It’s that time of year when we honor our moms, dads, and grads, and since everyone needs a portable Bluetooth speaker, this week I’ll highlight three of my favorites for 2022.
My Absolute Fave
My absolute favorite wireless portable speaker for 2022—the Monoprice Harmony Capsule 300 ($69.99)—falls squarely into the “most bang-for-your-buck” category. Weighing in at nearly 3.5 pounds and sporting a 10,000mAh rechargeable battery, it offers up to 30 hours of playback time at 50% volume. Speaking of volume, this speaker is louder and clearer than many more expensive portable speakers.
Thoughtful touches include a carrying strap, a USB-A port so you can recharge your phone or other devices from its massive lithium-ion battery, and an IPx7 rating to protect it from dust and immersion in water up to 3 feet deep.
My only complaint is that it’s significantly bigger and heavier than almost any other portable speaker, which makes it less attractive to pack for travel than some other options.
My Second Favorite
This brings me to my second favorite portable speaker and my go-to speaker when I travel, the Tribit XSound Mega ($99.99). Like the Monoprice speaker above, it’s rated IPX7 and includes a carrying strap, but unlike the Monoprice offering, it has two USB ports—one USB-A and one USB-C—so you can charge two other devices from its 20-hour rechargeable battery. But it’s lighter and less bulky than the Monoprice speaker while sounding almost as good.
A couple of other things about this speaker appeal to me. The first is that it offers three built-in equalization options—XBass for bass-heavy music; Music for most other music; and Audiobook for spoken word recordings. That’s unusual and useful. The second is its built-in LED light show effects, which can pulse slowly or sync to the music. I’m usually not a fan of lighting effects in speakers but I found these subtle and enjoyable. And, for the record, my kids seemed to enjoy the lights even more than I do.
When Size Matters
Finally, there are times when size matters and even the smaller Tribit XSound Mega is too big for an occasion. When that’s the case I opt for the Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 ($59.99), which is small enough to fit in a coat pocket but loud and clear enough for most applications. With a USB port for charging other devices from its rechargeable battery, it’s the speaker I reach for when size or weight matter.
One last thing: It will behoove you to shop around for the best price. For example, the Tribit XSound Mega goes for $99.99 at tribit.com the last time I checked, but was only $67.99 at Amazon.com.
Resources
Monoprice Harmony Capsule 300 Portable Bluetooth Speaker. $69.99. www.monoprice.com
Tribit XSound Mega Portable Wireless Speaker. $99.99. www.tribit.com
Tribit StormBox Micro 2 Portable Speaker. $59.99. www.tribit.com