It’s Sunday morning and you just can’t get that Bedouine song out of your head as you’re hopping into the shower. With the best shower speakers, you’ll be singing along, whether your idea of a shower is a poolside garden hose or the shared bathroom in your fifth-floor walk-up.
The best shower speakers are water-resistant, will easily link up to your smartphone via Bluetooth, and have a great sound that’s bass-y enough for that new Radamiz single, and crisp enough for you to follow along with the Age of Napoleon podcast. Many shower speakers come with advanced connectivity that will allow you to control your streams by voice, pair with other Bluetooth speakers, and even float alongside your rubber duck while you lounge in the bath. Some shower speakers are loud enough for pool parties and days bathing in the lake, while others are portable enough to clip onto your faucet.
Perhaps because of the fierce competition among portable Bluetooth speaker brands, the shower-speaker market is full of some truly well-designed products, many of which are worth real consideration. We’ll walk you through some of the best of the best below, and help you pick out the best shower speaker for your needs.
— Best Overall: JBL Charge 5
— Best Budget: INSMY C12 IPX7
— Best for the Shower: Bose SoundLink Flex
— Best With Bass: Anker Soundcore Motion Boom
— Best High-End: JBL Boombox 2
How We Picked the Best Shower Speaker
There are a number of shower speakers that are all very much worth consideration. To pick out the best of the best, we looked at the specs of all the leading brands and considered the pros and cons of all their standout products, factoring our experiences with each brand into the mix. We looked for a few specific metrics to help guide our choices:
Waterproof Rating: For any piece of electronic gear you’ll be bringing into the shower, waterproof ratings are of utmost importance. Thankfully, it’s easy to find a shower speaker with good waterproofing. We looked for IPX7- and IP67-rated speakers wherever possible, prioritizing IP67 ratings when we found them, as they include dust-proofing as well as waterproofing. Speakers that include an X in their IP rating have not been rated for dust-proofing, thus an IP67 speaker is better than an IPX7 as the former has been tested for dust-proofing and waterproofing while the latter has been tested only for water resistance.
Sound Quality: The best shower speakers offer excellent sound quality. We looked for speakers that have solid bass coverage, as well as crisp tweeters and midrange drivers that will handle voices and strings well. Where possible, we highlighted speakers that present balanced tones.
Connectivity: This is of top importance in any Bluetooth speaker. We looked for shower speakers that easily pair with your phone or tablet via Bluetooth; might come with added connectivity features such as voice control through Google Assistant, Siri, or Alexa; and offer pairing options that link them up with other speakers in their ecosystem.
The Best Shower Speakers: Reviews and Recommendations
Best Overall: JBL Charge 5
Why It Made The Cut: With excellent waterproofing, storied sound quality, mobility, and an attractive design, the Charge 5 carries the JBL Charge torch with aplomb.
Specs:
— Waterproofing: IP67
— Battery: 20 hours
— Dimensions: 8.7 inches L x 3.67 inches W x 3.76 inches H
— Weight: 2.1 pounds
Pros:
— Waterproof and dirt-proof
— Can be used as a battery bank
— Great sound with solid bass you can feel delivered via two radiators
— Pairs with other JBL speakers
Cons:
— BL app misses some of the premium software features offered by competitors
I’ve owned and loved my JBL Charge 2 for the better part of ten years, I’ve splashed it on boats, camped with it, and connected it to my laptop for countless sonically enhanced movie nights. With nine or ten years spent with a Charge 2, my interest was piqued by the Charge 5’s enhanced set of features. The new iteration from the famous line of Bluetooth speakers is a better option than ever. It features the same basic format, with two signature passive radiators on each end that make the bass thump, and a central tweeter and separate midrange driver.
The JBL Charge 5 is IP67-certified, so it’s highly dust-proof and won’t die (or shock you) when you bring it into the shower, even if it’s submerged. The Charge 5 contains an impressive battery that can hold a 20-hour charge, and also works well as a mobile battery bank if you’ve brought it out for a quick day at the lake. The Charge 5 easily pairs with other JBL devices, enabling you to build a mobile fleet of Bluetooth speakers for totally immersive sound.
Best Budget: INSMY C12 IPX7
Why It Made The Cut: For a truly budget price, this clip-on speaker comes with an impressive IPX7 waterproof rating that will protect it even when it's dunked underwater, along with good sound.
Specs:
— Waterproofing: IPX7
— Battery: Up to 12 hours
— Dimensions: 3.54 inches L x 3.54 inches W x 1.2 inches H
— Weight: 7.4 ounces
Pros:
— Solid battery life
— Two passive radiators for decent bass in a small frame
— Pairs easily with Bluetooth 5
Cons:
— Buttons are hard to use
— Some audio clipping happens when it’s playing audiobooks
This 3.5-inch circular shower speaker uses two passive radiators to pack a surprising amount of volume and bass into such a little frame. Using a clip or suction cup, the INSMY C12 IPX7 can hang just about anywhere. With Bluetooth 5 it will easily pair with your smartphone, and its IPX7 rating ensures that it won’t die even if it takes a dunk. This all adds up to a versatile mini shower speaker with a sound that’s bigger than you'd expect.
The speaker’s size does limit the body of its sound somewhat; it’s not as big-sounding as some other Bluetooth shower speakers out there, but it’s also certainly nothing to sneer at, and its small size makes it the best portable shower speaker out there. It does occasionally present some audio issues in audiobook dialogue, tending to clip at the fronts of words that come after a pause, but music presents no problem for it.
All in all, if you’re looking for a shower speaker that’s easy to pair with, waterproof, and won’t break the bank, then the INSMY is a solid option.
Best for Shower: Bose SoundLink Flex
Why It Made The Cut: A melodious, rugged IP67 speaker that easily pairs with your Bluetooth streaming devices and even responds to voice, this is a great option for those who want to stay connected in the shower—or when out for a day at the beach.
Specs:
— Waterproofing: IP67
— Battery: Up to 12 hours
— Dimensions: 2.06 x 7.93 x 3.56 inches
— Weight: 1.3 pounds
Pros:
— Powerfully water and dust resistant
— Good sound quality that puts emphasis on crisp voices
— Voice-activated
Cons:
— Battery life isn’t the best, and the device can’t be used as a battery bank
— The emphasis on high-range voices that makes for clear dialogue at low levels may sound harsh at high volumes
If you’re looking for a modern device that can accompany you to those high mountain swimming holes, or that will happily live in your outdoor shower, then the Bose SoundLink Flex is a great candidate to be your next adventure buddy. This rugged IP67 speaker can get caked in mud, dunked in a hot spring, or survive your shower faucet — all while delivering Bose sound quality, controlled via voice through Siri or Google Assistant.
Those smart voice controls are one of the highlights of the SoundLink Flex. You can easily change the track midway through your shower, or even answer a phone call as you’re shampooing your hair. The Bose Connect app isn’t the best feature of the device, however; the app is known for bugginess, so some of its advanced features may not be worth the headaches it will take to access them. Still, for Bluetooth and Google Assistant, SoundLink does a great job. The device’s EQ is also worth a mention here: It tends to prioritize the high range of the sonic spectrum, which makes it easy to understand voices and dialogue on it, even at low volumes. While this is a benefit at quiet volumes or for anyone who listens to lots of podcasts, it can end up sounding tinny at higher volumes.
All in all, in spite of a couple of quibbles, the SoundLink Flex is a voice-controlled shower speaker that sounds great and can stand up to dust and water with the best of them.
Best With Bass: Anker Soundcore Motion Boom
Why It Made The Cut: With excellent bass and pleasing overall sound, a built-in handle for easy transport, great battery life, and a buoyant waterproof design that floats, this is a great speaker for showers and outdoor adventures.
Specs:
— Waterproofing: IPX7
— Battery: Up to 24 hours
— Dimensions: 13.62 inches L x 5.83 inches W x 7.87 inches H
— Weight: 4.4 pounds
Pros:
— Decent sound with customizable EQ
— IPX7 waterproofing and buoyant enough to float
— Impressive 24-hour battery life means it doubles as a battery bank to charge from
Cons:
— Sound isn’t as impressive as some
— No aux port
A rugged Bluetooth speaker only gets better when it can double as a charging port. With 24 hours of battery life and a built-in charge station, the Anker Soundcore Motion Boom can be your entertainment station for days at the lake, or make for a hassle-free Bluetooth speaker for your shower that will keep the music bumping all week between charges. Not only is this speaker rated IPX7 for waterproofing, but it even floats.
The speaker includes customizable EQ settings that give you the control you need to adapt to your audio, whether it's bringing a boost of bass to the party or a treble boost for your morning news update. Overall the Anker’s sound quality doesn’t quite match some of the best audio shower speakers out there, but it’s certainly not bad—and if bass is your prerogative, it delivers with aplomb.
The Anker’s best features are its super long battery life, its ability to float in water, and its strong waterproofing. All in all, it’s a great shower speaker that also is a great Bluetooth speaker for camping.
Best High-End: JBL Boombox 2
Why It Made The Cut: With booming bass, excellent crispness, 24 hours of playback, and a built-in power bank, this IPX7 speaker is the mother ship of waterproof Bluetooth speakers.
Specs:
— Waterproofing: IPX7
— Battery: Up to 24 hours
— Dimensions: 21.97 inches L x 12.76 inches W x 9.33 inches H
— Weight: 13.03 pounds
Pros:
— Amazing sound that gets very loud
— Great waterproofing
— Reliable long-lasting battery life, so it can be used as a bank
— Pairs with other JBLs for surround sound
Cons:
— Expensive
To be fair, the JBL Boombox 2 might be overkill for most home showers. But for the adventurous hearts out there, this is a colossus of a Bluetooth speaker that’s rugged enough to go with you anywhere, whether you’re bathing in the hot springs of New Mexico, showering in the waterfalls of Oregon, or simply spraying off after a day in the ocean. With 24 hours of battery life, you’ll rarely have to charge your Boombox 2 for daily home use, and the battery bank feature allows you to use this advanced battery to charge paired smartphones while you play music (just don’t dunk them in your bath for too long).
While the Boombox 2’s speaker is enough of a powerhouse that it might blow the roof off your apartment’s bathroom if cranked up, it also does a great job at low volumes and has enough clarity to impress even the most discerning audiophiles. JBLs also pair well: For example, with a Boombox 2 you’ll be able to link your other JBL speakers wirelessly, such as the JBL Xtreme (which also is a great high-end shower speaker), or the JBL Flip 6, connecting them to create a mobile surround-sound environment.
All in all, the JBL Boombox 2 is a dream shower speaker for many of us, delivering maximum quality sound and great battery life in a waterproof package.
Things To Consider Before Buying A Shower Speaker
Before you buy a shower speaker, consider these features to find the best option for you:
Size and Portability
Shower speakers come in different sizes: Some shower speakers will easily clip onto a shower-curtain hook, while others could weigh over ten pounds and take up the same amount of space as a ‘90s boombox. Consider whether you’re looking for a shower speaker that will also double as a Bluetooth camping speaker, or if you want a shower speaker that will be waiting for you every day for your morning hose-down.
Battery Life
Battery life is important in a shower speaker — even if your showers average only five minutes, you’ll still want a shower speaker that will hold its charge as long as possible so that you don’t wind up running out of juice when you’re ready to spray off. Shower speakers with better battery life will be more reliably there for you when it's time to get clean (and sing along).
Waterproofing & Dirt-Proofing
While all the speakers we featured on this list are rated IP67 or IPX7, which signifies great waterproofing, IP67 speakers are also rated for dust, dirt, and mud. If you think you’ll be using your speaker in rugged camping environments as well as the shower, or taking it out for outdoor shower experiences, it could be worth finding a speaker that also delivers dust- and dirt-proofing. Some waterproofing is always a good feature in a shower speaker, but for those who would rather keep their shower speaker plugged in away from water, waterproofing might be less important.
FAQs
Q: How much does a shower speaker cost?
Shower speakers can cost anywhere from about $20 to hundreds of dollars. Usually, the best sound quality and special features like voice controls will demand a higher premium, but a good speaker can be bought for well under $100.
Q: Can you use a water-resistant speaker in the shower?
Yes, water-resistant speakers work great in the shower. These days it's common to find an IPX7 or IP67 speaker for a decent price. Speakers with this rating, which are actually submersible for short periods of time, make for excellent shower speakers.
Q: What is the best Bluetooth shower speaker?
The best Bluetooth shower speaker in our opinion is the JBL Charge 5. At a great juncture of affordability and features, the JBL Charge 5 offers great resilience to water and dust, great sound, and 20-hour battery life.
Q: Can JBL speakers go in the shower?
JBL speakers that feature IPX7 or IP67 ratings do great in the shower; these speakers are highly water resistant and even submersible for short periods of time. The JBL Charge 5, JBL Xtreme, Boombox 2, and JBL Flip 6 are all great options.
Final Thoughts on the Best Shower Speakers
— Best Overall: JBL Charge 5
— Best Budget: INSMY C12 IPX7
— Best for the Shower: Bose SoundLink Flex
— Best With Bass: Anker Soundcore Motion Boom
— Best High-End: JBL Boombox 2
If shower operatics, morning briefings on the state of the world, and daily audiobook sessions could benefit your routine, then a great shower speaker is all you need. The best shower speakers offer easy Bluetooth pairing, good battery life, strong water resistance, and great sound. For an affordable option that clips on anywhere, check out the INSMY C12 IPX7. If you want a smart speaker that responds to voice commands, the Bose SoundLink Flex is a great pick to pair with Siri and Google Assistant and accompany your rubber ducks in the bath. The JBL Charge 5 is our overall favorite, however, for its long 20-hour battery life, great sound, rugged dust-proofing, and relatively affordable price.
Why Trust Us
Let’s get one thing out of the way: Online shopping is hard. Search for any product and you’ll be confronted with dozens (if not hundreds or thousands) of choices. Our mission at Futurism, where we cover the latest technology, is to simplify this experience by researching, testing, and continuing to evaluate products so we only recommend choices that are actually worth your time.
This post was created by a non-news editorial team at Recurrent Media, Futurism’s owner. Futurism may receive a portion of sales on products linked within this post.
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