Short answer: the Vifa Helsinki for midrange and treble quality, the Zealot S97 for deep bass on a budget. The Helsinki is called the best midrange and treble of any battery-powered Bluetooth speaker, but it lacks TWS pairing, looks like a purse and needs a hacked Android app for night mode. The S97 is praised as the only thing at its price with that deep bass and reasonable tuning, though it does not get very loud.
What the Vifa Helsinki gets right: Generally regarded as the best midrange and treble sound quality of any battery powered Bluetooth speaker. The tradeoff: No TWS pairing, looks like a purse, requires a hacked Vifa app (Android only post #48) to enable night mode to sound good.
On the Zealot S97 side: There is nothing else for $48 with that deep of bass and a reasonable tuning. The tradeoff: Doesn’t get very loud compared to other speakers in this class.
Buy the Vifa Helsinki if sound quality is the priority over the price, or the Zealot S97 if the price is the priority over sound quality.
If water resistance matters to you, the Zealot S97 at IPX6 (powerful water jets) holds up far better than the Vifa Helsinki at no water resistance.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Portable Bluetooth rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| Vifa Helsinki | Zealot S97 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $449.00 | $65.86 with coupon YZZL10 |
| Ranked | #1 of 78 in Large Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #46 of 78 in Large Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| App | No (official app is broken, 3rd party android app only) | No |
| Aux Input | Yes | Yes |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 48Hz | - |
| Battery Life | 8 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 12 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | aptX, SBC | SBC |
| IP Rating | None | IPX6 |
| Party Mode | No | Yes (PartyAdd up to 100 speakers) |
| Power Input | AC Power brick | USB-C |
| Stereo | Partially (shared woofer) | Yes |
| Omnidirectional | No | No |
| TWS | No | No |
| Weight | 3.1 lbs (1.4 kg) | 7.3 lbs (3.3 kg) |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes | Yes |
| EQ | No | 3 EQ presets |
| Power Bank | No | Yes (USB-A + USB-C) |
| Bluetooth Version | 4.1 | 5.2 |
| Dimensions | 6.1" x 8.3" x 2.8" (156 x 210 x 70 mm) | 12.6" x 7.3" x 5.9" (321 x 185 x 151 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 50mm fullrange, 2x 66mm woofers + 2x passive radiators | 2x 76mm (3") woofers + 2x 38mm tweeters + 2x passive radiators |
| Frequency Response | 58Hz - 18kHz (Manufacturer specified) | - |
| Digital Aux Input | No | No |
| Amplifier Power | 50W | 80W |
| MicroSD Playback | - | Yes |
Related Speaker Comparisons
More top alternatives to Vifa Helsinki:
- JBL Xtreme 5 vs Vifa Helsinki
- Tribit Stormbox Lava vs Vifa Helsinki
- Brane X vs Vifa Helsinki
- Minirig 4 with subwoofer vs Vifa Helsinki
- Soundcore Boom 2 vs Vifa Helsinki
Prices on this page were last checked September 23, 2026 at 11:24 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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The Two Speakers In Full
Vifa Helsinki: $449.00 Amazon eBay
Pros: Generally regarded as the best midrange and treble sound quality of any battery powered Bluetooth speaker. Measured bass extension of 48Hz (-10dB).
Cons: No TWS pairing, looks like a purse, requires a hacked Vifa app (Android only post #48) to enable night mode to sound good. This one is hard to recommend generally these days: the Uboom L has 98% of the sound quality with more features and a much cheaper price. There are mentions that the 2022 “new” version of this speaker doesn’t sound as good as Vifa was purchased by a Chinese company and laid off all the great sound engineers in the Austria office.
Full Vifa Helsinki review and specifications →
| Amplifier Power | 50W |
|---|---|
| App | No (official app is broken, 3rd party android app only) |
| Aux Input | Yes |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 48Hz |
| Battery Life | 8 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | aptX, SBC |
| Bluetooth Version | 4.1 |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 6.1" x 8.3" x 2.8" (156 x 210 x 70 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 50mm fullrange, 2x 66mm woofers + 2x passive radiators |
| EQ | No |
| Frequency Response | 58Hz - 18kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| IP Rating | None |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Party Mode | No |
| Power Bank | No |
| Power Input | AC Power brick |
| Stereo | Partially (shared woofer) |
| TWS | No |
| Weight | 3.1 lbs (1.4 kg) |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Vifa Helsinki vs JBL Xtreme 5
- Vifa Helsinki vs Tribit Stormbox Lava
- Vifa Helsinki vs Brane X
- Vifa Helsinki vs Minirig 4 with subwoofer
- Vifa Helsinki vs Soundcore Boom 2
- Vifa Helsinki vs Marshall Stockwell 2
- Vifa Helsinki vs Soundcore Motion Boom
- Vifa Helsinki vs Bose SoundLink Max
- See all 39 comparisons
Zealot S97: $65.86 with coupon YZZL10 Aliexpress eBay
Pros: For a compact 3.3kg boombox, the S97 delivers unusually deep, clean-enough bass with a more sensible default balance than many inexpensive Zealot models. It also brings IPX6 protection, aux and microSD playback, power-bank outputs, three EQ presets and PartyAdd linking.
Cons: It is not especially loud for its size, battery life is only a claimed 12 hours, and the bass preset can swamp the rest of the music. There is no app or fine-grained EQ, so the Vocal preset is the only practical way to improve the balance. It is still heavy for a speaker with this output ceiling.
Full Zealot S97 review and specifications →
| Amplifier Power | 80W |
|---|---|
| App | No |
| Aux Input | Yes |
| Battery Life | 12 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.2 |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 12.6" x 7.3" x 5.9" (321 x 185 x 151 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 76mm (3") woofers + 2x 38mm tweeters + 2x passive radiators |
| EQ | 3 EQ presets |
| IP Rating | IPX6 |
| MicroSD Playback | Yes |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Party Mode | Yes (PartyAdd up to 100 speakers) |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-A + USB-C) |
| Power Input | USB-C |
| Stereo | Yes |
| TWS | No |
| Weight | 7.3 lbs (3.3 kg) |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons