Comiso Shower Speaker Review: A $20 Gem

Everyone spends time in the bathroom, whether it’s a 10-minute shower and shave or half an hour applying war paint. If you’ve been using your phone’s speaker to listen to music or podcasts during those times, you’ve no doubt noticed it’s not loud enough, it sounds unpleasant at high volumes, etc.

Here’s an affordable and effective alternative: the Comiso C15 Shower Speaker, which I’ve been using for a few months now. Verdict? Just about perfect.

For starters, it comes with a surprisingly detailed instruction guide, a rarity these days — especially from a never-heard-of-it company like Comiso. Of course, this being a basic Bluetooth speaker, it’s not hard to set up; you just pair it with your phone and you’re done. There’s no companion app or anything else to complicate things.

The C15 comes in five different colors, each with a matching silicone casing that helps keep water out. (Interestingly, the speaker can also float, so feel free to set it loose in the pool.)

Can’t see any control buttons? That’s because they’re barely visible. But once you learn where they are and what they do, it’s all good. (Credit: Rick Broida/DealSeek)

I especially like the festive colored-LED light show it puts on, in your choice of four flashing or pulsing patterns. Not feeling rave vibes? You can leave the lights off, which will also extend the battery life. (Comiso promises up to 18 hours at medium volume, though it’s not clear whether that’s with or without LEDs.)

I wouldn’t expect concert-hall sound quality from a speaker in this price range, nor would I require it for bathroom listening. That said, I think the C15 sounds pretty decent overall, and it can get plenty loud without producing any distortion.

I do have a couple small complaints. First, the case uses raised labels for the four control buttons, but they're the same color and therefore virtually impossible to see. Fortunately, you just have to remember their functions: the left and right buttons lower and raise volume, respectively, and the top one controls power and play/pause. That leaves the bottom one, which cycles through lighting modes.

Second, although you can pair a second C15 speaker for true stereo sound — not really important in a bathroom situation — you can't pair a second phone. Therefore, if my wife also wants to use the speaker, she'd have to manually re-pair it. And then I’d have to pair again during my next shower. That alone is almost enough to make me consider a speaker that supports multipoint (meaning multiple-device) pairing.

If that’s not an issue for you, then I can wholeheartedly recommend the Comiso C15. It typically sells for $20, so it’s not only a straight-up bargain, but also a solid gift option if you’re in the market for one.