Best Wireless Bluetooth Speakers

For those of you paying attention, yes, I do realize that by their nature, all Bluetooth speaker are wireless. But I'll bet there are many who don't realize that not all wireless speakers are Bluetooth. 

Scroll down to see the list of Best Wireless Bluetooth as well as multi-room speakers.

What is the difference between Bluetooth speakers and Wireless speakers?

As noted, all Bluetooth speakers are wireless and have specific characteristics.

1. They have a general range of about 30 feet, or less
2. Are generally smallish though there are some bigger Bluetooth speaker 
3. Compress the signal causing degradation in sound quality. 
4. Usually offer greater portability via batteries that can last up to 20 hours in some cases.

Wireless speakers come in a variety of types. Some use older 2.4Mhz technology which is glitchy and often is interfered with while other technology. Other technology like WiSA, offer devices for any powered speaker to operate in the relatively unused 5.2 to 5.8 GHz UNII radio frequency spectrum. Some like Sonos use Mesh technology over WiFi to deliver sound over an even greater distance. We'll be writing about these different technologies later in the near future so sign up for our news letter (upper right of our page) to receive it in your inbox. 

Advantages and disadvantages of radio and WiFi Wireless speakers. 

Radio signals can more easily go through walls that Bluetooth but since they are not usually paired to a device like Bluetooth they are susceptible to interference from other items in your home or neighborhood. Mesh networks like Sonos and others are excellent choices for multi-room music systems and offer greater distance as long as each device in the network is a reasonable distance from one another. 

More to come on these technologies in the coming weeks with plenty of time for your holiday shopping. For now here are our pics for both Bluetooth, Wireless and Mesh Network speakers.

Our Choices for each wireless speaker category

Bluetooth Speakers The Bose Mini is the best sounding but beats its sister product, the Bose color, it has less bass, only by a small margin. the two JBL's also sound great and the Clip is an exceptional buy and extremely portable.   Mesh Network Wireless Speakers Sonos is the king of multi-room wireless music but LG may be hot on their heels. 5.8 GHz Wireless Technology is a mix of products that let you use your own speakers to create a wireless network of speakers. Best suited for a home theater setup. For multi-room setups you're better off with a Mesh network solution.