We’re placing the HomePod mini within the high spot on the idea 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 we’ve got any proper to count on at this measurement and value. (Simply to reiterate, it’s a 3rd of the value and a seventh of the burden 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, it does fill a room superbly – particularly when teamed with a second mannequin as a stereo pair.

In case you’re deep within the Apple ecosystem and also you admire high quality audio, that is the sensible speaker for you: it should 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 course 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 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 a terrific 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 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 manage it. We actually need a HomePod with a display.

Roku is well-known for its vary of streaming media gadgets, which provide an reasonably priced different 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 help for Apple’s AirPlay 2 – and all for a extremely aggressive $129.99/£129.99.

The AirPlay help and built-in dual-band Wi-Fi imply that you may merely use the Streambar as a standard AirPlay speaker, utilizing AirPlay to stream music by way of 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 residence or watching just a few Hollywood blockbusters. It even supplies fairly good bass too, touchdown the bass guitar and crashing drums on Kate Bush’s The Massive Sky with actual impression (and Roku has just lately introduced a brand new vary of wi-fi audio system that additionally help AirPlay 2, though we’ve not had the possibility to check these but).

Going past primary speaker mode, it’s also possible to 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 effectively. 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 providers–together with Apple TV+, Netflix, Disney+ and so forth. It additionally helps plenty of music streaming providers too, corresponding to Apple Music and Spotify.

Admittedly, the low value of the Streambar signifies that it does lack just a few superior options, corresponding to help for Dolby Atmos, which you will get from Apple’s HomePod and in addition the Apple TV 4K. However, after all, the Apple TV field doesn’t embrace 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.

When Sonos first launched the Period 100 it was positioned as a mid-range choice that sat between the entry-level Sonos One and the imposing Period 300 with Dolby Atmos on the prime quality. Nevertheless, the veteran Sonos One quietly light away just a few 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 broad and 130mm deep. This enables the Period 100 to squeeze in a further high-frequency tweeter, in order that it now homes two tweeters which might be angled out to the appropriate 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 slightly further energy as effectively.

This new design works a deal with and the Period 100 supplies superb sound high quality for a comparatively compact speaker. The atmospheric harmonies of Enya’s Orinoco Movement have a light-weight, shimmering sound, however the compact speaker has acquired 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 the air, however that bigger woofer may 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 help Dolby Atmos or spatial audio. In case you’re a house cinema fan who actually desires Atmos you then’ll must pay slightly extra for alternate options such because the Apple HomePod or the high-end Period 300. However, in case you’re simply on the lookout for a compact, high-quality speaker with wi-fi and help 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 to date.

Sonos’s unique Roam sensible speaker was launched again in 2021, and it was the most effective 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 corresponding to wi-fi charging and even help for Wi-Fi and AirPlay for Apple gadgets. The Roam 2 fine-tunes plenty of options corresponding to its set-up and tuning course of, and supplies extra easy controls.

Accessible in a wide range of colours–together with purple, inexperienced, blue and plain previous black and white–the Roam 2 seems to be similar to its predecessor. It’s 168mm tall, 62mm broad and 60mm deep, and weighs 0.43kg. It’s not pocket-size, however it should match right into a backpack. It has a IP67 ranking water and dirt 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 amount, playback and microphone controls sit on the highest, however you may flip the speaker onto its facet 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 by way of Bluetooth, however you’ll want to obtain the Sonos app for iOS with a view 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 achieved, the Roam 2 labored rather well. Fortunate its help for AirPlay made connecting it to extra Apple gadgets easy.

The Roam 2 presents 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 type the bedrock of the sound. On Billie Eilish’s Unhealthy Man it achieved a fairly respectable bass beat for such a small speaker.

Switching to Bluetooth induced the sound to lose slightly readability–however that’s a limitation of Bluetooth relatively 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 outside use. 

Apple has been banging the drum for spatial audio for just a few years now, however Sonos actually took a step ahead with that know-how 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 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 a minimum of six separate speaker drivers, with help 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 hold forth the ceiling to assist create a way of peak and house 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, in contrast to earlier Sonos audio system, the Period now helps Bluetooth as effectively, in order that it could possibly present a fast and straightforward wi-fi connection for cellular gadgets and computer systems when required. It’s also possible to 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 preserve, although. The Dolby Atmos help 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 flippantly by 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 dearer AirPlay audio system at present out there, however the highly effective and atmospheric sound of the Period 300, and help for Dolby Atmos, make it a very good different to dearer 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 slightly opaque.

The Beats Capsule is far improved over earlier variations, nevertheless it has just a few faults that we’d like to see addressed within the subsequent revision.

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

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

The Capsule 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 simple to hit the appropriate 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 help for lossless audio (not that the Capsule has the sound high quality to do it justice). It even reverse-charges with a triple-tap of the ability button so it may be a form of energy financial institution in your cellphone.

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

With a single woofer able to 90 % extra air displacement than the woofer within the Beats Capsule+ and a paired tweeter, the brand new Beats Capsule sounds OK. Like all transportable 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, nevertheless it doesn’t have a lot in the best way of noise discount to guard from robust 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 slightly transportable speaker like this.

If you would like one thing highly effective that may additionally enterprise outdoor often, then the A15 from Audio Professional is a extremely good choice. It’s barely dearer than Apple’s HomePod, however its transportable design and connectivity options make it much more versatile than the HomePod (there’s additionally a smaller mannequin, known as the A10 which prices simply $250/£149 however isn’t transportable because it lacks an inside battery).

The A15 is sort of giant, measuring 8.1 x 11.2 x 5.3 inches (206 x 286 x 137mm), and weighing in at a reasonably hefty 2.2lb (3.4kg). Nevertheless, it’s nonetheless gentle sufficient to hold from room to room, or out into the backyard when the summer time comes alongside, and there’s a bass port on the again of the speaker that doubles up as a deal with with the intention to shortly choose it and head outdoor once you wish to.

The sensible cloth cowl can also be rated IPX2 for water resistance, to make sure that it could possibly address the occasional burst of rain. Battery life is nice too, lasting for eight hours at full blast, or 11 hours at 50% quantity. The A15 helps dual-band Wi-Fi with AirPlay 2 for Apple gadgets, Google Solid for our Android associates, in addition to Bluetooth and a 3.5mm connector for wired audio.

You’ll must obtain the Audio Professional app to attach the A15 to your Wi-Fi community, however after that it really works similar to every other AirPlay speaker, permitting you to play any music or video out of your Apple gadgets. It sounds nice too, with the big speaker offering a agency, pulsing bass on Low’s Lower. There’s an icy readability to the haunting metal guitar, but in addition heat too, on singer Alan Sparhawk’s softly spoken vocals. And, in case you actually wish to go to city at party-time, the A15 even has a connector for hooking it as much as an exterior sub-woofer too.

Most AirPlay audio system have a compact, all-in-one design, similar to Apple’s HomePod. Nevertheless, these compact audio system don’t present superb stereo separation, and there are lots of individuals who may have a correct two-piece (2.0) speaker system that actually exhibits how stereo audio is supposed to sound. Edifier’s S1000W is an effective stereo system for musicians who’re recording their very own songs, or for podcasting or video-editing that includes audio enhancing work. And, after all, it sounds nice for simply listening to your favourite music too.

The 2-piece S1000W prices $449.99/£399.99 – which is loads cheaper than shopping for two HomePods and utilizing them for stereo. The 2 audio system are solidly constructed, with a beautiful wooden end, which additionally helps to cut back vibrations that may have an effect on the sound high quality. They stand 7.8 x 13.6 x 11.6 inches (345 x 198 x 295mm), so that they want a pretty big desk or shelf, however we have been in a position to stand them on both facet of our workplace iMac’s display with out an excessive amount of bother, so that they’re effectively fitted to audio work for musicians or different content material creators.

All of the controls are positioned on the right-hand speaker, which incorporates a formidable variety of each wired and wi-fi enter choices. There are 3.5mm, RCA, optical, and coaxial connectors for gadgets corresponding to CD gamers or turntables, and you’ll shortly swap between inputs utilizing the distant management included within the field. And, for wi-fi audio, the S1000W additionally helps Bluetooth, dual-band Wi-Fi, and AirPlay 2 for streaming from Apple gadgets. The S1000W supplies a thumping 120W whole output, and I used to be solely in a position to set the amount degree to round 50% earlier than I began to fret about annoying the neighbors. And it’s not simply loud – the sound high quality is nice too, with the sturdy audio system offering a agency, rhythmic bass when taking part in Billie Elish’s Unhealthy Man, mixed with clear, exact vocals and better frequencies.

Apple may be very eager on getting folks to purchase two of the second-gen HomePods with a view to use them for stereo music, or for watching movies and movies which have a soundtrack that makes use of the Dolby Atmos encompass sound format. That’s not the one choice for movie buffs, although, and there are many soundbars that help each AirPlay 2 and Dolby Atmos, together with the Denon Dwelling 550.

The Dwelling 550 prices $649 within the US, which is barely dearer than a pair of HomePods ($598), nevertheless it’s much more versatile in the case of connecting to non-Apple gadgets and becoming into a bigger residence leisure system. And, within the UK, the value is £599 (in comparison with £598 for 2 HomePods).

As talked about, the Dwelling 550 helps dual-band wi-fi with help for AirPlay 2, but in addition contains Ethernet for wired networks too, together with Bluetooth and a regular 3.5mm connector for non-Apple gadgets. It has two 4K HDMI ports for connecting to a TV, and an optical audio connector for older TVs that don’t help HDMI.

The Denon app lets you join the Dwelling 550 to your community for AirPlay streaming, or you need to use the distant management that’s included within the field to shortly swap between AirPlay, Bluetooth and different audio sources.

The big soundbar – 25.95 x 2.95 x 4.72 inches (650 x 120 x 75mm) – produces an equally giant sound, with deep, pulsing bass on The Orb’s Prime Evil, and a nervous, manic power on the rattling percussion. And, switching into Dolby Atmos mode, it really works a deal with on the opening scene of Blade Runner, with a dramatic bass rumble on the bursts of flame that leap throughout the Los Angeles skyline. It additionally creates an actual sense of motion as Harrison Ford’s hover-car zooms ahead out of the display and the sound pans easily over to my left-hand facet.

Bowers & Wilkins’ Zeppelin was a landmark product for Mac customers – and it’s nice to see it again once more.

Initially launched in 2007, the Zeppelin was the primary Hello-Fi-quality speaker system for the iPod, and actually helped to spice up that machine’s credibility amongst audiophile music followers. Just a few years later an up to date Zeppelin was additionally one of many first audio system to help Apple’s AirPlay software program for streaming audio over Wi-Fi. Nevertheless, the Zeppelin was left behind when Apple launched AirPlay 2 – with its new help for multi-room music – so it was discontinued just a few years in the past. However now, with little or no fanfare, B&W has launched a brand new model of the Zeppelin that provides help for AirPlay 2, together with plenty of different new options too.

Accessible in both Midnight Gray or a silvery Pearl Gray, the brand new Zeppelin initially seems to be similar to its predecessors, with the eye-catching oval design that offers the speaker its title. However on the within, the Zeppelin has been utterly redesigned, with a pair of high-frequency tweeters and mid-range woofers positioned on both sides of a central sub-woofer, whereas your entire unit is powered by a roof-rattling 240W amplifier.

As talked about, the brand new Zeppelin now 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. My solely minor complaints are that the Zeppelin solely appears to work with 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, and it’s utterly reliant on Wi-Fi or Bluetooth for streaming, with no wired inputs for connecting to gadgets corresponding to a CD participant, or possibly even an previous iPod.

The sound high quality, although, is terrific, with the massed harmonies of Queen’s Any individual To Love ringing out brilliant and clear, and a vigorous, ringing tone on Roger Taylor’s shrieking falsetto and crashing cymbals. On the different finish of the spectrum, the Zeppelin delivers the bouncing bass on Unhealthy Man by Billie Eilish with a agency, taut sound that instantly will get you tapping your foot. It simply fills the room with sound even at simply 40% of most quantity, so the Zeppelin might be nice for getting the celebration going over Christmas and the New Yr.

It’s a little expensive, at $799/£699, however that’s solely barely dearer than Apple’s AirPods Max, and the Zeppelin is actually higher worth for cash. What’s extra, its room-filling sound and AirPlay 2 help imply you may share its glorious sound high quality with everybody in your house.