How to choose the right wireless speaker

 In the early days of wireless speakers, developers sacrificed sound quality for convenience - but those days are over.

While retaining the ease of use and connectivity, as well as the unusual design solutions that brought them popularity, the new models boast excellent sound, and the best of them can rightfully be attributed to the Hi-Fi class.

Today, wireless speakers have become high-tech devices, often equipped with personal voice assistants and all the latest streaming technologies. Taking into account new trends and popular ways of listening to music, manufacturers are equipping their devices with spill-resistant cases, multi-room capabilities, long-lasting batteries, and support for protocols and services like AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect. And most importantly, they play great. But with such a variety of offers, it is very difficult to choose what works best for you. Our guide will help you narrow down your choices

All shapes and sizes

Before getting into the technical details, you should think about the size and shape of your wireless speaker, which will determine how you will use it. Wireless loudspeakers delight the eye in a variety of shapes and sizes: they can be large and rectangular or small and cylindrical. Some are robust and waterproof, others sport stylish modern designs, and still, others look like 1920s aircraft.

In general, such speakers can look different and be of any size. The choice of a suitable model depends primarily on what you are going to use it for. For the bedroom, fairly compact models are best suited - such as the Apple HomePod, Sonos One, Sonos One SL, Amazon Echo Dot with clock, or Audio Pro Addon C3. If the speaker is intended to take a prominent place in the living room, larger and more effective models - for example, B&W Formation Wedge, Triangle AIO 3 (pictured above), Dynaudio Music 5, Linn Series 3, or Naim Mu-so Qb of the second generation - will make the right impression. on your guests.

image credit: Bowers Wilkins

If you want to surprise your friends with an even distribution of sound, check out Omni-directional speakers such as the Amazon Echo Studio or the Ultimate Ear wireless range. Need something more mobile?

Try

DALI Katch,

JBL Charge 4,

Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3. If you're adventurous, the durable waterproof construction of the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2, Roll 2, or JBL Flip 5 will withstand a lot of bumps, raindrops, and splashes of mud - and will easily fit into your backpack.

Serious system for serious money

(image credit: NAIM)

On the other hand, if you are counting on a wireless speaker to become your main music system, be prepared to spend a decent amount and free up enough space. Models such as the second generation Naim Mu-so Qb are not cheap but sound worth it. They can replace a full-fledged hi-fi system, support modern streaming services, and look great in a trendy living room. You will have to correlate your requests with the dimensions and price of the speaker. From a tiny model like the Jam Heavy Metal, you don't get the massive, massive sound with powerful bass. But in the case of the more ambitious Naim Mu-so or Linn Series 3 (pictured below), for example, it can be expected.

Standalone or networked?

(image credit: LINN)

Portable speakers are equipped with rechargeable batteries, so you will not be tied to an outlet: you can just pick up the speaker and go wherever you go. Depending on its size, this can mean going into the next room, going to the beach on vacation, or going to a summer festival. Consider how long the battery lasts. Five hours of work (like a tiny JBL Go 2) - not bad for listening in the garden; if you are going on a picnic, count on at least eight. Finding a power outlet every few hours goes against the very idea of ​​a portable speaker. The concept of "portable" has long ceased to be a euphemism for the word "cheap" - both in terms of price and workmanship. The ultra-mobile and extremely reliable Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2 will work for thirteen hours, and the stylish DALI Katch will delight the owner for 24 hours after fully charging the battery.

AC-powered speakers such as the Sonos range are much more restricted in movement and are best thought of as a stationary component of a home system. As a rule, they are larger and more expensive than portable ones - the Devialet Gold Phantom and B&W Formation Wedge models can serve as proof of this - and are quite demanding on the presence of a power source that allows you to pump the speakers and unleash the full potential of the speakers.

Choosing a Wireless Broadcast Method

Having decided on the form, functionality, and portability of the speaker, it is worth thinking about how to serve music to it from a smartphone or laptop. Do you prefer standard Bluetooth? Become an adherent of the Apple ecosystem and all you need is AirPlay 2? New to Spotify Connect or Tidal? Or decided to organize a multi-room system based on Roon technology? Most wireless speakers support one or more signal transmission methods; we'll briefly list the most common streaming protocols so you know what to target.

Bluetooth: simple and ubiquitous

Bluetooth is the most widely used technology in the wireless speaker segment. This is the fastest and easiest way to wirelessly transmit a signal, requiring just a couple of seconds to connect.

Bluetooth is supported by almost all wireless speakers (it is often the only one in available and portable models), as well as most smartphones, tablets, and laptops. The advantages of this technology can be equally appreciated by the owners of Apple devices and Android systems. She has no favorites; anyone can use it for streaming. The range of the Bluetooth signal of the standard protocol is about 100 meters, however, walls and other obstacles significantly reduce it when used in the home; in these conditions, you can count on about 12 meters

Bluetooth has several flavors; aptX and aptX HD support CD-quality and higher-resolution file transfers (this requires compatible sources). Bluetooth version 5 promises even more power, bandwidth, and transmission range.

AirPlay 2: Apple only

AirPlay 2 - Apple's proprietary wireless broadcast technology; like most inventions from Cupertino, it only works on models from this manufacturer. But if you only use Apple devices in your home, that won't scare you.

AirPlay broadcasts over your home Wi-Fi network, so make sure your iPhone, iPod, or iPad is connected to the same network as the wireless speaker and you can start streaming right away.

While AirPlay-only speakers (such as the 2011 B&W Zeppelin Air) are out of fashion for a long time, it's a fairly common option in a long list of connections. AirPlay 2 allows you to create a multi-room system with multiple speakers, including models from manufacturers such as Libratone, Devialet, B&W, Naim, and Sonos.

Wi-Fi: for better signal transmission

If your wireless speaker has an Ethernet port or built-in Wi-Fi, you can directly connect it to your home network, allowing you to stream music at a higher bit rate than MP3 from any device connected to the same network - smartphone, laptop, or NAS. server.

Owners of CD-copy and Hi-Res file libraries FLAC, ALAC, or WAV should choose a speaker with higher resolution support. They are becoming more common; for example, the Naim Mu-so offers streaming up to 24 bit / 192 kHz. These speakers are still quite expensive (and may require a subscription to the corresponding services), but if you want a comfortable and high-quality music system, they are worth looking into.

Spotify Connect: Spotify Made Even Easier

If you're an avid Spotify user, check out the growing number of Spotify Connect wireless speakers, such as the Dynaudio Music 5 (pictured above). With built-in Spotify support, they are able to stream songs not from a smartphone, but directly from the cloud. This approach allows you to talk on the phone during playback, and also saves battery power.

Spotify Connect lets you switch between sources and transfer songs from one speaker to another with the press of a button. This is a very handy feature; once you get comfortable with it, you will wonder how you used to do without it. Spotify Connect requires a Spotify Premium subscription and wireless connection.

Multiroom: for music to play throughout your home

Most wireless speakers today support multi-room music playback in one way or another - or at least allow two speakers to be paired for amplification or stereo operation. Sonos and Audio Pro have set the gold standard for multi-room broadcasting throughout the home, but many other speakers have similar features and will allow you to transform your home into a single sound space.

The more speakers you buy, the more sound sources you get; Connect them online and never miss a beat of your favorite song again. Or you can organize the system so that each room has its own music - this option is perfect for a family of music lovers.

The success of multi-room speakers depends on the software that controls them which can easily connect to the source and home network. The impeccably designed app has earned Sonos the number one status for multi-room systems. Bluesound kicks in on her heels, keeping her Hi-Res audio streaming throughout her home.

Smart speakers

And finally, the latest addition to the world of technology trends: smart speakers. The popularity of wireless speakers with built-in voice control systems using any of the many modern personal assistants (Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant) is growing rapidly. If you only need a smart speaker because it can control music playback and home systems using voice commands, then the Amazon Echo Dot with clock or Google Home Mini will add a bit of science fiction to your home. The devices can also be combined into a multi-room system. Models such as the Sonos One and Ultimate Ears Megablast deliver fantastic sound while also featuring Alexa voice control - nothing more could be dreamed of. The choice of options today is huge, among them it is easy to get lost. But arm yourself with our tips and you can easily find the right wireless speaker for you.