WIRELESS SPEAKERS

They come in many guises, but which of these wireless speakers sounds the best?

There was a time when speaking was all that speakers would do. Now, like the trees, they are listening too – awaiting our command, whether that's to load up a playlist or dial in our takeaway order, and perform it with success varying between haphazard and seamless.

But let’s not forget that smart speakers are still speakers, and that their primary function should be playing our music with the greatest sonic aptitude achievable at the price. The five speakers in this group test all integrate their voice controls well enough, whether it's Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa or Siri, but not all are up to their most significant task.

You’re likely to recognise every name on this list, at least. Sonos and Audio Pro remain the finest multi-room systems currently available due to their hugely talented wireless speakers, and the One and Addon C5A respectively that enter this test are no small part of those companies’ success.

Then, of course, there is Apple and its Homepod. It is perhaps not necessarily one for those yet to be convinced by the company’s electronics – you need an Apple device to set it up, and its full functionality is realised only by using Siri and Apple Music – but undoubtedly it remains one of the finest-sounding smart speakers on the market.

And then there are two newbies, from Amazon in the form of its Echo Studio and from Bose with its Home Speaker 300. The former offers support for hi-res music and also promises to deliver 3D audio via Sony’s 360 Reality Audio and Dolby Atmos, while the latter features both Alexa and Google Assistant to control its own room-filling sound.

There can be only one winner, but which wireless speaker that is might really be up to you. There are three steps to finding out which is best for you: read the following five reviews, consider our verdict and then get out to try them all for yourself.