I feel you. The Network Effect is real, and the niche subreddits need a HUGE overall userbase to work at all.
The total population of Lemmy + Kbin is about the size of a medium size city subreddit.
I’m staying here for now. I sometimes cheat and browse reddit not-logged-in. I don’t know what the answer is.
Just used one today to finish listening to a YouTube video while I was in the shower. It’s not a “bathroom” speaker per se, just a pretty nice Bluetooth one, Anker Soundcore Boost, with enough volume to rise above the white noise of the shower and ventilation fan.