$499 Sonos Play:5 tagged as "best wireless speaker" today

The Sonos Play:5 released in September is being called the best wireless speaker money can buy. That's according to Digital Trends, which calls the speaker the best Sonos has ever produced and better than other, more expensive wireless speakers. The Play:5 has bass that is "robust and tightly controlled," according to the technology website, and it has a "punch that you can feel." The speaker has three midbass drivers with a tweeter each on top. Baffles on the left and right sides of the speaker help project the sound outward.

Sonos has long had a top brand in wireless sound. It's not surprising that Digital Trends would call it the brand to beat. However, other wireless speakers are catching up in quality. Improvements in Bluetooth technology have made it possible to get better sound quality out of speakers and wireless headphones. The Sonos Play:5 costs $499, and while it's not the most expensive wireless speaker out there, that price is hardly a floor for a decent wireless sound, even if it does happen to be the best currently on the market.

Meanwhile, China manufacturers have increasingly been putting out great-sounding products for little money. This is the case with recent headphones from the likes of Xiaomi, 1More and Mrice. China suppliers also produce a lot of Bluetooth speakers because they're in demand and often sell well. Some popular form factors have proliferated quickly such as this pill-shaped speaker with a form made famous by Apple's Beats Electronics. Most Bluetooth speakers can't do everything a Sonos speaker can, but they're much more affordable and they achieve what most people want: boosting audio quality from their phones and computers.

See a comparison table of selected wireless speaker suppliers from GlobalSources.com