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  • Evening Standard

    Best party speakers for gatherings big and small, tried and tested

    by James Grimshaw Dec 28, 2023 13 minutes
    Source: Soundcore

    Life deserves a soundtrack, whether you are creating an ambient backdrop against which to blast out some work or lip-syncing for your life on your way into town.

    Most of us, though, are consuming music through the paltriest of sources. Hi-fi systems have fallen by the wayside in favour of poxy smartphone speakers and boomy Bluetooth earbuds. While these sources are convenient for the mindless consumption of favourite tracks, they very quickly show their shortcomings in more communal environs. 

    There are many situations in which you’d be extremely grateful for a great deal more oomph in sharing music out and about – from impromptu park picnic meetings with pals to full-on house parties. In these instances, something both powerful and portable would be ideal; enter the aptly-named party speaker.

    Party speakers, and what to look for

    For the completely unaware, party speakers are (sometimes) large, (ideally) portable, (helpfully) battery-operated and (typically) Bluetooth-enabled speaker systems. They are the contemporary answer to the cassette-and-radio boomboxes of yesterday, using clever design to project full-sounding audio at loud enough volumes to compete with many conventional hi-fis – with the advantage of being free enough to get placed practically anywhere.

    Different manufacturers naturally have different priorities when it comes to speaker design. Some will focus more on features, while others will direct their attention to volume. These differences make various models of speakers better-suited for different use cases or situations.

    Party speakers are not known for offering particularly high-fidelity reproductions of sound, but some brands make sound quality their USP; frequency response diagrams, where available, are a great tool for sniffing these out.

    The party speaker market is a saturated one, with many brands and models making choosing the right one annoyingly difficult. This is why we’ve curated a handy list of the best on the market at the moment, from pocket-sized surprises to modern takes on the classic boombox…

    Best party speakers to buy at a glance

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