A great playlist or a good podcast can elevate your daily shower routine into a relaxing or energizing experience, but you’ll need the best shower speaker you can afford to make it happen. Taking a speaker inside a shower means transporting your electronic device into a unique environment. High moisture, humidity, water exposure, and the enclosed space of a shower all create challenges that some speakers aren’t designed to handle.
So it comes as no surprise that there’s an entire line of speakers on the market, designed specifically as shower speakers. But are these worth buying? Or are they a gimmick that will end up being a poor investment? Let’s take a look.
Pro Tip: Buy one of the numerous “hangup-style” trusted brand-name speakers with an IPX7 rating, and use it in the shower. This gives you a great versatile out-of-the-shower speaker and the best shower speaker all in one. It’s the smart way to stretch your buck.
Related: The Best Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker
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What Are The Bare Minimum Requirements For a Good Shower Speaker?
If you’re going to be using a speaker in a shower you need to overcome a few very specific challenges. To do so, here’s what I think the table-stakes features are that you should be looking for:
IPX7 Waterproofing – You’re actually going to be using it in a shower. If it cannot survive exposure to a lot of water, steam, and other forms of moisture, it’s dead in the water. So to speak! Yes, you can technically get away with an IPX6-rated speaker as well, but I simply wouldn’t compromise on this point. It’s too salient to the way you are planning to use this device.
IPX Rating Refresher
A Reliable Mounting Mechanism – Your shower may have a little soap shelf that you can place your speaker on, but in most cases space in a shower will be limited, so having a way of mounting your shower somewhere, out of the way is essential. You don’t want to place it on the shower floor, forcing yourself to bend all the way down to skip a track or change the volume. there are multiple shower speaker mounting options, and we’ll discuss them in more detail below.
Good Volume and Strong Bass – Showers are noisy. There’s constant running water on your head and in your face. They also have smooth reflective surfaces. All of this is in a confined compact space. A speaker with sub-standard sound quality will simply contribute to the noise, rather than cut through it. Buy a reasonably loud speaker, with a strong bass or bass boost feature that will not get drowned out by running water.
A Curated Selection Great Shower Speakers
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What Is Different About A Shower Speaker That You Should Keep In Mind?
There are everyday small Bluetooth speakers that can be used as shower speakers, providing you with tunes in the shower, while affording you the versatility of using them outside as everyday listening portable Bluetooth speakers. That being said, there are a few features that work better in a shower environment, and a few that are absolute must-haves. Let’s look at them
It Has To Be Waterproof… Obviously!
You’re planning to use it in the shower, it has to be waterproof
- High IPX Rating: The IPX rating of a speaker gives you an indication of how well the speaker is sealed against water and dust ingress. For a shower speaker, I recommend you get a speaker with a high IPX rating – IPX7 or higher. This means the speaker can effectively be submerged in 1 meter of water and still be OK. You can get away with lower “splash-proof” ratings like IPX 5 but IPX7 ratings are so common nowadays that it is table-stakes for this type of utility.
- Steam and Heat Resistance: Unlike water ingress, there’s no specific rating for protection against steam. Steam from hot showers can damage non-sealed electronics, so look for speakers specifically rated for humid environments.
- Corrosion-resistant Materials: Make sure your shower speaker is made of corrosion-resistant metal or plastic parts. If you’re in doubt, a third-party silicone covering can provide some additional steam and water protection and protect against accidental drops in the shower. Remember, things are slippery when wet!
You’ll Need A Convenient and Secure Mounting Or Hanging Option
Showers are notorious for not having a spot to place the shampoo bottle, let alone a Bluetooth speaker. Your shower speaker will need some sort of mounting or hanging feature that will keep it securely out of the way. The most common options are:
- Suction Cups: Pupose-built shower speakers of then come with a strong suction cup to attach to smooth surfaces like glass or tile. They are not failsafe though and come with risks. Suction cups can lose grip over time, especially in hot, steamy conditions, causing the speaker to slip or drop to the floor.
- Hanging Loops, Carabiners, or Straps: Most small everyday Bluetooth speakers feature a carry loop or carabiner of sorts. These are ideal for hanging speakers from showerheads, caddies, or hooks. Ensure the strap material is durable and doesn’t degrade with constant exposure to water.
- Wall Mounts or Adhesive Pads: Adhesive pads provide strong, semi-permanent solutions but might damage walls or tiles when removed. In my opinion, there are more elegant and less intrusive mounting options than this.
- Compact Size: Showers are enclosed spaces and you don’t need a large speaker to fill them with sound. A small speaker minimizes interference with shower space and reduces the risk of accidental bumps.
Inside A Shower Is Not Conducive To Great Audio Performance
It would come as no surprise that it’s not a small ask to produce clear, high-quality audio inside the enclosed, noisy confines of a shower.
- Sound Quality: Bathrooms have hard surfaces that reflect sound, which in turn creates echoes. There’s not much you can do about these bathroom acoustic challenges, but try to find a speaker with audio profiles that are well-tuned for small spaces to avoid some of the major echoes. Also, a good bass or bass boost feature can help ensure your music doesn’t get drowned out by the sound of running water.
- Volume Control: The noise of the shower can be loud, (even before you start singing!) so a speaker with high maximum volume is a plus.
- Mono vs. Stereo Sound: Stereo sound isn’t something I’d be too concerned about in a shower speaker since the confined space and acoustics of the shower make it hard to distinguish channels. Most small speakers don’t offer stereo sound anyway, so a mono speaker is sufficient in this case.
Buttons That Are Easy to Use in Wet Conditions
You’re in the shower, the music is pumping, the chorus is coming up and you are getting ready to notch up the volume to match the aria you are planning to deliver… but you fumble around and can’t get hold of the volume button.
- Large, Tactile Buttons: In a wet, steamy environment with shampoo threatening to run into your eyes, being able to press a button on your speaker can become challenging. Small buttons or touch-sensitive controls can be frustrating to use with wet or soapy hands. You want a speaker with oversized, textured buttons for volume, power, and track navigation. And you want these buttons easily accessible at the top or front of the speaker. Having to flip over or reposition the speaker to up the volume is a show-stopper.
- Voice Commands: Yes, in theory, it would be nice if you could use a built-in voice assistant like Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri to change tracks or adjust settings hands-free, but remember, you are in a noisy shower with running water. Shouting at your speaker through all that in an attempt to be heard and change the volume isn’t practical.
Does Battery Life Matter In A Shower Speaker?
Honestly, not really. Most shower sessions are short, a long-lasting battery just means fewer recharges, which is nice. If you’re buying a speaker to double as an everyday listening speaker then aim for one with at least 8–10 hours of playtime per charge. I’m confident this should get you through any after-gym shower, even on a cold day.
Additional Features That Matter, or Don’t Matter in the Shower
- Built-in Microphone: In theory, this should allow you to take calls hands-free, but I don’t think trying to take a phone call in the shower with the water running is a great idea.
- Multi-Device Pairing: Nope, nice to have outside a shower but in a space the size of a shower, I don’t think there’s much use in adding a second speaker to the equation.
A Few Practical Tips for Maintenance and Cleaning Your Shower Speaker
- Avoid letting water pool on the speaker. Place it where water can drip off naturally, especially if you leave it in the shower more permanently.
- Wipe your speaker down regularly to prevent soap scum, hard water deposits, or mildew from forming on the speaker. Use a damp cloth for cleaning and avoid harsh chemicals. If you have an IPX7 speaker, don’t be afraid to rinse it off with a very mild dishwasher detergent from time to time.
- Showers are damp and moist, long after you dry yourself. If you don’t use the speaker daily, take it out and store it in a dry place to extend its lifespan.
Final Word
A good shower speaker must be waterproof, durable, easy to operate, and produce a sound that can cut through the typical bathroom noises from running a shower. You can either buy one of the custom-made shower speakers on the list above or, as I suggested, buy a good brand-name hang-up type speaker and use it as a shower speaker. you’ll end up with a great shower speaker that can also serve as an everyday listening speaker. It’s what the smart money would do.
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