The 5 Best Retro Bluetooth Speakers You Can Find On Amazon

What do you get when you cross nostalgia with portable audio? A boatload of speakers with retro designs. Over the last several years, many consumer tech devices, including Bluetooth speakers, have been getting smaller, sleeker, and a bit less stylized. Brands like JBL, Bose, and Sony also prioritize simple setups and ease of use, so your brand-new speaker can be unboxed and blast tunes in just a few minutes. But not every manufacturer is trying to keep things plain-looking.

Retro gadgets are making a comeback, and Bluetooth speakers are getting their moment to shine in antiquated fashion. We're talking woven speaker grilles, analog-style knobs, and faux wood finishes, but these are paired with modern Bluetooth capabilities and other audio features. Fortunately, a handful of speaker companies have embraced this blend of new and old, and the results are pretty impressive.

Retro builds are popular right now, though, so there are hundreds of older-looking Bluetooth speakers to choose from. As you may have guessed, some of them aren't very good. But there are plenty of great products that deliver vintage charm and exceptional sound, and a couple of these speakers won't even hurt your bank account all that much. It's our job to unearth the needles in the haystack, so let's dive into our list of the five best retro Bluetooth speakers you can find on Amazon.

The first retro-style Bluetooth speaker we'd like to discuss is the $300 JBL Authentics 300, a feature-packed device with a cool appearance. Sporting a leather-like enclosure, a Quadrex grille, and a cast-aluminum handle, the Authentics 300 harkens back to a '70s aesthetic we can't help but love. But looks aren't everything, and we're just as pleased to spotlight the onboard drivers, including a 5.25-inch woofer with a 6.5-inch passive radiator and a pair of 25mm tweeters.

If you've never heard the audio from a JBL speaker before, the Authentics 300 is one of the best places to start. Out of the box, the speaker delivers a bass-forward tuning that can be customized using the bass and treble knobs and the JBL One app. The Authentics 300 uses Bluetooth 5.3, but it also has built-in Wi-Fi capabilities, allowing you to pair the speaker to 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz network bands to access AirPlay, Alexa Multi-Room Music (MRM), and other music streaming platforms.

What Hi-Fi gave the Authentics 300 a 4 out of 5 rating, and thought the speaker delivered powerful sound and intuitive controls. More than 250 Amazon users shared feedback on the JBL product, earning it a 4.4 out of 5 stars. Praise was similar to What Hi-Fi's thoughts, although there were a handful of folks who had connectivity issues with Alexa, Google Home, and AirPlay. We should also mention that if you plan on using it portably (up to eight hours of battery life), it's not the lightest grab-and-go speaker.

While Marshall may best be known for its prolific lineup of guitar and bass amplifiers, the company also makes Bluetooth speakers that pay homage to its musician-favored gear. The $200 Marshall Acton III boasts a classic Marshall aesthetic and comes in three colors: Midnight Blue, Black, or Cream. The Acton III supports Bluetooth 5.2 LE and has a 3.5mm headphone jack if you want to directly wire a device to the speaker. Measuring 10.3 inches tall, 6.7 inches wide, and 5.9 inches from front to back, it's the perfect size for portability, too.

The mesh covering, brass control knobs, and Marshall script are what bring a vintage look to this speaker. One thing to keep in mind is that the Acton III doesn't have a built-in battery or an IP rating. That means you'll want to keep this speaker away from water but close to a wall outlet for power. PCMag gave the Acton III a 3.5 out of 5 score, and thought its out-of-the-box sound quality was impressive. That said, the reviewer noticed a bit of deep bass distortion at higher volumes.

The Amazon crowd was very kind to the Acton III, with more than 2,300 users providing feedback, earning the speaker a rating of 4.8. People generally love how this Marshall speaker looks and performs, but a couple of users complained that the Bluetooth standby function was overly aggressive. Apparently, there isn't a way to disable the setting in the Marshall app, so if you haven't played audio from a host device for 10 minutes, it will automatically disconnect from the Acton III.

Klipsch is all about keeping things classic-looking. The company's iconic horn-style drivers have been a visual staple of its bookshelf and floor-standing speakers for many years, and the $275 Klipsch The One Plus is vintage charm done right. While you won't find Klipsch horns, behind this Bluetooth speaker's fabric grille is a pair of 2.25-inch full-range drivers and a 4.5-inch woofer. How does this translate to sound quality, though? According to Tom's Guide, the One Plus delivers "awesome, clear, loud, and punchy sound."

The speaker supports Bluetooth 5.3, and your host device should stay connected as long as it's within 40 feet of the One Plus. This is the second Bluetooth speaker on our list to require a wired connection for power, but its 12 x 6.39 x 6-inch (WDH) footprint and lightweight build make it easy to move the speaker from outlet to outlet. Conveniently, it even has a 3.5mm jack and USB-C for wired playback, and the latter can also be used to charge a phone, tablet, or other small gadgets.

More than 440 Amazon users wrote in about the One Plus, earning the speaker 4.2 out of 5 stars. Most folks dig the way the speaker sounds, how easy it is to use, and how robust the companion app is. That said, we read a number of Broadcast Mode complaints — a feature that allows you to pair multiple One Plus speakers together. Apparently, it just doesn't work very well, so here's hoping Klipsch will address the issues via a firmware update.

Edifier has been making speakers since 1996, and if you want a retro Bluetooth speaker that won't break the bank, you should consider the $80 Edifier MP230. This bite-sized device uses Class D amplification to push up to 70 watts, and its vintage enclosure is acoustically optimized to deliver punchy, distortion-free sound. The MP230 wirelessly connects to phones, laptops, and other host devices via Bluetooth 5.0, while also including additional options like 3.5mm aux, USB-C, and a microSD card slot.

The MP230 delivers up to nine hours of playback on a full charge and recharges via USB-C. We're also big fans of the retro-style piano key buttons on the front of the speaker, which control functions like Bluetooth pairing, play/pause, and volume. Reviewed by TechHive, the MP230 earned four stars and was praised for its mid-century shell and effective stereo imaging. "If the look enchants, the sound will, too," wrote reviewer James Barber.

On Amazon, the Edifier MP230 has a rating of 4.6 with 100 reviews. While this isn't a party speaker by any means, the MP230 is a fantastic addition to a bedside table or kitchen counter.

Last but not least, we have the Victrola Willow, a retro-inspired Bluetooth speaker from a brand that's actually been around for a while. "Vintage" is the name of the game with this tiny device, which measures 6.3 inches tall, 9.5 inches wide, and 4.9 inches long. Everything from the wooden enclosure to the mesh-woven grille and front dials makes this speaker feel like a blast from the past. There's even an AM/FM tuner for picking up local and regional stations.

The Willow is sold in three finishes: Walnut, Espresso, and Natural. This is another Bluetooth speaker that requires wired power, too, so it'll need to be placed near a wall outlet. Over 7,400 Amazon users gave feedback on this model, which earned the speaker a rating of 4.4. Many customers like the look and sound quality, but a few users reported lackluster AM/FM performance. We understand that Victrola may not have the kind of broad appeal that some of the other brands we mentioned do, but the Willow was too cool a Bluetooth speaker for us not to spotlight.

Bluetooth speakers aren't hard to come by, but vintage speakers that still sound great are a niche that's tougher to satisfy. Fortunately, many noteworthy audio brands are the brains behind a lot of retro-inspired Bluetooth speakers, and we made sure to highlight reliable manufacturers for each of our five selections. We also leaned on professional, hands-on reviews and Amazon user feedback to help us home in on the pros and cons.