5 Bluetooth Speaker Deals You Shouldn't Ignore This Amazon Prime Day - CNET

2022-10-12 02:26:24 By : Mr. Raymond Chou

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Looking for a bargain on a Bluetooth speaker? Here are some deals worth checking out from Amazon's Early Access Sale.

Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.

This story is part of Amazon Prime Day , CNET's guide to everything you need to know and how to find the best deals.

Once upon a time, prices for Bluetooth speakers were gradually falling as the quality of the speakers improved. However, in the last couple of years, with supply-chain issues and inflation, we just haven't seen that many good deals on Bluetooth speakers. But as Amazon's Prime Early Access Sale gets underway (it runs through Oct. 12), we did find a handful of excellent wireless speaker values that are worth checking out. We'll update this list as we find more.

Read more: Best Portable Mini Bluetooth Speakers for 2022

The JBL Go 3's durable design, coupled with surprisingly decent sound for its tiny size, make it one of the top micro Bluetooth speakers out there.

Available in multiple color options, it has an IP67 water-resistance rating, meaning it can be dunked in water and is dust-proof. Battery life is rated at up to 5 hours.

Anker's original Soundcore Motion Boom speaker came out in 2021 and was a good value (it's on sale for $88). But the new-for-2022 Motion Boom Plus is significantly improved, particularly in terms of sound quality. It's easily one of the best new Bluetooth speakers of 2022. 

Weighing 5.29 pounds (almost a pound more than the Motion Boom), it uses Bluetooth 5.3 and is equipped with upgraded dual 3.5-inch woofers and newly added dual 1-inch tweeters, delivering up to 80 watts of audio output (60W for the woofers and 20W for the tweeters). Battery life is rated for 20 hours at moderate volume levels. It's also IP67 waterproof and dust-proof and floats if you happen to drop it in a body of water.

I was impressed with the sound quality, which measures up well against a few more expensive -- and some larger -- speakers. You can tweak the sound profile (with EQ settings) and upgrade the speaker's firmware in Anker's Soundcore companion app for iOS and Android. 

Back in 2020, Tribit released the StormBox Micro, a budget version of Bose's excellent SoundLink Micro speaker that delivered surprisingly good sound for its size and modest price. Now we get the StormBox Micro 2, which offers improved sound and battery life, along with a charge-out feature that turns the speaker into a power bank for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. An integrated strap allows you to clip it to your backpack or your bike's handlebars.

Like the original, it's an excellent value and easy to recommend if you're looking for a super compact portable wireless speaker. It's been selling for around $60 but has now dipped to $48 for Prime Day. 

While Anker's Soundcore Motion Plus came out in 2019 it remains one of best-sounding speakers for around $100. It's larger than many mini Bluetooth speakers, but it's still compact. It manages to sound quite a bit fuller than much of the competition in its price range, with bigger bass, more volume and better clarity. It's also fully waterproof (IPX7-rated) and has support for the aptX streaming codec for devices like Samsung's Galaxy phones that support it. This is its lowest priced to date (only the black version is on sale).

Read our Anker Soundcore Motion Plus review.

Read our Anker Soundcore Motion Plus review.

With the arrival of JBL's Boombox 3 ($500), you can now pick up the Boombox 2 at a nice discount. And while the Boombox 3 does sound better with a new 3-drivers system (the new speaker sounds clearer and more detailed), the Boombox 2 is still a powerful portable boom box that does pump out powerful bass and is fully waterproof.