The Best Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Speakers to Buy This Spring
From a portable speaker so tough it can survive a run-in with an F-150 to a masterful modern hi-fi setup, here are the season’s best sound systems.
1. The Clear Winner (above)
Most speakers are engineered to stand out; the ClearViewAudio Clio is designed to disappear. The bulk of the Bluetooth speaker’s body is composed of a one-mm-thick wall of acrylic glass that not only blends in with any surroundings but also acts as an audio transducer, spreading waves in all directions. The result is bright, clean, room-filling sound, all from a source that doesn’t need to be seen to be heard. $349; clearviewaudio.com
I. The Party Starter
Shaped like a tennis ball can, the nine-inch-tall UE Megaboom serves up 360 degrees of enough big, punchy sound to fill a pool party or a suite at the Bellagio. Its rubber-like exterior shrugs off spills, splashes, and stains; up to 20 hours of battery life means the speaker will keep pace with the rowdiest festivities. $300; ultimateears.com
II. The Refined Companion
See the honeycomb shell around the edge of the Bowers & Wilkins T7? More than a striking design element, it provides extra structural integrity and squashes the audio-scarring vibration that often plagues small speakers. Good thing: the eight-inch noisemaker houses two 50-mm drivers that crank out 18 hours of warm, balanced sound. $350; bowers-wilkins.com
III. The Anything-Proof Powerhouse
Drop it, dunk it—hell, drive over it: the Fugoo Tough XL is built to survive nearly any abuse. Better suited to a truck bed than a briefcase, the 14-inch-long, four-pound speaker—shelled in fiber-reinforced resin and fortified by an aluminum cage—delivers 100 decibels of noise bolstered by eight acoustic drivers. $330; fugoo.com
I. The Tiny Titan
The palm-sized Mass Fidelity Core creates a room-saturating audio that seems as though it’s coming from a family of speakers. The secret: it pushes out several sound waves that intersect and create the illusion of multiple sources. In addition, the speaker boasts Bluetooth connectivity, a 12-hour battery life, and analog and optical inputs. $449; massfidelity.com
II. The Ace of Bass
Like the streaming music in your home to pack a thick, juicy low end? The Denon Heos 7’s seven speakers deliver a feel-it-in-your-skin bass that would make Pharrell turn his head. It’s also one of the first on the market to implement the new Google Cast standard, which makes it easy to stream songs from different audio apps on your phone, tablet, and laptop. Use it solo or pair it with other speakers in the Heos family for a wireless whole-home system. $600; denon.com
III. The Hi-Fi Stunner
A sculptural, 29-pound block of aluminum sitting on a glass base, the Naim Mu-so is stuffed with six amps and drivers that throw out 450 watts of some of the cleanest audio we’ve heard from an all-in-one system. Fusing retro hi-fi class with bleeding-edge digital details, it handles everything from home theater to modern streaming. $1,500; naimaudio.com
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