We tested these top audio products. Here are the best we found.

Good home audio used to mean a sound system that physically filled half a room with amps and tons of pesky cords. That’s not the world we live in anymore, and when we want to enjoy our favorite music, we want something that’ll fill a room with sound rather than equipment.

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The BestReviews Testing Lab has tested dozens of home audio products over the last few years and landed on our top five, ranging from a high-quality portable speaker to a feature-packed sound bar. Here’s what made each one a standout.

In this article: Bose SoundLink Max, Sonos Era 300 and Sonos Arc Ultra

Top 5 audio products we tested

Best Bluetooth speaker: Bose SoundLink Max

During testing, we dropped this speaker onto turf three times, floated it in water, pulled it out soaking wet and — to our surprise — music was still playing, and it sounded terrific. The Bluetooth range was about 25 yards, and the built-in USB-C port charged our tablet about 15% in just 20 minutes. The one bit of irony is that, despite the rugged features, the SoundLink Max actually sounds better indoors, as the bass thins out if there are no walls for the sound to bounce off of.

Best for spatial audio: Sonos Era 300

This speaker impressed our tester with its rich, vibrant audio so much that he had to buy one for himself. We love its ability to link with any Sonos or Apple home product via AirPlay 2, which gives you perfectly synced audio throughout your home. At $479, it’s certainly an investment, but one that most audiophiles will find worth it for how easy it is to use and the Dolby Atmos sound quality it delivers.

Best everyday portable: Sonos Play

Another favorite of the Testing Lab, this speaker delivers the premium features you’d expect from Sonos in a size and price that’s more approachable to some. From the garage to the grill to the tennis courts, the Play is easy to grab and use wherever you need it most. When you’re done, just return it to its wireless charging dock so that it’s always ready when you are. It also features AirPlay 2, which is great if you want to pair it with other Sonos products.

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Best for an actual party: Soundboks Mix

This one both looks and performs like a concert amp. In fact, it’s the loudest speaker we have ever tested. At full blast, it was so incredibly loud that the floors shook. The handle keeps it portable, and the battery pops out to charge separately (via USB-C). If you have a large space and you like to entertain, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a speaker that delivers higher audio quality that loud at that price point than this one.

Best for movie night: Sonos Arc Ultra

The Sonos Arc Ultra is not a traditional speaker, but rather a sound bar packed with tons of premium features. With AirPlay 2, you can use it in your Sonos ecosystem, but the sound-bar-quality audio is the real selling point. We tested this model with no woofer, and it produced more bass than a midtier rival sound bar with a woofer turned all the way up! We loved how clear voices sound both in music and on TV broadcasts. The Arc Ultra looks, feels and sounds expensive, because it is. The $1,099 price point is steep, but if you want a device that can really fill your living space with rich audio, this is it.

Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.

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BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. BestReviews and its newspaper partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links.

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