Waterproof Bluetooth Speakers On The Lake
Being out on the water is always a good time, but when you can bring some music onto the water, it’s a party.
Having a great wireless Bluetooth speaker that is waterproof means that you never have to worry about dropping it in the water, as long as it floats and is waterproof, you won’t lose it.
If it doesn’t float, most of them can be tied down.
All the Bluetooth speakers we’re looking at here today will be IPX7/IP67 rated, which means you can submerge it in water without damaging it.
Let’s get to the speakers!
See Also: Best Inflatable Paddle Boards (ISUP) for Beginners
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Best Waterproof Bluetooth Speakser Reviews & Info
1. JBL CLIP 3 Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker
First up in today’s review is this little speaker from JBL.
Where this one wins is in size, it’s the lightest in this review.
The JBL Clip 3 advertises 10 hours of battery life, making it a great option for water activities where you’re out on the water for hours on end.
The speaker floats in water and is designed to expel water when music is played. It also has a built-in carabiner so you can clip it to something and not have to worry about losing it.
See Also: Best Waterproof Dry Bag For Kayaking, Camping, Paddling
Multi-functional buttons on top let you play, pause, switch songs, and turn up and down the volume.
Amazon Alexa and Google Home are supported through the built-in microphone.
One downside to this small portable waterproof Bluetooth speaker is you cannot pair it with another one for more sound. It’s a bit of a con but if you are looking for portability you don’t want to have to carry around two anyways.
So who is the JBL CLIP 3 Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker for?
Well, the carabiner will let you hang it on your backpack if you’re going on a hike, and with 10 hours of battery life, you can spend a whole day listening to music without running out of juice.
There is no AUX input so it’s all about wireless Bluetooth.
Bring it to the shower, pool, beach, or just listen to music at home.
It won’t have the best sound quality, but if that’s not your biggest concern this speaker is the one for you.
PROS
- Floats
- Carabiner
- Built In Microphone
- Lightweight
- IPX7 Waterproof
CONS
- No Stereo Pairing Feature
- No Aux Input
- Low Battery Life (10 Hours)
2. Tribit XSound Go Portable Bluetooth Speaker
Next up, Tribit XSound Go. This is the speaker that will be good enough for most people.
In fact, it has incredible battery life. Tribit advertises up to 24 hours of continuous use, not bad.
You can keep it secured to your paddle board, kayak, or boat with the built-in loop and the included carrying strap.
What’s impressive with the XSound Go is the sound it can put out for its size.
Although it only weighs only 13.4 oz and measures 6.7 x 2.2 x 2.3, it’s competing with speakers that cost twice as much in terms of sound quality.
The built-in microphone will let you control both Siri and Google Now. Buttons on top will let you access those smart assistants, and control volume and songs.
See Also: Best Multi-Person Inflatable Paddle Board (Giant ISUP)
Note that although it has a 3.5mm aux input, there is no cable included with the speaker.
So is it the Tribit XSound Go Portable Bluetooth Speaker for you?
It very well could be. The battery life is impressive, you can strap it to a paddle board with ease, connect an aux cable to it to save battery, talk to smart assistants, and most importantly, submerge it in water without worrying about damaging it.
The sound quality is good and that together with the other features makes this one of my top 3 picks in this best waterproof Bluetooth speaker review.
PROS
- Great Battery Life (24 Hours)
- AUX Input
- Carry Strap Included
- Great Sound For Size
- Lightweight
- Built In Microphone
- IPX7 Waterproof
CONS
- Doesn’t Float
3. Soundcore Flare Bluetooth Speaker
Soundcore is a company most known for its phone accessories. Batteries, cables, wireless charging mats, and USB chargers are some of their most sold products. But they also make Bluetooth speakers. One of them being the Soundcore Flare.
Soundcore advertises this speaker as a 360° sounding speaker for outdoor activities.
With its IPX7 rating, it can be used in a lot of places and weather without being damaged. They want you to set it in the shower, take it to the beach, or put it on your paddle board.
The Soundcore Flare is one of the speakers in this review that doesn’t float.
Siri and other smart assistants are supported through the built-in microphone, so if you like controlling your music or texts by talking to your devices, you’ll like this one.
If you would rather push a button to control your music, you can use the ones on top to control the volume, skip songs, and play/pause.
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If one Flare Mini isn’t giving you enough sound, you can buy another one and pair them for stereo sound.
The battery in this little speaker lasts up to 12 hours, so a whole day on the lake when fully charged shouldn’t be an issue at all.
The Soundcore Flare Bluetooth Speaker is a great 360° speaker with tons of features for the price. It’s a great companion to bring onto the lake for the day.
The reason this isn’t in my top 3 is due to the battery life. It’s not bad at 12 hours, but in comparison to the Tribit XSound Go, it’s relatively low.
The Soundcore Flare produces a louder sound though, so it’s up to you to decide what’s important to you.
I would argue that the Tribit has better sound quality, but the Soundcore is louder and it’s a 360° speaker.
If you want a portable speaker for the boat, loudness will probably be more important than sound quality.
PROS
- Loud
- Can Pair For Stereo Sounds
- 360° Sound
- IPX7 Waterproof
- LED Bar Linked To Music
CONS
- Lower Battery Life (12 Hours)
- No AUX Input
- Doesn’t Float
4. JBL Flip 4 Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker
Next up, JBL Flip 4. One of my favorite outdoor Bluetooth speakers. It not only sounds great but looks great. It comes in several different colors and styles.
Just like some of the portable speakers reviewed above, you can connect several speakers together for a bigger sound.
This is a neat feature if you’re two people or more on the lake on paddle boards. Put a speaker on each paddle board and you can have a loud party out on the lake.
The battery in the Flip 4 lasts up to 12 hours, so if you can charge it every night, you won’t have issues with a dead battery.
You can also save a little bit of battery by playing your music wired instead of wirelessly. Using Bluetooth instead of the AUX input uses slightly more battery.
See Also: Best Inflatable Stand Up Paddle Boards (SUP) for Lakes
A strap is included with the speaker so you can tie it to your paddle board to make sure you don’t lose it because it doesn’t float.
Big buttons will let you control your music, skip songs, and control volume. The built-in microphone will let you control voice assistants.
So is the JBL Flip 4 Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker for you?
Well, compared to the outdoor speakers above, it has better sound quality.
Better sound quality and speaker design can be important if you like to listen to music loud. Cheaper speakers distort at high volumes, but Flip 4 doesn’t.
If you prefer sound quality over long battery life, this is a great choice and that’s the reason it’s on my top 3 list. If it was an omnidirectional (360°) Bluetooth speaker, it might’ve been my No 1.
PROS
- Great Sound Quality
- Carry Strap
- AUX Input
- Multiple Colors
- Can Pair For Stereo Sound
- IPX7 Waterproof
- Bulit-In Microphone
CONS
- Lower Battery Life (12 Hours)
- Doesn’t Float
5. Bose SoundLink Micro Portable Bluetooth Speaker
The Bose SoundLink Micro is Bose’s answer to an IPX7 rated Bluetooth speaker.
It’s a very small lightweight speaker that comes at a Bose price. I am weak for Bose after buying a SoundLink Mini which
I absolutely love and is still my to-go speaker when it comes to outdoor listening. The SoundLink Micro doesn’t come close in terms of sound quality, but it’s still good for what it is.
It comes in three different colors. It is IPX7 rated so having it out in the water won’t cause any damage.
Its durable exterior also resists dents, cracks, and scratches. When you hold it in your hand that’s exactly how it feels, rugged.
If you want extra protection for travel there is a hard case (click to view on Amazon) available for it.
Although the sound quality is only average at best, we only get 6 hours of battery life.
Somewhat inconvenient, as it won’t last a full day on the water, but at this size, I don’t know how they would fit a bigger battery.
See Also: Best Coil SUP Leash For Stand Up Paddle Boards
A microphone is built-in so you can talk to your voice assistants and these are directly accessible with the push of a button on the speaker itself.
Other than that, you can control the volume, skip tracks, and play/pause with the buttons found on the front.
Even though it’s very small the Bose SoundLink Micro Portable Bluetooth Speaker has the ability to pair with other Micro SoundLinks to create louder stereo sound. This feature is normally only found with larger Bluetooth speakers.
If you only buy speakers from Bose and want a fully waterproof little gadget, this is it. For everybody else, I can’t recommend it as there are better choices for a lower cost.
I expect Bose to release something slightly bigger and better sometime soon (wishful thinking) so I will come back and update this article when that happens.
PROS
- Ultra Lightweight
- Multiple Colors
- IPX7 Waterproof
- Can Pair For Stereo Sound
- Built-In Microphone
CONS
- Very Low Battery Life (6 Hours)
- Most Quiet In Review
- No AUX Input
6. Ultimate Ears BOOM 3 Waterproof 360° Speaker
Next up is my favorite in today’s review, the Ultimate Ears BOOM 3.
This is the best fully waterproof Bluetooth speaker available on the market today for water activities. Here are a few reasons why.
It has great sound quality with a 360-degree sound. It gets loud, and the sound doesn’t distort at high volumes.
The outdoor speaker will last for up to 15 hours before needing a charge so a day or two on the lake without charging shouldn’t be a problem.
A bungee hanger on the upper back will let you secure the speaker to your paddle board but guess what, even though it’s the heaviest speaker in today’s comparison at 1.8 lbs, it floats!
It also has a fully waterproof IPX7 rating.
Big buttons along the side will let you control the volume, while a “magic” button on top to play, pause, skip and control the music.
The Boom 3 comes in five different colors.
Surprisingly the Boom 3 does not have a built-in microphone which could be either a pro or a con depending on if you like to use voice assistance or not.
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A big reason why the Ultimate Ears BOOM 3 Waterproof 360° Speaker is my top pick for water activities like paddle boarding is the fact that it’s a 360° sounding speaker.
When we go paddle boarding and listen to music we don’t want to have to worry about what way our speaker is facing.
A 360° will sound the same no matter what way it’s facing, and that’s a big pro when you’re out on the lake.
There are better-sounding speakers on the market that are also IPX7 rated. Check out the JBL Charge 4 (click to view on Amazon) if sound accuracy and quality matter more to you.
I left them out due to this fact, as the user experience is more important to me than sound quality while out on the water. It depends on what you prefer.
PROS
- Huge Volume Buttons
- Floats
- Great Sound And Bass for a 360-degree speaker
- 15 Hour Battery Life
- Durable
CONS
- No AUX Input
- Heavy
- No Built-In Microphone
My Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker Recommendations
When it comes to waterproof speakers that I can bring out with me on the paddle board, the most important thing is a good user experience. Battery life second, sound quality third.
In this review, we’ve looked at several outdoor speakers at different price-points and I hope I have helped you find what you’re looking for.
Here are my recommendations based on my research.
Good – Tribit XSound Go
Tribit has done a great job on the XSound Go, and this will be more than enough for most people.
It’s loud, clear, and has great battery life.
Exactly what you would want from a speaker when you’re out on the water.
Better – JBL Flip 4
A step up from the Tribit is the JBL Flip 4.
Better sound quality, even clearer sound, from a well-known brand.
A great option that won’t disappoint out on the boat or kayak.
Best – Ultimate Ears BOOM 3
I believe the Ultimate Ears BOOM 3 will deliver the best user experience out on the lake out of the products we’ve looked at in this review.
Although it’s heavy, it floats.
It’s loud and clear, and has good battery life.
Big buttons, a safety hanger, and lots of control on top of the speaker make this my favorite speaker for water activities like paddle boarding, kayaking, boating etc.
Although not part of today’s comparison, if you would rather have sound accuracy and sound quality than a 360-degree sounding speaker, the JBL Charge 4 (click to view on Amazon) is the one I would buy.
See Also: Best Coast Guard Approved Adult Life Jackets
What To Look For In A Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker
Long Battery Life
The first thing to consider for most people should be battery life.
A dead battery means no speaker, so it’s pretty easy to understand why it’s important.
Are you going to be gone for a week without being able to charge your speaker?
Well, then battery life should play a huge role in your decision.
Think about how many hours you usually spend on the lake, and choose thereafter before you start thinking about sound quality and other features.
360° Sound
Like I talked about earlier, a big benefit to having a 360° speaker is that it won’t matter what way the speaker is facing, it will sound the same.
If you’re just going to sit on the beach with the speaker next to you, this won’t matter much and you might as well go with a speaker that sounds better but is mono, something like the JBL Charge 4 (click to view on Amazon).
For kayaking, paddle boarding, and boats, I believe a 360-degree sound is a great feature to have.
Waterproof
Do you even need a waterproof speaker?
You can get better-sounding speakers that aren’t fully waterproof but can take a splash, like the Bose SoundLink Color (click to view on Amazon).
If you’re just going to sit on the beach or put the speaker on a boat where it won’t get submerged in water, maybe you don’t need an IPX7-rated speaker.
Built-In Microphone
A built in microphone means you will be able to answer calls directly from the speaker and you won’t need to have your phone nearby.
It also means you can use voice assistance like Google, Siri, and Alexa.
Most Bluetooth speakers have built-in microphones but surprisingly enough not every one on this list does. I think it has something to do with making them fully waterproof and not just water resistant.
If you want to be able to use voice assistance or answer phone calls make sure you get one of the waterproof Bluetooth speakers in this review that has a microphone.
Frequently Asked Questions About Waterproof Speakers
What does IPX7/IP67 mean?
These are official IP-ratings.
IP, Ingress Protection, defines how well electrical gadgets are sealed against dirt and moisture.
Each number stands for a certain specification.
You can read more about these ratings and numbers here.
Why didn’t you include (insert speaker name here)?
If I didn’t include a speaker that you believe would fit right in on this review, let me know in the comments.
I can’t fit all waterproof Bluetooth speakers in one review and I decided to make a list with different brands at different price points.
It’s not all about sound quality and accuracy to me when it comes to finding the right speaker for the water.
Have any more questions about waterproof speakers? Leave a comment below.