The Small Shower Speaker with Big Sound
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Shop Now $60, amazon.com
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I’m the kind of person who likes to have a soundtrack to my life. I don’t just mean I have headphones on when I’m walking around town (I do, but that’s the bare minimum); I want music in the background when I’m cooking, when I’m cleaning, when I’m working. I play kitschy pop when I’m getting ready and classical playlists when I’m reading—and loud. The music always comes from a source I know will sound good—from a speaker to my laptop—because, let’s face it, turning your phone volume all the way up and hearing music emit from your tiny speakers doesn’t cut it. And when it comes to showering, that used to be the worst.
For most of my life, I would prop my phone up against my bathroom counter to try and project the best sound I could. You already know this move sucks. A few weeks ago, I had perhaps my brightest Shower Thought yet—why don’t I just get a shower speaker? I got to researching, and what I found seemed too good to be true. A speaker that boasted Bluetooth compatibility, a totally waterproof shell, and a small portable design, all for less than 100 bucks. The JBL Clip 4 has it all—and that’s just the beginning.
Shop Now $60, amazon.com
It goes wherever I go.
This speaker is the definition of “small but mighty.” It’s literally smaller than my iPhone (and lighter in weight, too), but the sound is absolutely incomparable—that might have something to do with the fact that this entire thing is a speaker, whereas on an iPhone, we’re just dealing with those six tiny-hole speakers at the bottom of the device. And whereas most of the speakers this small that I’ve used before still have a slightly static, tinny sound when the volume is all the way up, this one does no such thing—even when it’s fighting to be heard over the water of my shower, it projects a rich, clear sound.
I’ve had portable speakers in the past, but none are as truly portable as this. The entire speaker is embedded into a giant carabiner-esque clip (it’s super wide but not as long), so if you don’t feel like holding it, you can clip it to anything from a belt loop to a backpack strap to a showerhead and just let it come seamlessly along for the ride, playing tunes the whole way through.
Plus, thanks to its Bluetooth capabilities, you don’t have to fiddle with your phone to do things like change the song, adjust the volume, and hit play or pause; there are huge buttons (like, think of the buttons on a TV remote at a nursing home) on the speaker itself that allow for easy access and seamless functionality.
Shop Now $60, amazon.com
It’s tougher than it appears.
This speaker claims to be waterproof and dustproof, so naturally, I had to put it to the test. I knew from the first use that I could clip this to my showerhead and enjoy incredible sound whilst the speaker got only minimally wet, but for it to be truly waterproof, I kicked things up a notch and submerged it completely in my tub. The sound wasn’t clear underwater—perhaps the bluetooth connection was severed—but when I lifted it out of the tub, completely and thoroughly soaked, it still performed good as new. No glitches. No sound skipping. No static. A miracle!
To let it get dusty, I brought it to a day at the park with my friends. I’m not gonna lie—I kicked it around in the dirt a little bit. Let it roll through a small puddle or two. Passersby were likely wondering what this poor, innocent speaker had done to deserve such abuse, but trust me—this speaker can take it. Still, the performance when I tested it after was pitch-perfect.
So, yes, this speaker is great for some shower tunes, but it’s much more versatile than that, too. In summer, I’ll take this to the pool and the beach without fear of water or sand destroying my sounds. If you’re the kind of person who likes to hike, clip it to your backpack and carry on, fear free. On the back of the speaker are grippy rubber lines, so you can even let it rest on a slippery surface (like, say, poolside) without worrying about it sliding around.
Shop Now $60, amazon.com
It sounds as good as it looks.
There are 13 color options you can choose for the Clip 4, from black to white to camouflage to red, but no matter which one you choose, know this: it’s gonna sound fantastic. Like I mentioned earlier, the entire device itself is the speaker, so you get double-sided sound that just sounds richer than a phone, laptop, or speaker that only projects from one surface. Plus, it certainly helps that JBL is a premium speaker company—they’ve been perfecting the art of sound since 1946, and it feels like all those decades of craftsmanship have culminated in this small, powerful speaker.
This little speaker goes a long way, too. Every charge provides up to 10 hours of listening time, and if you lose the charger the speaker comes with, fear not; it’s a simple USB to USB-C wire that I’m sure you have lying around some junk drawer or another. (Keep in mind that your AirPods only have half that much listening time, so however often you charge those is twice as much as you’ll need to charge this speaker.) You can truly bring it anywhere, and it’s up for anything—plus, as an added bonus it's 25 percent off on Amazon right now. This is the speaker that just doesn’t quit.
Shop Now $60, amazon.com
Photography by Joe Lingeman. Prop styling by Heather Greene.
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