The Best Shower Speakers for Great Sound and Easy Placement

TL;DR: The newly updated Beats Pill features rich audio, a rugged exterior, and excellent IP67 water and dust resistance.

Why We Recommend It

The now Apple-owned audio brand is back with the new Beats Pill to build on its other recent redesign successes.

This compact, mighty speaker sports an improved speaker array and a freshly designed “racetrack” driver that delivers environment-filling sound.

The construction and design also align with what you’d need for a shower speaker.

It has IP67 dust and water resistance—with the six denoting reasonable protection from sand and debris and the seven confirming that this speaker is safe from ample splashes.

The Pill also has a rugged, thick rubber bottom to protect it against tile surfaces (which can be unforgiving for unexpected drops).

What really makes the Pill stand out as a shower speaker is that its enclosure and resonating features give it a focus and surprising detail—perfect for the echo-y conditions of a shower.

There are a few trade-offs. While the sound is focused, I couldn’t escape the signature Beats “bassiness.” Some louder songs feel too clubby for my taste.

While I like the bold, impressive design, its narrow length isn’t the most appropriate for smaller shower niches.

It also comes in at well over $100, so it may be a little rich for your blood if you just want a basic shower speaker.

But for battery life, durability, design, and sound prowess, the pill could be just the right medicine for your morning.

• Who else recommends it? Most marquee publications—including Wired, CNET, PCMag, and more—rate the Beats Pill highly for its sound quality and stylish design.
• What do buyers say? The Beats Pill has over 2,800 Amazon buyer reviews that tally an average 4.7-star rating. Happy shoppers like the solid audio and build quality.

TL;DR: Bose nails nearly every fundamental you could want from a solidly water-resistant speaker.

Why We Recommend It

I’ve reviewed dozens of speakers over the years (here on Lifewire and beyond), and there are a few I keep coming back to. The Bose SoundLink Flex is one of those speakers.

While sound quality and EQ character are subjective, I’ve always found that Bose’s approach is balanced and unique, bringing fullness and richness equally.

The SoundLink Flex, though small, gives a decent sound stage for its chassis. When I fire up this bad boy in the shower each morning, it perfectly handles my indie and singer/songwriter-oriented Spotify playlists.

You can’t push the volume here quite as hard as you can on more bass-oriented brands—so if you want something really loud, you won’t necessarily find it here. 

On the other hand, the build quality is honestly unmatched for this use case.

The thick, rubberized exterior helps with the more-than-adequate IP67 water resistance but also means that if the SoundLink Flex takes a tumble onto your tile, it’ll survive.

I also love the rubbery hanging loop on the side, just in case you’d rather suspend it from a hook. (But note that the overall rubbery texture is prone to collecting dirt and grime.)

While I like the sound quality and find the character quite fitting for the reverb-heavy shower environment, you won’t find a ton of customization. However, the price is reasonable for what you get.

• Who else recommends it? Countless publications, including CNET, SoundGuys, and others, have lauded SoundLink Flex’s approach to sound and build quality.
• What do buyers say? This popular speaker has received over 9,100 reviews on Amazon, maintaining an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars.

TL;DR: Despite some very minor trade-offs, the price is certainly right with the Tribit StormBox Micro 2.

Why We Recommend It

The Tribit StormBox Micro 2 is an impressive speaker for the shower because it sacrifices little while offering an affordable price.

For starters, the 10 watts of sound from this tiny square powerhouse is enough to pump enough sound into your bathroom for your morning routine.

The Micro 2 does fall into the same pitfalls as other small-format speakers by not featuring a stereo spread and bringing a little mid-range muddiness to the party.

But I was pleasantly surprised at how good this speaker sounded for Top 40 radio and podcasts (my two prominent morning use cases). It sounded more balanced than expected, and it projects pretty well.

The Micro 2 also sports an IP67 designation, which protects against dust and debris (great if you want to take your shower speaker out of the bathroom and onto the trail) and splashes and sprays.

I let this speaker sit right on my shower niche, and even through several mornings of dousing, the speaker stayed true and never faltered.

I also love the 4,700-milliamp-hour battery, which spared me from charging the speaker since unboxing it—and I used it for about a week.

And an upstream USB-C port lets you charge a phone if you want to use this speaker as a power bank.

I will admit that the sound quality (which is lacking just a tad) is a little bulkier than some comparable mini options from more expensive brands like JBL.

I also experienced some Bluetooth connectivity hiccups—which is odd considering it comes with the decidedly modern Bluetooth version 5.3.

But once you get the StormBox Micro 2 kicking, it’ll be a rock-solid part of your morning routine.

• Who else recommends it? What Hi-Fi, TechRadar, CNET, and more publications found pleasantly pleasing features in an ultra-affordable package.
• What do buyers say? Nearly 80 percent of Amazon reviewers give the Micro 2 5 out of 5 stars, and it holds an overall positive rating of 4.5 stars.