Based on my testing and research, the best waterproof Bluetooth speaker you can take to pool parties and more is the Bose SoundLink Max. It has a robust, detailed audio quality, offers a rugged build for accidental drops and it floats in water for easy retrieval.

According to O’Brien, there are some trade-offs. “Acoustic transparency takes a hit,” he says, adding that, “Bass often becomes the selling point to make up for it. So people end up with boomy units that punch but do not shine.” Still, that shouldn’t detract from the speaker, as O’Brien adds that, “A good waterproof speaker will still throw a clean midrange and not distort when wet. You will pay a few dollars more for that reliability."

IP stands for “ingress protection” which, according to O’Brien, “measures how well electronics keep out dust and water. Each IP rating has two digits; the first digit (0 to 6) shows dust protection. The second digit (0 to 8) shows water protection. Higher numbers give better protection.”If you are only worried about a few splashes, opt for an IPX4, while an IPX7 rating, “survives full immersion up to one meter for half an hour.” If you want the full protection for water and dust, opt for IP67, but keep in mind that it, “realistically…costs users extra money and some audio performance.”