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Ultimate ears Boom 4. 360° sound, fits in a cup holder, waterproof, has a flap over charge port, fantastic sound and you can pair multiple together.
The tribit stormbox is a good item. I have liked some of the UE products like the Wonderboom or Boom 4
I have the tribit xsound go and tribit storm box 2. They sound much better. The ue wonderboom 4 is a smaller speaker it’s rugged but it’s still a small speaker. The sound distorts at higher volume. The ue boom 4 is a much better speaker but it’s out of ur budget. The wonder boom 4 sounds good in stereo mode. The earfun uboom is another speaker but tribit sounds better. Also check out Sony ultfield 1. It’s 20w compared to tribits storms 34w. I’m happy with the storm box 2. Which I feel is a better option. I’m not into too much of bass and prefer clarity and both my tribits fulfill this.
Probably a UE Boom 4 because it fits more easily in the car and sounds good
A UE Boom 4 works great in the car
i second the bose soundlink max for your use case. BUT you'll want to check out its weight and dimensions to be sure it's the right size. "fit in my backpack" can mean a few different things depending on the size of the backpack and how much space you're happy for the speaker to take up haha. if the max is too big, consider the bose soundlink flex (2nd gen), or one of the ultimate ears boom/megaboom 4 speakers, or maybe the JBL charge 6. but yeah size is very important here when it comes to narrowing down your options.
I have a tiny UE Boom I got for free when I bought a Samsung s8. I got the phone after it had been out for two years. Speaker still works flawlessly. Can’t even remember when I got it, maybe 2015?
Everything in the UE Boom/Blast lineup has been great for me. I've got 2 Booms and a Megablast currently. The oldest Boom is at least 10 years old and still performs flawlessly.
Of the major portable speakers out there, I have found the UE Boom series to sound the best sound quality. And sonos makes a pretty good one too. Is that what you are looking for, or do you want actual speakers? How about a used set of small pwered speakers like Audioengine A2's set up in the bathroom? I don't think anything battery powered will have a high enough quality playback to where bluetooth vs. wired will make a noticeable difference...
I see...some do have AUX inputs, but you may need to find an older model....which would be cheaper anyways. I remember the original UE Boom and Megaboom had AUX inputs. I bet there's one on FB Market.... The Sonos Roam still has aux input, but not sure if your budget fits that. My friend has the first generation. Sounds great, but bass heavy like all other sonos speakers. Just thought of something...I have an old Riva Turbo X I was going to have recycled. The bluetooth is too old to be useful and the battery only lasts an hour or two. But it sounds good and has AUX input. You can just have it, if you cover shipping cost...DM me if interested
Rankings by Use Case
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Best for Quiet home listening

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Bose - SoundLink Flex Series





