The best speakers in 2025

A treat for your ears.

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on August 19, 2025

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Overview

This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.

There's an undisputed truth about audio tech: Not all speakers are made equal. But that's also true of listeners. Some people are content with something cheap and cheerful for their audio consumption — as long as they can hear what's being the played, any speaker will do. But audiophiles fall into a very different category. The speaker needs to deliver a rich body of sound that's full of nuances.

Thankfully, we understand the demands and expectations at either end of the speaker spectrum. Which is helpful for you keen listeners, because buying a speaker isn't easy. In fact, if you've never done it before, a speaker purchase requires some research. There are a lot of different speakers on offer, with lots of features and specifications to consider.

We're assuming you're here because you don't have time for all of that. Fear not, because we've done a lot of the hard work on your behalf and researched some of the very best speakers available on Amazon. Here's a useful guide on everything you need to know and a round-up of sweet-sounding speaker recommendations.

Do you need a new speaker?

It's always a good time to upgrade your tech. The real question is which new speaker do you need? Consider whether you're planning to use your speaker for just music, for TV and films, or both. You should decide on that now, because it will factor into what kind of speaker you end up buying. For instance, if you're looking for something to pair with your TV, a soundbar will be a good choice, but if you want something more music-focused, consider a pair of bookshelf speakers or a portable Bluetooth option.

In addition, you'll want to note the kind of sound quality you're looking for — whether that's surround sound, Dolby Atmos, or just plain old stereo (which is also great, don't feel pressured to get something super fancy and expensive if you don't really need it). Not all speakers produce the same kind of sound quality, so it's important to know exactly the kind of listening experience you're looking to get out of it.

What are passive and active speakers?

The difference between passive and active (sometimes called "powered") is pretty simple, yet important to note. Passive speakers don't have any sort of built-in amplification, which means that they need to be connected to a stereo receiver to work. Active speakers have everything built-in from the start, including preamp, volume controls, and inputs. If convenience is one of your top priorities, go for active speakers, as they'll require a lot less setup and additional equipment to get them working.

How many speakers do you need?

Having two amazing speakers is always going to get you better results than having five average speakers. Plus, having too many speakers around is just going to take up an unnecessary amount of space. If you have the room, two speakers is the perfect number. It's especially ideal if you listen to a lot of music, which is normally recorded for a stereo setting — so having a left and right channel will do you wonders. If you have a smaller space, one really good speaker is just fine.

Do you need a subwoofer?

The short answer is no. You don't necessarily need one. Should you get one, though? Well, that's a different question, to which we would answer: Sure, why not?! Adding a subwoofer will make pretty much any audio setup sound better (not all of them are compatible, though, so make sure you check before buying one first). Subwoofers improve the dynamics of the bass, boosting the quality and adding more depth and space to your output. Sometimes adding a high-quality subwoofer to your speaker setup is more helpful than upgrading the speakers themselves.

What is a smart speaker?

These are speakers that double up as smart devices, which may connect to Alexa or sync with other smart home devices. They’re great in their own right, but they aren't always the best way to listen to music (sorry, Alexa). If you can't live without a smart assistant within your speaker setup, we recommend something that's Bluetooth-enabled and connecting to your smartphone. That way, you get the perks of your phone's built-in smart assistant without having to downgrade the speaker itself.

What is Dolby Atmos?

This is worth knowing about because you'll see it mentioned a lot when buying up-to-date speakers. It's essentially a surround sound technology for home cinema. The basic idea is that instead of just having sound blasting at you from all angles, it places specific sounds and voices in specific places around the listener. Sounds can also move around a three-dimensional soundstage. It takes fully immersive surround sound to a whole new level. It's closely related to spatial audio — which you'll also read about below — but Dolby Atmos is its own specific technology.

What are the best speakers?

We're glad you asked. We have picked out a favourite from each of the most popular speaker categories — from bookshelf to Bluetooth speakers and everything in between — and lined up the very best options for your consideration.

These are the best speakers in 2025.

Sonos Era 300 speaker

The Good & The Bad

Spatial audio and Dolby Atmos
Bluetooth, WiFi, and Alexa
Links with Sonos speakers
Automatic Trueplay
Aux input for music and devices

Design isn't for everyone
Expensive option

Why We Like It

The Sonos Era 300 is a distinctive looking Bluetooth speaker that delivers spatial audio. If you're not familiar with spatial audio is another next-level surround sound technology. The speaker uses six optimally positioned speakers that place sound all around the room — from wall to wall and floor to ceiling — to create a three-dimensional soundstage. Sonos likes to boast that the speaker doesn't just surround, it "puts you inside your music".

The speaker also supports Dolby Atmos, giving you the very best audio performance on Dolby Atmos-powered music and movies.

There's lots more to recommend about the Era 300. It connects through both WiFi and Bluetooth, playing music from any streaming service or music platform you can name. It also supports Alexa, so it integrates in your smart home setup and manages devices. And i you've got other Sonos speakers — and why wouldn't you? — it pairs up to create multi-channel surround sound.

Meanwhile, Automatic Trueplay technology analyses the acoustics of the room or space and tweaks audio to give you optimal sound for any given environment at any time. If you're willing to pay the hefty price tag, the Sonos Era 300 is an incredible next gen bookshelf-style speaker.

Details

Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55 standing floor speaker

The Good & The Bad

Full sound performance
Dynamic balancing
Home cinema compatible
Dolby Atmos support

Clunky design
Won't suit every home

Why We Like It

If you have the room and want something versatile for playing all types of media, floorstanding speakers are the way to go. This absolute beast, the Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55, will give you big sound (it's a big speaker, after all) and won't cost you all that much in the grand scheme of audio pricing.

In fact, Polk Audio are a great alternative to higher-end brands, and they won't skimp on performance. Though if you want true stereo sound, you'll have to add two to your basket, and that means twice the price.

They're built for any kind of media, but work especially well as part of a home cinema system. With sharp highs and deep lows, Polk Audio boasts that this speaker is compatible with all latest platforms and sound technology — the likes of Apple Music, Spotify, and Dolby Atmos will all sound sweet.

Details

Sony ULT Field 7 portable speaker

The Good & The Bad

Signature Sony sound
ULT button for bass modes
Huge battery life
Optimises sound in loud areas
LED lights sync to music

Portable but hefty
Premium price point

Why We Like It

You can't go wrong with a Sony speaker. Particularly with a highly rated model such as the Sony ULT FIELD 7. A portable Bluetooth speaker, it sounds fantastic — you'd expect nothing less from the Japanese tech giants — and has two X Balanced Speakers that are specifically geared for upping the bass. Just press the ULT button to fire up its "Deep Bass" and "Attack Bass" modes.

It will also cut through loud environments with Sound Field Optimisation, which analyses the environment and adjusts the sound to ensure it's always clear and detailed. That makes the Sony ULT Field 7 perfect for parties — it even has LED lights that sync to the beat of your tunes.

It's portable but also pretty big, so it's more for moving around between rooms and packing in the car rather than sticking it in your backpack. The speaker is certainly robust enough for travel, however — waterproof, dustproof, and rustproof. Add to that a whopping battery life of up to 30 hours, which is about as good as you'll get from any portable speaker.

Details

Q Acoustics M20

The Good & The Bad

Slick design
Easy to set up
Lively, spacious sound
Versatile placement
Colour options

No wireless streaming

Why We Like It

There are all sorts of active speakers out there, with brands such as Bowers & Wilkinson and KEF offering high ticket options. But active speakers don't always need to cost the kind of money that rattles your brain like deep bass. For affordable active speakers, the Q Acoustics M20 are hard to beat.

The design and size allows you to place them just about anywhere, with the connections to hook up a variety of systems, from laptops to stereos to TVs.

There's plenty of scope and energy in the sound. They easily out-play other speakers within this price range and match up to speakers that cost a lot more. This is down to an impressive amount of power in the master speaker, with the option to also connect an additional subwoofer.

Details

Klipsch Reference R-40M

The Good & The Bad

In-between option
Two-way system
Solid mid-to-highs

Bass less prominent

Why We Like It

The Klipsch R-40M are among the best passive bookshelf speakers, and cost under £230 for a set of two. They can handle up to 200W of power, and sound fantastic (plus, they look really sleek). They can also be mounted on stands or stashed out of the way, so you have a lot of options for placement.

As for the actual audio, it's a crisp and clear sound than can be comfortably described as crowd-pleasing — an all-rounder performance that won't overdo things. There isn't quite as much oomph in the bass, though few listeners expect bookshelf speakers to handle the lowest, bassiest tones.

Overall, these speakers offer maximum versatility without sacrificing the audio performance, which is why they make this list — not to mention the fact they have one of the lowest prices you'll find here. Which always sounds good.

Details

Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar

The Good & The Bad

Pinnacle of home cinema sound
Dolby Atmos support
Extra bass performance
Three-dimensional sound
Speech enhancement tech

Very expensive
No DTS support
No HDMI inputs

Why We Like It

Sonos makes this roundup again for a good reason. The Sonos Arc Ultra is an upgrade of what was already the best home cinema soundbar in the business.

It’s packed with tech — supporting the likes of Dolby Atmos — to deliver a truly immersive, all-encompassing surround sound. That's partly thanks to this soundbar's ability to bounce sound off the walls and ceiling and put you right in the centre of the action. The Sonos Arc Ultra also connects to other Sonos speakers for multi room audio, and supports various voice assistants.

To finely hone the 3D sound, it uses Trueplay Tuning, which analyses the room and tweaks the sound accordingly. This technology is now available for both Apple iOS and Android devices, whereas before it for Apple only. That makes this a great for choice for pretty much everybody.

Other high tech additions include Sound Motion, a new technology that significantly boosts the bass output and fills every inch of the room with a perfectly balanced sound, plus an advanced Speech Enhancement feature that allows you to control the clarity of movie dialogue via the app.

Details

Logitech Z407

The Good & The Bad

Subwoofer included
Space saving
Wireless and wired

Sound isn't perfect
For PC set-ups only

Why We Like It

Of course, we couldn't forget about those of you who are exclusively plugged in to your computers — as in, the increasing number of people who consume all media directly from their laptop or PC, whether it’s music, podcasts, movies, social media, or anything else. That also goes for those of you who are WFH.

This Logitech bundle comes with two speakers, as well as a subwoofer, to provide you with rich, dynamic sound — whether you’re gaming or going down yet another YouTube rabbit hole. Hey, we've all been there.

Another plus point is that this Logitech bundle is a budget-friendly option. That means the sound quality doesn’t match higher-priced speakers, but we know that saving is important when you're putting together your dream PC setup. Costs can spiral, so this affordable bundle is a great value option.

Details

Echo Dot smart speaker

The Good & The Bad

Thousands of skills
Rich, never-better sound
Excellent value
Controls other devices
Integrates with Amazon devices

Not the loudest speaker
More refined audio available

Why We Like It

So many homes have Alexa now that an Alexa-enabled speaker is almost a smart home essential. So, why not opt for the cornerstone of Alexa technology, the Echo Dot? It scores consistently great reviews and keeps improving with every generation, as you’ll hear with this fifth gen version.

You can control music via streaming services that include Amazon Music, Apple Music, and Spotify. Just tell Alexa what you want to hear.

The sound is surprisingly good: a rich, stereo sound that fills the room. But the Echo Dot does more than just play tunes. You can also ask Alexa to answer your questions, check the news and weather, set alarms, create a shopping list, control your smart home devices, and much more. You'll get hours of entertainment conversing with Alexa. She's always got the answer.

Details

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Joseph Green is the Global Shopping Editor for Mashable. He covers VPNs, headphones, fitness gear, dating sites, streaming, and shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day.

Joseph is also Executive Editor of Mashable's sister site, AskMen.

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Dylan Haas is a Lead Shopping Reporter for Mashable, where he covers all things gaming, laptops, fitness, and shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day. Before joining the team at Mashable, Dylan received a B.A. in Communications from Pace University and contributed to publications like Paste Magazine, Bandsintown, and others following a brief stint as a marketing and management assistant in the music industry.

Matt Ford is a freelance contributor to Mashable.