The biggest and best party speakers will offer a perfect blend of portability – or at least manoeuvre-ability – and wall-busting sound, with extras like waterproofing and microphone support all thrown in.

However, since dedicated party speakers are quite specific devices, it can be tough to find one that matches your needs. Some are better suited to general outdoor get togethers, while others will only excel when providing sound for indoor shindigs.

It’s also worth noting that the options we’ve tested are different to the likes of waterproof and outdoor speakers, which are often more compact. Not all of the best smart speakers or Bluetooth speakers translate to party atmospheres well, either.

To help you make sense of this niche area of speakers, we’ve detailed some of the top picks around.

Best party speaker: Our top picks

• JBL/Pocket-lint

  JBL PartyBox 310

  1. Best overall

• Sony/Pocket-lint

  Sony SRS-XV900

  2. A great premium option

• Ultimate Ears/Pocket-lint

  UE Hyperboom

  3. Best for house parties

• Monster Rockin’ Roller 270

  4. Best for battery life

• Ion Audio Block Rocker Plus

  4. Best on a budget

• JBL PartyBox 710

  5. Great for outdoors

• Soundboks

  Soundboks 3

  6. Best for the biggest of parties

JBL’s middle child in its party speaker line up probably delivers the best balance of performance and cost for most. While it might not deliver the level of bass as the 710 further down this list, you’re unlikely to find yourself wanting, with plenty of low-end wallop for hip hop and dance music.

It’ll go decently loud too, with a 240W output, plus you get battery power here, with 18 hours of playback from a single charge. If big regular outside parties are your thing (and you have understanding neighbours) the more powerful 710 may suit you better, but the 310 is IPX4 rated for protection against the elements all the same.

Like the Sony, you have the option for plugging in karaoke mics or a guitar to give the 310 flexibility in use, plus there are customisable RGB lights built in here as well.

These lights can be controlled via the JBL PartyBox app, which will also give you access to certain EQ controls, as well as the ability to pair this speaker with another one for even more powerful sound.

The SRS-XV900 is a seriously big, seriously powerful speaker and Sony’s loudest party speaker yet. You can use it wherever the party is, with a handle and wheels for moving it around and 25 hours of battery life – plus there’s a 10-minute quick charge function that will give you an extra three hours of playback.

This is an omnidirectional speaker, so no matter where you are standing, you should enjoy the same great performance. This is thanks to the six tweeters that are angled around 360 degrees at the top of the speaker, with Sony’s Jet Bass Booster port around the back to ensure a rich, deep low end. Need a bit more? A press of the Mega Bass button will give it some extra welly.

Some nice features include the USB charging port and the ability to plug in up to two mics for karaoke, or use it as a guitar amp. Of course, you can expect LED party lights, that’ll sync up with the music that’s playing – or you can even use it with your television, thanks to the TV Sound Booster feature.

Ultimate Ears speakers are no strangers to our speaker round ups, and you’ll find a couple of its smaller options in our Bluetooth and wireless speaker buying guides.

The Hyperboom, though, is a great choice for a party speaker that isn’t going to require wheels to get it around. It’s still suitably large enough that it needs a carry handle, but it’s not going to take up as much space as most of the other options on this list – nor be quite as heavy.

It’s a good looking speaker with some of UE’s bold design touches on the control panel up top. It offers a 24-hour battery life, is IPX4 rated and can be paired with any of UE’s other speakers to bolster its sound further. There’s no smart functionality here, nor any inputs for mics or guitars, but there is an optical in, for boosting TV sound, and a 3.5mm aux in, should you have a device that can still make use of that. There’s a USB out too, for charging your device.

You can expect UE’s sound signature here – perfectly rumbly in the low end when needs be, but overall a clear, confident and energetic performance that works with all types of music.

The Rockin’ Roller is a party speaker that looks like it means business, with a rugged exterior and plenty of easily-accessible controls.

The styling might not be to all tastes, but it is backed up by specs that count, with 200W of power and a staggering 100-hour battery life. That’s the best on our list by some stretch.

This thing has boatloads of features too, far too many to list here, but highlights include a built-in Qi charger, TWS speaker pairing, IPX4 weatherproofing and all-terrain wheels for taking your party on the road.

In particular, the sound is delivered through 270 degrees, so you can pop it in the middle of the room and leave it to deliver the party to wherever anyone is standing.

Ion’s party speaker is the kind you might remember from The Wolf of Wall Street, complete with a telescoping handle that lets you wheel it to where the action is, and a microphone in the box for karaoke or announcements.

On the inside, it packs a real punch – there’s a 100W peak power amplifier, an 8-inch woofer and a wide dispersion tweeter that’s backed up by bass-boosting controls.

It’s also able to stay powered for an age – 50 hours worth of playback is available through the unit, with users able to connect via Bluetooth or through the AUX port. There’s a USB out for charging devices too.

Perhaps rather randomly, this speaker comes with an AM/FM tuner for listening to your favourite radio DJs – but no matter what you play, you can expect a big, powerful sound, and at a pretty reasonable price too.

Just be aware, that although it might look rugged, there’s no waterproofing here, so you’ll need to be confident in the weather if you want to use this outside.

If you really want to get the party started, the insaely powerful JBL PartyBox 710 is the right tool for the job.

With 2.75-inch tweeters and 8-inch woofers, the PartyBox 710 provides a massive 800W of detailed sound and bass that you can feel.

The sound is accompanied by a dazzling light show that’s customizable in JBL’s app, bringing some nightclub-style ambience to your next shindig.

The only thing to keep in mind is that there’s no battery on this model, so you’ll need to party somewhere with an outlet. There are wheel and a handle to help you get there, as well as IPX4 waterproofing for splashproofing.

If its straightforward looks didn’t give the game away, this speaker means business.

You won’t get the flashy lights of some of its competition, but you will get some pretty outstanding specs, including a “loudest Bluetooth speaker” claim with 126dB output at maximum volume. Soundboks reckon this should cover a party for up to 250 people, so this really is a speaker built for serious stuff.

There’s also an outstanding level of battery life, with up to 40 hours – plus the battery is swappable so you never need down time to recharge. Devices can be connected via Bluetooth, XLR or AUX input, with a really solid, pro-level sound quality to suit all genres of music.

The speaker is tough too, with a dent-proof steel grille, splash-proof electronics and an aluminium frame. The price tag takes all of this into consideration, of course, but if you need something that takes the partying up a notch, the Soundboks (Gen 3) speaker is pretty much unrivalled.

How to choose a party speaker

Choosing a party speaker is very different to choosing something for your home or the outdoors, as we mentioned up top. That’s why we’ve put together a few considerations to check off before you make up your mind.

How much should you spend?

As with any area in the speaker market, ones specifically designed for party environments can get pretty expensive. However, there’s also a very good range of mid-range and entry-level picks, too. Typically, sound quality and added features (such as multiple connections, improved battery life and a more premium, portable build) are available to you if you can spend a little more, but the basic function of filling a room with good-quality audio is available even with cheaper models. It’s all about how much you’re willing to spend, as with anything. Keep in mind that you can also double-up on many speakers and pair them to receive stereo sound, which can really boost things without having to break the bank.

Do you definitely need a dedicated party speaker?

If you’re in need of something that can provide an extra gear of sound above a regular household speaker – a speaker that can fill a room of 50 people, say – then a party speaker is what we’d go with. However, we’d advise you to consider whether you can actually get by with a high-end, powerful Bluetooth or smart speaker before diving in completely, as there’s a strong chance this will be more useful to you when you’re not wheeling it out for karaoke sessions with friends.

How important is portability?

Perhaps this is a speaker that will sit in the same corner forever, or perhaps it’s one that will need to be lugged in and out of cars and parties every weekend. Either way, we’d consider the level of portability you need from a party speaker, as many can be quite a chore to move around – even with their wheel and telescopic handle. They’re also fairly delicate, so be sure to wrap it up if it is going on adventures regularly, and check for waterproofing if outside music is important to you.