Bose Wins Blind Speaker Test but Edifier Steals the Value Crown

Four blindfolded TechRadar colleagues ranked five ultra-portable Bluetooth speakers on sound alone across five tracks and handed the Bose SoundLink Micro Gen 2 a clear first-place finish with 36 points. The Edifier ES20 sat just six points behind at less than half the list price, turning a pure-audio exercise into a sharp value lesson.

JBL’s Go 5, a brand favorite in this size class, landed fourth. IKEA’s $10 Kallsup finished last every time yet still revealed where the absolute floor sits.

How the Blind Test Was Run

Senior reviews writer Harry tested more than 50 Bluetooth speakers before this experiment. He equalized volume on all five models, kept them under 80 percent to limit distortion, left every unit on its default EQ, and streamed the same Spotify snippets from one source device. Listeners had no idea which speakers were playing.

• Five tracks spanning house, jazz-infused indie, bossa nova, funk and electronic
• Four listeners (Josh, Caspar, Ashley, Erin) ranking 1 best to 5 worst after each 30-second clip
• Identical size category: JBL Go 5, IKEA Kallsup, Bose SoundLink Micro Gen 2, Edifier ES20, Ultimate Ears Miniroll
• Notes on bass control, mid clarity, treble precision, vocal texture and separation

Points were totaled across all rankings. Lower total won.

Track Results Swung Harder Than Expected

Bose swept the opening house track “Fascinator” by Max Dean with a unanimous 1st from every listener. Ashley called it “balanced with no distortion.” The same speaker dropped to 4th on the softer “The Girl From Ipanema,” where overemphasized bass and less refined treble cost it. Edifier took that round cleanly thanks to mid-range clarity.

Only the Ipanema track produced a true upset. Everywhere else Bose or Edifier occupied the top two spots, with UE Miniroll consistently third.

Final Scores and the Price Reality

Bose’s margin looks decisive until you convert points into dollars. Six points separated first and second while nearly $40 separated their stickers.

What Gave Bose the Edge

Listeners repeatedly cited meatier bass, warmer tone, clearer separation and more precise treble. On the busy funk track the Micro Gen 2 kept horns aggressive yet controlled and vocals forward. On the electronic closer it delivered dramatic strings and dynamic bass without losing balance.

• 36 total points across five tracks
• Unanimous first on the opening house track
• IP67 water and dust resistance plus up to 12 hours of battery life
• Palm-sized chassis that still projects beyond its dimensions

Harry noted he was not surprised. The Micro Gen 2 simply produces more controlled low end and cleaner highs than most rivals in the same footprint. Owners who already own other SoundLink models can also check common Bose SoundLink microphone fixes if call quality ever falters.

Edifier ES20 Almost Stole the Show

Josh named the ES20 his overall favorite. It topped the bossa-nova round and finished second on three other tracks. Listeners praised its composed mid-range, textured vocals, controlled double bass and enough warm low end to keep energetic material from thinning out.

At 6W RMS with 43mm driver plus a 55 mm passive radiator, IP67 rating, Bluetooth 5.4, stereo pairing and up to 15 hours of playback, the ES20 undercuts the Bose by roughly $40 in the US and more than half in the UK. That gap turns a six-point sound deficit into a clear win for anyone who values money as much as decibels.

The UE Miniroll sat a further six points back. Ashley preferred it overall for clean low end and articulate vocals. Its IP67 rating and 12 hours playtime, plus PartyUp multi-speaker linking, keep it competitive when the Bose premium feels excessive.

Where JBL and IKEA Fell Short

The JBL Go 5 finished a distant fourth with 77 points. Listeners noted solid treble clarity on some tracks yet weaker power output and less drive in the low end. At $55 it remains a solid budget pick, and fans of the brand can still consult JBL build quality and lifespan notes for related gear. In this pure-sound matchup the Go 5 simply could not match the top three’s bass weight or separation.

IKEA’s Kallsup collected last-place votes on every single track and 95 points overall. Erin wrote “No. What? What is this? It sounds like there’s a horde of bees trying to escape.” The unit offers only 3 W total power output, a single 1.8-inch full-range driver and nine hours at half volume. For ten dollars it still occasionally snuck into fourth on individual ballots, and multi-unit pairing lets buyers stack volume cheaply. As a single speaker it never competed.

What Buyers Walk Away With

Price hunting already softens the Bose premium; recent listings have dipped near $99. That still leaves the Edifier roughly $10-40 cheaper while delivering near-identical ear scores for most genres. Anyone who prioritizes absolute fidelity in a shirt-pocket chassis will still reach for the Micro Gen 2. Everyone else can pocket the difference and lose almost nothing audible.

The test also shows brand reputation buys less once eyes close. JBL’s familiar logo did not translate into top-tier notes. IKEA’s rock-bottom sticker bought only the lesson that three watts has hard limits. Battery life, IP rating and multi-pair features now matter as much as the blind ranking itself once the headphones come off.

For pure sound the Bose SoundLink Micro Gen 2 sits alone at the top. For the combination of sound and money the Edifier ES20 is the speaker most people should actually buy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which portable speaker won the TechRadar blind sound test?

The Bose SoundLink Micro Gen 2 finished first with 36 total points across five tracks and four listeners, the lowest (best) score of the group.

How close was the Edifier ES20 to the Bose winner?

The ES20 scored 42 points, only six behind Bose, and took first place on the bossa-nova track while finishing second on three others.

What prices did the five tested speakers carry?

List prices at the time of the test were Bose $129, Edifier $89.99, UE Miniroll $79, JBL Go 5 $54.95 and IKEA Kallsup $9.99.

How did the testers keep volume fair across speakers?

All five units were equalized to the same level and kept below 80 percent volume to reduce distortion and compression while using default EQ settings.

Does the IKEA Kallsup have any practical use after finishing last?

At $9.99 and 3 W it can still serve as a disposable bathroom or travel speaker, and multiple units pair together for inexpensive multi-room volume.