Home audio
01
CAMBRIDGE AUDIO MINX AIR 100
$599, APOLLOHIFI.COM.AU, TESTED MAY 2013
LOVE Powerful, detailed sound quality. AirPlay and Bluetooth connectivity. Rugged, sleek design. Handy web radio buttons
HATE Multi-room is less straightforward than on Sonos T3 SAYS Sounds great and packs more features than any other wireless speaker system on the market SPECIFICATIONS
POWER 100W CONNECTIVITY Wi-Fi, AirPlay, Bluetooth, RCA, 3.5mm SIZE 354x182x118mm
02
DENON CEOL PICCOLO
$796, HARVEYNORMAN.COM.AU, TESTED FEBRUARY 2013
LOVE Denon’s ditched the original Ceol’s CD player but kept AirPlay, an iPod dock, 24-bit support and web radio
HATE Very dull looks T3 SAYS Multi-format miniature marvel at a very respectable price SPECIFICATIONS
POWER 2x 65W CONNECTIVITY Wi-Fi, USB, optical in, audio in, AirPlay, 3.5mm out SIZE 180x90x234mm
03
SONOS PLAY:1
$299, SONOS.COM, TESTED NOVEMBER 2013 LOVE Great design. An affordable way to begin a Sonos multi-room setup HATE It’s mono. Adding more zones can get pricey T3 SAYS The cheapest way to get Sonos sounds good, but you’ll want more than one for better-than-good audio SPECIFICATIONS POWER Not quoted CONNECTIVITY Ethernet, SonosNet 2.0 wireless, power SIZE 120x120x161mm
04
PIONEER X-SMC3
$599, PIONEER.COM.AU, TESTED JANUARY 2012 LOVE AirPlay and DLNA streaming, USB media playback and internet radio, plus excellent audio quality HATE Not much of a looker T3 SAYS A no-nonsense slab of audio power, with a massive dose of features for not much money SPECIFICATIONS POWER 40W CONNECTIVITY USB, ethernet, AirPlay,
line in, RCA SIZE 520x218x155mm
05
SONOS PLAY:5
$599, SONOS.COM, TESTED MARCH 2010
LOVE Superb, multi-room sound. Spotify and Last.FM support. You can control it all using your smartphone
HATE Go properly multi-room and the costs pile up T3 SAYS A simple, effective and classy way to pump well-rounded audio into every room SPECIFICATIONS
POWER N/A CONNECTIVITY Wireless, ethernet (Sonos proprietary streaming), line in SIZE 217x365x123mm
06
BOWERS & W ILKINS A 5
$600, BOWERS-WILKINS.NET, TESTED FEBRUARY 2013 LOVE Unfussy design and highly impressive sound. New app makes iTunes syncing easy HATE Bass wobbles at higher volumes T3 SAYS Elegant audio executed excellently. The A5 is the little black dress of speakers SPECIFICATIONS POWER 4x 20W CONNECTIVITY Wi-Fi, auxiliary analogue, Ethernet, AirPlay, 3.5mm out SIZE 300x180x120mm
07
PURE J ONGO T4
$419, PURE.COM/AU, TESTED MARCH 2014 LOVE Multi-room wireless streaming on a budget. Link two and you can achieve proper stereo sound HATE Connectivity can be glitchy T3 SAYS The affordable way to play digital DJ for the whole house, with results that sound great SPECIFICATIONS POWER 50W CONNECTIVITY Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ethernet,
3.5mm in SIZE 305x146x165mm
08
PURE J ONGO S 3
$369, AU.SHOP.PURE.COM, TESTED SEPTEMBER 2013
LOVE Good sound for the cost. Decent battery life. Can be linked for an easy, wireless multi-room system
HATE Fiddly Wi-Fi syncing. Multi-room via iOS only T3 SAYS Better-than-average sound in a compact package, the S3 is a great introduction to multi-room SPECIFICATIONS
POWER 4x 2.5W + 10W CONNECTIVITY G Wi-Fi, Bluetooth via USB dongle, ethernet, 3.5mm audio in SIZE 131x139x135mm
09
LOEWE AIRSPEAKER
$1,299, LOEWE.TV/AU, TESTED JUNE 2012 LOVE Excellent audio. Compact, elegant design. Reliable wireless AirPlay streaming HATE Initial setup is a little clumsy. Overly Apple-centric T3 SAYS There are cheaper AirPlay speakers in this top ten, but few look and sound this good SPECIFICATIONS POWER 80W CONNECTIVITY USB for iOS devices only,
3.5mm, ethernet, G Wi-Fi SIZE 129x240x240mm
10
ELIPSON P LANET LW
$1,999, KLAPPAV.COM.AU, TESTED SEPTEMBER 2013
LOVE Superb sound. Wonderful ease of use and simple wireless setup. Great, well-rounded look
HATE Can’t be linked to other kit. Frightfully expensive, old chap T3 SAYS Bold design, easy wireless streaming and great audio go some way towards justifying the LW’s high price SPECIFICATIONS
POWER 2x 50W CONNECTIVITY Proprietary wireless streaming via 30-pin or USB dongle SIZE 290mm circumference