In our column “What I Can’t Live Without,” we’ve interviewed hundreds of famous people about their favorite products, and here we’re going deep into their favorite speakers. Whether they’re music buffs, music-makers, or mood-builders, many celebrities we spoke to are always listening to music and need a reliable speaker to blast their favorite tunes — from the Lumineers for Paul Smith or “Baby Shark” for Jacques Torres’s kids. (In fact, many of these famous people travel far and wide with their speakers, using them to jam everywhere from Costa Rica to the Bahamas to Europe.) This list includes portable models from brands like Ultimate Ears and JBL, smart speakers from Sonos and Amazon, and products from prestige brands like Bang & Olufsen and Louis Vuitton. To help you scan through their favorite speakers, we’ve organized this list by price — under $100, under $150, under $250, and over $250 — and in cases where more than one celebrity has recommended the device, we’ve included all of their quotes.
Under $100
Leslie Odom Jr.
“I take this speaker with me everywhere. It lives in my dressing room now, but it goes with me wherever I go so I can travel with my vibe. It helps me set a mood in a hotel room or dressing room if I’m there for a long time. It’s fantastic and durable and pretty loud for its size. It’s also not too expensive, so it’s not something that you have to guard with your life.” —November 2023
Juliette Lewis
“I love this speaker. Everyone who knows me knows I carry music with me. I travel with it and use it in my hotel room. I have it sitting with me in the makeup trailer when I’m getting into character. I listen to music I think my characters would listen to. It’s just intuitive. For Cape Fear, I listened to all this ’50s love and longing music. It felt very juvenile. For Natural Born Killers, I listened to ‘Voodoo Child,’ by Jimi Hendrix, and the bands Slight Return and Killing Floor obsessively every day for a month and a half. I felt like that was Mallory Knox. Recently, doing Yellowjackets, I had an old ’90s playlist that was really fun. Everything from Jane’s Addiction and the song ‘Would?’ by Alice in Chains to even Crystal Castles.” —May 2024
John Varvatos
“I’ve had a bunch of small Bluetooth speakers, and this one sounds like a big speaker despite its size. The sound is killer with a great deep bass. I always wonder, How does all that sound come out of there? Because it’s so compact, I take it with me everywhere. I use it at home and at the office. And I take it out on the boat and on trips; I’ve brought it to Europe before and Costa Rica most recently. My daughter steals it from me whenever she can and does her mix on it. I often hear it very loudly from her room.” —February 2023
Felix Burrichter
“My friend Tony Jackson, also known as Skype Williams, gave this to me. I had this stupid little Bose speaker that you stick your phone onto, but I didn’t really use it because, as I said, it was stupid. Tony is a musician, and when he noticed I didn’t have a portable speaker, he got this for me for my birthday. The speaker changed my life. The sound is spectacular. One small detail about it that I really love is that its two ends bounce — it’s hard to explain, but when there’s a strong bass, the speaker jiggles with the music. It’s very subtle, but it’s so cute. It almost feels like it’s alive.” —August 2021
Noah Schnapp
“I love listening to music in the shower, so I use this in the shower a lot because it’s waterproof. Or I’ll stick it in my bag and bring it around so I can play music when I’m in hotels and stuff. It’s really nice that it’s small and portable and Bluetooth. I bring it on set, too, and when I’m on photo shoots. It kind of just makes everything more fun; it lightens the vibe of everything. When I’m on set and I want to focus, I use headphones, but when I want to cheer up and have a little fun, I’ll use the speaker.” —February 2020
Tituss Burgess
“Music is everything. I call music moments the intermissions of life — I often want ear nourishment. This little speaker gets so loud for how tiny it is. I can travel with it, too. I basically bring my house with me everywhere.” —June 2018
Editor’s note: Some of these celebrities owned previous versions of the JBL Flip, but we included the most updated version here.
Yara Shahidi
“I spend most of my days listening to either a podcast or a song at all times — even on set. My makeup artist calls me Jukebox because it’s pretty common to hear some sort of voice droning from my phone or back pocket. I love having a speaker on me, especially for my trailer. This speaker makes whatever space I’m in feel like home. I’ve tried pretty much every speaker out there, and I own many speakers. But in terms of being forgetful, this one is the best because it turns off when it’s not in use to save batteries. If you download the app, you have some special capabilities, but it’s pretty easy to connect and just do Bluetooth. I have two sizes. I keep the big one in my room or my trailer or my office. And I keep a little one in my backpack because you never know if you’re going to need a sound system.” —May 2022
Jacques Torres
“I don’t listen to music when I’m working because everyone in my kitchen is younger than me, so they might not like the music I choose. But I like to have this speaker for my kids. When we travel, we play ‘Baby Shark,’ of course, and other goofy music they love. It is small, so it’s very portable, but the sound is amazing. I’m not a connoisseur of sound and couldn’t tell you what makes some sounds better than others. But I think this is great. It doesn’t distort the sound, and it connects to my phone right away.” —November 2021
Kim Chi
“When I go on tour, a lot of times I’m in hotel rooms or dressing rooms or theaters all by myself. I like to listen to music when I get ready to pump me up. The Wonderboom is the perfect on-the-go speaker: It’s light, fits into any luggage easily, and is very sturdy. The sound quality is pretty good, too.” —May 2021
Nathan Lump
“I don’t always travel with a portable speaker, but when I have a bit of extra space, I use this one. I spend a ton of time in hotel rooms, and it’s nice to be able to customize your space. What I like about this one is that it’s relatively small and has good sound. Plus it’s lightweight and waterproof, in case you ever bring it near a pool or beach.” —September 2017
Editor’s note: Some of these celebrities owned previous versions of the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom speaker, but we included the most updated version here.
Trixie Mattel
“I love Alexa. I have four of them in my house. I have the Echo, the Dot, and I forget what it’s called — the big square one with the screen. I’ll walk into my house and say, ‘Alexa, play the Go-Go’s,’ or whatever I’m in the mood for. And if I’m getting ready and walking around, the same music is playing everywhere in my house. It’s fierce.” —August 2019
Jeff Titterton
“I will use the Echo Dot for setting the timer while I cook, looking up fun and random facts with the kids, for playing music — for just about anything. Sometimes when you’re washing your hands and can’t fiddle with something, you’ll want to play a song or find out when the Battle of Waterloo was.” —February 2018
Editor’s note: Some of these celebrities owned previous versions of the Echo Dot, but we included the most updated version here.
André Aciman
“Oh my God, I’ve got so many of these now. This small one is the new one they make, and I have it on my desk and in the shower, and it just puts out amazing sound. You put it behind the sofa, and sometimes people think you have this huge speaker when you’re having a dinner party. Do not be fooled, though: You cannot put it on your bike, as they suggest in their manual.” —July 2018
Under $150
JJ Johnson
“The JBL Charge 4 brings the vibes. The battery lasts long. It’s something that I bring with me when I travel for my hotel room and something that when we’re prepping in the kitchen, we turn on and rock out. If you catch me in there trying to focus and bring rhythm to food, I’m listening to jazz. We can put it on to dance with our kids anywhere in the house or even when we go to somebody else’s house — like bringing it to a cookout.” —March 2024
French Montana
“Dina, my manager, got this for me, and I just got stuck to it. I took it with me on the road. When we go to different hotels and stuff, we get the speaker out and start the party. I used to have another speaker, but this one sounds better because the bass is really good on it. I like to listen to a lot of mood music on it. My mood-music playlist is called ‘Wave Music.’ I got everything from Marvin Gaye to James Brown to Aretha Franklin on it. I got Freddie King, Charles Bradley, and Bob Marley, too. I set this up on my speaker and just sink into the mood, really feel the vibes.” —November 2021
Simon Rex
“This is one of those things that I must bring with me. It’s got really good sound, for whatever reason; it’s the best little speaker. It basically becomes my stereo system on the road. I was just doing a movie in Argentina, and I brought the speaker with me to commute to work in the morning. I’m DJ-ing; I’m playing music. Everybody’s in a good mood because I’m bringing the vibe.” —December 2023
Jane Seymour
“I’m not sure what that is — it’s just small and round and a friend of mine gave it to me, and I have a son who writes and performs music and invariably I suddenly want to show off what he does … I haven’t managed to figure out how to use my speakers in my house, which, by the way, are being redone right now and never worked properly. Anyway, I find it hilarious that I have a major speaker system and yet I can never get the immediate sound I want in the place that I want it at the level I want it as easily as I can with that portable speaker.” —March 2019
Anthony Anderson
“I don’t like to play golf in silence, and neither do my friends. We used to bring a radio to listen to music and then, years ago, the Bluetooth era started. Rad came to one of my golf tournaments one year and gifted my celebs these speakers. And that’s what I use. When I’m playing by myself, I’ll play some music and smoke a cigar, and I’ll just have a nice, leisurely day at my country club. It has magnets on the speaker that attach to the cart so you don’t have to worry about it falling out, and you can position it to give you your surround sound, so to speak. When I travel, I take my golf clubs wherever I go; but more importantly, I take my speaker.” —November 2023
Under $250
Chris Redd
“Sonos is my speakers. I travel with the beach pill; I’ve been traveling with that forever. It’s just the cleanest speaker to me. It’s durable as hell. I feel like you could shoot it and it’d be all right. I love that thing. And no matter what other kind of speaker you buy, it connects to it. And if I’m at the crib, it’s gotta be the Sonos Move, or just a Sonos setup.” —February 2024
Tan France
“I cook at home almost every day, and I bake at least a few times a week. Every time I cook, I play Bollywood music — it’s basically always playing in my house. My husband has learned to love it, too. He even has certain song requests when we cook together. Female Bollywood singers have really high-pitched voices, and if you use the wrong speaker, they can get really blown out. The Bose speaker maintains the quality of the vocals. They never sound too shrill, just very lovely. We had another speaker at first, and I was like, ‘This sounds terrible. I can’t stand her voice.’ So we did some research and got the Bose.” —June 2021
Charlotte Tilbury
“I live for music. It just makes me feel good. I need a good speaker for listening to my artists (we’re talking about Stevie Nicks, Fleetwood Mac, the Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Primal Scream, the Weeknd, and Rihanna). This one’s my favorite because I can pack it in my suitcase and be anywhere — ideally Ibiza — dancing the night away.” —November 2018
Editor’s note: Some of these celebrities owned previous versions of the Bose SoundLink Revolve, but we included the most updated version here.
Paul Smith
“I use this at my office desk and take it home with me, too. The sound is amazing; I can’t believe it comes from a device I can toss in my bag. I’ve been listening to a lot of jazz — Herbie Hancock, Dave Brubeck, the trumpet player Alonzo Demetrius — because it’s not intrusive as I work. Otherwise, I’ve been playing a lot of the Lumineers, who are great mates of mine.” —May 2021
Barbara Corcoran
“So in my home, I have a very expensive sound system — and I never use it. Why would I when I have this? It’s just uncomplicated — you press the button and you have PHENOMENAL stereo sound. I don’t know how they do it. I will bring this speaker upstairs and downstairs in the house, I love it so much. I will travel with it when I go on a quick trip just by throwing it in my bag — it holds a charge, so I don’t even need to charge it if it’s a two-day trip.” —November 2017
Editor’s note: Some of these celebrities owned previous versions of the Ultimate Ears Megaboom speaker, but we included the most updated version here.
Shelby Macklin
“My boyfriend gave it to me. It has a handle, so it’s cute to carry around. I listen to music to start my days and get my mind-set right. It motivates me and wakes me up. Playing music from my phone is fine, but the speaker gives it a different vibe.” —February 2021
Addison Rae
“Every morning, I play music after I wake up. And I usually go to sleep with music. At night, I’ll listen to softer music, like Pink Sweats or Frank Ocean, because it’s really relaxing. In the morning, I’ll change it to something more upbeat. The Echo makes it easy because you can talk to it to change the song or whatever. It’s also pretty much my weatherman. While it’s mostly beautiful all the time in L.A., lately it’s been rainy and cloudy, and my Echo tells me that before I leave the house.” —August 2020
Over $250
Jimmy Butler
“A lot of people in the States really don’t know about Bang & Olufsen because it’s a European brand, but it makes absolutely incredible headphones, speakers, TVs — all of that good stuff. Music is what I do throughout the day, when I’m sitting down playing cards and dominoes whenever I’m getting ready for the game or on the way to the game. And so I’m always playing music through my Bluetooth speaker.” —April 2024
DJ Khaled
“I’ve got to have a speaker everywhere I go. Even if I’m at the golf course, the plane, or the hotel room, I have it on me at all times. I want to hear the music I’m creating. My queen got me this Louis Vuitton speaker as a gift. I like that it’s high quality and it looks fly. I love that fly shit. It doesn’t matter what it is — dinner plates or my speaker — it has to be fly.” —April 2024
Lenny Kravitz
“During the pandemic when I was in the Bahamas for two years recording music, I had one of these. When I was out of the studio, I’d check my mixes with this. I learned the sound of this speaker and its frequencies, which helped me understand the truth of my own sound. (You can listen to your music on different systems and get different sounds.) I trust this portable speaker. It’s loud, strong, and clean, and it’s got a really great bass response. And it’s easy to carry around and looks sleek. It covers all the bases for me. Now it’s become my travel companion for monitoring my music.” —October 2022
Anderson .Paak
“It’s big. Huge, actually. That’s the best part. I bring it all over the place. I do a lot of waiting around. On tour, I’m waiting in airports, in the greenroom before the show, in the greenroom after the show, and for the after-party to start. Lots of waiting. So this speaker is perfect for that. It changes the mood of a room. I got my first one at an electronics store in an airport. I was like, I need that. I have four or five of them right now because it’s always good to have backups.” —November 2020
Quavo
“I’m constantly listening to unreleased Migos music, and I walk around with this boom box. I’m like a walking party. You just have to pull up and press play.” —June 2020
Editor’s note: Some of these celebrities owned previous versions of the JBL Boombox, but we included the most updated version here.
Kylie Kelce
“We have the Sonos system in our house and recently got the Move speaker. It’s nice to be able to pick it up and take it with me in rooms that don’t normally have speakers. I also like it more than headphones, because I can still hear our kids. Personally, I like listening to early-’90s R&B and hip-hop when I’m on my own. Missy Elliott, Ludacris, all that good stuff that speaks to your soul. When I’m with my girls, I get vetoed. We see eye-to-eye on some Beyoncé and Taylor, though.” —June 2024
Scott Sternberg
“I’ve had a Sonos system for a couple years. I got the Move about two months into the pandemic. Because it’s portable, it provides the soundtrack to my backyard, which is like a secret garden. The house’s previous owner really just killed the backyard, but I reactivated it once it was clear that you could hang with a friend outdoors if you were far enough apart.” —March 2021
Tracy Anderson
“I love having surround sound everywhere in the house, so I have lots of hidden Sonos speakers. The Move is new; you can take it anywhere. Music is such an important part of life. If my daughter gets a boo-boo, we turn on some music and it’s an immediate distraction in a positive way. It’s a powerful thing. Whether you’re celebrating something, bummed out about something, or want to relax, music is a healthy thing to have in any household.” —December 2020
Editor’s note: The original version of the Sonos Move is no longer available, so we included the updated version here.
Jennifer Hudson
“Music affects my every emotion. Products that let me listen to music are an absolute necessity. I’m very particular about sound, which is why I’m obsessed with Marshall’s headphones and speakers. Both sound amazing. I’m a traditional girl and I always want a cord with my headphones — I don’t need Bluetooth for everything. The speaker, though, is Bluetooth, so I don’t have to worry about a cord. I use it when I’m in the mirror doing my makeup or skin-care routine — I want to be able to move around, and I don’t want anything like headphones touching my face. It’s easy to carry around with me, too.” —December 2020
Editor’s note: The original version of the Marshall Tufton Portable Bluetooth Speaker is no longer available, so we included the updated version here.
Dove Cameron
“I’m a big fan of bass, which is why this Bose speaker is one of my favorites. It’s really small and really portable, but the bass is superintense. I listen to a lot of Diplo and Sylvan Esso and Labrinth on it, and it all sounds really good. When I listen to music, I’m definitely moving, dancing, jumping, singing — and this speaker gets really loud. Ten out of ten, would recommend.” —November 2020
Salt-N-Pepa’s Cheryl James
“The sound is great, and I love the vintage look. It looks old school, like something from the ’50s or ’60s. I have it in black and brown. Everyone in my house always steals them, so I’m constantly walking around like, Where is my speaker? I actually got mine as a gift at the Kentucky Derby — they have an incredible swag room.” —March 2020
Editor’s note: The original version of the Marshall Stanmore Bluetooth Speaker is no longer available, so we included the updated version here.
Julius Randle
“For me, this is a road essential. When I’m in a room, I love to listen to music, whether it’s before bed or getting ready for the game. I just love music in general, blasting music — chances are if you’re walking down the hallway and there’s loud music playing, it’s probably coming from my room.” —October 2019
David Sedaris
“I first saw this speaker at a store in Provincetown, and I just found it really beautiful. I have three of them now in different rooms in the house, each a different color: mustard, gray, and blue. It’s covered in fabric, and the sound is really good. I know a lot of people make speakers like that, but the weight of the Vifa is really satisfying. They don’t have Pandora in England, so when I come back to the United States, I like to put on Pandora and just let it play.” —June 2019
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