The best Black Friday speaker deals from Bose, JBL, Sonos and more

Bose’s SoundLink Flex is down to $119 for Black Friday at Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy and from Bose. If you don't mind (or even kind of like) the Carmine Red hue, you can get it in that colorway for just $99 at Bose. The $119 price matches the low we saw for Amazon's Prime sale in October, though it’s gone as low at $110 elsewhere. The $99 price point is a new low anywhere we've seen. We recommend this portable speaker in our guide for the sub-$200 category. It delivers a good amount of bass for its size and is IP67 rated to handle the elements and a splash from the pool next summer.

The Bose Portable Smart speaker is down to $349 or $350 at Amazon, Best Buy and from Bose. That’s not an all time low, and a price it often hits, but still a tidy $50 off the list price. We recommend it in our speaker guide because it combines powerful bass with 360 sound and smart speaker assistance. It’s both a Bluetooth speaker and a Wi-Fi smart speaker and is meant mostly for moving around the house, but has a little water resistance for outdoor excursions too. The optional wireless charging base makes it even more convenient.

The Clip 4 is one of the recommendations in our traveler’s gift guide because it’s durable, waterproof and has a clip for attaching to packs or the hooks in a hotel bathroom. Right now it’s $35 off and down to $45, which matches its all-time low. You can snag the same deal from Amazon, Target, Walmart or directly from JBL.

At the other end of the Bluetooth size spectrum is JBL’s Boombox 3. It’s $150 off for Black Friday, bringing it to $350 and its lowest price ever. The deal is available from REI, Amazon, B&H Photo and directly from JBL. It’s a beast of a speaker at over 14 pounds with a 24 hour battery life. We recommend it in our speaker guide because it puts out “bright and dynamic highs and floor shaking sub-bass.”

We called this the best JBL speaker for most people, thanks to its overall sound quality, durability and volume. You can listen to it on its side or, as its name implies, can flip on its end to save space and it sounds equally good. The Flip 6 on sale for $90, or 31 percent off at JBL, Target and of course, Amazon. The previous generation Flip 5 is on sale for 22 percent off or $70, and the slightly larger Charge 5 is now $120 after a 33 percent discount.

The Xtreme 3 falls between the Flip 6 and the Boombox 3, in terms of sound quality and size, and is also on our list of recommended Bluetooth speakers. Though it’s big enough to necessitate a strap, it’s only about the size of a football. We also found the pleasant, dynamic sound to be plenty loud. Amazon, Walmart and B&H Photo are selling it for $230 after taking $150 off, which matches the low price it sold for last Black Friday.

Sonos speakers only see a few sales each year, so if you like the idea of getting one of their higher-end speakers at a discount, now is a good time to buy. The Sonos Era 100 is 20 percent off and down to $199 at Sonos and Adorama. It’s our favorite mid-range smart speaker, replacing our previous pick, the Sonos One. We found the bass to be impressive, the volume loud and the sleek design ideal for just about any living room. One of our few gripes about the Era is the lack of stereo separation, so if you can swing it, we recommend getting two Era 100s — and right now a pair is 23 percent off, saving about $20 extra off buying them separately.

A soundbar can help define the muddled dialogue in modern television and the Sonos Beam is $100 off, or $399 at Sonos and at Adorama. It’s our top pick for a mid-range option thanks to its compact size, easy setup and the way it plays nice with other Sonos products for a full theater effect. This latest generation of the Beam supports Dolby Atmos, which we dive into in our review. If you want bigger sound, you can pair the Beam up with a Sub Mini. Right now the set is 20 percent or $186 off.

The portable and waterproof Sonos Roam is 25 percent off and down to $134. It’s our top pick for a portable smart speaker. You can stick it anywhere inside or out and it’ll deliver tunes and help from Alexa or the Google Assistant to control other devices, answer questions or kick off playlists. It works on Wi-Fi or via Bluetooth to play from your phone when you’re away from home. And while the sound isn’t as big as larger speakers, it still packs a surprising amount of bass and emits distinct highs.

The Arc soundbar is our runner-up premium pick and is currently $180 off at Sonos. The Dolby Atmos-enabled speaker sports a more modern design, stellar sound and all of Sonos’ smarts – including the ability to automatically calibrate to your living room or when you add more speakers.

Another mid-range option in our guide to soundbars is the Sonos Ray. It’s the most affordable soundbar Sonos makes, but with a $279 list price, it’s not exactly a budget buy. Now it’s down to $223, which makes it a little easier to take. Last year’s Black Friday sales enticed me to get one of these and I can attest to the easy setup and excellent sound; I can finally understand what British people are saying in all those mystery shows I like. You can get the same deal from Sonos or Adorama. 

Amazon’s most popular smart speaker is the baseball-sized Echo Dot, which is now back down to $23, matching the all-time low of Prime Day in July. It’s our top smart speaker under $50 because it has great sound for its size and adds Alexa’s AI assistance wherever you plug it in. Ask it to play you some tunes and the music won’t sound like it's coming out of a tin can.

If you chopped the Dot in half and dyed it purple, you’d get Amazon’s smallest smart speaker, the Echo Pop. It came out earlier this year and is now back down to the all-time low of $18. It’s probably a better bet for bringing Alexa’s weather reading and smart home skills to a small space, rather than relying on it for room-filling sound. But it’ll play your get-pumped song as you brush your teeth.

The Echo is down to $55, which is the same as it went for during both Amazon Prime sales this year, but about $5 more than its all-time low. It’s currently our favorite smart speaker under $100 because it combines surprisingly great sound with Alexa’s help, which could be helpful controlling your holiday smart lights and setting timers for the winter casseroles.

Amazon’s most audio-focused smart speaker is the Echo Studio, which is listed at $200, but down to $155 for Black Friday which matches its all-time low. It’s a larger unit, with three two-inch midrange speakers, a single one-inch tweeter and a 5.25-inch downward-facing woofer. We gave the Studio an 88 in our review, impressed by the hi-res sound.

The Marshal Emberton II is a compact, waterproof brick with a retro design aesthetic that looks like a tiny amp. We recommend it in our portable Bluetooth speaker guide because it focuses on balanced sound rather than raw volume. You should get 30 hours of listening on a charge and two Embertons can pair and stack for bigger sound. Both Amazon and Marshall are selling it for $120, which is $50 off and a new low price.

The Marshall Acton II Bluetooth speaker is on sale for $100 off the list price, bringing it down to $179 directly from Marshall. It’s a larger speaker weighing just over six pounds and puts an emphasis on classic style. It’s a wired unit that plugs into the wall, and receives a signal via Bluetooth or directly through the 3.5mm input. This is the previous generation Acton; the new model has been tweaked with outward-angled tweeters for a larger soundstage, unfortunately the Acton III is full price.

The pocket-sized Marshall Willen is $20 and selling for $100 instead of $120 at Marshall. The water-resistant speaker boasts a 15-hour battery life and comes with a mounting/carry strap so you can take it with you easily.

The portable Wonderboom 3 is one of our recommendations for an affordable bluetooth speaker because it delivers the biggest sound of any speaker we tested in its size range. It’s on sale for $60 instead of the $100 MSRP at Amazon, Target, Best Buy and at Ultimate Ears, which is $10 cheaper than it went for during July’s Prime Day and a new all-time low.

The Hyperboom is a larger, room-filling Bluetooth speaker that we also recommend in our guide. Amazon and UE’s site are selling it for $400 which is $50 off. That’s not an all time low however, as it sold for about $60 less for July's Prime Day. We like it for its portability, big sound and good looks. It has buttons up top so anyone can adjust playback and the optional optical input and hardwired options give it plenty of ways to connect — it could even work as a TV speaker.

Between the smaller Wonderboom and the bigger Hyperboom, Ultimate Ears filled in the gap with the midsize Epicboom. It’s going for $50 off at Amazon and from Ultimate Ears direct. That’s a new low for the relatively new speaker. We found it to have good Bluetooth range, 360 degree sound, a convenient strap and offers a good balance of quality and portability.

The affordable Motion 300 from Anker offers 30-watts of punchy and bright output, is IPX7 rated and works with Anker's companion app. It may not have a tono of bass but it's still pretty loud and thumpy, especially when it has surfaces to reflect off of. Amazon is selling it for 20 percent off for Black Friday. 

Our favorite premium soundbar is back down to an all-time low at Amazon. The Sony HT-A7000 has a usual price of between $1,189 and $1,400, but this Black Friday deal brings it down by up to 29 percent. That matches it's all-time low, a price it has hit multiple times this year. We called it a robust Dolby Atmos soundbar, capable of immersive 7.1.2 audio thanks to Sony’s 360 Sound Mapping, Sound Field Optimization, vertical surround technology and S-Force Pro front surround. All of which adds up to realistic, nuanced sound that feels immersive and is a great option for gamers. Note that it doesn't come with a subwoofer, but it has one built in and you can easily pair up one from Sony. 

Razer updated its Nommon gaming desktop speakers earlier this year and now the previous version, the Razer Nommo Chroma speakers are 15 percent off at Amazon, bringing them to $128 instead of $150. The RGB lighting will match your other gaming gear and the three-inch woven glass fiber drivers, paired with the rear-facing bass ports make audio distinct and layered. They connect via a 3.5mm jack or USB. 

The super portable Tribit StormBox Micro 2 puts out decent volume and right now it’s down to $48 at Amazon, which is about $3 more than its lowest price ever. There’s a strap in the back that works well on belts, backpacks — or even bike handlebars, so it’s easy to take with you. And on-the-go is where this speaker performs best, as it’s more about portable volume than pure fidelity.

The Soundcore 2 hasn't been given an Engadget review yet, but we know and recommend enough Anker Soundcore speakers in our gifting and buying guides to safely say this is likely a good bet — particularly when it's only $30. Plus it’s got over 100K positive ratings at Amazon. Usually $40, it went down to $28 for October's Prime Day. If you didn't snag it then, you can do so now for just $2 more. It's got an IPX7 rating means to handle an accidental dunk and the battery should give you 24 hours of play time, according to Anker. Two units paired together will give you stereo sound.