Alan Ross – Top Picks

This is a list of some of my preferred portable bluetooth speakers!

Top For value

Tribit Stormbox Blast: Pound for pound champ! Unbeatable combination of deep bass and balance imho for the money. Not as deep (or boomy) as the JBL Boombox 3 but that speaker is much larger and costly. The blast actually uses the woofers from the JBL Boombox. For me in my neutral EQ I can get some sort of HiFi type sound, a bit more sophisticated than the normal party sound if you like from these sort of speakers. Currently flip flops in UK between £150-£200. Not perfect as the case with just about every speaker out there. Has a 5.5khz dip that you have to EQ around. https://geni.us/stormboxblast

Special shout-out

Harman Kardon Go+ Play 3: Quite simply my current favourite speaker. This is the nearest you will get to a neutralish hi-fi (ish) sound at £300 or less. Warmer, smoother and bigger sounding than the go play 2, plenty of detail on offer and with a Hi-Fi type of quality to the sound. The bass is lovely and warm and present and this is a speaker i absolutely play a lot and enjoy. In a well treated room the default settings are just slightly warm side of neutral but in a boomy reverberant room it will sound bass heavy. You can tailor the highs and lows somewhat with the hidden eq settings. Volume up and phone button tapped together will give three adjustments for highs and volume down with the bluetooth button give three adjustments for bass. The yellow flashes tell you which one of the 3 eq steps you are on. default is 2 flashes. https://geni.us/goplay3

Marshall Stockwell 2: balanced immersive, not loud. Often overlooked this compact 360 degree speaker with its abss set to 8 and the treble upped just a tad is very balanced but will fall apart at louder volumes. However still a go-to for me for a relaxing moderate volume listen and quite accurate with above settings. Mine and others has aptX but Marshall/Zound industries insist it doesn’t have aptX 🤷‍♂️ https://geni.us/stockwell2

Soundcore Motion Boom: https://geni.us/motionboom Note, the latest versions of the Motion Boom sound inferior to the original version and is no longer a recommended buy from me. Amazingly deep bass to 40hz for its size and price. My last pound for pound champ before the Blast. Replaced by the Soundcore Boom 2 in March 2024. However they do not look or the sound the same. Motion Boom remains a warmer sounding speaker but Boom 2 goes much louder but with a single woofer and two tweeters. NOTE: The 2024 version of the Motion Boom does not sound like the original Motion Boom. It has less deep bass and distorts more. I cannot recoocement the Motion Boom anymore therefore sadly.

Mifa Wildbox A Motion Boom alternative. Sound is dependent on the firmware which must be manually updated. The original firmware I reviewed was more bass heavy than the next firmware and I haven’t tested any firmware’s since. Some prefer its more neutral sound (they say) to the same sized Soundcore Motion Boom.https://geni.us/mifawildbox

Soundcore Motion Plus Still worth a look, my original world pound for pound champ the Motion Plus can still offer great clarity. https://geni.us/soundcoremotionplus

£50 champion:

Soundcore Boost V2 Great bass for its size, Soundcore Boost: This is classed as a compact travel speaker but for me is a best buy at around £50. Note there is an issue where at lower volumes bass can pump but for me it’s so rare as to be a non issue, others find it more annoying than myself. https://geni.us/soundcoreboost

Other £50 or less speakers

Bogasing G4 One to consider. Bigger than the most compact £50 speakers and offering more volume and more bass as a result. Not the cleanest sounding speaker ever but offers a good combination of price/bass/loudness.https://geni.us/bogasingg4

Mifa WildRod: https://geni.us/wildrod sits between Soundcore boost and Tribit maxsound plus in sound and is about the same size. Uses the drivers from the Flip 6.

Bogasing M5: decent enough, bright sound up to 50%, 360 sound. https://geni.us/bogasing5

Tozo PA1: https://geni.us/tozopa1 cheap travel speaker with quirks but also custom eq

Tribit Maxsound Plus: The most neutral speaker you will find for size and price. You might find it bass light but till you start hitting louder volumes this is very accurate down to some mid bass. Very clear. Replaced by the Tribit Xsound Plus 2 in April 2024. The Tribit Xsound Plus however is not a neutral sounding speaker with a very v shaped default EQ. it does however have a Maxsound Plus preset but at this point it is still more v shaped than neutral than the original Maxsound Plus. https://geni.us/maxsoundplus or https://geni.us/tribitxsoundplus2

Good value Speakers I actually listen to:

JBL PartyBox Encore: Very small battery but VFM for a deep bass party speaker with karaoke features and included microphone. Really a party speaker but included here because it does do deep bass almost on a par with the Boombox 3 and depending on the deal its hard to find something with the all round balance and still be good for oparties. https://geni.us/jblpartyboxencore

Onyx Studio 5/6 These two speakers are the most deep bass heavy of the entire Onyx Studio series. The Onyx studio 5 being a tad more bass heavy than the 6 and the 6 being a tad more high end clear than the 5. Both are mono. https://geni.us/onyxstudio6

Bag of Riddim 2: Not for everyone but a lot of fun especially with some reggae music. Very mid and upper bass heavy and certainly not one for the audiophiles but has a great character of its own. https://geni.us/bagofriddim

JBL Boombox 3 WiFi: Crazy price but I much prefer its balance to that of the BB3 bluetooth only edition which has a silly 700hz peak that ruins it for me. The Wifi is tuned slightly different, more for indoor listening than the bluetooth version. The Wifi version also has dolby atmos for music decoding. https://geni.us/jblboombox3

Minirig mk4 2.2 system: The Minirig Mk4 is more stable now in TWS mode. In the the full 2.2 system (with two Minirig subwoofers) this is a fantastic hifi like listen. favours volume and upper bass over deeper bass. Read my Minirig Mk4 review here! https://geni.us/minirigmk4

Audio Pro C3: Open and neutral but lacks deep bass, also has WiFi connection. Can make a refreshing change from party type speakers and v-shaped speakers.https://geni.us/audioproc3

JBL Charge 5: https://geni.us/jblcharge5 Definitely one of JBL’s better value speakers. Mono, clear and dynamic at low volumes, reasonably loud. Very travel friendly cylindrical shape, again not one for audiophiles but certainly one that will please a lot of people.

Beosound A1 1st gen: better than 2nd gen, connectivity and battery issues. Deep bass for small size. Not cheap but one of the best listens for its very small and flat size.https://geni.us/a1gen1

Denon 250bt: discontinued but still a reference for size/quality ratio. Has a rapid discharge battery but if you can find a bargain it’s still a great (and one of the best) travel friendly listens.

Bose Soundlink Micro Same size as the Tribit Stormbox Micro but different sound signature. Very warm sounding but falls away at loud volumes (relatively). https://geni.us/bosesoundlinkmicro

Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 Much cheaper than the Bose Micro option and way better value but a very different sound. The Tribit Micro is more clinical (neutralish) than the Bose, both decent for size but very different target market. https://geni.us/tribitmicro2

Tribit Stormbox Pro: Recently dropped to $99 making it great value. Not just a poor mans Bose Revolve+ this has tweeters unlike the Bose Revolve+. For me it can match the Bose at low and very loud volume sbut Bose better at around 60-80% volume.https://geni.us/tribitstormboxpro

Bose Revolve+: Crazy high price of $250 normally. I can’t recommend to buy it for a single driver 360 degree speaker at that price but at around 70% volume I find it a great listen given its size and 360 degree nature. But this is its sweet spot and it will sound muddy at lower volumes and at 100% the highs fall away leaving a weird but bass heavy sound. https://geni.us/bosesoundlinkrevolve

Bass Heavy Speakers:

Earfun Uboom X At the current price of £112 this is a good value boombox type speaker if you are aware of the issues. This mostly surrounds the poor default tuning and the need to use the OLuv presets for most volume and most bass. You will need to adjust volume as the volume curves are different to default. https://geni.us/uboomx

Onyx Studio 8 An improvement on the 7 and stereo (in terms of the two tweeters anyways) unlike the Onyx 5 and 6. Not as bass heavy as those two but better balance and will suit people who prefer balance over big deep bass. personally I prefer the 5 and 6. https://geni.us/onyx8

Tribit Xsound Mega: small/medium sized mono speaker with fun bass and light show. https://geni.us/xsoundmega

Soundcore Boom 2: Medium size speaker with decent upper bass slam and can go quite loud. Single woofer robs of some life. fair value for money for outdoor party sound from small package speaker. https://geni.us/xsoundmega

Soundcore Motion Boom Plus: Best package for price, weight and loudness. However its bass is mostly upper bass and overall a bright sounding speaker that can sound harsh and maybe best played outdoors. https://geni.us/motionboomplus

JBL Boombox 2 & 3: These two have similar bass but Boombox 3 is more mids forward https://geni.us/jblboombox3

W-King D10 for upper bass with a balanced sound and well priced https://geni.us/wkingd10

W-King H10, loudest speaker i have tested so far with the biggest battery hitting 115dB playing at 100% at 1 meter. https://geni.us/wkingh10

Tronsmart Bang max: can match the low bass of the JBL Boombox but has issues elsewhere. Certainly an option for a cheap version of the JBL Boombox 3 just don’t expect great mids or highs. https://geni.us/tronsmartbangmax

W-King X20: When priced about the same as the Bang Max the X20 offers better value. Ultimately X20 will go louder with more bass and better balance. However the Tronsmart in Soundpulse mode has a sweet spot around 75% volume which is more bass heavy than the X20 and if those are your volumes and you want more bass the bang Max still can out-do the X20 but its only around this specific volume step it can do that. The X20 also goes much louder than the JBL Boombox 3 even with the Boombox 3 on mains power.https://geni.us/wkingx20

Party Speakers

Soundcore Rave Neo 2: reasonably balanced, lacks deep bass but plenty of mid and upper bass, a bit too lively for me but if you can get it for the $99 i have seen it on sale for its one of the best value speakers out there. https://geni.us/raveneo

W-King T11, party type speaker that can hold bass even at max volume (110 dB) https://geni.us/wkingt11

Hi End Picks

Vifa Oslo: expensive but very clear with deep bass, lacks warmth: https://geni.us/vifaoslo

Rocksteady Stadium 2.1 system: good subwoofer, satellites could be better https://geni.us/rocksteadyspeaker

Dali Katch: lots of issues, best at low volumes https://geni.us/dalikatch

Soundcore Motion X600: analytical, slightly bass light, bass distorts for a lot of people. Entirely dependent on the firmware you have since for the first weeks after release no less than 9 different tunings were loaded onto different versions of the Motion X600.https://geni.us/motionx600

JBL Authentics 300: has a notable 50hz boost, a little sharp and thin, not too loud https://geni.us/jbluthentics300

Travel Speakers:

Soundcore Motion X500: Ignore the hype. Sounds pretty reasonable in bass heavy Dynamic mode up to 60%. https://geni.us/motionx500

Soundcore Motion 300: bright tuning, distortion in Xtra bass, nice enough for medium to low volume https://geni.us/motion300

Earfun UBoom L: Detailed and neutral mids but lacks bass impact (firmware 0.4x). This speaker is totally dependent on the firmware. Originally tuned by Olaf of Oluvs Gadegts youtube channel his firmware was later dropped by Earfun for a more bass heavy crowd pleasing sound. This firmware is not without its merits but is a very different sound to the more relaxed Olafs tuning. This speaker is often spoken of as flat with Oluvs tuning but really only the mids are flat. Also with 0.4x firmware you get a lot of volume control at the lowest volume steps. That is to say there are gradual increases in loudness rather than big jumps. https://geni.us/ubooml

Soundcore Motion 300: Class leading app gives lots of options for EQ, decent for the money https://geni.us/motion300

Bose Soundlink Flex: https://geni.us/bosesoundlinkflex good bass for its compact size.

Tribit Stormbox Flow: Bose Flex clone. deeper bass than Flex but some distortion in xbass mode. https://geni.us/tribitflow

JBL Flip 6: https://geni.us/jblflip6 can be a bit harsh).

Wonderboom 3: really nice form factor with reasonable sound https://geni.us/uewonderboom3

Bose Soundlink Max: Not awful but with lots of issues once you go over 50% due to its use of virtual surround processing and lack of mids. It remains a nice form factor for the beach in a compact form going loud with some bass but at $400 is probably the most overpriced speaker I have so far purchased. At time of review cannot be paired with a second Bose max as far as I know. Just with other Bose smart speakers.https://geni.us/bosemax

Beats Pill (2024): One for the V-shaped crowd. can do a job and has deepish bass for its size especially given it does not have passive radiators. Lacks features like in-app EQ. Not bad at all but overpriced at $149 given this is JBL Charge 5 pricing.https://geni.us/beatspill

Harman Kardon Luna: For most people this will be a better option than the Beats Pill. The Harman Luna is a very warm sounding speaker similar in size to the Beats Pill but with slightly stronger mids and less boosted highs but still a V shaped sound overall. However it doesn’t have the extreme sizzle to the highs as the Beats Pill and goes a bit louder. Not without issues with its boosted bass rolling off at high volumes leaving quite a bright sound and can sound a little honkey when pushed. However for its size and bass and warmth is certainly one to consider for a compact fun sound. There is no app support. https://geni.us/harmanluna

Micro Options:

Minirig Mini 2: https://geni.us/minirigmini2

Mifa Tango: 100% tuned for outdoor or low level listening, camping geared https://geni.us/mifatango

360 degree speakers:

Tribit Stormbox 2: similar sound to StormBox 1 but with a lot more overall volume but strangely a tad less bass than V1. Its an ok sound, clearer than the Glow but with a lot less bass. The Tribit Stormbox Pro is a better buy but also more expensive. App support. geni.us/stormbox2

Minirig Mk4: works best paired with another Minirig mk4 or the subwoofer as a single mk4 lacks bass and is mono: https://geni.us/minirigmk3

Soundcore Glow: Safe sounding, reasonable balance but certainly on the bright thin side but still a safe listen for most. has a big 13khz peak which is a bit overdone. https://geni.us/soundcoreglow

Worth a Listen:

W-King T9-1: https://geni.us/wkingt9, reasonably loud and balanced big bright detailed stereo sound. Note this is for the original T9. Since then W-King have made different versions with different chips. I am told the newer models may have more bass so may not be the balanced detailed sound I got from my original version.

LG Xboom GO PN7: relaxing, not bass heavy, DTS mode for open sound. This is what I class as a large travel speaker form factor. True spatial sound format in the form of DTS upmixing 3 years before the fake spatial sound claimed by Soundcore on the Motion X500 and Motion X600. Fake as in just stereo upmixed to a third upward firing driver and not playing and decoding any true spatial formats. https://geni.us/xboompn7