MULTIROOM SPEAKERS 101

Why you need them and which to buy

Multiroom speakers were some of the earliest connected home devices. They enable you to stream music from a smartphone or tablet to any room in the house, without wires. Sonos is almost synonymous with this technology, offering wireless speakers ranging from the small PLAY:1 ($299), right up to a full surround sound system (around $2,600). There are numerous stunning alternatives, from Bose with its SoundTouch range (from $299) to more premium brands such as Naim Audio (from $1,299) and Bang & Olufsen with its BeoSound 1 (from $1,895). Increasingly, these speakers now connect to the rest of your smart home. They can act as a siren for an alarm system, or wake you up gently with birdsong. How lovely.