Sound Quality

Sounding good in every room

The Philips Spotify speaker is the cheapest on test at just £129.99, but its sound quality isn’t at all bad. Higher frequencies are clear and detailed, and the bass is adequate for a speaker of this size. Step up to £150 and you can get the Pure Jongo T4X. This chunky speaker provides powerful 50W output with firm bass, although higher frequencies can be a bit shrill.

The LG H5 struggles a bit with volume as well. It’s fine for listening to some music over dinner, but the lightweight plastic casing struggles to contain its 40W output and the sound starts to distort when you really pump up the volume.

Samsung doesn’t specify the output of its M5 speaker, but this large triangular unit pumps out plenty of volume. The bass can be a bit heavy, but Samsung’s MultiRoom app includes a graphic equaliser to fine-tune the sound.

The Sonos Play:1 stands out here. Its upright, cylindrical design fills the air all around it with a rich, full sound and surprisingly firm bass for such a compact little speaker.