Both Bose and Sonos create excellent-sounding audio tech that tends to be at the premium end of the spectrum. You want something rugged: This speaker is waterproof and can withstand knocks but we'd be worried about chips and minor damage.

Overall, the Sonictrek Go XL performs admirably with a few very minor opportunities for improvement. One note: When listening to audio books or podcasts, deeper voices can sound a bit washed out due to bass effect.

But if you have a good relationship with those around you, it's the best speaker for the job of entertaining a crowd.

The Sonitrek Go XL comes with a bevy of features that improve the tasks of the day immensely, beginning with its rugged form factor. We've tested all the top speaker contenders in every shape, size and specification over the years, so we're confident we know what it takes to sort the best from the rest when it comes to Bluetooth speakers. Waterproofing is excellent, and the Go XL was able to handle just about anything we could throw at it including tossing it into the ocean. With over 12 hours of play time and the most advanced Bluetooth 5 chipset available today, the Sonictrek Go XL is ready to take on a full day of use. The JBL Flip 6 is a prime example of a Bluetooth speaker that sticks to the basics, and gets them all right.The Tribit Stormbox Blast is an unusual speaker and there are a few things you need to know before you consider it: it's quite heavy and you can't turn those lights off completely –although you can make it so they only pop up when you're switching the volume levels. It’s not perfect – it’s heavy as a byproduct of its incredible sound, and it’s expensive due to its rich feature set. The Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 is the best-sounding and most fully-featured mini Bluetooth speaker we've had the pleasure of testing.