How Can I Get More Bass from Bluetooth Speakers?

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Q There are plenty of Bluetooth-enabled stereo bookshelf speakers on the market, but powered Bluetooth floorstanding speakers seem to be a much more elusive item. I own a pair of Edifier S2000 Pro Bluetooth bookshelf speakers. I love listening to music through these, but often want to hear more bass and this model doesn’t have a subwoofer output. I realize I could buy a new Bluetooth-capable receiver to connect the speakers to, and then connect a subwoofer to the receiver’s subwoofer output, but I’m trying to avoid that additional cost and don’t want to complicate my setup. What are your suggestions for getting better bass from a Bluetooth wireless speaker system? —Jeff Crunkleton, via email

A You’re right — floorstanding tower speakers with Bluetooth wireless support are incredibly rare. For that reason, I’d recommend seeking out a Bluetooth bookshelf speaker system that provides a subwoofer output to get better bass in your setup. There are many excellent wireless bookshelf speaker systems that allow for wired subwoofer integration — the Q Acoustics Q Active speakers ($1,999/pair), for example, or the KEF LS50 Wireless II speakers ($2,800, discounted to $2,300 as of this writing) that won our 2021 Top Pick of the Year award in the wireless speaker category. Other options are available from brands like Bluesound and Sonos that support both wired and wireless subwoofer integration right out of the box. Such systems can get pricey, however, and while offering Bluetooth support, they typically depend on Wi-Fi and a smartphone control app for setup.

Some reasonably priced speaker recommendations I can make based on Sound & Vision product reviews include The Fives ($799/pair) and Reference R-41PM speakers ($500/pair) from Klipsch, and Kanto’s TUK ($900/pair) and YU6 ($500/pair) speakers. Also, the Fluance Ai41 speakers ($250/pair). All of these are powered speaker systems with Bluetooth streaming capability that don’t require Wi-Fi and an app for setup. Each also provides an output so you can add a subwoofer to the speakers, which will make extended bass possible without having to use an external receiver.

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