There was once a time when a waterproof speaker meant a small, tinny radio shower. Happily, thanks to some hard work by product and speaker masterminds, this is no longer the case. Waterproof speakers are now not simply waterproof, but they sound incredible, are portable and are loaded with Bluetooth connectivity – making them ideal for barbecues, picnics, beach trips, days relaxing by the pool or just providing some entertainment in the shower. Even if you don’t intend on getting wet, the protection offers fantastic peace of mind.
Whatever your intended use, we’ve put together a buyer’s guide to help you select the right waterproof portable speaker.
A quick note:
All of the items in this list are rated IPX7 – this is the mark by which industry folk identify items as fully waterproof. There is a FAQs at the bottom of this page that’ll tell you all about IPX rating, but IPX7 means an item can be submerged in 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes. For the purposes of a speaker, this is more than adequate protection. On some devices, the “X” is replaced with a number – this refers to dirt protection; 6 will protect from dirt and dust ingress.
Unless otherwise stated, all items included here are rechargeable. They can also all be linked to further speaker devices to create bigger party systems using manufacture’s apps, unless otherwise indicated
The Best Waterproof Speakers
With the SRS-XB12, Sony has delivered a powerful and punchy bass, which is great for dance and club music. It's very portable, measuring in at 7.4 x 7.4 x 9.2cm and weighing 245g. The Bluetooth has a long range and volume is controlled via the onboard controls or smartphone control. The extremely durable IP67 rating guarantees proofing from both water and dirt ingress. The 16 hours of battery life is very impressive, too.
If you're not one for outdoor partying or music on the go and you're just looking for some tunes or radio in your bathroom, the BassPal speaker is for you. Connect your smartphone via Bluetooth, stream your music and answer calls from the tub with simple button operation. There's also a FM radio tuner. It's IPX7 fully waterproof rated, floats and has a suction cup on its underside. Battery life runs to 6 hours and is non-rechargeable. There is no multi-device link for this item.
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The Bose Micro Bluetooth speaker is a compact device with a silicon finish and IPX7 waterproof rating. It measures in at 3.6 x 9.9 x 9.9 cm and weighs 290g, but this small size doesn't mean a small sound - the speaker is well balanced and offers a pleasing bass response. The 6-hour battery life will keep any outdoor gathering happy. It can control Apple's Siri, Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa devices via the in-built microphone.
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The JBL CLIP 3 is a brilliant device u2013 simply clip to your bag with the in-built carabiner and you're good to go. The device has an IPX7 waterproof rating and the battery life runs to 10-hours, measures 11 x 5.5 x 17cm (17cm includes the carabiner height) and weighs 222g. The speakerphone function is a useful feature, as it uses noise cancelling technology to ensure a crisp and audible conversation.
UE's WONDERBOOM 2 is a revelation. The sound is clear, precise and bass boosted, and the 360-degree speaker means that it can sit at the centre of your gathering and be heard from all around. The IP67 rating protects it from dirt and water, and the construction makes it drop-proof and floatable. It's got 13-hours of battery life, a 30-metre Bluetooth range and measures in at 10.4 x 9.5 x 9.5cm, weighing 422g.
6.
Aomais Go Mini 25w IPX7 Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker
The Go Mini is tough, it is IPX7 rated and the casing is extremely durable and utilitarian with an aesthetic akin to the boomboxes of yesteryear. You can connect via 3.5mm jack or long-range Bluetooth (up to 100ft). The sound delivered is clear, and the speakers themselves will add to the party with a reactive light show. The battery life is a modest 12 hours. It is the largest unit on this list, measuring in at 27.9 x 9.9 x 18.3cm and weighing 1.2kg.
The UE BOOM 3 is a market leader, and for good reason. The sound is loud, deep and clear, delivered by a high-quality 360-degree speaker which does not distort at higher volumes. The operation and design are very simple, and measure in at 7.3 x 18.4 x 7.3cm, weighing 608g. The IP67 rating water and dust-proofing will protect it, while its floatable property will stop you losing it to the depths. Battery life runs to 15 hours.
The MEGABOOM 3 is the BOOM's big brother. It is packed with the same features and IP67 rating, but will kick out a huge sound which maxes out at 90dBA (that's as loud as some motorcycles). To match the bigger sound UE has also packed in a huge 20-hour battery life. The portability of this device suffers due to the extra power, measuring in at quite a large 8.9 x 8.9 x 22.5 cm and weighing 1.44kg.
FAQs
What is Bluetooth?
Bluetooth is a method of carrying information over short distance, short-wave radio signals. Initially a relatively slow process, Bluetooth has developed into the ubiquitous method for transferring music information between devices - challenged in it's quality and usability only by Wi-Fi.
What is an IP rating? What does IPX7, or IP67 even mean?
The IP (International Protection Marking) is an industry classification of a products protection. The first digit, sometimes marked with an “X” when unclassified, refers to the solid particle protection, while the second digit refers to liquid protection.
For example, if an item has a rating of IPX7, we know that it is unclassified for particle ingress, but has a liquid protection rating of 7. If the item was labelled IP67, we would know that the item has a particle protection rating or 6, and a liquid protection rating of 7. But what do these numbers mean in the real world? Here is a short technical explanation of the codes.
FIRST DIGIT: SOLID PARTICLE PROTECTION
X – NA - X means there is no data available to specify a protection rating.
0 – None - No protection against contact and ingress of objects.
1 - >50 mm – Protected from any large surface of the body, such as the back of a hand, but no protection against deliberate contact with a body parts.
2 - >12.5 mm – Protected from fingers or similar objects.
3 - >2.5 mm – Protected from tools, thick wires, etc.
4 - >1 mm – Protected from most wires, slender screws, large ants etc.
5 - Dust protected - Ingress of dust is not entirely prevented, but it must not enter in sufficient quantity to interfere with the satisfactory operation of the equipment.
6 - Dust tight - No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact (dust tight). A vacuum must be applied. Test duration of up to 8 hours based on air flow.
SECOND DIGIT: LIQUID INGRESS PROTECTION
X – NA - X means there is no data available to specify a protection rating.
0 – None - No protection against contact and ingress of liquid.
1 - Dripping water - Dripping water (vertically falling drops) shall have no harmful effect on the specimen when mounted in an upright position onto a turntable and rotated at 1 RPM. Tested for 10 minutes, equivalent to 1 mm rainfall per minute.
2 - Dripping water when tilted at 15° - Vertically dripping water shall have no harmful effect when the enclosure is tilted at an angle of 15° from its normal position. Water equivalent to 3 mm rainfall per minute.
3 - Spraying water - Water falling as a spray at any angle up to 60° from the vertical shall have no harmful effect.
4 – Splashing of water - Water splashing against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effect.
5 - Water jets - Water projected by a nozzle (6.3 mm) against enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects.
6 - Powerful water jets - Water projected in powerful jets (12.5 mm nozzle) against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects.
6K - Powerful water jets with increased pressure - Water projected in powerful jets (6.3 mm nozzle) against the enclosure from any direction, under elevated pressure, shall have no harmful effects.
Ratings beyond this point are considered waterproof.
7 - Immersion, up to 1 m depth - Ingress of water in harmful quantity shall not be possible when the enclosure is immersed in water under defined conditions of pressure and time (up to 1 m submersion).
8 - Immersion, 1 m or more depth - The equipment is suitable for continuous immersion in water under conditions which shall be specified by the manufacturer. However, with certain types of equipment, it can mean that water can enter but only in such a manner that it produces no harmful effects. The test depth and duration is expected to be greater than the requirements for IPx7, and other environmental effects may be added, such as temperature cycling before immersion.