ) in JBL's app, you can also get pretty seismic bass, as you'd hope given the 80dB of output that it can generate – but, in another "kudos to JBL" way, you don't have to do much EQ tweaking in my experience. The speaker has an AI Sound Boost feature that actually does a good job of adjusting things to sound rich and just right in most settings.

From a codec point of view, you get SBC, AAC and LC3 support, but there's no LDAC here, which might disappoint some people.

Something I really appreciate about the Xtreme 5 is that, despite being quite clearly aimed at gatherings and parties for the most part, it can get impressively quiet and still sounds great at those lower volumes, which goes quite a long way toward making it a reliable option for life as opposed to just events.

Verdict

The Xtreme 5 is exactly what it says on the box. It's a more powerful version of the Xtreme 4, with punchier sound and a refined design that I really like.

That said, the box also hints at a couple of hangups – for one, the price tag is fairly lofty.

For another, pick up the Xtreme 5's box and you'll immediately notice how heavy it is, such that the carrying strap becomes required instead of optional.

Overall, if you're seeking a beefy party speaker then this JBL is a great choice. But I have a feeling that a now-cheaper Xtreme 4 remains a smarter buy.

Also Consider

As I've mentioned a few times, the best alternative to the JBL Xtreme 5 is the Xtreme 4 – here in the UK it's currently nearly £100 cheaper, and you'll likely find even steeper discounts in sales events like Prime Day this year.

If you want a more elevated party speaker that still retains some power and isn't too small, the Sonos Move 2 is a great option even a couple of years on from its launch. It has more multi-room and Wi-Fi sophistication, but isn't quite as hardy and costs more.

Few gadgets offer as much fun as the humble Bluetooth speaker – these portable gadgets let you take your music (or podcasts or audiobooks) anywhere you like, whether you're chilling in the bedroom, dancing on the patio, or having a picnic on the beach.

We all know the criteria for the best Bluetooth speakers as well. These speakers need to be able to pump out top-quality sound at respectable volumes, while also being well engineered enough that audio playback doesn't completely destroy battery life.

Aesthetics that are easy on the eye always help, of course, and all those considerations have fed into these picks for the best Bluetooth speaker that money can buy. If you're looking to invest, one of these options should suit you nicely.

Best durability

JBL Xtreme 4

The whole point of a portable Bluetooth speaker is that you can take it on your travels with you, so you don't want to be worried about splashing one of these gadgets or putting it down on a table that you might not be able to eat your dinner off. With a rugged design and an IP67 rating, the JBL Xtreme 4 will survive sandy beaches and sudden downpours.

As our JBL Xtreme 4 review explains, there's much more to it than its durability and waterproofing, though. This is a speaker that pumps out a serious level of sound, and can be relied upon to deliver a top-notch audio experience – "loud enough for bustling parties, yet refined enough for solo listening" as per our review.

With 24 hours of battery life, support for the Auracast standard (so you can combine it with other speakers too), and even a bottle opener on the strap, this is a versatile and capable Bluetooth speaker that we're happy to recommend. It is a little on the hefty side, but that also means more oomph for your audio (and it does come with a shoulder strap).

Best for most people

Bose SoundLink Flex

This gets our vote as the best Bluetooth speaker for most people – if you want a device that ticks all the boxes and does everything well – and our Bose SoundLink Flex review gives you some idea why. In that review, we described it as "undeniably more refined" than its immediate predecessor, offering "clean" and "balanced" sound on demand.

We, of course, know that Bose has a long and storied history when it comes to audio products, and the second-generation SoundLink Flex does nothing to harm that reputation. It can connect to multiple devices simultaneously, and via the companion app you can easily tweak the audio output as needed.

This is a speaker that's really well designed, too, while also being durable, and it's nice and compact at the same time. The Bose SoundLink Flex will particularly appeal to those who don't want to spend too much on their Bluetooth speaker – it's hardly bargain basement territory, but it's competitively priced compared to its rivals.

Best sound quality

Bang & Olufsen A1

The Bang & Olufsen A1 scores highly in a variety of different categories, but we're particularly impressed with its overall sound quality. In our Bang & Olufsen A1 review, we described the Bluetooth speaker as offering "major sound" that's "a level beyond its scale", so you really won't be disappointed when you hit the play button.

There's lots more to talk about besides the sound quality: just look at the design of this little speaker, for example. It's a gorgeous gadget, and one that you're not going to be embarrassed to pull out at parties and picnics. It's not as rugged as some other options, though, so you'll need to treat it with a bit more care.

Add in superb battery life, and it's a really difficult Bluetooth speaker to beat – even in a market as crowded as this one. At the size of a CD (only significantly thicker), it can pretty much go anywhere too, and there's a neat carry handle as well, if you want to tie it to something (like the outside of a rucksack).

Verdict

There's something for everyone in the selection above, even though there are only three speakers in the list: whether you want something durable, compact, or relatively cheap, there's a gadget that's going to match. If you just want one speaker that will do everything well, then the Bose SoundLink Flex is a perfect pick.

However, the other two options are brilliant as well. Go for the JBL Xtreme 4 if you want a speaker you can take anywhere – really anywhere – without worrying, and don't mind a bit of extra bulk. Alternatively, pick the Bang & Olufsen A1 if you need something significantly smaller and appreciate a speaker with style.

129It's felt a little bit like summer's on the way this week in the UK. But in addition to some sparkly sunshine, one of the big audio companies, Bose, has also introduced its own wave of sunshine.

An all-new colourway, named Sunset Peach, has been introduced by the US-based brand – and it's available for a trio of its most portable best Bluetooth speaker options right now.

You'll find the Sunset Peach finish available for the Bose SoundLink Micro, SoundLink Plus and SoundLink Flex products, ranging from ultra-small to medium-size portable Bluetooth offerings.

We called the SoundLink Plus a "portable speaker with class" in our review, commending its "beefy" sound from a relatively small footprint. Now you can add peachy visual flair to that blissed-out audio.

Like the look of these? Go to Bose's official site now, where you can purchase. Prices start from £119.95 / $129 in the USA.

All three products have the relevant IP-ratings to keep them safe from any dust and water incidents – although Sunset Peach is certainly designed for the summery months, when hopefully the only water will be found poolside.

It's not the first time that Bose has revealed special colourways, with a dedicated page listing all of its specials. From Citrus Yellow to Ice Blue, Twilight Blue to Deep Plum, plus more, there have been plenty.

Bose is renowned for its product design as much as its research and development, bringing class-leading audio solutions – especially Immersive Audio (its take on real-time spatial audio) and active noise-cancelling (ANC).

While these speakers don't need ANC, of course, Bose's best headphones – the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones being the pinnacle – feature such high-end technology. Shame those aren't available in Sunset Peach too, eh?

JBL has just unveiled a new range of speakers, as well as one addition which is going to make it easier than ever to take the party home with you. Dubbed the JBL EasySing mics, those pair with existing PartyBox speakers to turn them into karaoke machines.

Alongside those, the brand has updated its popular Xtreme and Go speakers. Those are now on their fifth generation, and feature JBL Pro Sound and refreshed designs.

Users will quickly spot the new ambient edge lighting, which is designed to offer a more complete party vibe right out of the box. And it's not just the aesthetics which are given a boost, either.

Users will enjoy 10% more volume and deeper bass response, making it a perfect accompaniment for those seeking a lightweight speaker with clout.

The JBL Xtreme 5 introduces SmartEQ mode, which will automatically adapt the audio settings depending on whether you're listening to music or speech. That's a really handy feature, and one which should simplify the experience for users.

The smaller JBL Go 5 still offers that same 10% sonic uplift, which it really impressive given the smaller footprint it has. This one is designed for ease of use, with features like AirTouch, which allow you to simply tap two speakers together to pair them.

They've even hollowed out the JBL logo on the front to remove a barrier to the sound, which allows for more output. That offers eight hours of playtime, with an additional two if using the Playtime Boost EQ setting.

Last but not least are the new EasySing Mics. Those transform your existing PartyBox speakers into a home karaoke experience. There's even a real-time AI vocal removal engine, which can keep 0%, 25% or 50% of their vocals to mix in with the original.

Priced at £329.99 (approx. €380 / US$435 / AU$635) for the JBL Xtreme 5 and £39.99 (approx. €45 / US$55 / AU$ 77) for the JBL Go 5, there should be something for everyone in this speaker family. The JBL EasySing Mics should also be a firm favourite, and start at £129.99 (approx. €150 / US$175 / AU$250).

As purveyors of luxurious home audio technology, Sonos enjoys a handsome reputation. While software issues have grabbed headlines recently, the brand has a portfolio full of beloved products which have earned its stellar reputation.

Now, two more speakers are joining that line-up. The Sonos Play – which was leaked last week – is a smaller, portable Bluetooth speaker. And, for those seeking a more accessible entry point for its larger home speakers, the Sonos Era 100 SL offers exactly that.

Let's kick things off with the Play. As you might have guessed, that exists as a sort of halfway house between the current Sonos Roam 2 and Sonos Move 2 speakers.

Described as the brand's most versatile speaker, the Play will integrate seamlessly with the other Sonos speakers in your home. Designed to offer premium audio on the move and at home, you'll find 24 hours of battery life and an impressive IP67-rated waterproof design.

You can even group up to four Play or Move 2 speakers when out of the house, to bring the brand's signature connectivity to any space, indoors or out. Priced at £299 / €349 / US$299 / AU$499 , the speaker should occupy the gap between the brand's other Bluetooth speakers nicely.

As for the Era 100 SL, fans of the brand should spot a number of noteworthy similarities between this and the current Sonos Era 100 speaker. In fact, the two are almost identical, save for the lack of a mic input on the SL device.

There's also a minute difference in the physical dimensions, with the SL sitting half a millimetre taller and deeper, yet shaving 70g from the overall weight.

Priced at £169 / €199 / US$189 / AU$289, this feels like a really appealing prospect for most people. Whether you've already got a Sonos system and want to add another compatible speaker on the cheap, or you're looking to get a foot in the door without raiding your piggy bank, the SL offers a lot to love.

The world of Bluetooth speakers has seen a lot of action recently. I've been enjoying testing the Majority Move M1, which is surely one of the most affordable options on the market right now.

But if you've got deeper pockets, there may be something new coming to satiate your appetite. A new leak shows a new Sonos speaker, which is called the Sonos Play.

As reported by 9to5Mac, the device was first leaked on the Best Buy website, and – at least at the time of writing – is still showing up on Reddit. The device is described as a smaller version of the Sonos Move 2 speaker, with a loop on the back of the device to make it easier to carry around.

It's said to enjoy a 24-hour battery life and an IP67 water resistance rating, which should make it a useful choice for those looking to take the party on hikes or longer excursions. The relatively minimalist back panel also shows an aux input, as well as a USB-C port. Images also show it on a wireless charging base.

Upcoming Sonos portable speaker? from r/sonos

The listing also suggested a release date of the 31st of March for the speaker, which means we could see it officially unveiled in just a few short weeks. The listing itself showed up on the Canadian version of the site, priced at CA$399.99 (approx. £220 / €250 / US$300 / AU$415).

That's quite an attractive price point for a speaker of this ilk, and sits neatly between the Move 2 and the Sonos Roam 2. It looks to be about as large as you'd want any kind of portable device to be – any larger and it would probably be more hassle than its worth.

All in all, that sounds like a really exciting new product from the brand, which has had a troubled time in the last few years. Hopefully this marks the beginning of a return to previous highs.

If you're a fan of good quality audio, it's important to have a range of different speakers in your life. Of course, the main pair you've got setup with your record player or other Hi-Fi equipment will be your biggest love, but you can't carry those with you when you head out for a barbecue or on a hike.

In those scenarios, you're going to want a light and portable Bluetooth speaker – something which you can carry with ease, and which offers better audio quality than your phone. For years now, I've lusted after the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 for exactly that purpose, but struggled to justify the price tag.

Now, I don't have to. British brand, Majority, recently launched the Majority Move series – and the Move M1 has become my new gold standard for value in this arena.

Like many, when I first heard about the Majority Move M1, I was already pretty intrigued. Before we even talk about the performance of the thing, we need to discuss the price.

Retailing at just £25, this speaker is incredibly affordable, and should ensure that there is absolutely no barrier to entry for anyone seeking top-notch audio. 'Okay,' I hear you say, 'but surely that means it sounds like it's covered in treacle and dense mattresses, no?'

Well... no. Look, I half expected to listen to this for the first time and feel slightly underwhelmed, but I just wasn't.

Much of the sonic fidelity comes courtesy of an intelligent bit of design. The speaker is mounted in such a way that the open back allows bass frequencies to move in one direction, while the mid and high frequencies fire forward.

It makes for a listening experience which is surprisingly fully-formed – as long as you stand it up correctly. My first instinct was to lie it face down, with the Majority logo facing the ceiling, but you'll actually want to have that facing you for the best overall experience.

Once you've got that sorted, though, there's basically nothing else to worry about. The unit is devoid of any buttons or other functionality – save for a multi-function power button – instead leaving all of the controls to whichever device you pair up with it.

You can even pair two together for true wireless stereo operation – something I haven't done... yet. But with such a low cost, it seems almost rude not to snag another and enjoy killer stereo separation.

For now, at least, my dreams of delectable Danish audio have been placed on the back burner.

Since branching into Bluetooth speakers over a decade ago, there's been no shortage of options when choosing a Marshall speaker. Once the iconic backdrop to every great rock band, Marshall is now equally comfortable in the hands of aging rockers and the new generation at home.

The Kilburn was Marshall's first Bluetooth speaker, updated in 2018 with the Kilburn II, and now back on track with the Kilburn III. Changes include a minor refresh to the design, but considerable changes elsewhere.

The result is a Bluetooth speaker with a substantial offering, not least in its universal retro appeal. But for all the changes, there are some elements missing from a speaker that is, undeniably, expensive. But here's why I think it's still more than worth it.

Price & availability

The Marshall Kilburn III was announced in May 2025 for a recommended retail price of £299 / $379 / €349 / AU$599. That's a hefty price for a Bluetooth speaker, although this is a mid-sized model, so you're getting more for your money.

At the time of writing, there aren't any real discounts to that price – and looking at the price history on Amazon, there haven't been any discounts since the speaker went on sale, in the UK at least.

Design & features

Marshall's speakers are all about the retro design, crafted to look like the amplifiers that made the company famous, propelled by some of the world's most famous rock musicians. From the Marshall signature across the front, to the faux leather finish and the mesh front and back, the Kilburn III has an instantly iconic look.

That's an inherent byproduct of taking design cues from those amplifiers born of the 1960s and while all Marshall Bluetooth speakers carry the same aesthetic, I think it's much more effective on the Kilburn because of the scale. Sure, the Middleton is cute, but it's so small, it barely has room to flaunt that design.

I'm not saying that bigger is better, but in this case, bigger just has more impact. From the red velvet-lined strap to the brass top plate with physical dials and LED illumination, I've found that young and old both appreciate the Kilburn III's design.

Part of that comes down to its practicality. The knobs on the top comprise volume, bass and treble, making for adjustment that's beautifully analogue – and a reminder of just how simple it is when you don't have to use an app to make these basic tweaks.

Everything is tactile with this speaker, a refeshing reminder that analogue controls still have a place in an increasingly digital world.

The power toggle is a chunky switch – with accompanying rocky sound effects – while there's enough space for play / pause and track skip functions. Elsewhere, a Bluetooth button aids connection, while the M button can switch between different equaliser (EQ) pre-sets, as set in the smartphone app.

That app also allows firmware updates, but is really the only nod to modernity: there's no voice control here, this speaker is just about delivering music. There isn't even a microphone for speakerphone functions.

To aid that music delivery there is a 3.5mm Aux input on the rear, alongside the USB-C that is used for charging the substantial internal battery. A bonus feature is that the battery can also be used to recharge your phone, which is great for long days out.

Should you venture into the great outdoors, there's an IP54 rating on this speaker to protect it from water and dust.

Sound & performance

With the Marshall named scrawled across the front, it's no surprise that it offers great sound quality. There's a rich warmth to this speaker right across the volume range – with surprising clarity at lower volumes and avoiding the worst of distortion at higher ranges.

That's thanks to the dynamic adjustments to bass, mids and treble as you turn the volume up, so everything sounds in balance through the volume range.

Given the size of the Kilburn III, it offers room-filling sound – making it great for occasions when your music needs some gusto. I took it to Center Parcs for New Year to soundtrack the party, where it performed admirably and to much acclaim from the assembled revellers.

There's a 4-inch woofer – with a bass port on the rear – while two 2-inch full-range drivers deliver stereo sound. There's a combined 50W power across the speakers.

The Kilburn III is designed for 360-degree sound, so while there's a distinct front and back to the design, the audio doesn't sound directional when placed in the middle of the room.

That's means you can drop it on the island in your kitchen and everyone benefits. The app also contains settings to tweak the sound output, so if it's against a wall or near an edge, the speaker can adapt the sound profile.

Within the app there are those EQ options to shape the sound to your preference, on top of the bass and treble knobs on the top, for further tweaking.

The bass delivery from the Kilburn III is substantial without being excessive. I fired up The Prodigy's Out of Space and it happily trips out the bass without falling over.

The opening of AC/DC's Thunderstuck sounds right at home, especially when the bass guitar joins the opening riff. The Marshall Kilburn III is a speaker that skips through genres with aplomb – it just sounds great.

There's no Wi-Fi on the Kilburn III, it's Bluetooth only, supporting SBC, LC3 and AAC. It also supports Auracast through the app.

Finally we need to talk about the battery life: the Kilburn III offers 50 hours of playback, meaning you can party for the whole weekend on a single charge. Charged via USB-C, there's a handy LED indicator on the top of the speaker so you can easily check the level.

Within the app there are battery preservation options, with the ability to lower the charging speed to keep temperatures in check, as well as reducing max charge to 90% to avoid stressing the internal battery.

It supports up to 30W charging, with a full charge taking about 3 hours. However, from a 20-minute fast charge you'll get 8 hours of playback, which is not to be sniffed at.

Marshall Kilburn III review: Verdict

The Marshall Kilburn III quickly became my favourite Bluetooth speaker as soon as I started listening to it. The aesthetics are more interesting than many minimalist smart speaker designs and the top-mounted controls allow for really easy tweaking of the sound.

That sound quality is great, there's plenty of volume, so this is a great speaker for portability around the home or for holidays. But it's a little on the large side to be really portable – it's not the sort of speaker you'd want to carry with you on a camping trip, but throw it in the back of the car for your next staycation and you'll be really happy.

While this speaker lacks smart features, the strong battery life (with phone charging included) means that there's plenty to be excited about. It's expensive for a Bluetooth speaker, but it rubs elbows with the best of them – making it a 5-star product through and through.

Also consider

The Marshall Kilburn III sits more in the home speaker camp and less in the portable speaker category, which sees it face plenty of competition. A natural rival in the home would be the Sonos Move 2 – which has the advantage of offering Wi-Fi as part of the Sonos system, but increased pricing associated with that.

Alternatively the B&O Beolit 20 offers equally appealing aesthetics but is much more expensive. For those who value portability and protection from the elements might be more interested in the JBL Xtreme 4, which has a carry strap and rugged credentials.

Alternatively, the Bose SoundLink Max has waterproofing, sound credentials and the oomph to fill a room with sound for a similar price to the Marshall. It's less distinctive by design though.

If you're looking at snagging yourself a Bluetooth speaker to take the party with you anywhere, there has never been a better time. That's because the British audio brand, Majority, has just unveiled its Move range of speakers – and they sound like unbeatable value.

The collection is made up of a quartet of speakers, handily named the M1, M2, M3 and M4. Each of those is designed to satisfy a different size and need, with everything from a palm-sized 12W speaker to a larger 70W unit made for bigger gatherings.

Majority Move M1

Up first is the Majority Move M1, which is the smallest in the range. That's a 12W speaker which is designed to be compact, lightweight and portable.

The speaker features a 70 hour battery life, IPX65 water and dust resistance, Bluetooth 6.0 and the ability to pair two of the models for a true wireless sound.

Priced at just £29.95 (approx. €35 / US$41 / AU$60) this one should be a popular pick for those who like to take the party anywhere.

Majority Move M2

Following a similar theme to its little brother, the Move M2 simply takes things up a notch. Here, the design is cylindrical, which is more in keeping with what you might be familiar with.

That's a 30W unit, which has a 30 hour battery life and slightly better IPX7 resistance. You'll still be able to pair two speakers for true wireless audio, while this one also offers playback from a Micro SD card.

Priced a little higher, this one will set you back £49.95 (approx. €57 / US$70 / AU$98).

Majority Move M3

Stepping up again is the Move M3, which is in a slightly larger frame again. That's a 40W speaker, and is the first which suggests an improved bass response, probably owing to the larger size.

That model also offers 30 hours of playtime, with and IPX7 resistance rating and the introduction of Dynamic LED lights.

It sounds perfect for party animals on the move, and at just £79.95 (approx. €92 / US$109 / AU$157) it should make for a pretty compelling option.

Majority Move M4

Last, but by no means least, is the Move M4. That's the biggest speaker in the range, with 70W of power under the hood.

All of the other specs from the previous models remain the same: expect 30 hours of battery life, IPX7 resistance, true wireless stereo, dynamic LEDs and Micro SD card playback. This one simply comes in a slightly larger frame again, making it perfect for even bigger sound.

This one will set you back £119.95 (approx. €138 / US$163 / AU$236).

Getting into vinyl is a threat that looms over so many of us in our early-to-mid thirties and onward (keeping my age a little ambiguous there) – and I'm more vulnerable than most. I'm exposed pretty frequently to audiophile-grade hardware, and know the difference between codecs almost against my will.

So, it's scary news that Sony just unveiled its first new vinyl turntables for a couple of years, and that they're aimed at seducing people exactly like me, with easy-to-use features and super attractive designs.

First up, there's the PS-LX3BT, which will replace the successful and very popular PS-LX310BT as Sony's new entry-level Bluetooth-enabled turntable aimed at those buying their first turntable of any sort.

We named the PS-LX310BT the best turntable for beginners in a recent group test, and its replacement keeps much of what we loved, but with an updated design. It gets a gorgeous grey look, with a sort of floating main body that will look ideal on almost any surface.

This time, the big addition is a fully automated playback system that lets you just press a button and handles the rest. That makes it way less fiddly than some more manual systems, while the return of Bluetooth audio is added to by support for aptX, aptX-Adaptive, and Hi-Res Wireless Audio.

It'll cost £299, which means there's been a price hike compared to the older model, not to mention the fact that you can get the latter for well below its RRP at times, now. If you have more to spend, though, £399 will get you the step-up model, the PS-LX5BT.

It looks very similar to the more affordable LX3BT, but the LX5BT has a totally black look (instead of dark grey) that is indeed even sexier. It has a slightly fancier cartridge at its heart, which means it should have a slightly wider soundstage to offer up, and it also adds a gold-plated audio jack for a bigger range of wired connections.

Whether that's worth an extra £100 to you might come down to how much research you're willing to do into the benefits that come with the extra spend, but the design is that little bit nicer, to my eyes.

Put together, these two are likely to be residents on "best turntables" lists for the foreseeable future, unless there's a major shock when experts like our team start to get their hands on them. We're assuming they'll be on sale very imminently.

Every Lunar New Year, Marshall partners with an artist to create special editions of its speakers. This year belongs to the horse, and the collaboration this time is with Chinese visual artist FCCK.

FCCK has transformed two of Marshall's best models, the Emberton III and the Studio 900 Combo. The Marshall Emberton III is a powerful, compact Bluetooth speaker, while the Studio 900 Combo is a compact guitar amp.

What makes these limited editions interesting is that each one has hand-applied graphics, and that means no two speakers will be exactly the same.

I'll confess I'm not familiar with FCCK's oeuvre, but according to Marshall "he never plays it safe". His artwork is traditionally used by bands in China, on record sleeves for the "vibrant vinyl scene".

Marshall reveals that he blends illustration, graphic patterns and typography to create unique visual pieces.

Marshall x FCCK speakers: key features and pricing

The limited editions feature a bright, multicoloured collage with a splash behind the iconic Marshall logo. Underneath the graphics, they're the same as the standard models.

In the case of the Emberton III that means you're getting one of the best Bluetooth speakers that Marshall makes, with Bluetooth 5.4 with Auracast capability, IP67 dust and water resistance and up to 32 hours battery life.

The Embertons have always sounded good, can fill a decent-sized room and are surprisingly loud for their small size. This third generation model has improved the bass to make it even more punchy – as we said in our review: " It's a great little speaker."

As you'd expect there's a premium for the special editions compared to the standard models, but it isn't much. The Emberton III usually has a RRP of £159 / €179 / $169 / AU$289, but the Lunar New Year edition is just £20 more.

There's no doubt that when I visited the IKEA suite at CES to check out its new smart home and audio additions, the new smart version of the Varmblixt donut lamp stole my attention in a pretty big way. That said, though, once I'd got my fill of the gorgeous light, a much smaller new device really caught my eye, too: the Kallsup.

This new Bluetooth speaker underlines how IKEA's taking the fight to the rest of the smart home world, with solid sound at a frankly ludicrous price. In the US it'll cost just $10 when it goes on sale in April, while in the EU it's an even more impressive €5 – we're waiting on UK pricing, but perhaps the number will match that at £5.

It's as simple a speaker as you'll find out there, too, not least thanks to its cuboid shape, sitting on four tiny feet so that it has stability on a surface. You'll be able to pick it up in white, pink or green versions, but they're all identical in terms of size and shape.

They'll also all be able to be grouped into much larger groups if you pick up multiple – up to 100 at once, in fact, for a major boost to the volume on offer. That said, this still won't equate to enormous bass, since each speaker individually is pretty lightweight in that area.

There are two buttons to speak of on top of the speaker; one initiates Bluetooth pairing, and the other plays or pauses your audio. Volume will have to be handled on your paired device, along with basically any other change or setting, and that means there's no power switch, intriguingly. It'll power off automatically when you leave it idle.

It charges by USB-C, although that crazy low price means there's no cable in the box, not that I think many people will find that an issue. Sound-wise, there's no pretending this is high-fidelity, but for the cost, I think it's very solid. It's not noticeably tinny at normal volumes, which already makes it miles better than many no-brand options out there on Amazon and other sites.

I think the real charm of the Kallsup isn't its sound quality, though. It's all about that funky, poppy design and the ludicrous value it offers (as IKEA puts it, "colourful, portable, and affordable"). If you're heading to an IKEA at some point soon, aiming to pick up some new smart home essentials like the Alpstuga sensor, then it might be well worth grabbing a Kallsup speaker or two to take home with you. At this price, it's not much of a risk.

With CES now just a matter of days away, and a deluge of techy announcements therefore on the way, LG appears to be trying to steal a march and get some of its news out a little early, when there's less going on. Yesterday, it told the world about its rival for Samsung's The Frame TVs, the Gallery TV, and now it has news from the speaker market.

It's unsurprisingly planning a big 2026 refresh of its Xboom speaker lineup, and there are a bunch of new portable models to show off. The four new speakers are the Xboom Stage 501, Blast, Mini and Rock, and all are endorsed once again by the mystical Will.i.am, whose name never gets any easier to type.

This being 2025 (or 2026, depending on when you read this), there's of course an AI angle here, in the form of what LG calls FYI.RAiDiO (sigh), which is on all of the speakers and lets you choose from AI personas and DJs to get recommendations and music discovery in a more algorithmic way.

The biggest speaker, the Xboom Stage 501, is aimed at parties where karaoke might be on the cards, and lets you automatically remove the vocal track from any connected song, which is undeniably cool if it works. That's powered by more AI in the form of machine learning, and it has 25 hours of battery life, too.

The Blast has even more battery at 35 hours, and the same sort of audio output minus those karaoke smarts, so I'd assume it might come in a little cheaper (although all of these speakers lack prices for now). It's also much more rugged with rubber bumpers for stability.

The Xboom Mini is a little square speaker that rivals the JBL Clip for being uber-portable and has 10 hours of battery life. This makes it an ideal travel speaker, or a backup for when you want something better than your phone's speakers.

Finally, the Xboom Rock is similar but again far more rugged, with a rubber casing that helps to protect it from drops and dings. It's apparently tested to a whole seven military standards, meaning it might be quite a challenge to ever break the thing.

This probably won't be the only slate of new portable speakers announced in the next couple of weeks, and it only confirms that the market is now as competitive as it's ever been. LG's up against it given the stellar options on offer from the likes of Bose, Sony, Sonos and more – but we'll see if its new Xboom speakers hold up to our standards as and when we gets our hands on them.

I thought that we'd reached peak Bluetooth speaker, where everyone has some sort of cylindrical device, probably a bit waterproof, the sort of thing that JBL and UE offer and dominate our list of best Bluetooth speakers. But it's Marshall that caught my eye.

I've been testing the Marshall Kilburn III, a 2025 update to a speaker we last saw in 2018. That's a long time to wait for a third-gen model, but there are significant improvements in performance that come with that.

The appeal of this speaker is not the performance, however, it's the looks. Marshall sticks to a design that reflects its rock music heritage and while many brands have opted for minimalist aesthetics recently, the Kilburn III remains big and bold - which is where I want my Bluetooth speaker to be.

The grill to the front - carrying the Marshall name - and the leather-look finish is retro fantastic, paired with a gold top plate with physical knobs and buttons. There's no digital display, no multi-function buttons to master, it's just beautifully analogue and sometimes that's what technology needs to be.

Illuminated markers on the volume, bass and treble dials add a touch of sophistication, but this speaker could just as easily be sitting in 1985 as it is in 2025. This approach also means that there's no learning curve, everyone from my kids to my parents knows how to adjust the levels or the volume if they want to.

There's no avoiding that the Kilburn III is towards the larger end of the scale, so it's more of a home speaker. Sure, if you want something unidentifiably bland you could have a Sonos Move, but when was the last time a visitor to your home commented on the design of the Move - or even noticed it?

It's character that the Kilburn III offers and that's why I think it's worth the £299.99 asking price. Fortunately, it's backed up by the performance. The Marshall Kilburn III doesn't just present a retro-pretty face to the world, it offers proper kick you in the face sound too.

That’s thanks to the stereo arrangement of a pair of 2-inch drivers and a 4-inch woofer, with a bass reflex port around the back. It offers a wider soundstage than just the speaker itself thanks to the stereo arrangement. It's slightly directional - definitely sounding better from the front, but there isn't a hole in the sound if you're behind the speaker.

It can also handle the volume being turned up to 10, and while the bass and treble knobs on the top allow immediate tweaking, there's a five-band equaliser accessible through the app. This can also allow you to drop a preset onto the M button, so you can switch sound profile instantly.

That's smart - but it's the only real smart skill that the Kilburn III offers. There's no Wi-Fi connection, no voice assistant, no NFC pairing (although it offers Google Fast Pair) it is a simple Bluetooth speaker.

I said it was a little large to be portable - I'm not throwing this is a bag to take camping - but it does have a carry strap and it's packed with a huge battery offering about 50 hours of playback. That's a good weekend of music listening (and more) with the advantage of offering charging too, so when my phone is running low, I just plug it in to the speaker.

It all adds up to a great package: this is a speaker that looks good, sounds good and is full of character - it stands out from the crowd and that's why I like it.

ELAC isn't really a household name here in the UK. But the German firm has a long history – it's celebrating its 100th anniversary, as it happens. Its powered speakers have often attracted glowing reviews, and now the brand has launched a portable Bluetooth speaker using its audio expertise.

The ELAC Nava 100 comes in two colours – black and a collectable cream edition that was made in collaboration with the New York fashion brand Adsum. Both models have identical specifications.

It's fairly small – just 150mm x 78mm x 128mm – and weighs 1.4kg, making it lightweight too. But still sports a three-inch full-range driver inside with dual passive radiators, so it should deliver decent low-end thump.

ELAC Nava 100: key features and pricing

The Nava 100 has USB-C fast charging and promises up to 15 hours of play time at 25% volume, or six hours when you're maxing it out.

The internal amplifier puts out 10W RMS, and the speaker has a frequency response of 55Hz to 19.6kHz and sound pressure of 95dB.

The Bluetooth module has Bluetooth 5.3 and the speaker can be paired with another model in a stereo setup.

The ELAC Nava 100 has an RRP of £199 / $229 (about €229 / AU$399), which puts it in a similar price bracket to our current favourite Bluetooth speaker, the Beosound A1 3rd Generation.

The Beosound speaker has started to be discounted, bringing it down to around £250, while the audiophile Audio Pro P5 is currently selling for around £130. Both of those speakers are considerably more powerful than the Nava 100, at 60W and 55W respectively.

However, while this is an exceptionally crowded and competitive market sector, something as good-looking as the Nava 100 could well cut though amongst other impressive Bluetooth speakers. It's certainly an interesting and stylish alternative to some of the better-known Bluetooth brands.

It's part and parcel of being a prestige audio brand that you're never really allowed to stand still. Increasingly, leaving a product without any updates for more than a couple of years has started to stand out as a rarity from speaker-makers, and there's always a little more battery life or sound quality to be eked from a given design.

That's partly why some of those updates don't look or feel all that substantial, with a great example being supplied by the Marshall Middleton II. It takes what was a decent go at making one of the best Bluetooth speakers out there, and improves it in ways that you have to check a spec sheet to really notice. I've used it for a couple of weeks to see how it fares on its own two feet.

Price and Availability

The original Middleton came out in mid-2024, so it's been on the block for over a year now, which makes this quite a swift follow-up.

The newer speaker is slightly cheaper here in the UK, at £260 instead of the original's £270 asking price. In the US, it's $329.99, though, which is a $30 rise, so that varies by region.

Either way, the key bit of information is that you can easily find the original Middleton at quite steep discounts right now, especially during sales events, which is something that should be borne in mind when considering the new version.

Design and Features

The life of a tech reviewer means that I write this more often than you might think – if you put this device next to its older version, you'd struggle to tell the difference without some tips.

In the case of the Middleton II, it's as true as ever. When I reviewed the first-generation Middleton back in 2024, I had it in its white colourway, but this time around, I've been using the classic black finish.

So what's changed in the new-gen model? Well, the biggest thing I've noticed is that the control buttons on top of the speaker are now conspicuously ridged, standing out more from the body of the speaker to make them easier to feel and press. It's a subtle change, that's for sure, and the only other eye-catching one is a new and redesigned carrying loop.

It's now a little more elaborate, and in the black design has a contrasting red inside, which looks nice and classy. It's fairly easy to remove, and therefore entirely optional, but handy for moving around what is a heavy speaker. In fact, the Middleton II hasn't shed any weight at all – it's 1.8kg just like its older sibling, which remains very heavy for its size.

It's also very much the same as how it looked and felt in 2024, for better or worse. If you're a fan of Marshall's 'rock' styling, then I think this speaker will be well up your street. For one thing, it's big enough to have a proper grille on the front, as well as that iconic Marshall logo. It also has the terrific control rocker on its top for skipping tracks and controlling the volume, which I've always liked.

The leatherette finish on everything that isn't a grille is nice to the touch, while the whole speaker sits on two slightly raised rails of rubber to give it stability and stop any vibrations. There's now a small microphone hole on the top, meanwhile, to allow for speakerphone use.

Connection-wise, I'm a little disappointed to find that the speaker is still entirely Bluetooth-reliant, with no Wi-Fi connectivity having been added. That means it's dead simple to use, of course, but a little less flexible than some (Sonos, I'm looking at you).

Battery life has been upped, though, from 20 hours to 30 on a single charge, although I never quite managed that in my testing, as I'll get to later.

There's no pretending this is a particularly novel bit of design from Marshall, given that it's basically the same as what came before, but that means anyone who liked the look of the older Middleton will be just as enthused this time around.

Sound and Performance

If the design of the Middleton II is extremely familiar, and the set of features on offer isn't radically different, then quite a lot comes down to how it performs in actual use. I found it pretty hard to tell the difference compared to last year's model, to be frank, but that's no terrible thing.

Turning first to sound, the Middleton II is a fairly powerful speaker, as befits its size and weight. If you crank it up to its maximum potential it can get really, really loud, but Marshall has done a good enough job with its tuning that I think you're unlikely to need to in most situations.

Marshall is known for an expressive, warm sound, and that's present and correct here – this speaker excels when you stick rock on it (like Bruce Springsteen's evergreen Born to Run). I've found it's perfectly well-suited to other genres, too, from Rosalia's newest album to older and less trendy material.

Still, the difference between models is really subtle, and the main addition that I can really report is Auracast, which makes the newer generation more future-proof for grouping speaker playback.

Away from sound, you will indeed get a decent chunk more battery life from the Middleton II, although I never managed the advertised 30 hours (which is likely to require real moderation on the volume front).

I also maintain the thought that, at this price, throwing Wi-Fi into the mix would make for a much more flexible and adaptable speaker and create a more useful one for at-home use. This is ideal for portable use, of course, but misses out on a range of connection options by sticking to Bluetooth.

The addition of a microphone won't exactly sell units, but it does mean that if you get a call while connected to the speaker, you don't have to fiddle to change your outputs as promptly – it's functional even if your voice won't be the clearest to whoever is calling.

In terms of durability, finally, the same IP67 rating returns, making this a safe speaker to use outdoors, even in bad weather. One interesting and niche change means that this second-generation speaker will actually float on water, despite being pretty heavy – so that's some peace of mind for your next pool party.

Marshall Middleton II review: Verdict

The Middleton II is about as incremental a speaker version as I've tested in a while – there's really not all that much to make it stand out from the last-gen Middleton at all. While that speaker's price continues to slide, in fact, it looks like the Middleton II's biggest competition.

Fans of Marshall's brand and design will find a lot to love here, as always, and the sound it offers is really solid. I'm not the biggest fan of how heavy it is, but those wanting something substantial-feeling might disagree, and there's no arguing with its improved battery life.

Also consider

As I've mentioned, the first-gen Middleton is still widely available, and you can get it for £/$100 less than the Middleton II pretty easily. That's a no-brainer right now, for my money, and looks like the better buy as it stands.

If you're looking for a better-sounding speaker that has a lot more flexibility built into its design, consider the Sonos Move 2, which works amazingly as both a portable option and a part of your home setup on its charging dock.

What's even better than an authentic Transformers model that automatically transforms on command? An authentic Transformers model that automatically transforms on command and doubles as a Bluetooth speaker – that's what!

It's also exactly what the new Robosen Flagship Soundwave promises. It follows on from the Elite Optimus Prime model released a couple of years ago, and is similarly developed in collaboration with Transformers' owner Hasbro.

It's also an exact replica of the original toy – albeit a lot bigger and automated. Indeed, Robosen says it's "the world's first fully auto-converting Soundwave robot".

Robosen Flagship Soundwave: key features and pricing

Soundwave is the Transformer who disguised himself as a boom box, so adding audio is quite inspired. When Soundwave is in his boom box mode, you can play cassettes or stream via Bluetooth to his built-in speakers, and use the front-mounted controls to skip, pause and play. You can also record a quick voice note with the built-in mic.

As for the Transformer bit, Soundwave features 84 microchips, 28 servo motors and 6-axis motion sensors to handle the automatic transformations. And it features the voice of the original Soundwave, Frank Welker, who has recorded a selection of "iconic" phrases.

You can control the robot with your own voice too – it recognises over 48 voice commands including "open fire" and "attack". There's also a block-based programming app that you can use on PC or phone to make Soundwave do your bidding.

It's all very entertaining, but it's also very expensive. The official RRP of the Robosen Soundwave is $1,399, although it's currently available at an early bird rate of $999 / £899 (about €858 / AU$1,505 plus tax and shipping).

Orders are open now and deliveries are expected to begin in April 2026.

House of Marley has introduced two new Bluetooth speakers featuring the brand's signature renewable bamboo casing and responsibly sourced materials.

The Get Together 3 is the larger of the two and is designed primarily as a home speaker, while the Get Together Go is a grab-and-go portable for taking out and about.

As its name indicates, the House of Marley Get Together 3 is the successor to the Get Together 2 speaker that we reviewed a few years back. This third generation model is visually improved and as before, features the Marley "signature sound" plus two other EQ presets – Bass Boost and Outdoor Mode.

It has Bluetooth 6.0 with Auracast multi-speaker pairing, an aux input for wired sound sources, ambient LED lighting to give your space a glow up, and a promised 10 hours of play time.

House of Marley Get Together 3 and Get Together Go: more details and pricing

The Get Together Go looks very similar to the Get Together 3 but is smaller and designed for travelling.

It's IP67 rated for dust and water resistance, has a removable grille for easy cleaning, and promises up to 20 hours of play time. Bluetooth is once again Bluetooth 6.0, there are three audio preset modes, and there's Auracast for multi-speaker pairing.

In addition to the renewable bamboo, both speakers feature House of Marley's "regrind" silicone, which is made from recycling post-consumer waste. And the Get Together Go also has an integrated bottle opener.

Both speakers are priced competitively – £199 (about $260 / €225 / AU$400) for the Get Together 3 and £179.99 (about $235 / €205 / AU$360) for the Get Together Go. The smaller speaker is currently available with a Black Friday promotion in fact, that takes its price down to £129 (about $169 / €145 / AU$260).

IKEA and designer Tekla Evelina Severin (Teklan) have teamed up on a colourful new collection that blends tech with personal style, focusing mainly on the best speakers and lighting. The idea is to make home electronics feel more expressive, using bold patterns and unexpected colour combos so your tech doesn't just blend into the background.

“Home electronics are often seen as purely functional, something many people want to hide,” says Sara Ottosson, Product Developer at IKEA of Sweden. “We want to change that. In recent years, we’ve learned a lot about developing high-quality sound products and how people want to furnish their homes with them. We’re treating speakers with the same care as the rest of the home, so they contribute to a room’s atmosphere and personality not only through sound but also through form, colour and character.”

The range will begin rolling out globally from next month, with exact launch dates varying by market. For now, only US pricing has been confirmed, but we’ll update you as soon as details for other regions drop. The collaboration also comes just a month after IKEA revealed 21 new Matter-compatible smart home products, so both launches should match up timing-wise.

The first big reveal is a set of speakers based on IKEA’s existing SOLSKYDD family, which normally comes in a minimalist white finish. The Teklan versions are much more playful and include three round Bluetooth speakers – a small orange portable option with a punchy pattern ($79.99) and a medium green version with beige and brown diagonal stripes ($99.99). There’s also a larger, wall-mounted model ($139.99) in a textured orange finish that can be paired with a screen.

All the speakers link up with each other as well as compatible IKEA speakers for multi-speaker mode, and they support Spotify Tap so you can jump straight back into your music with one press.

On the lighting side, the KULGLASS lamp speakers mix light, colour and sound in one design, available in green and a red-brown shade with pink accents. They have a character-like silhouette, with a swirl-shaped shade inspired by soft-serve ice cream, and an RRP of $129.99.

The collection also reimagines the classic FADO lamp with a spotted pattern that's priced at $29.99.

“I wanted this inviting shape to contrast the technical complexity we usually associate with high-quality sound,” says Teklan. “While the inside is advanced, the outside feels warm, open, and easy to understand. For the colors, I was chasing a soothing feeling from the past. The mint green came from a childhood memory, and I even went to my grandparents’ home to match it to the exact shade of an old bar of soap I remembered.”

Tribit has launched the PocketGo, a small and ultra-light portable Bluetooth speaker. And by small I mean very – the slim, rectangular speaker weighs 220g and is around 11cm wide, 8cm tall and 4cm deep.

Despite its diminutive size, Tribit says the PocketGo packs a punch. It puts out 7W, which is more than similarly-sized speakers, such as the JBL Go 4.

It has a slightly deeper low end too, at 80Hz compared to 90Hz. You're never going to get earth-shaking bass from a speaker this small, but it's impressive given the form factor.

I haven't heard this speaker yet, but we've been very impressed with Tribit products before – such as its powerful Tribit StormBox Blast 2. And its more affordable products, such as the StormBox Mini Plus, deliver decent specifications for very low prices.

Tribit PocketGo speaker: key features and pricing

The PocketGo contains a single 45mm driver and a passive bass radiator, and it's powered by a 2,400mAh lithium-ion battery that will deliver up to 20 hours of playback with the volume at 50%. Charging via USB-C takes three hours.

The speaker has a built-in mic for calls and voice assistants, Bluetooth 6.0, and it supports true wireless stereo pairing. Unusually, there's also microSD card playback for offline music.

Its companion app enables you to customise the EQ or choose from six EQ presets.

Tribit says the PocketGo is made tough, with IP68 water and dust resistance, as well as successful drop testing to the US military standard MIL-STD-810H. It can float too, so it won't drown your Def Leppard deep cuts if it gets knocked into the water at your next pool party.

The Tribit PocketGo is available now in a choice of black, blue or green, and has a recommended retail price of £29.99 / €34.99 (about $39 / AU$60) via Amazon or Tribit.

There's currently a promotional offer that takes 25% off that already very low price.

Marshall's Acton III wireless speaker is "small but mighty", we said in our review – and now there's a new colour option. The speaker already comes in amplifier-black, retro cream, brown, and dark blue. Now there's a rich burgundy option too, which is arguably the best option yet.

According to Marshall, the colour is inspired by "the velvet lining of guitar cases and the deep stage curtains that rise before the music begins". Presumably, it's just a matter of time before there's another colour inspired by the sickly pallor of a bass player who's been living in tour buses for too long.

Although the colour is new, the speaker itself is unchanged – and that's no bad thing.

Marshall Action III: key features and pricing

The Acton III has a frequency range of 45Hz to 20kHz, which is impressive for something so small, and it's a stereo speaker with a 30W Class D amp for its woofer and twin 15W Class D amps for the tweeters. Bluetooth is 5.2 and LE Audio-ready. You can also connect a wired sound source via the 3.5mm input jack.

I really rate Marshall's compact speakers, and so do my colleagues: they're fuss-free and sound fantastic, in part due to their dynamic loudness, which adjusts the tone as you increase the volume to deliver a consistent sound irrespective of how loud you're listening.

It's worth noting that despite its compact dimensions, this isn't a portable speaker – it doesn't have a battery. It's a home speaker made small enough to fit in places like bedrooms, on bookshelves and on kitchen counters without taking up too much space, although it delivers a perfectly creditable performance in larger rooms too.

Like its siblings, the Marshall Action III is priced at £259.99 / $299.99 (about €300 / AU$520).

Fancy a ridiculously loud Bluetooth speaker made from a Lamborghini exhaust? Then you might want to head to Harrods in London today, where you can experience the iXOOST ESAVOX.

It's a Bluetooth speaker like no other, with a supercar price to match its supercar components – you can expect to pay £34,999 (about $45,790 / €39,750 / AU$70,270).

Audio firms seem to be rather fond of Lamborghini: we've seen Lamborghini-themed turntables from Technics as well as six-figure Lamborghini speakers from Sonos Faber. The iXOOST ESAVOX isn't quite as expensive as the latter, but the target listener is likely to be someone with a garage of the kind I can only have in GTA 5.

iXOOST ESAVOX speaker: key features

The design of this speaker is based around a monocoque frame of autoclave-cured carbon, which integrates many styling cues from Lamborghini's supercars. That includes hexagons, sharp lines, and accentuated corners.

In the middle there's a genuine section of the exhaust from the Lamborghini Aventador, and the power button is of course a Lamborghini Stop/Start button.

With a total weight of over 50kg making it as hefty as its price tag, the ESAVOX clearly isn't intended to compete with the best portable Bluetooth speakers. This is one for your garage, not for going out.

The speaker is likely to be as loud as the cars that inspired it. It has 640W of amplification going into a 10-inch subwoofer, two six-inch mid/bass drivers and twin one-inch tweeters. There's Bluetooth 5.0 and RCA inputs for wired audio sources.

Each ESAVOX speaker is hand-made in Italy and comes in a choice of Lamborghini shades – Green Gea, Gray Keres Matte, Orange Anthaeus, Red Epona, Blue Uranus and White Siderale. There will only be 63 units made.

I absolutely love and hate this at the same time: I'm a huge fan of bizarre ideas, and making a Bluetooth speaker that's coming in at the size, weight and cost of a small car is about as bizarre as audio ideas get.

But it's also aimed at a very niche market that definitely doesn't include me – so I think I'll stick with something more practical and somewhat more affordable such as our current favourite, the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4.

The iXOOST ESAVOX is available at Harrods now.

Bluesound is one of Sonos's key rivals in the multi-room audio market, and the Pulse Flex is the firm's most popular wireless speaker. Now it's been given a makeover and a big audio upgrade with a compact design that belies its power.

The new model is a 50W speaker with high-resolution and lossless audio, as well as full integration with Bluesound's BluOS multi-room platform.

You can use the Pulse Flex in several different ways – on its own as a normal wireless speaker, as part of a stereo pair, in a surround system with Bluesound's other speakers, or amongst a multi-room setup.

There are three colour options to match your décor, too – white tan, black charcoal and white pebble grey.

Bluesound Pulse Flex speaker: key features and pricing

The Pulse Flex has a four-inch woofer and a three-quarter-inch tweeter powered by a SmartDSP amplifier, and it supports Hi-Res Audio of up to 24-bit/192kHz with MQA decoding and DSD256 playback.

It has dual-band Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth with aptX HD, and wired inputs – including USB-C and a combination optical/analogue input.

The software here is Bluesound's own BluOS, which enables you to stream from over 20 different music services, plus internet radio and personal libraries via BluOS's Controller app. The speaker also supports Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect, Roon, and AirPlay 2.

Bluesound is big on smart tech and the Pulse Flex works with smart home control systems from the likes of Crestron, Control4, Nice, RTI and others. It also works with third party IR remotes and voice assistants too.

We really rate Bluesound's speakers, with models such as the compact Bluesound Pulse M winning the full suite of five stars in our review: they deliver "substantial, insightful and enjoyable sound" with impressive muscularity.

If you're looking for a stand-alone speaker that can also play its part in a surround or multi-room setup, the new Pulse Flex is a serious contender.

The Pulse Flex will be available from December 2025 with a recommended retail price of £279 / €299 / $349 (about AU$570).

JBL is one of those companies that has a market share in some speaker segments so dominant that it's almost laughable, despite not necessarily always competing in clout terms with the likes of Sony, Bose and more. It's made a huge business out of sensibly-priced, durable speakers that are very widely available.

Still, for quite a while it has lacked a real contender in the slice of the Bluetooth speaker market that hangs at around the sub triple-figure bracket – to compete with the likes of the excellent UE Wonderboom 4, for example (which features on our list of the best Bluetooth speakers overall). Now, however, JBL has put that right with the Grip – a simple little speaker that's impressed me hugely in my weeks of testing.

Price

The JBL Grip was released right at the end of September 2025, making it only a couple of weeks old at the time of writing. That means you can buy it from a wide range of retailers already, depending on your region.

The Grip comes in at £89.99 in the UK, $99.95 in the US, €99 in the EU, and AU$129 in Australia. There are a whole heap of speakers at that price point to choose from, to be fair, but from JBL's perspective, this puts the Grip between the more expensive, bigger Flip 6 and the cheaper, smaller Clip 5.

Design and Features

JBL isn't making any bones about how it came up with the core idea behind the Grip's size and shape. It says it looked at the way drinkmakers the world over were changing their cans to be taller and thinner because people found them easier to grip, and basically followed that logic.

So, much like a thinner European Coke can (which is still a rarity in the UK), the Grip is pretty much the right thickness to be easily gripped in one hand by most adults. It's about the same height as one of those cans, too, and features a mesh finish almost all over, much like JBL's other speakers.

On one side of the speaker, there's a JBL logo, while on the other, there's a break in the mesh to offer a USB-C port for charging, a small carrying loop in case you want to attach it to something, and a relatively subtle lighting feature.

When the Grip is powered on, a light strip illuminates – and it can be swapped between a few colours and patterns using the button underneath it (or further in the JBL app).

This might seem gimmicky to some people, and it's very much something you can choose to ignore, but I found myself surprisingly liking it. It can add some subtle mood to a space (albeit not much, as it isn't too bright) and feels like a nice little bonus twist.

The top of the speaker houses three buttons: power, Bluetooth pairing, and an Auracast shortcut. The last one can be used to set up party audio really quickly if you have a few speakers connected, which is impressive when demonstrated – but still likely a niche feature for most people. Meanwhile, the front of the speaker houses colour-matched buttons to put the volume up and down, and to play/pause.

The bottom and top of the Grip both have rubberised feet so that it can be stood up in either orientation, and it's worth saying that it doesn't quite have 360-degree sound – you will notice differences depending on how you orient it, but not by much.

Being a compact speaker from JBL, the durability here is super impressive: it's IP68 water-, dust-, and drop-proof. Finally, it has a stated battery life of 12 hours in standard listening on a charge, but this can be extended by 2 hours if you use the Playtime Boost mode.

I really like how the Grip looks and feels. There are a few colours to choose from, too: black and white (which I tested, as photographed), alongside purple, red, blue, and camo. The size is pretty perfect for putting in a bag or moving around your home super casually, and weighing in at 385g means it doesn't require any strain to pick up.

Performance and Battery Life

Rugged specs are one thing, but you need your speaker to actually sound great as a baseline, and I'm impressed by what JBL's done with the Grip – it's a great-sounding speaker for its size. As I said above, it's not a true 360-degree output, but that's not really an issue, and the sound you get if you turn the logo away from you is still very solid.

JBL told me the speaker's just a single-driver unit, but that single driver can get impressively loud and punchy – and has enough subtlety to make it a good pairing with a wide range of genres. I listened to a heap of Marika Hackman, and her blend of punky riffs with singer-songwriter soulfulness came across nicely, while the testing perennial Brothers in Arms from the Dire Straits also had plenty of verve.

Cranking the volume up doesn't distort things much (until you hit the very limits of what the Grip can output) and things do get loud enough to make this a great little addition to a trip to the park or beach – albeit you can't pretend it'll match a bigger speaker like the JBL Charge 6 or a significantly more expensive one like the B&O A1 3rd Gen.

I'm judging it against similarly priced speakers, though, and find that the Grip ticks every box I'm looking for, while the ability to stitch it into an Auracast array is something that makes it nicely futureproofed, as that system slowly but surely gets wider adoption from other brands.

JBL Grip review: Verdict

You might think it's not the hardest job to make a great speaker at this asking price, but I've seen plenty of brands make missteps in the attempt.

JBL hasn't put a foot wrong with the Grip, though, and I think it pretty immediately enters as a great option for those looking for portable convenience.

You won't get many smart features, and you may or may not find value in its mood light, but for a portable and extremely durable speaker that you can treat roughly and still rely on, there aren't many better than this.

Also consider

I've been a long-time admirer of the UE Wonderboom 4, which is another great rugged speaker – albeit with a more rotund design. It's a good chunk cheaper than the JBL Grip thanks to being older, and competes well, but has fewer impressive design touches.

As also mentioned in the review, probably the best compact portable speaker on the market is the Bang & Olufsen A1 3rd Gen, which is a gorgeous slice of device. That said, it's quite a lot pricier, and therefore the preserve of those with a chunkier budget to wield.

Like so many other tech journalists, I feel as though I've spent the last few years writing the same broad things about Auracast. The tech, which is part and parcel of Bluetooth LE, the new standard that has slowly but surely been spreading through devices in recent years, has been available for a while but seen quite a slow rollout.

The big thing that I've read and repeated over the years is that Auracast could revolutionise how public address systems work. All of a sudden, your Bluetooth device could access shared public announcements in locations like train stations and airports, so that you're never again at risk of missing something important because your music's too loud or your noise cancelling is too effective.

That use case is interesting, but it's still under testing in public spaces and has only ever really been demonstrated in very specific circumstances, so it's a little hard to really get excited about anymore. By contrast, at a recent JBL event in Copenhagen, I saw a far more persuasive example of what Auracast can do.

JBL's embraced the standard in a big way with its latest generations of speakers – where it previously used a system called PartyBoost to link speakers together easily, that's been replaced by an Auracast button on all of its new launches, including the compact Grip among others.

So, when we were in a big LED room full of those new speakers, of all shapes and sizes, there was only one thing to do – start pushing the Auracast button on them all to stand back and hear the sound spread. We ended up with around 20 speakers all playing at once, each one added to the party with just a single button press, and the lack of admin required in that process was genuinely impressive.

The way that sound grew as it added more speakers was also brilliant, and while the bigger, more powerful units obviously did dominate overall, it was a great advert for filling a space with a variety of devices that you can get your hands on. Obviously, for now, most of us don't have access to Bluetooth speakers with Auracast buttons, unless we've bought all of ours very recently.

Still, as people slowly upgrade and those new devices start to spread through the market, the flexibility offered by Auracast is going to get more and more convenient. The days of holding two speakers from different brands and being unable to pair them together will eventually end, and that's really big for throwing parties without having to fumble a weird wired sound system together.

Flexibility is great for the consumer, after all, and I'm still a little amazed at how long it's taken some brands to realise this. Of course, each speaker-maker would prefer that all of your speakers were from its roster, but that's rarely realistic, so having devices that play nice with other brands is a huge way to make each one more attractive and futureproof.

So, consider me an Auracast convert for now – although I'm still dubious about how long it'll take for its public address features to actually make it out into the real world at all, let alone widely. If party audio is the more realistic addition to expect to actually use, then at least it's pretty brilliant.

It's not easy standing out in the speaker world right now; everyone and their nan seems to make a portable speaker, and while the best Bluetooth speakers hold up to sustained use amazingly, they're just a few of the thousands that you could opt for once you start to do some research into the market.

Bose has long been one of the most trustworthy brands in the game, and its SoundLink line of speakers has a whole heap of different sizes on offer. After testing the SoundLink Plus, I've now used the SoundLink Home for many weeks too, and it makes a very similar case – albeit with a different aesthetic and a weaker features offering.

Price & Availability

The Bose SoundLink Home is now available in most regions, after launching in late September (although it's been available in the US since 2024). The speaker is priced at £219.95 / $229.

That's quite a chunky price for a speaker of this sort, and it's a marker of the fact that Bose isn't trying to compete with budget speaker-makers – this is aimed at a premium slice of the market.

Design & Features

The SoundLink Home is a pretty classy bit of desktop design – while this is a portable speaker in many of the ways that count, it's pretty clear both from how it's made and indeed its name that it's aimed at home use. This is a Bluetooth speaker that will likely live on a shelf, countertop, desk or some other surface in your home, but which can moved around easily.

The speaker sits on a sort of rail that has a rubber bottom to anchor it. Above this is a small gap, and then the main body of the speaker. This is covered in a cloth mesh on the front, with one big depression where the main driver resides, while the back is similar, with a long divot that makes it easier to pick the speaker up.

The top of the speaker houses some button controls, including a power button, pairing button, volume keys, and a multifunction button that can pause tracks, summon voice control for the built-in microphone and more. You can, with some funky button presses, also pair the speaker to another SoundLink Home if you have one.

One tiny gripe here is that those buttons take quite a bit of pressure to actually actuate – that might sound minute, and it is, but tactility matters on a device like this.

Crucially, though, the SoundLink Home is all made of really nice materials, with metal and fabric being the two most prominent, making for a speaker that feels extremely solid in the hand and which looks great in situ.

It's available in black, cream and silver, and I do think it seems really mature compared to many of the more rugged-looking options on the market right now.

That said, this comes with a huge tradeoff – Bose doesn't describe the SoundLink Home as having any water- or dust-resistance, which means it basically shouldn't ever leave your home and isn't great for kitchen use if you're a splashy washer-upper. That's a true shame, and perhaps a surprise at this price.

Battery life is rated at 9 hours on a charge, something that I found held up to use, and a USB-C port on one side is the charging method. This can also be an audio input, though, which could be handy in a pinch.

I'll say that 9 hours is pretty much the bare minimum I'd expect from a speaker of this size, at this price – and I'd really rather it got at least 12 hours or more.

Finally, the Bluetooth version on hand here is 5.3, which means you're not likely to miss out on any major connectivity features going forward.

Sound & Performance

With no water resistance and battery life that can only be called "fine", a lot rides on the SoundLink Home's sound performance, which is thankfully very solid. Bose has carved out a reputation for noise-cancelling excellence in the world of headphones, but in portable speakers that crutch doesn't exist.

Here, then, it's all about neutrality and balance, which is where it errs in sound terms – music you know really well won't sound blown out or over-bassy through the SoundLink Home, instead hitting pretty much all the right notes.

It's also got a decent amount of delicacy when needed, and I've been able to pick out details in tracks I know inside and out (like Dire Straits' Money for Nothing, which has the layers I need it to). That said, this isn't the sort of sound quality to blow your socks off, and I think it arguably needs to be given the shortcomings in other areas.

It's also worth saying that this is a very directional speaker – it has a clear front and back, and is aimed at sitting on a shelf facing into the room. Place it on a table in the middle and you'll find its sound is completely different, depending on where you sit or stand, which isn't a flaw as much as it is a tasting note.

Bose SoundLink Home review: Verdict

I've had a perfectly solid time with the Bose SoundLink Home, but that doesn't mean I can ignore some weird flaws in its design. To have a portable speaker of this sort without any water resistance at all in 2025 is baffling in my view, and for its portability to cap out at 9 hours of battery also simply doesn't impress me much.

The speaker looks really classy, I'll give it that, and I'd rather look at it than the SoundLink Plus I tested before it, but that chunkier speaker is better in every conceivable way and is barely any more cash. Before you even think about the non-Bose competition, that leaves the SoundLink Plus looking a little like an also-ran, from here.

Also consider

As I've mentioned, those who know they really like how Bose tunes a speaker should probably save up or rummage around to find the extra cash and get the SoundLink Plus, which is more useful and practical in every way.

If you're more brand-agnostic, I think the obvious comparative choice is actually the B&O Beoplay A1 V3, which is pricier but sounds phenomenal and, more importantly, has an even more impressive design that should look classy in tasteful home setups.

KEF's Muo speaker was introduced in 2016 to deliver class-leading portable audio, and it's attracted tons of rave reviews. Now there's a new model with a promise of even better audio and room-shaking bass.

The 2025 KEF Muo retains the stylish design from the pen of Ross Lovegrove, who also created the firm's iconic Muon speakers. But while it looks very much like the original, this new version promises to sound even better thanks to the combination of a large racetrack driver and smart strengthening of the driver's surround.

KEF says that enables the Muo to deliver booming bass with low distortion and power consumption.

KEF Muo 2025: key features and pricing

KEF has also brought across some of the technology from its KC62 and KC92 subwoofers to the portable speaker.

The subs' P-Flex system, used here in the bass driver's surround, resists the deformation that can be caused by high internal air pressure in smaller speaker enclosures. That resistance significantly reduces distortion, enabling a clean and loud low end.

High frequency clarity should be improved too, thanks to a new 19mm dome tweeter. It gets 10W of Class D amplification with a further 30W of amplification reserved for the racetrack driver. Frequency response is 43Hz to 20kHz.

The new Muo features the latest version of KEF's Music Integrity Engine, too. That's a suite of digital signal processing (DSP) algorithms that you'll also find in the firm's Hi-Fi speakers, and its job is to analyse and adapt the audio to deliver deep bass without losing precision and clarity.

Bluetooth is 5.4 with aptX Adaptive and battery life is a promised 24 hours. You can pair two Muos for true stereo, and they can be linked to multiple other Muos over Auracast.

The Muo can be used with Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair, and has USB-C for connecting to a laptop. There's also a built-in microphone with noise cancellation for clear voice calls.

There are seven finishes – silver dusk, amber haze, orange moon, blue aura, moss green, cocoa brown and midnight black – with matching, removable carry straps. The speaker is rated IP67 for dust and water protection.

The US price is $249.99 and we're awaiting confirmation of pricing for other countries; that US price is equivalent to roughly £185 / €213 / AU$375 before tax.

It's been a really great year for phones. Hot off the back of Apple's mega-launch last week, with the new iPhone Air incoming, it got me thinking about what I continue to see as the best phone of the moment.

I've been using Google Pixel 10 Pro XL for many weeks already, which is a stellar Android phone, no doubt, but I've been musing over whether now's the time to venture back into my Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra once again.

Why? I still think it's the Phone of the Year, as backed up by the T3 Awards 2025. And my Google Pixel's glossier screen seems a little more prone to display scratch marks – very subtle, but its different surface can't seem to quite match up to the Samsung.

What are the best phones?

Now there's always a binary decision to be made in regards to whether you're on team Apple (with its iOS software) or team Android (with Google's operating system).

If you're staunchly committed to one or the other already, then switching between could be quite the ordeal. This isn't "one is better than the other" piece, as you'll probably already knew where your allegiance lies.

However, among the mix of iPhones and Android devices, there's still plenty of great competition – and, especially in 2025, innovation. Samsung was swift out the gate with its Galaxy S25 Edge, which is super-slim – and ahead of Apple's iPhone Air in terms of timeline.

Even so, while the super-slim is inspirational, I'm not sure it's quite as practical as a larger, longer-lasting, and more feature-packed device. The S25 Ultra, for me, just does so much more that it's the pick.

Before I share any more, however, it's worth pointing out that I'm talking about flagship devices here. These aren't cheap handsets by any means – and if you have a more modest budget then check out T3's best cheap phones feature.

So why is the Samsung still best?

But back to the Ultra. One of the standout features about this phone is its integrated S Pen stylus, which many users rave about in particular. It opens up a new set of controls, with a pen-like control that's great for expediting tasks, sharing between apps, and taking notes.

If you don't want a large phone, however, then the sheer scale of the S25 Ultra – it's got a 6.9-inch display – might put it beyond your wants. For me, however, I struggle with anything much smaller these days.

Indeed, if money were no object at all, then there's an argument that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is the phone worthy of your attention – it's elevated what the best folding phones can do. If you can accept the lack of S Pen support here, anyway.

Re-reading my S25 Ultra review's verdict and it describes the handset as "showcasing the best Android has to offer". I still think that's true – and with a One UI 8 via Android 16 upgrade around the corner this month, it'll only get even better.

That is, arguably, one area where Google has the upper hand: inevitably, it's always steps ahead with its Android software rollout for Pixel. Other makers give their Android takes a bit of a twist, which I tend to find less preferable.

There are lots of encouraging options out there, though. Take the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, for example, with its insanely impressive camera setup. On balance, however, its software and sheer physical scale see it as a specialist product – whereas the Samsung feels just right.

And that's the thing: years after the fallout of HTC's Android market dominance, Samsung has swung in and been at the top of the tree for years. It's not by accident, it's thanks to never-ending commitment to progress, huge research and development budgets, and the results speak for themselves.

All of which actually gets me excited for the rumoured Galaxy S26 that, presumably, we'll see in four or five months' time, in January 2026. But until then, for me, it's the Galaxy S25 Ultra that remains a winner among the best phones – even with lots of interesting innovation happening since its launch.

Whether you’re hunting for the best Bluetooth speaker or some of the best noise-cancelling headphones, Bose is a pretty safe bet. I’ve tested out a lot of its audio gear over the years, and so far, I’m yet to be disappointed.

The Bose Soundlink Flex (2nd Gen) is a compact portable speaker that can be used inside and outside the house. It was released in late 2024, three years after the original Soundlink Flex, which was a fantastic piece of kit at the time. I’ve tried both devices – and while there’s not much difference between them, the latest model is undeniably more refined.

Anyone in the market for a high-quality, bag-friendly Bluetooth speaker should consider buying the latest Bose Soundlink Flex. Keep reading to find out why.

Price & What’s New

The latest Bose Soundlink Flex is available to buy now, starting from £149 in the UK, $149 in the US, and AU$199 in Australia. You can buy it from several retailers, including Amazon, or direct from Bose.

Bose hasn’t made many changes to the Soundlink Flex for the second generation; the biggest improvements are the new shortcut button, deeper bass, and updated Bluetooth with more codec support.

You’ll also be able to adjust the sound using a user-controllable equaliser (EQ) in the app. If you’re considering upgrading then I don't think it'll be worthwhile, but if you’re buying for the first time, this will be the better option.

Design & Features

Portable speakers don’t need hundreds of features packed in, as long as they do what they say on the tin. But there are a few extras in the Bose Soundlink Flex that are very worthwhile.

Firstly, the speaker is super durable. It’s wrapped in silicone, making it drop, shock, and rust-resistant. And it’s IP67 water- and dust-resistant, too, so it’ll survive weekend camping trips or beach days, even if it’s particularly dusty or you’re unlucky with the weather. It even floats if you were to drop it in a swimming pool or bath, but it’s not designed to be used in water.

The size of the speaker is a big plus point as well. It weighs only 590g and measures 9 x 20 x 5cm – so won’t take up much space in a backpack, and is even small enough to throw in with your hand luggage on holiday.

You can buy the Bose Soundlink Flex 2 in several colours, including Black, Blue, Sandstone and Sage. I tested out the Sage version, as per the photos in this review, which I think is a stylish and modern colour rather than being too bold or bright.

A small fabric strap is attached to the right-hand side of the speaker, which is useful for carrying the speaker around or hanging it up. And it features PositionIQ technology to automatically detect the orientation of the device and adapt the sound accordingly – so you’ll always get the same audio experience wherever you place it.

There are five buttons across the top of the device – the usual power and Bluetooth buttons sit alongside volume controls and a pause/play button. A tiny light next to the power button lets you know that the speaker is charging or is fully charged, while voice prompts let you know the speaker’s battery level and when it is ready to connect.

New to this generation is a shortcut button that can be assigned in the Bose app. By default, it connects to other compatible Soundlink speakers, but you can change it to access your smartphone’s voice assistant or start playing music from Spotify.

You can connect the speaker to more than one device at once thanks to multipoint, and switch between them simply by pausing the audio on one and playing it on the other. It’s great for tag-teaming DJ duties!

Playing music nonstop, the Bose Soundlink Flex 2 will last around 12 hours before it needs charging. That’ll be enough for a day out, but you will need to charge it more regularly than some other speakers. For instance, the JBL Charge 5 lasts around 20 hours, while the UE Megaboom 3 also lasts around 20 hours.

To help preserve the battery, there’s an auto-off timer that switches the speaker off after 20 minutes of inactivity. If that's not long enough, then you can change it through the app. A full charge will take about 4 hours using the USB-C port, so it's quite slow.

The USB-C port is for charging only, you can’t play music through it, and there’s also no 3.5mm audio port here. The only way to connect to the speaker is through its Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity. Luckily, I found it to be very stable and reliable during my testing.

Sound Quality

Bose reliably delivers impressive sound quality across its entire range of devices, and the Bose Soundlink Flex 2 is no different. For something so small it manages to produce rich sound that's bold enough to fill a room.

The sound can be dialled up a lot louder than you’d expect from a speaker this size, although it's a little less precise at the highest volumes.

At mid-volume, I could listen to just about anything and have a great experience. Vocals are crisp, the soundstage is wide, with plenty of separation, and the overall performance is very well balanced.

In the Bose app, there’s a three-band EQ to tailor the audio to the music playing, or you can choose between one of four preset sound modes: Bass Boost, Bass Reducer, Treble Boost, and Treble Reducer.

On its default settings, your playlists won't come across quite as punchy as elsewhere, but that’s easily resolved by switching to the Bass Boost mode, perfect for when hosting with bigger groups of people.

If you need more volume, you can pair two Soundlink speakers together in stereo. I tried this with the Bose Soundlink Max and can see how it could come in handy for parties. The only issue with this feature is you can only use it with second-generation devices – it doesn’t work with the first-generation Soundlink Flex.

There's also a microphone built in, allowing you to take calls and speak to your voice assistant, which works well, and when I tested it out the person on the other end could hear me loud and clear.

Bose Soundlink Flex 2 review: Verdict

There’s a lot to like about the Bose Soundlink Flex 2. I’m a big fan of the clean audio delivery, which sounds far bigger than you'd expect from such a small product. Whether you want to listen to a podcast or a pop track, this Bose covers all bases.

The design is a winner too, as it’s small enough to fit into my tote bag when I go to the park, yet sturdy enough to handle an occasional burst of rain. It’s loud enough on its own, but it’s good to know you can pair it with another second-gen Soundlink speaker to boost the volume when needed.

But it’s not completely perfect. The battery life is a long way behind some competitors, as one downside, and if you already own the first generation of this speaker, then there’s no point in upgrading – because the changes are so minimal.

Also consider

A similarly-sized speaker to consider is the Marshall Emberton III – and it’s about the same price too. Its retro styling is really cool, it looks like a miniature Marshall amplifier, and it’s perfectly tuned for lovers of rock music. Like the Bose, it’s sturdy and water-resistant. Its battery life lasts around 32 hours, which is far longer.

If you want something a little more compact, the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 is a top choice. At 558g, it’s tiny yet still manages to deliver loud, clear audio quality that even carries well outside. It has a handy strap to hang it up and it’s tough and IP67 dust/water-resistant. The battery lasts around 18 hours, which is significantly more than the Bose.

Samsung has announced two new, very powerful Sound Tower party speakers, with the largest one delivering up to 240W of power and the smaller model delivering 160W.

Both are designed for both indoor and outdoor use and have IPX4 water resistance. You can expect up to 18 hours of play time on battery power.

The Sound Tower isn't just a big Bluetooth speaker. It also has a DJ booth mode, a karaoke mode and a guitar input, and there are built-in LED lights that sync to the music too.

I suspect that what you think of the Sound Tower very much depends on whether you're the person who'll be buying one, or if you're the person who lives downstairs or next door.

Samsung Sound Tower: key features and pricing

There are two models here: the 240W ST50F, and the 160W ST40F. Both feature dual dome tweeters with Samsung's Waveguide technology and dual woofers, and they can be paired in stereo with other Sound Towers or connected to multiple speakers via Auracast Group Play.

Other than output power, the two models aren't massively different from one another.

The more powerful Sound Tower has larger speakers – 6.5-inch woofers and 25mm tweeters compared to 5.25-inch drivers and 20mm tweeters – and a larger battery. You get 18 hours in the ST50F and 12 in the ST40F.

The ST50F also benefits from built-in wheels and a telescopic handle.

There are five sets of lights in the new Sound Towers: a racetrack-style light around the woofers; rings of LEDs around the tweeters; four perimeter line lights around the speaker's frame; lights at the base and foot of the speaker; and an additional light to illuminate the control panel.

There are five mood presets and six dynamic lighting patterns, all chosen via the companion Sound Tower app.

The Sound Tower ST50F is available globally with an RRP of £649 / $699 (about €748 / AU$1,336). The ST40F is £449 / $499 (about €517 / AU$924).

It's about to be IFA, the annual tech conference in Berlin – and that means that we're in the phase where big tech brands are starting to make their early announcements. Case in point: JBL just unveiled a very persuasive little portable Bluetooth speaker to add to its lineup of durable audio options.

The JBL Grip is named very deliberately to evoke its size, since it comes in at around the same size as a large canned drink, and is therefore eminently grippable. It'll cost $99 (with UK pricing unconfirmed but likely to come in at around £90), and should be available to pre-order today ahead of an on-shelf launch on 28 September.

In case it wasn't obvious from the fabric covering and very splashy key art below, you should be able to rely on the Grip when it comes to durability, too. Crucially, it has IP68 water and dust resistance, which is extremely impressive, and means dust is a total non-issue, while it can stay submerged under a metre of water for up to half an hour without any trouble – weatherproof it most definitely is, then.

It's not just a tubular speaker, though, with some ambient lighting tricks up its sleeve too, in the form of a soft strip of light on one side that can be customised in the companion app. It looks like a nice addition, and should be colour-matched to your speaker by default.

The JBL Grip, like many of the best Bluetooth speakers, will live or die by its battery life as well as all of its other features, and it seems very solid at a quoted 12 hours on a single charge. A new setting called "Playtime Boost" will add a further two hours if you use it, apparently by optimising the speaker's audio for the space it detects.

The sound, meanwhile, should come in as more booming than you might think from such a small speaker, given it only weighs 385g, thanks to JBL using its Pro Sound system, although we'll have to hear it to really judge how it performs. If it can be a genuine contender to the excellent Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4, then it'll be doing very well.

Whenever I travel, I always take a certain Bluetooth speaker with me in my backpack – as it's nice to be able to listen to some music privately in my hotel room or out in, say, a park on a summer's afternoon, without having to don a pair of the best headphones.

I've tested heaps of the best Bluetooth speakers over the years, as it's part of my job as Tech Editor here at T3. Many have impressed, for a variety of reasons, but for 2025 there's a brand new release that's topped my chart – and I find it preferable over a portable Sonos.

I went on a cycling vacation in New York City earlier this year, which happened to coincide with the launch of the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Mark 3 – the brand's inevitable third-gen portable speaker – which I used while away.

I was already an avid user of the second-gen model, but this new and re-engineered product really had me captivated – it can deliver massive sound from its small scale and is just so impressive.

You can get larger speakers with bigger sound, sure, but this B&O is my number one pick. Here's why the Beosound A1 is a winner – and, price irrelevant, ought to be on your consideration list too.

What are the best Bluetooth speakers?

However! There is plenty of competition. The Bluetooth speakers market is deeply competitive, which is great news for consumers. Many brands are multiple generations through their product iterations, improving them generation by generation.

If the Beosound is a little too rich for your wallet – as it doesn't come cheap, I'll admit – then you could slide down the price scale and grab the Ultimate Ears Megaboom or, at an even smaller scale, Wonderboom 4. Both are brilliant for portability, the latter in particular.

If you want a Bluetooth speaker that's less about taking on long-distance treks with you, however, then Sonos does make an absolute banger in the Move 2. It's like a normal Sonos speaker, with multi-room abilities available, except you can also Bluetooth to it and cart it into the garden for a really great-sounding experience. It's the bigger proposition, but it's got the biggest sound too.

So why is the Beosound best?

For me, however, it's the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Mark 3 that's the winner out of the whole lot. It just embodies everything I want from a portable Bluetooth speaker – it's small, portable (obviously), lasts ages, sounds amazing, and is brilliantly made too.

Bang & Olufsen is big on sustainability, too, with this A1 being the first Cradle to Cradle Bronze certified product I've ever seen in tech – identifying its responsible sourcing and circularity. None of the others can claim that to this degree.

The product is even available in a bunch of colours, for extra verve. I like the silvery finish of my Natural Aluminum model, but you can also pick Warm Granite (black), Honey Tone (bronze), or Eucalyptus Green (as it's described!). There's plenty of variety.

Otherwise, it's the sheer quality of this product that I really do love. The faux-leather strap. The aluminium shell with its machined openings. The soft-touch rubberised base. Hidden buttons for controls. It's very elegant.

Sure, as with any Bang & Olufsen product, there's a premium to pay. But you can feel why – in addition to hearing it, too. The sound of the Beosound A1 3rd Gen is really impressive for something so small, irrelevant of genre – and with a good dose of bass when needed.

If you want the best speaker for travel then you could pick an Ultimate Ears or a Marshall and spend less. For me, I'd pick the Bang & Olufsen each and every time though. It's travelled with me plenty already – and shall continue to do so for years to come.

Building a great portable Bluetooth speaker isn't as simple as it can seem – people's expectations have started to creep higher and higher in recent years, as brands have added new features and conveniences to their devices. Now, it's a genuine challenge to stand out from the crowd.

Bose has the brand-name recognition that many rivals crave, but can't just rest on those laurels. Its SoundLink Plus speaker is a really competent new offering that might be perfect for those looking to take a speaker with them on rough-and-tumble outings. Is it good enough for everyday life, though?

Price & Availability

You can now pick up the SoundLink Plus speaker now, after it launched earlier this summer – and it comes in at $269 / £249 / AU$429. That's quite a chunky price for a small speaker, but it's admittedly a very capable device.

Bose seems to be betting on people valuing quality and sound over the asking price, and it'll be interesting to see how the SoundLink line fares in the next year or more. The more expensive SoundLink Max is another option for those looking to step up to an even more powerful speaker.

Design & Features

It's a little too easy to describe the SoundLink Plus as a smaller version of the SoundLink Max, but that doesn't stop the description from feeling accurate. Much of Bose's design language from that bigger speaker has been preserved here, but with a smaller body and a change to the carrying handle.

So, the SoundLink Plus comes in as a fairly standard-looking speaker – with a grille steel cover on the front side that you can fairly easily see the drivers through. Above this is the Bose logo, and the whole front is subtly curved with a smooth matte finish.

Atop the body of the speaker are some refreshingly reliable buttons – recessed in a way that might make you think they're going to be touch-sensitive, but in fact hiding nice, clicky mechanisms. These let you turn it on and off, play/pause, change volumes and initiate pairing and sound mode swaps.

These buttons are part of a soft rubber surface that coats the outside of most of the speaker, other than that front grille. It's extremely satisfying to the touch, and presumably dampens impacts to help with durability. That said, it's a bit of a dust and hair magnet.

That doesn't matter much, though, because an IP rating of IP67 means it's completely impervious to dust and water, up to being submerged for 30 minutes at a time. Well, technically to a metre, rather than sharing life with the Titanic.

The bottom of the speaker has a raised foot for stability, while the back has another speaker grille and the USB-C charging port exposed. Finally, on the right side of SoundLink Plus, you'll find the fabric weave loop that makes it easy to carry. It's big enough to slip a couple of fingers through, but can also be paired with a carabiner or another sort of fastening to clip onto a bag or hook.

The speaker feels extremely sturdy and well-built, but part of that comes down to its weight. At 1.45kg, there's no escaping the fact that it's heavy for its size, so you should bear that in mind if you're looking for something truly hassle-free. Something smaller, like the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4, would be substantially lighter.

In terms of features, the SoundLink Plus comes loaded with Bluetooth 5.4 compatibility, which means it's futureproof where connectivity is concerned. It also supports the SBC, AAC and aptX Adaptive codecs, and has two-point multipoint connectivity for convenience in connecing to two devices at once.

The battery life has a stated maximum of 20 hours, but it's worth noting that this can be heavily impacted if you go loud on volume. I typically ended up getting a little over 10 hours from a charge, which isn't all that exemplary. The speaker can also charge your phone from its USB-C slot, which is a nice little bonus.

Sound & Performance

Bose's brand is synonymous with reliability when it comes to sound quality, and that's a pretty good association to boast. Still, that sort of reputation doesn't always mean guaranteed success with a new device.

Thankfully, I've found the SoundLink Plus to live up to the Bose name, and its sound performance is arguably the biggest reason why the brand has been able to slap what is quite an aggressive price tag on the speaker. It's a great fit for small gatherings, whether outdoors or not, and has the power to fill rooms impressively.

It's got that trademark Bose balance – performing really ably across all genres, and making sure not to overdo any one part of the frequency register. So, you can expect detail in the mids and highs, but a really good amount of oomph in the lows, too, with bass response proving very solid.

It can get really, really loud when you want it to, although you will have to accept that the battery will drain faster as a result. I tested it across new(ish) albums by Lorde and Jamie XX and found it bumped along really nicely, while the dancier direction of Tame Impala's End of Summer also bopped.

Bose SoundLink Plus review: Verdict

There's only really one big thing stopping me from being unequivocal in my praise for the SoundLink Plus, which is the chunky price that Bose has attached to it. It's never been a brand for the budget-minded, but I think its RRP is pushing it a little for this all-weather speaker.

Don't get me wrong, the specs are great and its sound lives up to expectations, but the problem comes when you start to tally up alternatives – and they're all a good chunk more affordable. However, if you're a big fan of its aesthetics, the SoundLink Plus will almost certainly please you – as it's a great little speaker.

Also consider

JBL's Charge 5 is an easy recommendation in a very similar vein – it has superb features that pretty much match the SoundLink Plus, but can be had for less than half the price. You could even upgrade to the Charge 5 Wi-Fi for some additional connection options and still save money.

If you have a Sonos system of any description, meanwhile, the Roam 2 is a slightly smaller and more portable pick that excels. It plays so nice with your multiroom audio, but can also be a great standalone pick – although it won't fill a room to the same extent as the SoundLink Plus.

Beats and Japanese artist Verdy are teaming up once again, and this time, they’re letting Vear do the talking.

The latest collaboration between the audio powerhouse and the graphic design legend takes the form of a limited-edition art toy: a reimagined “Vear” character clutching the newly relaunched Beats Bluetooth speaker in its mouth.

The pair previously worked together on a Girls Don’t Cry edition of the Beats Flex earbuds in 2023, followed by the original Vear Pill holder drop in August 2024.

Each outing has pushed the boundaries of what tech-meets-art can look like, and this latest one might be the most daring yet.

Rendered in Verdy’s unmistakably playful style, the new cream-coloured Vear figure is a nostalgic nod to the original Pill People, now filtered through the lens of Japan’s streetwear-meets-pop-art scene.

“I remember seeing the Beats original character back in the day, and I thought it was super cool,” Verdy said. “Now I feel so happy that I had the opportunity to create my own version.”

To round out the drop, Verdy enlisted Japanese rapper YoungCoco, signed to his own Verdy Sounds label, for an original launch track, adding an audio element to an already sonically-charged collab.

The included Beats Pill itself delivers 24 hours of battery life, IP67 dust and water resistance, and bold, room-filling sound that punches way above its size.

The Vear collectable art figure, bundled with a Beats Pill, launches on 21 August exclusively at Dover Street Market London for £380 (~$513.71/ AU$792.52) as part of Verdy’s Gift Shop takeover.

A wider release is expected later this year in the US, China, and Japan.

JBL makes some of the best bluetooth speakers, and updated three of them earlier this year – but not the Boombox, its hefty party speaker. At least, not at the time.

Now there's a brand new version of that one too, and the JBL Boombox 4 is already on sale in China with global availability expected within the next month or two.

The full spec sheet is also available on JBL's international websites.

The Boombox 4 is very loud, delivering up to 210W when connected to the mains and a still-impressive 180W when you're running on battery. And the new version addresses one of the few downsides of the Boombox 3 – its weight. The Boombox 4 is reportedly 12% lighter than the outgoing model.

JBL Boombox 4: key features and expected pricing

The Boombox 4 has bigger drivers than the current model but no subwoofer. It features two 5-inch woofers, two 0.75-inch tweeters and three passive radiators. And there's JBL's AI Sound Boost, which analyses the audio and tweaks it to deliver a more consistent experience across the whole volume range.

Play time is up to 34 hours (28 without the battery boost feature, which sacrifices a bit of power for six hours more playback), which is ten hours longer than before.

There's IP68 water and dust resistance (up from IP67 in the Boombox 3) too, for outdoors use. Bluetooth is 5.4 with Auracast, and if you connect to an audio source over USB-C you can get lossless audio playback.

There's no news of the price outside China yet but there it's roughly $560, which is close to the pricing of the original Boombox 3. That previous model was £449 / $499 / €549 (about AU$933) when it launched in 2022.

There's no word of a UK, US, EU or Australian launch just yet but previous rumours have predicted September 2025 with shipping a few weeks later.

Bose is bringing its retro-styled compact Bluetooth speaker, the SoundLink Home, to the UK. It's already available in the US with a price tag of $229, and What Hi-Fi? reports that it'll go on sale in the UK in September 2025 with a price tag of £219. That's about €254 / AU$455.

The SoundLink speakers are Bose's portable models, and the SoundLink Home is small – 8.5 inches wide, 2.3 inches deep and 4.4 inches tall. It comes in a choice of three finishes – Light Silver, Cool Grey or Warm Wood. I like its minimalist design. To my eyes it's much better looking than the similarly sized SoundLink Flex.

The Home is the successor to the Bose SoundLink Mini 2, which I owned for a few years and still really like. Bose excels in getting big sound out of small speakers, so I'd expect the Home to sound bigger than it looks. US reviewers say that the Home is sonically very similar to the Mini 2, delivering surprisingly powerful bass and good sound quality.

Bose SoundLink Home: key features

The SoundLink Home has a rechargeable battery delivering up to 9 hours of playback and it connects to your audio source via Bluetooth 5.3. Codecs are SBC and AAC but not aptX.

It's a mono speaker but you can pair it with another SoundLink Home to run the two in stereo mode, and the USB-C port can be used to get high quality audio from your PC or other device. Unlike other Bose speakers – including other SoundLink speakers – it doesn't connect to the Bose app.

Most of the speakers in the SoundLink range that are designed for partying and day trips, but the Home is designed for – wait for it – home use. That means there's no water resistance here, so while it's perfectly portable you might prefer a more rugged option for taking out and about. I'd say speakers like this are best suited to smaller spaces such as bedrooms and kitchens where they don't have to be driven too hard to fill the room with sound.

The SoundLink Home will be available from Bose and the usual retailers from September 2025.

When you review as many portable speakers as I do, it can be a little hard to filter through the many samples you have access to, and to work out which you actually end up using the most. Except that's more how it should be in principle – in fact, I've found one speaker has stood out for me over the last year or so.

While I've tested fancier, better-sounding and more expensive speakers since it released, I can't stop using the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4, a diminutive speaker that wins out by simply being exactly what it says on the tin. I love it, as does my partner, and it gets used pretty much every day.

What makes the Wonderboom 4 so useful? Well, for one thing, it's a portable speaker that actually feels genuinely portable – rather than being technically portable but in fact quite heavy. The speaker weighs just 420g, and I find it just the right weight to be premium in feel, but still extremely easy to move around and stick in a bag.

It's also super durable and water-resistant (with an IP rating of IP67) – to the point where it'll actually float in water. Again, this means that I can stick it in the kitchen while cooking and not worry if it gets splashed, but also makes it a great fit for a day at the beach on holiday.

Since it's both packable and durable, it basically makes for the perfect small-scale party speaker, especially if you want nice background music rather than trying to create your own nightclub. While it doesn't dabble in Wi-Fi connectivity or AirPlay, or anything like that, its Bluetooth connection is always reliable, and its price only slips lower over time.

In fact, you can grab one right now for just over £70 on Amazon in the UK, which is genuinely a steal – I'm convinced this is the perfect speaker for almost anyone looking to get something that they can rely on. It threads the needle by being affordable, great-sounding, and super durable, so if I can shine a spotlight on it once again, I'm going to grab that opportunity.

If you're making a laundry list of all the features you'd like in a home wireless speaker, it isn't too hard to think of some big entries – Wi-Fi connectivity to make Apple AirPlay 2 work; a great design that fits in with your decor; the option to disconnect from power and run off battery; and, above all, excellent sound.

Well, Edifier seems to have been paying attention to the last few years of reviews and customer surveys, because all of those boxes are well and truly ticked for its new premium home speaker, the ES300, which I've been using for a couple of weeks. I've been thoroughly impressed, so keep reading to find out what makes it such a solid new option.

Price & Availability

The ES300 was announced in mid-June along with a few other new launches from Edifier, and it's available to buy now for £299.99 in the UK, $399.99 in the US, and AU$399 in Australia.

That makes it a pricey home speaker, needless to say, but still relatively normal in price compared to bigger and more design-forward options like the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition.

Design

Edifier's range got a bit of a rewrite when it launched new speakers this summer, and the ES300 is a great encapsulation of the new direction. It's a speaker that looks every bit as good as its price tag suggests, and there's more than a little of the design language familiar to Marshall fans here.

The ES300 is wrapped in a leather-effect finish, making it soft to the touch, with a big grille of fabric on the front side. At the bottom of this, there's a small amount of perforated metal which draws attention to a gentle lighting fixture that runs around the base of the speaker.

The top of the speaker, meanwhile, houses a set of controls including a multifunction power button, track skip and play/pause options, then two touch-sensitive dials. One dials up or down the brightness of that built-in lighting, while the other controls your speaker's volume.

The back of the ES300 houses a 3.5mm audio jack and a USB-A slot for input, along with the power connector, while the bottom has two large rubberised feet to keep it steady on whatever surface you choose for it.

This is, in short, a really mature-looking speaker that I think can fit into the vast majority of high-end aesthetics in either its black or white versions. I've liked Marshall's leather-effect speakers for a while, but their logo and styling can sometimes be a bit loud, and Edifier's work here honestly feels like a perfect middle ground, for which it deserves real kudos.

Features

As I mentioned in the introduction to this review, Edifier has jammed in quite a wide array of features to the ES300, which is great news for those who value different ways to connect. Along with those wired options on the back of the speaker, there are multiple wireless choices.

For one thing, it's got the Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity you'd expect, which makes it compatible with multipoint and stereo pairing if you pick up two. Crucially, though, it also offers Wi-Fi connectivity, making it perfect for those who use AirPlay regularly (although there's no mention of Spotify Connect capabilities, which I couldn't test as a non-subscriber).

Being able to leave the speaker plugged in and connected in the background for AirPlay use is a huge difference-maker when it comes to ease-of-use, with no reconnecting required, and it's great to see it on board.

Speaking of plugging it in, though, the ES300 also has a built-in battery for when you want to move it around without changing its location permanently. It can last for up to 9 hours of playback on a single charge, which should be more than enough for hosting a party or gathering. That's a great bit of flexibility, for all that this isn't a particularly portable speaker at 3.7kg.

The Edifier app is a simple wrapper for some settings that you can change, including the speaker's equalisation (EQ) – and it also allows for firmware updates in case it's tweaked down the line. You can control its lighting feature, set up a scheduled power-off as a sleep timer of sorts, and control your multipoint connections, too.

Sound & Performance

Edifier hides its work behind that attractive fabric grille, but the heart of the ES300 is a 4-inch long-throw mid/bass driver plus two 1.25-inch silk dome tweeters, and they sound extremely impressive.

The temptation when you get a speaker like this in for a review period is always to immediately crank it to its loudest to see just how antisocial it can get... and the ES300 can indeed get deafening if desired. At more reasonable listening levels, though, I've found it a lovely companion through relaxed evenings and normal workdays.

Playing a wide range of playlists, I heard great levels of detail in familiar tracks, but with a good degree of oomph in the low-end that makes sure things feel properly beefy when they ought to. That meant Limit to Your Love by James Blake had its deep, almost unsettling wobble properly represented, which is always fun.

On more acoustic material like the classic Pet Sounds, the ES300 did just as well, giving me all the tonality that I crave and making for a delightful tribute to Brian Wilson.

From a codec standpoint, you get SBC, LDAC, and ALAC (the last of which is only over AirPlay). It's the inclusion of LDAC that's the key one for lossless playback, though. This all means that Hi-Res Audio is no problem, so everything can sound at its best

Performance isn't purely sound, though, and one of my few reservations about the ES300 has been its on-speaker controls, which are all touch buttons rather than physical ones. That's a misstep in my view, and while it's not a huge one, I'd much rather have the click of real feedback to work with – and, in particular, actual dials instead of the slightly weird touch ones used for volume and lighting.

They work surprisingly well, in fairness, but that doesn't mean they compete where the joy of tactile contact is concerned. Similarly, the Edifier app works most of the time, but I've had it crash a couple of times during testing, plus it could be more responsive and intuitive to use.

Edifier ES300 review: Verdict

Edifier wasn't on my radar before testing the ES300, and that was a disservice, it turns out. I've been really impressed by this home speaker, which feels like a pretty comprehensive one-stop solution for anyone with space on a bookshelf or cabinet in their lounge. It can basically do everything that most people will want from a speaker of this size, and it looks great as a bonus.

The fact that you can use it unplugged is a great little trick, but even if you never take advantage of that, the tremendous sound quality will no doubt keep you using it on the regular. A few tiny design tweaks would help even further, but I still have no reservations in recommending the ES300 heartily – it's a surprise winner and well worthy of it's 5-star badge.

Also consider

If you keep an extremely careful eye out for sales and discounts, you could sometimes find a Sonos Move 2 for only a bit more than the Edifier ES300, which would be a very interesting competition. Sonos has the advantage of easier multi-room support, but it's normally a chunk pricier.

For those who want more rugged reliability and portable prowess, the JBL Charge 5 Wi-Fi is a totally different sort of speaker, as is obvious from its looks, but it actually shares quite a few features. A good outdoorsy alternative.

Some firms make one kind of product and stick to it. Ego Power is not one of those – it makes electric ride-on lawn mowers, chainsaws and leaf blowers, and now it's made an extremely loud outdoor speaker. As you do.

So, if you're looking for a Bluetooth speaker that you can hear over the sound of tree felling, the SK1800E could be just the thing for you.

A toolmaker moving into speakers isn't as odd as it might sound. For example, Samsung used to make artillery, and for every Yamaha drum kit or guitar there's a Yamaha motorbike. And what unites Ego Power's various products is the company's powerful and cross-platform battery tech, which in this speaker delivers 50 hours of battery from an Ego Lithium 2.5Ah battery.

Also, like other cordless tools, the SK1800E is sold as a bare unit, so it's a case of BYOB (bring your own battery).

EGO Power SK1800E Outdoor Speaker: key features and pricing

The SK1800E Outdoor Speaker has 180W RMS output, so it's very loud, and that power is channeled into seven advanced transducers. There's a single woofer, two mid-range drivers, two tweeters and a couple of passive radiators, too.

The SK1800E also doubles as a heavy-duty power bank, capable of charging other devices via its USB-C PD port at up to 100W. And with a 2.5Ah battery on board, you can expect up to 50 hours of loud listening.

It's a chunky-looking thing that appears well protected against lumps and bumps, and it's IP54 rated for dust and water resistance. There's the obligatory Bluetooth and a 3.5mm audio input, and the speaker can be teamed up with 99 more for larger parties and events.

The downside to high power is that it tends to equate to a high price; Bluetooth party speakers with more than 100W are usually expensive – and with this speaker there is also the extra expense of a battery if you're not already using Ego Power's.

The SK1800E is currently £319 / $329 / AU$549 (about €365) and a 2.5Ah battery is an additional £117 / $152 / AU$206 (about €134).

As a package, that means it's priced similarly to powerful speakers by better-known brands, such as Sony's 180W XV800, which had a launch price of £599 / €699. However, that particular alternative is currently retailing for about 20% less than that.

There's one thing all of the best Bluetooth speakers have in common: absolutely none of them are shaped like a balloon animal. But there's a first for everything.

Lexon's new Bluetooth speaker is utterly unique as it's exactly that. Designed in collaboration with the American artist Jeff Koons, the Balloon Dog Speaker is shaped like – you've guessed it – a balloon dog.

The Balloon Dog was "conceived as a true acoustic art piece" and is a clear polycarbonate Bluetooth 5.0 speaker promising 360-degree audio, hands-free calling and up to 10 hours of play time. Just don't let the kids near it during a party.

Balloon Dog Speaker: key specifications and pricing

While it looks unusual, the Lexon Balloon Dog is also a well-specified speaker.

There are six drivers inside along with four passive radiators, and there are built-in mics for hands-free calling.

Lexon promises studio-quality sound, and claims that the speaker delivers "exceptional clarity, deep bass, and balanced acoustics". It can work solo or as part of a stereo pair, and there's no companion app – you simply pair it with your phone and use whatever app you like.

It may be a bit mad but there are some fun touches. You can adjust the volume by twisting the Balloon Dog's nose, and you skip tracks by tapping its ears.

As Ecoustics.com points out though, the detailed specifications list covers everything but the audio specs – so there's no indication of power output or frequency range. That and the rather small size of the complete unit, does rather suggest that this is a speaker to be looked at more than listened to.

Each Balloon Dog Speaker comes engraved with Jeff Koons' signature and a certificate of authenticity. Fewer than 10,000 will be produced and the price is $750 / €750 (about £650 / AU$1,345).

If you love the design but don't need the audio, there's a Balloon Dog lamp from the same place at the same price.

Tribit has been carving out quite the reputation for impressive audio products that are equally impressively affordable.

Its latest Bluetooth speaker is no exception: it's a punchy little portable with a low price tag that undercuts even the most keenly priced models in our round-up of the best Bluetooth speakers.

The Tribit StormBox Mini+ is a small wireless speaker with a strong resemblance to the UE Wonderboom 4 thanks to its cylindrical design and the large, white volume controls on the outside.

However, it's a lot cheaper. Although that doesn't mean the manufacturer has skimped on the specification.

Tribit StormBox Mini+: key features and pricing

The StormBox Mini+ is IPX7 water resistant, and behind the fabric there are two 48mm left and right-firing full-range drivers, plus a passive radiator for the bass.

Output power is 12W, the frequency range is 80Hz to 20kHz and Tribit says that the left/right design delivers full 360-degree sound (although I'd quibble with the marketing claim that it's 360-degree "surround sound" when it's just stereo).

There's a dynamic LED light on top and a built-in mic for hands-free calling. Battery life is a promised 12 hours if you keep the lights off and the volume at 50%.

Bluetooth is 5.4 with the usual AAC and SBC but no aptX codecs, and there's a 3.5mm input for other sound sources.

I haven't heard this speaker yet but we've reviewed and enjoyed several Tribit products in recent months. For example, we really liked the ridiculously large and loud StormBox Blast 2.

You can pair two StormBox Mini+ speakers together, and at this price that's hardly going to break the bank.

The StormBox Mini+ has an RRP of just £32 / $39.99 / €36.95 (about AU$66), and is available now from the likes of Amazon in a choice of black, blue or green.

When we reviewed the Devialet Mania portable speaker back in 2023, we said it almost delivered portable perfection. It offered stunning, premium performance at a price point to match.

Now there's a newer, even more luxurious version that's at an even more elevated price. But as there are only 150 being made, Devialet probably isn't too worried about shifting them all.

The new version has the grand name of Devialet Mania Palais Garnier 150 Years Limited Edition, and it's been released to mark 150 years of "monumental artistry" at the Palais Garnier in France.

And it's over twice as expensive as the original.

Devialet Mania Palais Garnier 150 Years Limited Edition: key details and pricing

This version of the Mania comes in a crimson finish that pays homage to the famous velvet seats and curtains of the venue, and includes a matching velvet carry case with a matching strap, gold zipper accents designed to reference the theatre's gilding, and a golden tassel to mimic the venue's tie-backs.

The logo of the Opéra National de Paris sits in the centre of the speaker's woofer, and there's a laser-engraved metallic gold ring noting that this is a 150th Anniversary Limited Edition.

Underneath the fancy cladding there's the same Devialet Mania speaker as before, with Active Stereo Calibration to configure the audio each time the speaker is moved and a hefty, bass-focused performance.

There's Alexa voice support, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, Spotify Connect and AirPlay, plus Devialet's own app platform.

Where the standard Mania was £690 / $790 / $790 (about AU$1,400) and its Opéra de Paris special edition was £890 / $990 / €990 (about AU$1,820), this 150th anniversary model will set you back even more. It weighs in at £1,600 / $1,769.

But if that's still within your budget and you're looking for the best of the best, preorders are now open on the Devialet website for delivery in September 2025.

When it comes to portability, JBL's Flip 7 is one of the best Bluetooth speakers around, delivering a lot of punch from its relatively small size. And now there's a limited edition version to celebrate the brand's partnership with the Tomorrowland festival.

The special edition speaker has the same impressive spec as before, but it's been enhanced with an exclusive Tomorrowland design. This uses a polished metal effect and gold highlights to great effect.

JBL Flip 7 Tomorrowland: key features and price

The JBL Flip 7 is a relatively new model – the original was only recently released in the spring.

It boasts up to 16 hours of playtime, JBL's signature sound with an AI optimiser, and multi-speaker connectivity with Auracast.

JBL claims it delivers bigger bass and clearer highs than previous models, and better performance at high volumes where sound quality previously got a little messy.

That 16-hour battery life is actually 14 hours plus 2 hours: the former is the standard battery life, and the extra 2 hours are achieved using Playtime Boost. That cuts some of the ultra-low end so the speaker drivers aren't working so hard, enabling you to keep the party going for a little longer.

The speaker is IP68 certified for water and dust resistance, and as ever with JBL's Flips, it's tough design can handle accidental drops and other misfortunes, such as being exposed to typical festival bad weather. Then, when you return from your adventures, you can connect it to other audio devices via USB-C for lossless audio.

The JBL Flip 7 Tomorrowland is available now for £129.99 / €149.99 (about $149.95 / AU$270), the same retail price as the standard model.

That said, you might be available to find some variants for a touch less if you shop around, especially as Prime Day is on until 11 July 2025.

Marshall has created a new version of its impressive Middleton portable Bluetooth speaker, which promises a significant audio upgrade.

As before, it takes its design cues from the firm's legendary guitar amplifiers, and like those amps it's a little heavier than we'd like – but the original model delivered excellent audio, and the new version is claimed to be even better.

In our original Middleton review, we praised its "extremely solid" sound and "classy, classic" style. This new version has much longer battery life – 30 hours, up from 20 – and provides 360-degree stereophonic sound with some significant improvements.

Marshall Middleton II speaker: key features and pricing

The Middleton II has IP67 dust and water resistance, and like its predecessor it's built tough. It's the kind of speaker that if you drop it you'll be more worried about damaging the floor than the speaker.

There's a built-in mic for hands-free calling, and it uses Marshall's multidirectional control knob for easy navigation and adjustment. Bluetooth is 5.3 with LE audio support and multipoint.

There are two key differences that I'm interested in hearing. The first is that this second-generation product delivers deeper bass than the first generation, which is always welcome in a modestly-sized speaker like this one. Its low end is 45Hz compared to the 50Hz of the first-gen.

The second is what Marshall tells us is "more refined sound at max volume". That's a big deal for me, because while I really like the Marshall sound in the few Marshall speakers I've tested, I've found them to get a little messy at the high volumes I prefer for music playback.

So the prospect of a Middleton that's got bigger bass and clearer audio at full pelt is music to my ears.

The Marshall Middleton II will be available from 15 July for £259.99 / $329.99 / €299 (about AU$542).

One thing that all the best Bluetooth speakers have in common is that their controls are pretty simple. Anything more complex than basic operation is left to an app, or left out altogether.

Ikarao has a very different approach – it's essentially stuck an Android smartphone into its latest speakers.

Okay, it's not really a smartphone, it's a small tablet-style touchscreen display running Android 13, much like an in-car infotainment system. And that means the three new speakers with touchscreens on top are more controllable and flexible than rivals.

They look to be pretty good for karaoke too.

There are three products in the range: the flagship Break X1, the slightly smaller Break X2, and the compact Shell S1.

All three are party speakers, and even the smallest packs plenty of power.

Ikarao Break X1, Break X2 and Shell S1: key features and pricing

All three models feature a built-in FHD touchscreen with 180-degree rotation, HDMI to display apps and lyrics on your TV, dual wireless mics so you can sing along, and adjustable LED lighting.

The OS is Android 13 with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.3 wireless connectivity, and battery life is up to 10 hours.

All three come with a six-month subscription to the Karafun karaoke app, which promises access to over 59,000 songs, and you can also sing along to YouTube tracks, too.

The Break X1 is the most powerful model here. It sports 460W output and a 13.3-inch display. The X2 is slightly more modest with a 10.1-inch display and 300W of audio power, while the Shell S1 is also 10.1 inches and has 280W power output.

All three models are available in the UK now.

The Shell S1 is £349 (about €407), the Break X2 is £499 (about €583), and the Break X1 is £699 (about €816).

ELAC's DCB41 powered bookshelf speakers attracted five-star reviews when they launched in 2022, and now they have a bigger, more powerful sibling: the ELAC ConneX DCB61.

Like their predecessors, the ConneX DCB61 are two-way powered speakers with one of them containing the inputs and electronics. They're powered by dedicated Class D amplifiers, and sport increased power.

They're even better connected than before too. There's Bluetooth LC3+ for high quality wireless audio, making them a possible alternative to Sonos for stereo enthusiasts.

In addition to the on-board controls, there's a comprehensive companion app for iOS and Android that enables you to fine-tune the EQ, optimise the placement and enable or disable features such as the extended bass.

It also enables you to activate a neighbour-friendly Night Mode for late-night listening.

ELAC ConneX DCB61: key features and pricing

Each speaker has a 165mm polypropylene long excursion woofer with its own 60W Class D amplifier, and above the woofer there's a 19mm soft-dome tweeter with its own 20W amp and a precision-engineered waveguide.

The speakers include ELAC's proprietary Xbass Enhancer to boost the low end, and there's a rear-firing S-shaped bass reflex port. ELAC says that the result of the drivers, amps and reflex port is "a rich, balanced soundstage" for music, movies, and more.

There's a good selection of connection options here, too. You get HDMI eARC for your TV, Bluetooth LC3+, a built-in MM phono stage to work with the best turntables, optical inputs for consoles or media players, and USB for PC and Mac.

The USB connection supports audio up to 24-bit/96kHz and the speakers have on-board Dolby Digital decoding.

The ELAC ConneX DCB61 speakers are available now from Hi-Fi retailers with a price tag of £699 / $899 / €799 (about AU$1,465) for a pair.