Best portable Bluetooth speakers in Canada

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Back in the day, if you wanted to take the party with you and play your favourite tracks anywhere you went, you had to lug around a cassette boombox and a backpack full of homemade mix tapes. (If you don’t know what any of those things were, ask someone who was born before the turn of the century.)

Fortunately, technology has advanced just a bit since then. Now, thanks to Bluetooth, all you need to get the party started in the backyard or at the beach is a portable speaker and a mobile device from which to stream music.

When it comes to portable Bluetooth speakers, there are many choices on the market, at a number of different price points. There are ones that come with their own built-in light shows so you can get your rave on, ones that will clip onto your bike so you can conquer the mountain with your own epic soundtrack, and even ones you can float in the bath while you unwind after a long day of either raving or conquering mountains.

There are so many options, in fact, that deciding which speaker best meets your needs can be a daunting task. So, we have created this handy guide highlighting just a few of what we consider the best portable Bluetooth speakers available today.

Best overall: Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 Best versatility: Sonos Roam 2 Best multisensory experience: JBL Pulse 5 Best rock-star option: Marshall Kilburn II Best budget pick: Anker Soundcore Mini

If you have spent any time at all researching lists of the best portable Bluetooth speakers (which, since you’re reading this one, we will assume you have), there’s no doubt that you have seen the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 pop up on a fair number of them.

There’s a good reason for that. Several good reasons, in fact. This little speaker has “boom” in its name because it delivers an impressive amount of bass in a portable package. It also looks a little bit like a hand grenade. Boom.

This is a speaker designed for the great outdoors; Ultimate Ears touts that the Wonderboom 3 is dustproof, dirt-resistant, waterproof and drop-proof. Also, it floats. Made partially from post-consumer recycled plastic, the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 comes in a range of fun colours, including Hyper Pink and Performance Blue. (No Grenade Green, though.)

Price: $130 Playtime: 14 hours Where to buy: Amazon | Best Buy

Sonos was one of the first major players in the multi-room audio space, making products that connected with each other so you could stream your music to any room in your house. Before most people were even thinking about the concept of a “smart home” or “Internet of Things”, Sonos was already making it happen.

The Sonos Roam 2 fits into this approach nicely, because you can use it to create a multi-room sound system with other Sonos speakers and enjoy music, TV and more all around your home. You can also take the waterproof, lightweight and durable speaker with you and stream music and more over Wi-Fi, controlling it with the Sonos app, Apple AirPlay 2, Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.

Roam doesn’t have the longest battery life compared to many of its competitors, but its clear dynamic sound and versatility make it a winner in our books.

Price: $224 Playtime: 10 hours Where to buy: Amazon | Sonos

Sometimes you want dinner and a show. And by that, we mean that some of us crave experiences that engage more than one of our senses simultaneously. The JBL Pulse 5 can’t help you with the dinner part, but it can provide you with a pretty light show while you’re listening to music.

To really get the dance floor going, wirelessly connect up to two smartphones or tablets to the speaker so you can take turns playing DJ, or link multiple JBL PartyBoost-compatible speakers together for what the company promises to be “endless audio possibilities”. 

Oh, and for all of you Deadheads out there: yes, you can customize the Pulse 5’s 360-degree light show so that it looks kind of like a high-tech lava lamp. That should come in handy when you’re grooving to Dick’s Picks Volume 36 at full volume in the park.

Far out, man.

Price: $240 Playtime: 12 hours Where to buy: Amazon | Best Buy

For a while, it seemed as if Marshall was determined to dilute its brand, with the British guitar-amplifier company putting its name on everything from bar fridges to wall-mounted key holders — all designed to look like amps, of course.

It’s all good fun, but there’s a case to be made for sticking to what you know, which in Marshall’s case is audio. In 2010, the iconic brand began producing headphones and Bluetooth speakers, proving that diversification can be a good thing after all.

The Kilburn II is a take-anywhere speaker that is compact and light and features a handle designed to resemble a guitar strap. It has just 36 watts of power, but the Kilburn II’s portability, durability, long playtime and multi-directional sound more than make up for that.

And does it look just like a little guitar amplifier? Yes. Yes, it does. The company had better watch its back, though; at the most recent National Association of Music Merchants, trade show, Fender (Marshall’s traditional rival in the amplifier game) unveiled a Bluetooth speaker that actually does double duty as a guitar amp.

Your move, Marshall!

Price: $400 Playtime: 20+ hours Where to buy: Amazon | Best Buy

I have owned this particular Bluetooth speaker myself for a couple of years. It is, in fact, my go-to portable for listening to a carefully curated Spotify playlist while sipping a glass of Sauvignon Blanc on my patio on a summer evening.

Sometimes more than one glass. Sometimes a glass will get tipped over, and once in a while the Anker Soundcore Mini will get knocked off the table. Once I even left it out in the Vancouver rain overnight. It was fine afterwards. It has always been fine.

This is a very forgiving speaker, built like a tank. And while I do not recommend or condone letting it sit out in an atmospheric river or elbowing it onto the ground (because your results may vary), I can report that the Soundcore Mini continues to serve me well.

(If you’re looking for a portable Bluetooth speaker that actually promises to be virtually indestructible, check out the Ulitmate Ears Wonderboom 3, listed above.)

Price: $35 Playtime: 15 hours Where to buy: Amazon | Best Buy

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