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We’re placing the HomePod mini within the high spot on the premise of its low price ticket, glorious sound high quality and deep integration with Apple’s software program ecosystem – so long as you don’t thoughts being tied to Siri.

The HomePod mini can’t match the bass punch of the full-size HomePod, however the output remains to be much better than now we have any proper to anticipate at this measurement and value. (Simply to reiterate, it’s a 3rd of the worth and a seventh of the load of its bigger sibling.)

For jazz, rock and classical we have been blown away by its clear, wealthy sound. And whereas it’s not fairly acquired the welly to deafen your neighbors with home music at 3 am, and also you gained’t fill a village corridor with sound, nevertheless it does fill a room superbly – particularly when teamed with a second mannequin as a stereo pair.

In the event you’re deep within the Apple ecosystem and also you respect high quality audio, that is the sensible speaker for you: it’ll play your music superbly and make TV watching a delight.

As with the HomePod mini, ease of setup is one in all its strongest options–plug within the HomePod and wave an iPhone vaguely in its path and an onscreen popup (on the cellphone) will invite you to set it up. If there’s one other HomePod of the identical mannequin within the chosen room, you’ll be given the choice to hitch them as a stereo pair.

It sounds nice whether or not used as a single unit, or as a stereo pair, and it’s an ideal accompaniment to your Apple TV because it helps Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio (the HomePod mini doesn’t). To seek out out extra, learn extra about how the HomePod compares to the HomePod mini.

The primary disadvantages of the 2023 HomePod are the excessive value (thrice that of the HomePod mini) and the frustrations related to being reliant on Siri to regulate it. We actually need a HomePod with a display screen.

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin vary of audio system first appeared again in 2007. The  Zeppelin Professional Version launched on the finish of 2024 and appears virtually equivalent to the Zeppelin launched, so watch out to examine which mannequin you might be contemplating shopping for. 

At $799/£699, it’s one of many costlier AirPlay audio system at present out there, nevertheless it actually does ship the products by way of sound high quality.

The Zeppelin Professional Version measures 210 x 650 x 194mm and weighs 6.6kg. It’s out there in a darkish ‘area gray’ or ‘photo voltaic gold’. 

Not like many one-piece speaker programs – together with Apple’s HomePod – the Zeppelin Professional Version offers a full stereo system, with separate left and proper audio channels, in addition to a devoted sub-woofer for dealing with decrease frequencies. That’s the same set-up to earlier Zeppelin fashions, however Bowers & Wilkins says the woofers and tweeters have been redesigned for the Zeppelin Professional Version for even higher sound high quality.

Like earlier fashions, the Zeppelin Professional Version helps Bluetooth with AAC for Apple gadgets, and aptX Adaptive for Android. There’s additionally Wi-Fi with assist for AirPlay 2, which lets you stream wi-fi audio (and Apple Music) over your own home community out of your Apple machine. Utilizing AirPlay with Apple gadgets offers extra bandwidth for high-quality audio information. The Zeppelin Professional additionally helps Spotify Join, and Tidal and Amazon Music through an app. 

Our solely grievance is that the Zeppelin Professional doesn’t provide wired inputs, so you possibly can’t join it to a CD participant or Hello-Fi.

The Zeppelin Professional Version is without doubt one of the bigger and costlier AirPlay audio system. If you’d like a robust, high-quality stereo speaker that helps AirPlay 2 it is a nice possibility. 

Roku is well-known for its vary of streaming media gadgets, which supply an reasonably priced different to Apple’s personal Apple TV field. Nonetheless, the Roku Streambar goes a step additional by combining streaming options with a compact soundbar speaker and assist for Apple’s AirPlay 2 – and all for a extremely aggressive $129.99/£129.99.

The AirPlay assist and built-in dual-band Wi-Fi imply that you could merely use the Streambar as a traditional AirPlay speaker, utilizing AirPlay to stream music through Wi-Fi from any Apple machine. It’s surprisingly highly effective for such a compact speaker, and greater than loud sufficient for taking part in music at house or watching a couple of Hollywood blockbusters. It even offers fairly good bass too, touchdown the bass guitar and crashing drums on Kate Bush’s The Huge Sky with actual affect (and Roku has lately introduced a brand new vary of wi-fi audio system that additionally assist AirPlay 2, though we’ve not had the possibility to check these but).

Going past primary speaker mode, you may as well use the HDMI port on the again of the Streambar to attach it to a TV or laptop show, and this lets you stream video at as much as 4K decision out of your Apple gadgets as properly. You possibly can even eliminate your Apple gadgets altogether, and simply use the Streambar’s built-in streaming options to attach your TV or laptop monitor to a variety of video companies–together with Apple TV+, Netflix, Disney+ and so forth. It additionally helps a variety of music streaming companies too, akin to Apple Music and Spotify.

Admittedly, the low price of the Streambar implies that it does lack a couple of superior options, akin to assist for Dolby Atmos, which you may get from Apple’s HomePod and likewise the Apple TV 4K. However, after all, the Apple TV field doesn’t embody a speaker, and the Streambar’s low-cost mixture of AirPlay speaker and music and video streaming options makes it an absolute discount at this value.

In 2024 Roku launched the Streambar SE, which is a less expensive model of the Streambar reviewed right here. The bigger Streambar Professional has been discontinued, however for now Roku appears to be persevering with to promote the Streambar.

When Sonos first launched the Period 100 it was positioned as a mid-range possibility that sat between the entry-level Sonos One and the imposing Period 300 with Dolby Atmos on the top quality. Nonetheless, the veteran Sonos One quietly light away a couple of months in the past and the Period 100 has taken over as the brand new entry level for the Sonos vary of multi-room audio system, with a $249/£249 price ticket that makes it a very good different to the Apple HomePod at £299/$299.

At first look, the Period 100 does look similar to the unique Sonos One, with an upright cylindrical design that’s out there in black or white. It’s barely bigger than the Sonos One, although, standing 182.5mm excessive, 120mm extensive and 130mm deep. This permits the Period 100 to squeeze in an extra high-frequency tweeter, in order that it now homes two tweeters which can be angled out to the suitable and left to unfold sound extra broadly than the Sonos One. It additionally features a bigger woofer than the Sonos One, to deal with the mid-range and bass and add a bit further energy as properly.

This new design works a deal with and the Period 100 offers superb sound high quality for a comparatively compact speaker. The atmospheric harmonies of Enya’s Orinoco Stream have a lightweight, shimmering sound, however the compact speaker has acquired some muscle too, and is well capable of fill the room round me with Enya’s swirling cloud of sound. The dual tweeters present a crisp, clear sound for the digital loops that fly by means of the air, however that bigger woofer also can attain down and embrace the sluggish bass pulse and rumbling drums that enter as Enya’s multi-tracked vocals chant – “flip it up, flip it up”.

The one minor disappointment is that the Period 100 doesn’t assist Dolby Atmos or spatial audio. In the event you’re a house cinema fan who actually needs Atmos you then’ll must pay a bit extra for alternate options such because the Apple HomePod or the high-end Period 300. However, should you’re simply searching for a compact, high-quality speaker with wi-fi and assist for AirPlay, then the Period 100 delivers the products at a cheaper price than most of its AirPlay rivals.

Sonos’ Roam needs to be the smallest and most transportable AirPlay 2 speaker we’ve seen thus far.

Sonos’s unique Roam sensible speaker was launched again in 2021, and it was probably the greatest transportable audio system we’ve ever seen, offering superb sound high quality in a extremely compact design that additionally managed to squeeze in helpful options akin to wi-fi charging and even assist for Wi-Fi and AirPlay for Apple gadgets. The Roam 2 fine-tunes a variety of options akin to its set-up and tuning course of, and offers extra simple controls.

Accessible in quite a lot of colours–together with crimson, inexperienced, blue and plain previous black and white–the Roam 2 appears to be like equivalent to its predecessor. It’s 168mm tall, 62mm extensive and 60mm deep, and weighs 0.43kg. It’s not pocket-size, however it’ll match right into a backpack. It has a IP67 ranking water and mud resistance, so it’s suited to the outside.

There’s no room for a big battery within the compact design, nevertheless it ought to final for as much as 10 hours with music at 50% quantity. It wants to face upright for wi-fi charging and the quantity, playback and microphone controls sit on the highest, however you possibly can flip the speaker onto its aspect and lay it flat. A USB-C port on the again can be utilized for charging too. 

Roam 2 helps Bluetooth 5.2 and now has separate buttons for Energy and Bluetooth pairing, that are simpler to make use of than the fiddly multi-function button on the unique Roam. You possibly can press the Bluetooth button to pair through Bluetooth, however you have to obtain the Sonos app for iOS in an effort to set the speaker up correctly. We encountered issues getting the speaker linked to our Wi-Fi community and needed to spend time altering the Wi-Fi settings. However, as soon as that was carried out, the Roam 2 labored rather well. Fortunate its assist for AirPlay made connecting it to further Apple gadgets simple.

The Roam 2 provides nice sound high quality for such a compact speaker, particularly over a Wi-Fi connection. It did a very good job with Sturgill Simpson’s Sing Alongside, laying down the grinding, fuzzy guitars that kind the bedrock of the sound. On Billie Eilish’s Dangerous Man it achieved a fairly respectable bass beat for such a small speaker.

Switching to Bluetooth brought on the sound to lose a bit readability–however that’s a limitation of Bluetooth reasonably than the speaker itself, and the Roam 2 can go head-to-head with any transportable speaker of this measurement and weight. The Roam 2 actually punches above its weight in the case of sound high quality and its sturdy and light-weight design is nice for out of doors use. 

Apple has been banging the drum for spatial audio for a couple of years now, however Sonos actually took a step ahead with that expertise when it launched the Period 300 in 2023. Appropriately sufficient, it additionally marked a brand new period for the Sonos vary of multi-room audio system, with a completely new design that was at the very least eye-catching even when it wasn’t maybe as elegant as Sonos claimed.

Accessible in black or white, the cumbersome, hourglass design of the Period 300 may be very a lot designed for spatial audio, housing at least six separate speaker drivers, with assist for Dolby Atmos when watching movies and video, or listening to spatial audio on Apple Music. There’s one woofer and one tweeter on either side of the unit, which offer a large stereo soundstage, whereas one other tweeter on the entrance highlights vocals and dialogue, or lead devices. There’s yet another tweeter on the highest, which is designed to fireplace hold forth the ceiling to assist create a way of top and area when listening to music or video that makes use of Atmos.

Like most Sonos audio system, the Period 300 makes use of dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz/5.0GHz) to connect with your own home community, and likewise helps AirPlay 2 to be used with Apple gadgets and different AirPlay-compatible audio system. However, in contrast to earlier Sonos audio system, the Period now helps Bluetooth as properly, in order that it could present a fast and simple wi-fi connection for cell gadgets and computer systems when required. You may as well purchase an adaptor that gives a wired connection (though it’s annoying that this prices an additional $19/£19, given the speaker’s hefty $449/£449 price ticket).

The Period 300 can earn its hold, although. The Dolby Atmos assist works rather well on the opening scene of Blade Runner, creating an actual sense of motion because the hovercar flies over the Los Angeles skyline, and there’s a satisfying bass rumble to the bursts of steam and flame that erupts into the air.

It does a very good job with spatial audio on Apple Music too, particularly with Ringo’s deft percussion on the Atmos mixture of Come Collectively by the Beatles. The bongos skip evenly by means of the air and the bass guitar glides ahead with a swaying, sinuous rhythm. There’s actual weight behind the guitar riff that leads into the refrain, however the Period 300 can nonetheless pick gentler particulars such because the shimmering cymbals and rhythmic keyboards. Admittedly, it’s one of many costlier AirPlay audio system at present out there, however the highly effective and atmospheric sound of the Period 300, and assist for Dolby Atmos, make it a very good different to costlier soundbar programs for music and watching video.

It sounds higher than most transportable audio system this measurement, however nonetheless sounds clipped at excessive volumes and a few controls are a bit opaque.

The Beats Tablet is way improved over earlier variations, nevertheless it has a couple of faults that we’d like to see addressed within the subsequent revision.

Beats’ iconic “tablet” form is useful to hold round, suits anyplace a water bottle would go, and sits properly on a desk or equally flat floor. You will get one in traditional Beats colours—black, crimson, or champagne.

When at relaxation the audio system are tilted 20 levels upward, which is an effective way to venture the sound extra straight at you. 

The Tablet is IP67-rated, so is needs to be secure on the seaside, beside a pool, or within the rain. A silicone outer wrap helps forestall bumps and dings, whereas including weatherproofing.

Alongside the highest, you’ll discover quantity buttons, a middle multi-function button, and an influence button. They’re far sufficient aside and labeled clearly sufficient that it’s simple to hit the suitable one with out paying shut consideration.

Within the again is a single USB-C port that can be utilized for charging or as an audio enter, with assist for lossless audio (not that the Tablet has the sound high quality to do it justice). It even reverse-charges with a triple-tap of the facility button so it may be a type of energy financial institution to your cellphone.

Beats says the battery will final 24 hours. We are able to affirm it could simply run all day with out recharging.

With a single woofer able to 90 % extra air displacement than the woofer within the Beats Tablet+ and a paired tweeter, the brand new Beats Tablet sounds OK. Like all transportable audio system with a cylindrical design it lacks low-end oomph. There’s extra bass than you’d anticipate, however nonetheless lower than you want. It does get fairly loud, however at excessive volumes, there’s a clipped or restricted really feel.

There’s a microphone to allow speakerphone or voice assistants, nevertheless it doesn’t have a lot in the way in which of noise discount to guard from sturdy wind or close by freeway noise.

The weatherproofing, comparatively loud quantity, and improbable battery life all make this a extremely nice reasonably priced speaker for hanging out by the pool. The $149.99/£149.99price is cheap, too. You simply must handle your expectations for getting nice sound high quality out of a bit transportable speaker like this.

We’ve appeared on the JBL Flip 7, which launched in spring 2025, and they’re good, however they lack AirPlay. Tucked away in a quiet nook of the JBL web site the corporate has a spread of sensible audio system, referred to as Authentics, which embody each Wi-Fi and assist for Apple’s AirPlay.

There are three audio system within the vary, beginning at $349.99/£238.99 for the entry-level Authentics 200, going as much as $699.99/£529.99 for the top-of-the-range Authentics 500. Nonetheless, the candy spot for us is the mid-range Authentics 300, which has essentially the most versatile design and prices $449.99/£249.99, though you will discover them cheaper.

The Authentics 300 is attractively designed, with a sturdy picket cupboard and a giant, chunky grille on the entrance that provides it an deliberately retro look. It’s pretty giant, standing 195mm excessive, 342mm extensive and 180mm deep, and it weighs in at a hefty 4.9kg. Even so, it’s nonetheless meant to be a conveyable speaker and – in contrast to the opposite Authentics audio system – it features a rechargeable battery that lasts for round eight hours. There’s additionally a sturdy metallic carrying deal with, so it’s simple to choose the speaker up and carry it from room to room at house, or out into the backyard when the summer season finally arrives.

Contained in the speaker are two 25mm tweeters, and a beefy 133mm woofer, together with a big passive bass radiator on the underside of the speaker to assist in giving the bass a little bit of a lift. There’s a quantity dial on the highest panel, together with separate controls for adjusting Treble and Bass, however the inclusion of wi-fi and assist for AirPlay means that you could additionally simply management the speaker from any Apple gadgets, and the JBL One app additionally contains an eight-band Equalizer that gives extra exact management over the sound.

Getting began is a bit of cake, because the JBL One app initially makes use of Bluetooth to connect with the speaker after which guides you thru the method of connecting to your own home community, utilizing both wi-fi or the Ethernet port positioned on the again of the speaker. There are two microphones constructed into the speaker, though these solely work with Alexa and the Google Assistant, however there’s a Mute button that allows you to flip the mics off should you choose to maintain issues non-public.

Sound high quality is nice, and the Authentics 300 lets the bass guitar on Blondie’s Rapture bounce together with a relaxed, infectious power. There’s a brilliant, clear tone on the chopping rhythm guitar, and the drums and percussion of the late, nice Clem Burke are as taut and exact as ever. And, with 100W output, the speaker has greater than sufficient energy to get issues going at a BBQ or house-party. Our solely minor grievance is that the USB-C port on the again of the speaker doesn’t present a wired audio enter – though there’s a 3.5mm connector on the again of the speaker should you want a wired connection.

We point out the brand new for 2024 Zeppelin Professional above, however for now Bowers & Wilkins continues to promote the 2021 Zeppelin so chances are you’ll discover it at a very good low cost. Simply remember that whereas we celebrated this fashions terrific sound high quality when it got here out, the newer mannequin boasts even higher sound.

Accessible in both Midnight Gray or a silvery Pearl Gray, this Zeppelin appears to be like similar to the 2024 Zeppelin Professional and its predecessors, with the eye-catching oval design that provides the speaker its identify.

On the within, this Zeppelin has a pair of high-frequency tweeters and mid-range woofers positioned on either side of a central sub-woofer, whereas your complete unit is powered by a roof-rattling 240W amplifier.

The Zeppelin helps AirPlay 2, together with Bluetooth and Apple’s AAC codec and the AptX Adaptive codec that’s used on many Android gadgets, and Spotify Join too.

At $799/£699 this mannequin has the identical (excessive) value because it’s predecessor, however as it’s phased out it’s prone to see value drops.