![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Hip-hop, classic rock, soundtracks, it’s all covered with ease. Big choral numbers feel broad and immersive thanks to spatial audio, but the Era 300 excels seemingly with all genres and across every taste. Throw whatever you like at the Era 300, chances are it has it covered, filling our testing rooms with cohesive, spacious sound without a hint of a struggle. With its unique, “cinched hourglass” shape, there’s no question that the Era 300 is a bit more of an acquired taste than most of the brand’s rather more conservative designs, but what isn't up for debate is how superbly the five-star Era 300 manages to perform. Ever since Apple's mighty HomePod 2 landed early in 2023 with the ability to deliver spatial audio, the race has been on to see who could challenge the biggest dog on the block when it came to integrating the much-vaunted tech into their own speaker designs.Įnter the Era 300, Sonos’ more expensive rival to the HomePod 2 that looks to beat Apple at its own game. It seems that it isn't enough for the best wi-fi speakers just to deliver great sound and a decent array of features anymore. Read the full review: Apple HomePod Mini Best wireless speaker for spatial audio It’s a really powerful way to discover new music, and Alexa is nowhere near as good at it.Īpple's HomePod Mini: every inch the What Hi-Fi? 20 Award-winner. Siri is your voice assistant, and after a short period of learning it'll respond to the phrase “Hey Siri, play something I'll like” not by streaming your most played track of the last few weeks, but by playing something that you probably haven't heard before but which has been curated to fit in with your current listening habits and tastes. Not at all bad for a price that falls just under the £100 / $100 / AU$150 mark. From the moment we start playing music, it’s clear that the HomePod Mini comfortably outperforms its size and price, quite frankly embarrassing its direct competition with the sophistication and maturity of its sound. Get its swirling orb of coloured light up and running (when Siri is listening or processing) though, and you realise what a classy performer you've got on your hands. The HomePod Mini really is bijou, and at just 8.4cm tall and 9.8cm wide, it’s quite a bit smaller than the similarly spherical new Amazon Echo - in fact, it’s even dwarfed by the new Echo Dot. ![]() Read the full five-star review: Sonos Era 100 Best budget wireless speaker The app is excellent to use, the number of streaming features is, frankly, vast, and everything is as well-made and reliable as you’d expect.Īgain, Sonos rarely delivers what you’d call ‘budget’ options in the best wi-fi speakers category, and we’re still not delighted to be forking out extra for a wired connection, but if you’re still happy to spend a decent amount of cash without making as much of a dent in your funds as the 300, the Era 100 is a five-star banker. Just like its heftier counterpart, the 100 delivers a big, open sound, a lovely sense of rhythmic drive and all the detail and precision you could hope for at this price point. If you’re not keen on forking out the somewhat whopping £449/$449/AU$749 asking price for the Era 300, the Era 100 is a fine option as a wireless home speaker. Released alongside the superb Era 300, the Era 100 keeps up with its bigger, more expensive brother by delivering a host of streaming playback features within another excellent-sounding speaker. Rival Apple HomePod 2 is more natural with voicesĪs the name suggests, Sonos’ range of wireless speakers promises a new ‘era’ for the American audio company. To make sure you get the best wireless speaker possible for your specific needs and budget, we’ve created this guide detailing the top performers we’ve reviewed in recent years. If a speaker isn't present on this list, chances are it's not worth your time or your cash.Īll too often we’ve received promising-looking speakers in for review, only to have them fail to deliver (poor sound, patchy connectivity or flimsy build quality) when we put them through their paces in our dedicated test rooms. Just to add an added layer of complexity, having reviewed more wireless speakers than we care to count, we can confirm that there are plenty of terrible options doing the rounds that simply aren’t worth your time or money. Even for the professionals, it can be hard to know where to begin. Pop into any store and you’ll see everything from basic rugged speakers best-suited to student pool parties to audiophile-level options costing hundreds (and sometimes thousands), with brands touting everything from the best Bluetooth speakers for the home, the best wi-fi speakers, the best wireless speakers and everything in between. ![]()
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