Sound+Image

MusicCast 20 $349

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At nearly 19cm tall, the MusicCast 20 will fit neatly on a bookshelf as shown left. It’s a mono speaker, as are so many small wireless speakers, though it ups the driver count with a couple of passive radiators, one on either side, while firing forward are a 30mm soft-dome tweeter and a 90mm aluminium-cone woofer. It’s a minor irony that it can handle MusicCast’s normal high-res 24-bit/192kHz — but in mono! On the top is a surprising­ly comprehens­ive set of controls — power/connect (to turn on and set up), volume, play/pause, alarm (to set and stop), plus three numbered buttons for quick access to favourite music sources . While there’s no voice assistant built in, the MusicCast 20 can, like all MusicCast units, be voice-controlled from a separate Alexa or Google Assistant device, once you’ve set up the requisite skills.

Setting up is easy with the app, hitting that Connect button at the right moment. Thereafter you can use the app for music selection, and with no physical inputs here, not even a minijack input, many users will simply play their preferred app and send using AirPlay 2 or Bluetooth (AAC, no aptX). The app lets you pair two of them for stereo, add the MusicCast Sub 100, or create MusicCast Surround (see main text) with two of them behind a MusicCast soundbar or any of a wide range of AV receivers.

As for sound, the 20 won’t rock the world, but delivers a punchy enough bass which can be tuned by positionin­g to favour those passive radiators or otherwise. The low mids are decently warm; the highs avoid edginess for a smooth sound which gives vocals and guitars a slightly laid-back tone. It’s a friendly sound, quite natural, and scales well from quiet listening to moderate levels. For more, consider the MusicCast 50.

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