During the summer months, there are many opportunities for the best outdoor speakers and the best waterproof speakers That is, providing great sound while withstanding unexpected environments such as pools, the ocean, and unseasonable rainfall

But I recently learned that waterproof speakers are also suitable for more familiar places, having recently acquired two JBL Charge 5 speakers With these, I can install multiple speakers in a place I've never been before (let alone in my apartment): the shower room

If this sounds dumb, remember that the modern bathroom is a place where sound quality suffers Ceramic, glass, metal, and plastic are all in a relatively small space with just a few towels for sound absorption If you sing in the bathroom, the reverb effect might give you some temporary enjoyment, but if, like me, you like to play real music while shaving or showering, the echo effect is ruined

Therefore, I have come to consider bathroom acoustics a challenge to overcome, and my diminutive UE Wonderboom 2 has made many decent attempts, inevitably using multiple speakers But traditional stereo and multi-room speakers are often neither wireless nor waterproof, which can be a deadly combination for the forgetful or clumsy [Charge 5 is bathroom-friendly It is a fully wireless, battery-powered Bluetooth speaker that can be placed anywhere without tripping over cables or getting electrocuted; it is fully waterproof to IP67 standards, so you can leave it soaking in the bath for 30 minutes or splash water on it with a showerhead without repercussions

And then there's Charge 5's literal party trick: in PartyBoost mode, playback can be synchronized between up to 100 compatible JBL speakers with the touch of a button Or up to 100 buttons If you're using a more modest two-speaker set, as I was, you can also use JBL's mobile app to create a stereo pair

This combination of waterproofness and easy grouping meant that "building" my shower sound system took mere seconds I wanted to overwhelm and block out the echoes from the tiles with an enveloping, surround-sound-like effect In the end, I decided to install one above the shower fittings and the other behind the bathtub

And it worked: the Charge 5 is a smooth-sounding speaker on its own, but by linking the two together, I finally found a setup that could withstand the acoustic rigors of water and echoes partyBoost mode keeps the music in perfect sync, but stereo pairing can play more complex sounding songs While stereo pairing could play more complex sounding songs, PartyBoost mode would simply play the same mix from all linked speakers at the same volume

Still, the clarity was greatly improved over using the solo Wonderboom 2, and the end result was the immersive experience I had hoped for The sonic properties of the bathroom building material, consider it beaten

I will admit that there are some drawbacks to this system For example, the front speakers are close to ideal head height, but there is no shelf, so the second Charge 5 would have to be placed on the edge of the tub Perhaps a few suction cups with hooks and some sturdy string would make an inexpensive wall-mounting kit

The speakers themselves are certainly not cheap, at about $360 for a pair Also, unless you have the best waterproof phone, playback controls in the shower are limited to the play/pause and volume buttons on the Charge 5

Still, I'm sticking with my new underwater audio setup If you find that your bathroom is taking away from your musical enjoyment, I recommend a similar approach I'm smitten with the Charge 5, but there are less expensive, fully waterproof speakers that can form stereo pairs or PartyBoost groups, like the JBL Flip 5