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With the best smart speakers, you can use your voice to manage a lot of the routine components of your day. And it might be among your most useful possessions. It will enable you to set timers, help you with your shopping list, have an intercom in your home, and even ask about the most recent news headlines or sports scores in addition to playing your favourite music from your choice music streaming providers.
Without using your smartphone, smart speakers can manage your smart home’s appliances. With a single command, you can make sure that your smart lights turn on to the right brightness for the time of day or that lamps connected to a smart plug or switch turn on to create a cosy environment.
Remember that only smart speakers made by the company responsible for the relevant voice assistant—Apple for Siri, Amazon for Alexa, and Google for Google Assistant—will come pre-installed. You can find our picks for the best smart speakers below after we’ve tested the speakers.
Here is the list of Best Smart Speakers
Sonos One (Gen 2)
Sonos’ debut best smart speakers is the best you can buy right now, offering the perfect mix of features and sound quality. While it is not the cheapest smart speaker we tested, we really liked its sound. We were also very impressed with the microphone array. The Sonos One is a device with a clean design, plenty of features, and great sound; it can be used with Alexa and Google Assistant, and it’s also very social with AirPlay 2.
In other words, the Sonos One can talk to Siri and be part of a multi-room system along with the Apple HomePod and Apple HomePod Mini. If you like the sound of Sonos but need something portable, check out the Sonos Move and Sonos Roam. Both are great options for those who want to enjoy music on the go.
Denon Home 350
The Denon Home 350 is the best smart speakers we’ve tested. It’s a premium home setup with built-in Alexa, allowing you to control its features with your voice. Its voice assistant features work well, as the speaker can clearly hear your commands even if you’re on the other side of the room or in the middle of a noisy party. You can pair two speakers together for a stereo pair or connect the speaker to a compatible Denon soundbar for a more immersive home theatre setup by using the Heos app.
Furthermore, the bass and treble adjustments allow you to tailor the sound to your preferences, which is convenient. Having said that, this speaker performs admirably right out of the box. Instruments in your favourite music are clear and present in the mix, and dialogue in podcasts and audiobooks is easy to follow.
Its bass amplifies the thump and rumble in bass-heavy genres such as EDM and hip-hop, making it the best-sounding smart speaker we’ve tested. Overall, this speaker is a versatile addition to your living room setup—but you can’t use it outside because it’s designed to be used while plugged into an outlet.
Amazon Echo (4th Gen)
Amazon’s Echo speaker is a cute sounding ball that delivers the same bold bass and wide soundstage as the previous model, but with more room-filling sound than ever before. It can be placed anywhere—kitchens, bathrooms, even small living rooms—and fills the room with 360-degree sound. In comparison to the new Google Nest Audio speaker.
This is the one I’d choose for off-axis listening. Alexa also makes it easy to get news and weather updates, as well as set kitchen timers and alarm clocks. We also like that you can turn off the microphones with a physical button, which is useful when you have voice-assistant-averse friends and relatives over.
Amazon Echo Studio
This is the most powerful and technically impressive first-party Alexa speaker. The Echo Studio is significantly louder than the Echo and has better treble response for crisp, clear sound and booming bass. That alone makes it an excellent choice. The Echo Studio’s biggest surprise is Dolby Atmos support combined with directional audio.
The speaker has five separate drivers that can produce a wide sound field with accurate imaging from left to right and even above. Amazon promotes the ability of the Echo Studio to play 360-degree music through its Amazon Music HD subscription service, which is not included in Amazon Prime. If you just want to connect it to your TV and use it as your main TV speaker, the speaker also supports optical audio.
However, a 3.5mm-to-optical adapter will set you back a few dollars. This is the Echo speaker to get if you want the best sound available. Its one-piece, mini-keg-shaped body is loud and clear, and it can provide precise imaging. There are a few other Alexa-compatible speakers that sound even better, and one of them is on this list, but they are significantly more expensive than the Echo Studio. Thus, this product is one of the best Smart Speakers available right now.
Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 (2nd Gen)
Bang & Olufsen is not known for following trends. There’s a wheel-shaped wireless speaker, a TV that opens up like a butterfly, and an 8200-watt monolithic speaker with 18 drivers in the Danish tech specialist’s catalogue. The Beosound A1 (2nd Gen) wireless speaker is no exception to B&O’s output being described as “premium” and “innovative.” It has the same dimensions as a large floury bap, but that’s where the similarities with baked goods end.
The new A1 supports Qualcomm’s latest aptX Adaptive Bluetooth 5.1 codec, and Alexa is, of course, built-in. It also works well, delivering a pleasingly comfortable yet authoritative performance that you could listen to all day. Add in its classy, well-made design, simple operation, and Alexa (as long as your smartphone is nearby and connected to wi-fi), and you’ve got a Bluetooth speaker sequel that was well worth the wait.
Amazon Echo Dot with Clock (5th Gen)
This is an Echo Dot with a clever LED clock built into the front of it. This seemingly simple device, however, has a tonne of functionality, making it the best smart speakers money can buy. Indeed, we wish more smart home companies would follow Amazon’s lead and make minor — but significant — improvements to already excellent devices.
The Echo Dot with Clock’s display can show you more than just the time; it can also show you the current temperature, song titles, and math equation answers. It also serves as a timer. It has an ambient sensor that adjusts the brightness of the display based on the lighting in its surroundings, as well as a temperature sensor that can trigger Alexa routines.
Bose Portable Smart Speaker
Bose, the legendary high-end home audio product manufacturer, dabbled in smart speakers just a few years ago. The latest Bose Portable best Smart Speakers may not look as big as the Sonos Move, but this compact, lantern-shaped speaker has plenty of power inside. With Bose’s signature warm sound, there is ample clarity across the range, and the bass is not over-emphasized, so you can hear every beat. Bass should be adequate for most music listeners, but may disappoint those who prefer a booming sound.
Bose chose a bottom-firing speaker design that disperses sound throughout the room or backyard party, making it the ideal portable speaker for doing so. The speaker is really simple to transport because it only weighs 2.3 pounds. And the speaker’s convenient grab handle serves as a constant reminder that it is designed to be used on the go. For a more seamless cross-platform experience, the Bose Portable Smart Speaker supports Alexa, Google Assistant, AirPlay 2, and Google Cast.
Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin
Easily one of the best Smart Speakers available on the market, The Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin is difficult to beat for those looking for the highest quality audio and design from their smart speaker. The Zeppelin began life as a speaker with an integrated iPhone dock, allowing owners to blast out their digital tunes with unrivalled performance. Also, volume. A lot of noise. The basic design hasn’t changed since then; on the outside, it still looks the same, but it has undergone some changes to keep up with the times.
The integrated phone dock on the front has been removed because we no longer require it. Instead, the latest Zeppelin is completely wireless, with built-in AirPlay 2 and Amazon Alexa. The integration with Apple devices isn’t as tight as it is on the HomePod Mini, but AirPlay 2 is the next best thing and allows you to use this beastly speaker as an output for devices such as the Apple TV.
Final Words
The above recommendations are based on the best smart speakers that most people should buy today, based on their needs. We have taken into account price, visitor feedback, and availability. If you prefer to choose your own, please see the list of all voice-assistant enabled speakers reviewed, sorted by voice-assistant performance. Be careful not to get caught up in the details. The perfect speaker does not exist. Personal tastes, preferences, and listening habits are probably more important in making a choice.