Bluetooth speakers for your phone that won’t listen in

Bluetooth speakers for your phone that won't listen in
© Liamwh7 | Dreamstime.com

It’s the end of the day, and you want nothing more than to kick back and relax. You whip out your phone, turn on your Bluetooth speakers and start playing your favorite tunes in crystal-clear HD sound. Everything is working fine and dandy when all of a sudden your music is interrupted because you said something that sounded like “Alexa.” What gives?

The fact of the matter is speakers with virtual assistants like Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant are always listening for a wake word. This means that your conversations can potentially be swept up during “improvement auditing” sessions, which can deal a serious blow to your privacy. Tap or click here to see how to stop this from happening.

If you’d rather not deal with privacy pitfalls and perplexing legal agreements, a Bluetooth speaker is your best bet. Not only are most of these speakers quite affordable, their sound and build quality are out-of-this-world. Here are our favorite picks to delight your ears with.

Sony’s SRS-XB32

If pure aesthetic joy is what you’re looking for, the Sony SRS-XB32 has it in spades. This speaker comes equipped with beautiful pulsing lights that “dance” to whatever you’re playing — making it the perfect companion for those who want to party hard while maintaining social distancing.

The Tribit X-Sound Go

For music lovers on a budget, the Tribit XSound Go is more than enough for your listening pleasure. The speakers come standard with deep, rich bass and hefty battery life. It’s also waterproof and can go wherever you go.

The UE WonderBoom 2

The UE Boom series of Bluetooth speakers is beloved for fusing modern design and high-def sound into a single, cohesive package. And now, the latest WonderBoom speaker delivers a compact, waterproof product with sound quality that matches some of the biggest high-end speakers you can buy. Plus, it comes in a ton of fun colors.

Bonus: For audiophiles, the premium JBL Extreme 2 delivers premium sound

If you’re willing to spend a bit more for better sound, you can’t go wrong with Kim’s favorite speaker on the list: The JBL Xtreme 2. Just like the XSound Go and WonderBoom 2, this speaker is waterproof and perfect for poolside antics. It also delivers amazing sound quality and rumbling bass in a speaker that’s many times smaller than the boomboxes of yesteryear.

Oh, and it also boasts a 15-hour battery life. How many albums do you think you can play in that stretch of time?

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

Tags: Amazon, Amazon Alexa, batteries, battery, Bluetooth speakers, Google, Google Assistant, matter, Music, phone, play, privacy, sound quality, Virtual Assistants, waterproof