Introduction

BLUESOUND ◆ BOSE ◆ BOWERS & WILKINS ◆ DENON ◆ DYNAUDIO HARMAN-KARDON ◆ MERIDIAN ◆ NAIM ◆ SONOS ◆ YAMAHA MUSICCAST Where once there was only Sonos, now there are many competing wireless streaming multiroom platforms, each offering an ecosystem of products

Twenty years ago, a home multi-room system was the stuff of fantasy. It required wires through the walls, complex signal routing to get a CD player in one room playing to another, and still more cables to handle control. And it would also have required a fair chunk of cash to achieve.

Whereas today you can send your favourite tunes all around your home, controlled by the touch of an app or even just the command of your voice, with only mains cables for your various systems required. The combination of better Wi-Fi, higher quality streaming services and the rise of wireless multiroom platforms has made it all far far easier. Well, most of the time.

We will point out right here, however, at the start of our mega-multiroom round-up, that such custom wired installations still exist, and can have significant advantages. Engage a custom installer of merit and not only do you lift the workload from your shoulders, you can have all the equipment hidden away, you can bank on a high level of reliability (wires beat Wi-Fi every time in this regard), and have your control system integrated into a smart home with security, data, and a hundred other conveniences including distributed video, which is something consumer multiroom systems do not yet deliver. But for smart audio, we’re now spoiled for choice in smart speakers, TV audio solutions and more.

Your initial choice can be crucial. Buy one little wireless speaker from a random brand, and you’ll realise that when you want to expand your system, it makes sense to get another product from the same brand, so they’ll talk to each other. And on and on. That makes your first purchase critical, however small.

What to consider? We’ve highlighted some key points opposite, and in the pages that follow we’ve examined 10 of the most prominent and high-quality wireless multiroom systems on the market. You can read how wide their ranges are, along with some 40 mini reviews of key products in the range, which will give you some idea how well they perform, and how well they’ll fit into your home. As with any hi-fi and home cinema it’s a general rule that the more you spend, the better things sound, but an eye to the future of your music system can also put you on the right path in the first place. One of the joys of wireless multiroom is the easy ability to expand — to pop a pair of smart speakers in your work-at-home room, or a small smart soundbar in the bedroom under your laze-in-bed TV.

Without further ado, then, let’s get into these wireless wonders, and create a whole home filled with music.