Citation Towers $3995
Clearly the standout product in the range, the Citation Towers are a pair of wireless floorstanders that slot seamlessly into the Google Home multi-room ecosystem. They are quite an investment, but you are getting a lot of technology for the money. In engineering terms, each Tower comprises a 25mm tweeter, a pair of 10cm woofers and a downward-firing 20cm sub, with 200W of power driving them.
They are big, bold, and offer a range of possibilities, including to form part of a 5.1 surround-sound system. The Citation Bar, Citation Sub and Citation Surround speakers will connect and converse with the Towers to create an immersive home cinema system. You can also pair with other Citation speakers — the single-box One MkII, the 300 and 500 — and benefit from even more of the brand’s full-bodied sound.
As for music you can send that to the Towers via Bluetooth or Chromecast. Google Assistant is on board, too, which frees you from your device when it comes to selecting a playlist or album, changing volume or skipping tracks. (Those with privacy concerns can always turn the microphone off so you can't be heard.)
The Towers connect to your home network via dual-band Wi-Fi; there’s no wired Ethernet connection. How big an issue that is will depend on the strength of your Wi-Fi signal — it’s always better to have a wired connection for back-up in busy or well-built homes..
They weigh a hefty 19kg per speaker and come in the same box, so bring a friend to carry them home! Each one measures 116cm tall — so consider the aesthetic effect in your room, though the choice of the lighter grey Kvadrat finish makes them otherwise less imposing, while the tapering design oozes class. They feel like premium speakers.
Their size is testament to the collection of drivers and amps contained within, and the technology too. They connect to each other automatically, the right-hand speaker acting as master to the left-hand slave unit, and as with the rest of the range you set them up using the Google Home app.
The right speaker is also where you’ll find the touch-screen controller, a strip located on top of the speaker (see below), which allows you to select source and change volume.
As with their physical presence the sound is large, even when not loud. At half volume, the Towers have authoritative weight, dishing out deep bass and a gloriously rich midrange well balanced by smooth and evenly delivered treble frequencies. Stereo imaging is good too, and that's something you just won’t get from even premium one-box solutions. The low end could be more clearly defined, not as taut as you’d get from a more traditional hi-fi product, but they still punched out basslines with glee. Similarly there’s plenty of punch and drive overall, if they could sometimes struggle to paint the finer lines of expression. The Towers do thrive in the mids, though. Voices were full of body, and overall there was an infectious confidence, an enthusiasm for power.
While you could add that Sub for movie impact, it's really not required for music — the Towers are weighty enough on their own. Their overall sonic strengths are good, and if you love the look and have the cash, the range-topping Citations represent a fine way to bring quality wireless music and TV performance into a sizeable room, especially if you've got a home where Google products fill other niches in your life, Citations or otherwise.