STEREO SMART SPEAKERS

Apple HomePod $998 (pair), apple.com/au

SETUP

Apple makes this super easy. Tap your iOS device to it (and you must have an iOS device) and it pulls your Wi-Fi password and iCloud logins right over. Add a second speaker and tell it that it’s in the same room as the first, and you can pair them. Slick.

FEATURES

AirPlay 2 (only on Apple devices) and Siri are the only ways to play anything on here, making it flexible for Apple users but useless to anyone else. AirPlay 2’s multi-room support is easy to control. The room customisation is brilliant and automatic.

ASSISTANT

Siri is way behind Alexa for overall capabilities. It’s good with music (but only if you use Apple Music or lots of iTunes tracks) and with smart home (if your gear is all HomeKit). The mic accuracy and ability to pick up your voice is the best out there.

STEREO SOUND

Given their size, the punch these have is truly incredible. The sound is open, natural and highly detailed, with strong, controlled bass. Oddly, stereo separation isn’t as strong as with the Sonos One, but is still more than present.

VERDICT

WE’RE IMPRESSED Phenomenally good sound; AirPlay 2 works well; voice recognition is top. WE’D IMPROVE Useless to non-Apple users; Siri is limited.

Sonos One $598 (pair), sonos.com

SETUP

Sonos’ setup process is reliable and fairly easy to follow. Creating a Stereo pair is basically automatic if you assign two Sonos Ones to the same room. Activating Alexa is more annoying, as you bounce back and forth between apps, but not hard.

FEATURES

Sonos’ multi-room support is great, as is support for music services. AirPlay 2 is fantastic for Apple users. Alexa is here for voice control. The room audio customisation is an irritating process of waving your phone around, but it works well.

ASSISTANT

Alexa is fully featured here, so you can add skills you need from the Alexa app and make it as powerful as you want. Its support for multiple music services is handy for a speaker. The mics’ sensitivity is pretty middling, however.

STEREO SOUND

The Ones’ are a great standalone stereo set for the price. The treble is detailed, the mid-range is lively without overwhelming, and stereo separation is sharp. There’s little bass to speak of, though, and they sound less open than the HomePods.

VERDICT

WE’RE IMPRESSED Sonos multi-room, AirPlay and Alexa in one place; detailed sound; great price. WE’D IMPROVE Lack of bass; struggles to pick up voice over loud noises.