I use my Bose SoundLink Max daily; it has great sound quality, I like the design quite a bit, it has IP67 ingress protection, and the bright yellow color is just plain fun. Bose really nailed the essentials with the Max, and even at $349, it is a good overall product.
But what if you don’t want to spend that much cash? You’ll want to take a look at Edifier’s ES300. The audio brand is no stranger to delivering great-sounding products, and I still use the QR65 active monitors on my desk. The ES300 is a portable Bluetooth speaker with attention-grabbing styling, and the sound quality is sublime. Best of all, it finally got a $60 discount, and is now on sale for just $239 on Amazon.
✅Recommended if: You want a stylish portable Bluetooth speaker with great sound. With 60W of power, LDAC, long battery life, and a great design, the ES300 nails the essentials.
❌Skip this deal if: You need dust and water resistance.
I had the ES300 for the better part of six months now, and I used it to listen to dozens of hours of music and podcasts in the kitchen (mostly while baking). Although the speaker looks like it has to be plugged in to a wall outlet, that isn’t the case — it has an internal battery, and you can use it anywhere, like other portable speakers. This in itself is a big plus point, and it even gets ambient lighting along the base. That said, at 8.15lb (3.7kg), your arms will get a workout while lugging this around.
The ES300 gets USB in and aux ports, giving you the versatility to connect to other devices. I used it with my Teenage Engineering OP-1 Field, and it did an admirable job. Another nifty feature is AirPlay 2 integration, allowing you to use the speaker with multi-room audio. There’s the standard Bluetooth 5.4 with multi-point connectivity, and you also get dual-band Wi-Fi, which you just don’t see with portable speakers.
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(Image credit: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)(Image credit: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)(Image credit: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)(Image credit: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)(Image credit: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)
I like the design a lot; the Ivory variant of the ES300 looks exquisite, and the leather finish along with the metal grille gives it a distinctive design that I haven’t seen outside of Marshall’s products. You also get a control panel at the top, and while it is easy enough to use, I would’ve liked physical buttons like Marshall’s Stanmore and Kilburn. Also, because of the design, you miss out on ingress protection.
In spite of that, the ES300 is a speaker that makes a statement, and it isn’t just the looks either — this speaker has phenomenal sound. Thanks to a 30W woofer and dual 15W tweeters, you get 60W of output, and the sound quality is incredible. It has a detailed bass with good rumble, clean mids, and smooth treble without any harshness. Edifier even added LDAC, so you can make the most of lossless audio if you’re using an Android phone.
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(Image credit: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)(Image credit: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)(Image credit: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)(Image credit: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)
The sound quality gives it a decent advantage over other Bluetooth speakers under $300, and the built-in battery lasts over ten hours on a single charge. The only downside with the battery is that it charges via an AC port and not USB-C, so you’ll need to use the bundled cable to charge the ES300.
Outside of that, I didn’t see any problems with the Bluetooth speaker, and it’s a great addition to this category if you need something that looks good and delivers great sound.
