The ten greatest AirPlay audio system for nice wi-fi streaming – Uplaza

We’re placing the HomePod mini within the prime spot on the premise 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 remains to be much better than we have now any proper to anticipate at this dimension and worth. (Simply to reiterate, it’s a 3rd of the worth 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 bought 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 the event you’re deep within the Apple ecosystem and also you recognize high quality audio, that is the good 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 every of its strongest options–plug within the HomePod and wave an iPhone vaguely in its route 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 incredible 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 primary disadvantages of the 2023 HomePod are the excessive worth (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 screen.

Roku is well-known for its vary of streaming media units, which provide an reasonably priced 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 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 you could 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 enjoying music at dwelling or watching a couple of Hollywood blockbusters. It even gives 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 help AirPlay 2, though we’ve not had the prospect to check these but).

Going past fundamental speaker mode, you can even 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 units as nicely. You’ll be able to even do away with your Apple units 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, similar to Apple Music and Spotify.

Admittedly, the low value of the Streambar signifies that it does lack a couple of superior options, similar to help 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 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 worth.

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 prime quality. Nevertheless, 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 superb 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 accessible in black or white. It’s barely bigger than the Sonos One, although, standing 182.5mm excessive, 120mm vast 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 slightly further energy as nicely.

This new design works a deal with and the Period 100 gives excellent sound high quality for a comparatively compact speaker. The atmospheric harmonies of Enya’s Orinoco Circulation have a lightweight, shimmering sound, however the compact speaker has bought some muscle too, and is well 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 – “turn it up, turn it up”.

The one minor disappointment is that the Period 100 doesn’t help Dolby Atmos or spatial audio. In the event you’re a house cinema fan who actually desires Atmos then you definately’ll must pay slightly extra for alternate options such because the Apple HomePod or the high-end Period 300. However, for those who’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 lower cost than most of its AirPlay rivals.

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

Sonos’s authentic Roam good speaker was launched again in 2021, and it was among the finest transportable audio system we’ve ever seen, offering excellent sound high quality in a extremely compact design that additionally managed to squeeze in helpful options similar to wi-fi charging and even help for Wi-Fi and AirPlay for Apple units. The Roam 2 fine-tunes a variety of options similar to its set-up and tuning course of, and gives extra simple controls.

Out there in quite a lot of colours–together with pink, inexperienced, blue and plain outdated black and white–the Roam 2 appears an identical to its predecessor. It’s 168mm tall, 62mm vast and 60mm deep, and weighs 0.43kg. It’s not pocket-size, however it should match right into a backpack. It has a IP67 score water and dirt resistance, so it’s suited to the outside.

There’s no room for a big battery within the compact design, however 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’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’ll be able to press the Bluetooth button to pair through Bluetooth, however it’s good to obtain the Sonos app for iOS so as 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 accomplished, the Roam 2 labored rather well. Fortunate its help for AirPlay made connecting it to further Apple units simple.

The Roam 2 affords nice sound high quality for such a compact speaker, particularly over a Wi-Fi connection. It did a superb job with Sturgill Simpson’s Sing Alongside, laying down the grinding, fuzzy guitars that type 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 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 dimension and weight. The Roam 2 actually punches above its weight in relation to 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 no less than eye-catching even when it wasn’t maybe as elegant as Sonos claimed.

Out there 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 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 either side 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 one more tweeter on the highest, which is designed to fireplace hold forth the ceiling to assist create a way of top 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 house community, and likewise helps AirPlay 2 to be used with Apple units and different AirPlay-compatible audio system. However, in contrast to earlier Sonos audio system, the Period now helps Bluetooth as nicely, in order that it may possibly present a fast and simple wi-fi connection for cell units 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 maintain, 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 superb 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 calmly 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 costlier AirPlay audio system at the moment accessible, however the highly effective and atmospheric sound of the Period 300, and help for Dolby Atmos, make it a superb various to costlier soundbar techniques for music and watching video.

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

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

Beats’ iconic “pill” form is useful to hold round, matches wherever a water bottle would go, and sits nicely on a desk or equally flat floor. You will get one in traditional Beats colours—black, pink, 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 Tablet is IP67-rated, so is must be protected 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 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 help 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 ability button so it may be a type of energy financial institution in your cellphone.

Beats says the battery will final 24 hours. We will affirm it may 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 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, however 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 incredible 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 need one thing highly effective that may additionally enterprise open air sometimes, then the A15 from Audio Professional is a extremely good possibility. It’s barely costlier 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, referred to as the A10 which prices simply $250/£149 however isn’t transportable because it lacks an inner battery).

The A15 is kind 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 season comes alongside, and there’s a bass port on the again of the speaker that doubles up as a deal with so to rapidly decide it and head open air whenever you wish to.

The good cloth cowl can also be rated IPX2 for water resistance, to make sure that it may possibly deal with 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 units, Google Forged for our Android pals, 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 another AirPlay speaker, permitting you to play any music or video out of your Apple units. It sounds nice too, with the big speaker offering a agency, pulsing bass on Low’s Reduce. There’s an icy readability to the haunting metal guitar, but additionally heat too, on singer Alan Sparhawk’s softly spoken vocals. And, for those who 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 excellent stereo separation, and there are a lot of individuals who may have a correct two-piece (2.0) speaker system that actually reveals 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 entails 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 rather a lot cheaper than shopping for two HomePods and utilizing them for stereo. The 2 audio system are solidly constructed, with a gorgeous 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 aspect of our workplace iMac’s display screen with out an excessive amount of hassle, so that they’re nicely suited to audio work for musicians or different content material creators.

All of the controls are positioned on the right-hand speaker, which incorporates a powerful variety of each wired and wi-fi enter choices. There are 3.5mm, RCA, optical, and coaxial connectors for units similar to CD gamers or turntables, and you may rapidly 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 units. The S1000W gives a thumping 120W complete output, and I used to be solely in a position to set the amount stage 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 Dangerous 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 so as 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 possibility 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 costlier than a pair of HomePods ($598), however it’s much more versatile in relation to connecting to non-Apple units and becoming into a bigger dwelling leisure system. And, within the UK, the worth 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 additionally contains Ethernet for wired networks too, together with Bluetooth and a typical 3.5mm connector for non-Apple units. 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 rapidly 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 vitality 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 screen and the sound pans easily over to my left-hand aspect.

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 gadget’s credibility amongst audiophile music followers. A couple of 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 a couple of 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 a variety of different new options too.

Out there in both Midnight Gray or a silvery Pearl Gray, the brand new Zeppelin initially appears similar to its predecessors, with the eye-catching oval design that provides the speaker its identify. However on the within, the Zeppelin has been utterly redesigned, with a pair of high-frequency tweeters and mid-range woofers positioned on either side of a central sub-woofer, whereas the whole 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 units, 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 units similar to a CD participant, or perhaps even an outdated iPod.

The sound high quality, although, is terrific, with the massed harmonies of Queen’s Anyone To Love ringing out vivid and clear, and a energetic, 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 Dangerous 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 can be nice for getting the get together going over Christmas and the New Yr.

It’s a little expensive, at $799/£699, however that’s solely barely costlier 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’ll be able to share its wonderful sound high quality with everybody in your house.