The Best Shower Speakers of 2024

Just Buy This

Bose SoundLink Flex Bluetooth Speaker

$129 at Amazon $150 at Best Buy View on Verizon

TL;DR: The Soundlink Flex’s balanced, measured audio performance is perfectly accentuated by a shower’s acoustic environment.

The Bose Soundlink Flex offers a uniquely perfect feature set for shower use. Out in the world, the long, flat enclosure that houses two small woofers struggles to provide strong bass and resonance compared to bass-heavy offerings from JBL and Ultimate Ears.

In the shower, on the other hand, the acoustic properties of an all-tile space with tons of mid-frequency reflections make the Soundlink Flex’s sound come alive in a pleasing way.

The IP67 water- and dust-proof rating is also crucial here. The 7 in the rating promises you can pummel the speaker with shower droplets and steam or submerge it, so you won’t need to worry about damage over time.

Furthermore, the ultra-thick rubberized shell has no weak points, so it'll still work if it falls onto a hard tile floor. I also found that the grippy rubber backing was conducive to staying on a niche ledge.

It picks up a lot more dirt and dust than I’d like, so if you want your speaker to look visually pristine through thick and thin, this might not be the one for you.

A handy hanging loop lets this speaker dangle from a hook or shower rack, meaning I could position the speaker in various places in my shower for optimal acoustics. The Bose Soundlink Flex doesn’t get particularly loud—which is fine for echo-y showers.

For balance, stable Bluetooth connectivity, and form factor, the Soundlink Flex is a real gem. It's also our top recommendation for waterproof Bluetooth speakers.

• Who else recommends it? CNET, SoundGuys.com, What-Hi-Fi?, and others give the Bose Soundlink Flex high ratings.
• What do buyers say? More than 85% of over 19,000 Amazon reviewers rated the Bose Soundlink Flex five stars.

Budget Buy

Anker Soundcore Flare 2

$62 at Amazon $70 at Walmart View on Verizon

TL;DR: The Flare 2 is a feature-rich, price-conscious option with a visual flair not often seen in this category.

Soundcore—Anker’s audio-focused brand—brings solid features without the hefty price tag. For a few reasons, the Anker Soundcore Flare 2 is our top budget pick for shower speakers. First, the conical, almost traffic-cone-like shape provides an excellent three-dimensional enclosure for filling a space with sound.

Soundcore has built several drivers around the perimeter of the speaker alongside two dedicated bass ports to provide a full sound that's not too loud for a shower. It lacks a bit in definition, with perhaps too much emphasis on bass, but I’ll forgive that for the decidedly reasonable price point.

Then there are the rest of the features: IPX7 water resistance provides the same level of splash and submersion protection as the Bose Soundlink Flex. It doesn’t come with dust resistance which is probably okay for shower use but might cause some problems at the beach.

Then there’s the light show provided by the two diffused RGB rings on the top and bottom of the speaker. I was surprised at how much I liked this feature, as it let me keep my harsh overhead bathroom lighting dim and still see what I was doing while getting ready in the morning.

The build quality is there, too, with a rugged mesh grill texture around the outside and a sturdy rubber base to ensure the speaker doesn’t slide off my shower shelf. The speaker suffers a bit in portability because, though small, it doesn’t slide as nicely into a front pocket as something like the Bose Soundlink Flex.

However, thanks to Soundcore’s social-first approach, if you want to take advantage of app support, EQ customization, and PartyCasting (linking the speaker to other compatible Soundcore products), the Flare 2 has a lot of tricks up its sleeve.

• Who else recommends it? TechRadar, PCMag, and others recommend the Anker Soundcore Flare 2 as a good value.
• What do buyers say? 81% of over 350 Amazon reviewers rated the Anker Soundcore Flare 2 five stars.