Lots of gadgets are useful in a college setting—laptops, AI recorders, e-readers—but not all essential college gadgets are about productivity, at least strictly speaking. Sometimes you just need a really good way to unwind, make friends, or drown out the raucous party in the dorm across the hall.
For all of those occasions, the consumer tech world has bestowed upon us Bluetooth speakers, and if you’re headed off to school, we’ve compiled the best in that category for every occasion. On this list, you’ll find speakers across the range—big, small, cheap, not-so-cheap—so at least one of them is bound to fit the exact checklist you need, house parties included.
JBL Grip
If there’s one speaker that’s fitting for a college dorm room, both metaphorically and practically speaking, it’s the JBL Grip. The Grip is a small, portable Bluetooth speaker that resembles a tall boy in weight and in appearance. Don’t let its size fool you, though; the Grip is quite loud, and the sound is better than you might imagine.
What makes the Grip such a perfect college speaker is its size and portability—it even has a loop that can be hooked to a clip for biking and walking goodness—and also its price. This tiny beer can-shaped speaker is just $100. It doesn’t have the longest battery life in the world at 12 hours, but that should be plenty for most outings if you’re out in the quad or marathoning lo-fi hip-hop while you attempt to study.
Fender Elie 6
If portability isn’t your biggest metric, there are plenty of larger options. Fender’s Elie 6 makes this list for its ability to combine design, quality, and a range of use cases. While the Elie 6 is a capable (if a little quiet) Bluetooth speaker, it really stands out for doubling as an amp. Thanks to a quarter-inch/XLR port in the back, you can hook in a guitar or a microphone and use the Elie 6 to practice with. Separate channels allow you to play Bluetooth audio and your instrument at the same time, too, while controlling the volume of each independently.
The Elie 6 lacks a companion app, which is a bummer—you won’t have any on-device effects to switch your sound up—but it’s still functional. And whatever it lacks in the software department, it makes up for in looks. I’m a big fan of the handle, the wood accent, and the click-y knobs for volume and powering the speaker on and off. Your college peers will be impressed.
Soundboks Mix
Listen, as great as it is to be able to comfortably store a Bluetooth speaker, there are different speakers for different occasions, and sometimes discreet is not the vibe you’re going for. If you’re having a, um, large gathering, the Soundboks Mix is a somewhat affordable party speaker that has enough volume to blast tunes to a whole house.
Despite its size, the Mix is fairly portable, coming with a built-in handle and rubber stoppers on the bottom that make setting it down less of a hazard. The battery life is also fairly impressive. At 50% volume, you’ll get 40 hours, and at max volume, you still get 8 hours. Plus, I like that the battery is modular, so you can just pop it out for easy charging, or if you feel like having a spare, you can buy another battery to hot-swap.
This is a big speaker with big-time volume, and Gizmodo doesn’t take responsibility if it gets you kicked out.
See Soundboks Mix at Soundboks
JBL Bandbox Solo
The Elie 6 gets a mention for combining music gear and regular Bluetooth listening, but it’s the Bandbox Solo that really takes those highlights and makes them sing. The Bandbox Solo is a small Bluetooth speaker that also doubles as a practice amp, and it has quite a few features that the Elie 6 doesn’t.
For one, there’s the AI Stem feature that uses AI to filter out frequencies, allowing you to isolate vocals, guitars, and drums. The idea here is that you can sub out tracks and then play along with the rest of the song as though you were a part of the band—it actually works, too. There are also built-in effects right on the speaker and a tuner that utilizes the dot matrix display on top. On top of that, JBL has a companion app that gives you lots of effects, a metronome, a virtual drummer, and more.
If you’re worried about having a place to practice guitar at college, the Bandbox Solo makes things incredibly easy—it’s portable, functional, and impressive. This is a perfect gadget, though maybe not from your roommate’s perspective.
See JBL Bandbox Solo at Amazon
Bose SoundLink Micro (2nd Gen)
Portability is great, but it does have a cost. That price is often battery life but also sometimes also sound. The Bose SoundLink Micro (2nd Gen), however, makes limitations with size feel a bit less pronounced than most Bluetooth speakers meant to be held in the palm of your hand. The battery life is 12 hours this time around (double the last generation), and the sound gives you surprising depth and nuance—more than the JBL Grip.
Plus, the SoundLink Micro is IP67 rated and comes with an upgraded strap, making it a great speaker to take on a run or tie to a bike. If you’re looking for a way to play music outside of your dorm room as well as inside, this is among the best options for those who care about sound quality, though it does have a Bose premium price attached.
See Bose SoundLink Micro 2nd Gen at Amazon
Sonos Play
If you’re looking for a great all-around Bluetooth speaker, look no further than the Sonos Play. The Play, like other Sonos speakers, makes a name for itself by having an option for Wi-Fi, so you don’t need Bluetooth to use it. That means you could theoretically build out a whole Sonos Wi-Fi system and play all of your speakers at once through the Sonos app.
That may sound like overkill for a dorm room or small college apartment, but believe me when I say that pairing two of these for stereo sound really makes a difference. When you’re not using the Play in your apartment, it’s incredibly easy to take off the dock and use it in Bluetooth mode outside. If you have two, you can even bring both of them and pair them together via Bluetooth for simultaneous playback.
Sound-wise I’m a big fan of the Play, especially with features like Trueplay that can use the on-device microphones to tune the speaker to your exact room type. Is this a swanky option for college? Maybe. But just think how jealous your friends are going to be, and it’ll be worth every penny.
Ikea Kallsup
There are affordable Bluetooth speakers, and then there’s Ikea’s Kallsup. If you think $100 is approachable, how’s $10? That may seem like a red flag, but for that price the Kallsup actually delivers decent sound in a portable package. If you want to expand, you can also combine Kallsups together, and for $10 a pop, that’s not a very daunting prospect. These cute little cubes come in white, pink, and yellow-green, so there are plenty of options to match your vibe.
This isn’t going to be the most premium sound of any speaker on this list, but the Kallsup is playful and cheap, and it still has a 9-hour battery life. For going to college, sometimes that’s all you need.
