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We’re placing the HomePod mini within the prime spot on the idea of its low price ticket, wonderful 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 continues to be much better than we’ve got any proper to count on at this dimension 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 had been blown away by its clear, wealthy sound. And whereas it’s not fairly bought the welly to deafen your neighbors with home music at 3 am, and also you received’t fill a village corridor with sound, but it surely does fill a room fantastically – particularly when teamed with a second mannequin as a stereo pair.

If you happen to’re deep within the Apple ecosystem and also you recognize high quality audio, that is the sensible speaker for you: it can play your music fantastically and make TV watching a delight.

As with the HomePod mini, ease of setup is certainly one of its strongest options–plug within the HomePod and wave an iPhone vaguely in its path and an onscreen popup (on the telephone) 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 affix 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 amazing accompaniment to your Apple TV because it helps Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio (the HomePod mini doesn’t). To search out out extra, learn extra about how the HomePod compares to the HomePod mini.

The principle 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.

The Audio Professional C10 MKII W has a minimalist design, consisting of a easy rectangular field measuring 166mm excessive, 320mm large, and 180mm deep. Regardless of its small dimension, it’s sturdy, weighing over 4kg.

The entrance panel contains a sensible cloth grille that may be eliminated for a retro look with uncovered drivers. Eradicating the grille reveals a big woofer within the centre for deep, full sound, with smaller tweeters on both aspect for larger frequencies.

The C10 MKII W has a complete output of 80W, making it appropriate as a most important speaker system in the lounge. Nevertheless, it requires mains energy and is probably going for use in a single room at dwelling because of its weight. 

The C10 MKII W helps Bluetooth, Apple’s AAC codec, and dual-band Wi-Fi. The up to date Audio Professional app works with numerous streaming companies, together with Spotify, Amazon Music, and SoundCloud. It additionally helps AirPlay 2, permitting audio streaming from Apple gadgets and integration with multi-room music methods. Android customers could also be dissatisfied that there’s no aptX assist with Bluetooth, however the C10 MKII W helps Google Solid.

The speaker has RCA connectors for wired connections, however no audio cables are included.

The C10 MKII W delivers good sound high quality. The lossless model of Madonna’s Frozen on Apple Music through AirPlay revealed delicate string touches and mild digital chimes, adopted by a pointy percussion crack that led into the refrain.

The C10 MKII W handles tougher rock sounds nicely. Sing Alongside by Sturgill Simpson, captured the thick, fuzzy guitar sound and the wailing keyboards, making a vigorous ambiance. The deep bass might be firmer, however an additional RCA connector permits for an exterior sub-woofer for enhanced bass.

Whereas it’s costlier than Apple’s HomePod, the C10 MKII W excels in readability and precision, particularly with high-res music on Apple Music and different streaming companies. It additionally affords higher connectivity.

Audio Professional’s mannequin numbers are inconsistent, with some older fashions nonetheless on sale, so ensure to purchase the proper mannequin.

If you happen to want correct stereo audio system the A28 W is a good possibility.

The speaker cupboards are product of MDF, which feels very sturdy and in addition helps to scale back vibrations that may have an effect on the sound high quality. The A28 W is on the market in black or white, or with a walnut wooden end. There are detachable cloth grilles supplied with every speaker.

Inside every cupboard you’ll discover a 4.5-inch woofer for dealing with the mid-range and decrease frequencies, together with a 1-inch tweeter for the upper frequencies. Every speaker supplies 75W output – 150W complete.

The ‘W’ refers back to the audio system’ emphasis on wi-fi connectivity. There’s assist for Apple’s AAC codec (however no aptX for Android customers). There’s dual-band Wi-Fi for connecting to your own home community (2.4GHz and 5.0GHz). And there’s assist for AirPlay 2 and Google Solid.

Wired inputs embody stereo RCA inputs, one digital optical enter to be used with different Hello-Fi gear, and an HDMI-ARC interface for a TV. There’s additionally yet another RCA connector that lets you connect with an exterior sub-woofer as nicely. No commonplace 3.5mm or USB-C connector for wired audio although.

There’s a 10-band equaliser, however what actually impresses in regards to the A28 W is its skill to create an expansive stereo sound that’s way more immersive and atmospheric than one-piece audio system resembling Apple’s HomePod. It’s pretty costly, however the sound high quality is great.

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 an identical to the Zeppelin launched, so watch out to test which mannequin you might be contemplating shopping for. 

At $799/£699, it’s one of many costlier AirPlay audio system at present out there, but it surely actually does ship the products when it comes to 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 methods – together with Apple’s HomePod – the Zeppelin Professional Version supplies 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 an identical 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 gadget. Utilizing AirPlay with Apple gadgets supplies extra bandwidth for high-quality audio recordsdata. The Zeppelin Professional additionally helps Spotify Join, and Tidal and Amazon Music through an app. 

Our solely criticism is that the Zeppelin Professional doesn’t supply wired inputs, so you’ll be able to’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. In order for you a robust, high-quality stereo speaker that helps AirPlay 2 this can be a nice possibility. 

Roku is well-known for its vary of streaming media gadgets, which supply an inexpensive various to Apple’s personal Apple TV field. Nevertheless, 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 which you can merely use the Streambar as a traditional AirPlay speaker, utilizing AirPlay to stream music through Wi-Fi from any Apple gadget. It’s surprisingly highly effective for such a compact speaker, and greater than loud sufficient for taking part in music at dwelling or watching a couple of Hollywood blockbusters. It even supplies fairly good bass too, touchdown the bass guitar and crashing drums on Kate Bush’s The Huge Sky with actual impression (and Roku has just 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 can even use the HDMI port on the again of the Streambar to attach it to a TV or pc show, and this lets you stream video at as much as 4K decision out of your Apple gadgets as nicely. You may even eliminate your Apple gadgets altogether, and simply use the Streambar’s built-in streaming options to attach your TV or pc monitor to a variety of video companies–together with Apple TV+, Netflix, Disney+ and so forth. It additionally helps various music streaming companies too, resembling Apple Music and Spotify.

Admittedly, the low price of the Streambar signifies that it does lack a couple of superior options, resembling assist for Dolby Atmos, which you may get from Apple’s HomePod and in addition the Apple TV 4K. However, in fact, 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 cut price 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 high quality. Nevertheless, the veteran Sonos One quietly pale 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 an excellent various 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 large 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 might be angled out to the correct 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 somewhat further energy as nicely.

This new design works a deal with and the Period 100 supplies excellent sound high quality for a comparatively compact speaker. The atmospheric harmonies of Enya’s Orinoco Move have a light-weight, shimmering sound, however the compact speaker has bought some muscle too, and is definitely in a position to 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 can even attain down and embrace the gradual 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. If you happen to’re a house cinema fan who actually desires Atmos then you definitely’ll must pay somewhat extra for options such because the Apple HomePod or the high-end Period 300. However, in case you’re simply in search of a compact, high-quality speaker with wi-fi and assist for AirPlay, then the Period 100 delivers the products at a lower cost than most of its AirPlay rivals.

Sonos’ Roam must be the smallest and most moveable AirPlay 2 speaker we’ve seen up to now.

Sonos’s unique Roam sensible speaker was launched again in 2021, and it was among the best moveable audio system we’ve ever seen, offering excellent sound high quality in a extremely compact design that additionally managed to squeeze in helpful options resembling wi-fi charging and even assist for Wi-Fi and AirPlay for Apple gadgets. The Roam 2 fine-tunes various options resembling its set-up and tuning course of, and supplies extra easy controls.

Obtainable in a wide range of colours–together with crimson, inexperienced, blue and plain previous black and white–the Roam 2 seems an identical to its predecessor. It’s 168mm tall, 62mm large and 60mm deep, and weighs 0.43kg. It’s not pocket-size, however it can match right into a backpack. It has a IP67 score water and mud resistance, so it’s suited to the outside.

There’s no room for a big battery within the compact design, but it surely 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 amount, playback and microphone controls sit on the highest, however you’ll be able to 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 may press the Bluetooth button to pair through Bluetooth, however it’s essential 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 completed, the Roam 2 labored very well. Fortunate its assist for AirPlay made connecting it to extra Apple gadgets easy.

The Roam 2 affords nice sound high quality for such a compact speaker, particularly over a Wi-Fi connection. It did an excellent 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 reasonably respectable bass beat for such a small speaker.

Switching to Bluetooth triggered the sound to lose somewhat readability–however that’s a limitation of Bluetooth moderately than the speaker itself, and the Roam 2 can go head-to-head with any moveable speaker of this dimension 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 wholly new design that was at the very least eye-catching even when it wasn’t maybe as elegant as Sonos claimed.

Obtainable in black or white, the cumbersome, hourglass design of the Period 300 could be very a lot designed for spatial audio, housing a minimum of 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 both sides of the unit, which give 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 pontificate 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 hook up with your own home community, and in addition helps AirPlay 2 to be used with Apple gadgets and different AirPlay-compatible audio system. However, not like earlier Sonos audio system, the Period now helps Bluetooth as nicely, in order that it could possibly present a fast and straightforward wi-fi connection for cell gadgets and computer systems when required. You too can 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 maintain, although. The Dolby Atmos assist works very 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 an excellent 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 select 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 an excellent various to costlier soundbar methods for music and watching video.

It sounds higher than most moveable audio system this dimension, however nonetheless sounds clipped at excessive volumes and a few controls are somewhat opaque.

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

Beats’ iconic “tablet” form is helpful to hold round, matches anyplace a water bottle would go, and sits nicely on a desk or equally flat floor. You may get one in basic Beats colours—black, crimson, or champagne.

When at relaxation the audio system are tilted 20 levels upward, which is a good way to undertaking the sound extra immediately at you. 

The Tablet is IP67-rated, so is ought to be protected on the seaside, beside a pool, or within the rain. A silicone outer wrap helps stop 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 straightforward to hit the correct 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 kind of energy financial institution in your telephone.

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

With a single woofer able to 90 p.c extra air displacement than the woofer within the Beats Tablet+ and a paired tweeter, the brand new Beats Tablet sounds OK. Like all moveable audio system with a cylindrical design it lacks low-end oomph. There’s extra bass than you’d count on, 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, but it surely doesn’t have a lot in the best way of noise discount to guard from sturdy wind or close by freeway noise.

The weatherproofing, comparatively loud quantity, and unbelievable battery life all make this a extremely nice inexpensive speaker for hanging out by the pool. The $149.99/£149.99price is affordable, too. You simply must handle your expectations for getting nice sound high quality out of somewhat moveable speaker like this.

We’ve seemed 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, known 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. Nevertheless, 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 yow 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 large and 180mm deep, and it weighs in at a hefty 4.9kg. Even so, it’s nonetheless supposed to be a conveyable speaker and – not like the opposite Authentics audio system – it features a rechargeable battery that lasts for round eight hours. There’s additionally a sturdy steel carrying deal with, so it’s straightforward to select the speaker up and carry it from room to room at dwelling, or out into the backyard when the summer season ultimately 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 which you can additionally simply management the speaker from any Apple gadgets, and the JBL One app additionally consists of 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 hook up 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 permits you to flip the mics off in case you want to maintain issues personal.

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 criticism 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 in case you want a wired connection.