Latest speaker reviews

BeoPlay, the offshoot from Danish high-end audio maker Bang & Olufsen, makes some of our favourite looking and favourite sounding portable speakers. The BeoPlay P6 embodies the design language we've grown to love, in a less common form factor. Is it the... Read more

This is the Amazon Echo Sub, a sign that Amazon is starting to get serious about the sound quality of its Echo devices. At a time when Google and Apple are talking-up sound quality, Amazon needed to have a product that answered this need. But Amazon... Read more

The new Sonos Beam is the ideal soundbar for a smaller room or if you’re looking for something more compact to deliver your TV's audio in crystal clarity.As with any piece of audio equipment though, you need to make it work for your living room (or... Read more

The Samsung HW-N950 is the Korean manufacturer's flagship soundbar, and the first to benefit from Samsung's acquisition of Harman Kardon. The N950 not only supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, but also offers a genuine immersive audio experience thanks to... Read more

One look at the JBL Xtreme 2 and you'll know it's not designed as a fancy-looking speaker to sit pride of place on your polished wooden furniture. Nope, this tubular (perhaps construed as if we're in the 1980s, dudes) speaker's design is clearly targeted... Read more

Marshall is synonymous with guitar amps (yes, ones that 'go to 11'). But that's not all: for years the company has been outputting headphones and portable speakers too.Which is where the Kilburn II comes in. This portable Bluetooth speaker updates the... Read more

Ultimate Ears makes some of the best Bluetooth speakers around. If you're in the market for a portable, waterproof speaker that will deliver when it comes to bass and volume, the UE line-up is an excellent place to look.The original UE Megaboom was fantastic,... Read more

The Libratone Zipp has always been a smart speaker. Dressed in fabric and sealed with a zip, we've always liked the sartorial distinction this speaker offers: it's not a black plastic lump, it's bright, it's different and now it's somewhat iconic. That... Read more

For Bang & Olufsen, design is everything, pairing quirky and original designs with high quality materials and superb sound quality. Take the Beosound Edge for example, a speaker that's unlike any other, inspired, B&O tells us, by the British pound coin.The... Read more

Ultimate Ears speakers are a distinguishable bunch. They not only offer similar design properties such as prominent volume controls, but they also offer excellent sound quality too.The UE Boom is one of the smaller options in the Ultimate Ears portfolio... Read more

The Bose SoundTouch 300 is the company's flagship soundbar. Not only does it boast a superior level of build quality, but it also supports multiroom functionality. This slim soundbar includes Bose's QuietPort and PhaseGuide technology (more on these later),... Read more

British audio company Ruark Audio is best known for its range of DAB digital radios, such as the rather excellent R1 MkIII. However, with more of us turning to music streaming services and with many phones losing their 3.5mm headphone ports, wireless... Read more

This is Sonos Beam, a compact soundbar that's designed to bring cinematic sound to your living room without taking up boat loads of space. Sonos Beam vs Sonos Playbar: What's the difference? Compact soundbars are nothing new, of course, but many tend... Read more

American audio company Polk Audio recently announced the Assist speaker with Google Assistant built in. The idea behind the Assist is to take all the ingenuity of the Google Home speaker, but give it better sound. The Home is a great product with great... Read more

The UE Blast and Megablast step away from the Boom 2 and Megaboom to form a new family of Ultimate Ears speakers, but with a similar story to tell: it's all about loudess and portability. These are speakers that are designed to be used anywhere, any... Read more

When we first looked at the SoundLiink Micro's diminutive proportions, we thought "nah, this dinky speaker can't sound good, can it?". How wrong we were, for Bose's smallest speaker kicks out considerable volume and with more bass than you might imagine.It's... Read more

The Sonos One is is described by the company as "the smart speaker for music lovers" and it not only offers Amazon's Alexa, but it will offer Google Assistant in 2018 too, giving you a choice of the personal assistant you want to use. Sonos One vs Sonos... Read more

These days, home assistant speakers are hot stuff. We've signed all the T&Cs and asked Alexa and Google Assistant all the weird questions a five-year-old might ask a beleaguered parent. Traditional Bluetooth speakers like the Denon Envaya aren't as in... Read more

Sonos launched its wireless subwoofer - the Sonos Sub - way back in 2012. It was originally designed to fit into any room, promising to instantly boost the performance of the company's range of multi-room speakers, which back then consisted of only... Read more

The Sonos Playbar is specifically designed to sit under or above your wall-mounted TV, while the more recent Sonos Playbase, is designed to sit beneath your TV, acting as a base for sets that sit on top of furniture.Of course you aren't restricted to... Read more

Sonos offers one of the best multi room audio platforms out there and the Sonos Play:1 is the cheapest way to get started with a Sonos system.Before the Play:1 was announced in 2013, a typical Sonos system started at over £250 and climbed rapidly upwards... Read more

The Sony ST5000 soundbar might be a lighter way to get yourself a Dolby Atmos compatible sound system than installing a full-on room setup, but as soundbars go, it delivers plenty of heft. Dolby Atmos explained: What is it and how do I get it? It's a... Read more

The hot word in home entertainment at the moment is Dolby Atmos. Once the preserve of high-end cinemas, this enhanced version of surround sound has been making its way into homes, first in AV receivers, and now in soundbars too.There is a caveat of course:... Read more

The market is full of Bluetooth speakers, that's no secret. As with any saturated market various manufacturers clamber over one another to try and get the best combination of features into the most attractive possible package. See current price on Amazon... Read more

The Bluetooth speaker market has changed a lot in the years since the likes of the Jawbone Jambox kickstarted a new movement in loud, room-filling, portable speakers. Now more traditional audio companies are dominating, by pushing the design and audio... Read more

What do you look for in a Bluetooth speaker? Is it sophistication in design? Is it smart voice control? Or it brutal bass and a lighting rig that puts that tricked-out Ford Escort XR3i to shame?If it's the last, then the Sony XB40 won't have escaped your... Read more

When it comes to sound quality, Danish high-end maker Bang & Olufsen is well regarded. The company's offshoots, B&O Play and Beoplay, also create excellent portable speakers and headphones at more accessible price points.Not that the Beolit 17 is exactly... Read more

Several companies announced smart speakers at consumer electronics show IFA in Berlin, some opting for Google Assistant, others for Amazon's Alexa but Onkyo went for both, launching two speakers at the show.The Onkyo P3 is the Amazon Alexa smart speaker,... Read more

Consumer electronics show IFA sees a lot of product launches, but speakers with built-in assistants, whether Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, have been announced in abundance. Panasonic and Sony have both launched Google Assistant-powered speakers, while... Read more

They are all at it. Sony is one of the latest companies to announce a smart home speaker with Google Assistant built-in, joining the likes of Panasonic and Onyko.Sony's LF-S50G doesn't have the catchiest name, but it's a pretty good looking speaker and... Read more

Portable Bluetooth speakers have widened their appeal over recent years, with high-end brands also muscling in on the space to deliver affordable, transportable and great-sounding products.V-Moda is well established in the headphones market — it makes... Read more

In days gone by, if you wanted a decent multi-room audio experience, you could go two ways: if you wanted to keep your existing speakers and stereo, you could use something an Apple AirPort Express unit to build a fairly clunky, unintuitive hack of a... Read more

Soundbars are emerging as the preferred choice for a lot of people. Compact, easy to accommodate in the home and getting better and better in performance with every generation, there are plenty of reasons to plump for a smart soundbar over a more traditional... Read more

Sonos doesn't launch a new product every month, or even every year, but when it does it's well worth the wait for top notch sound. The company's latest speaker, the PlayBase - which is designed to slide underneath your TV rather than mount onto the... Read more

With what seems like a zillion portable Bluetooth speakers available, it can be tricky to decide which one to buy. Creative might not be the most obvious name that springs to mind, but its Roar series has been a strong contender in the space for years... Read more

UE is back with the Wonderboom, the latest Bluetooth speaker to join the Boom party. And this time it's going small. Like the UE Roll 2, this speaker takes things smaller, making it even easier to port around its fun brand of Bluetooth music, but doing... Read more

British-based audio company Orbitsound has unveiled a new soundbar, the One P70. At its £299 price point it's very well positioned to undercut some of the big-boy competitiors and deliver TV-boosting sound.But that's not all the P70 can do, for it's... Read more

There were plenty of soundbars launched at CES in January, with 2017 looking like the year that Dolby Atmos properly takes off in the home.Sony and Samsung are both investing heavily in Dolby Atmos kit, while LG is really going to town with the technology.... Read more

Bluetooth speakers come in all shapes and sizes these days, and there are even some that float.But when you normally talk about floating speakers, you are usually referring to waterproof devices, that you can use in a swimming pool.The LG PJ9 is a different... Read more

One of the hottest trends we've noticed so far at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is speakers. They're everywhere, and apparently, they can be worn anywhere, including your neck. Crazy and whacky gadgets of CES 2017 For instance, LG... Read more

B&O Play likes to do things in a Danish way. That's probably why the new BeoPlay M5 comes clad in a wool-blend coat, as if it could go camping in the hills of a Troldeskoven.But no, the M5 isn't designed to leave the house. It's a wired speaker after... Read more

Sound is a bigger part of your home entertainment setup than you might initially give it credit. Well, you know that, because you're interested in a Dolby Atmos soundbar, a way of bringing the latest in cinema surround sound excitement into your home... Read more

We had no problems recommending the original Denon Heos multi-room speaker range, but a couple of minor gripes stopped it from true five-star performance. The follow-up, rebooted Heos HS2 range goes all out, offering hi-res streaming support and Bluetooth... Read more

The word Dali will probably see your mind either wander to the 'tache-twiddling famed Spanish artist, or to a certain Danish audio manufacturer known for its great quality speakers. The Dali Katch isn't necessarily a piece of art to be hung in a gallery,... Read more

Gaming fans might think the Devialet Phantom looks like a real-life replica of Ghost from smash-hit title Destiny, but audiophiles will know the high-end French manufacturer doesn't speak in vocoded Peter Dinklage, but instead top-end, crystal clear audio.... Read more

Not all headphones are made equal. There are a lot of choices on the market to suit different tastes - whether you want banging bass, noise-cancellation for travelling, or something more neutral like the Beyerdynamic DT 770.These comfortable over-ear... Read more

When we last met AC Worldwide, we saw a couple of superb, Star Wars-licensed Bluetooth speakers in the shape of a Stormtrooper helmet and C-3PO's head respectively. We were also told at the time that they would soon be joined by Darth Vader and Master... Read more

It's not often a Bluetooth speaker has its designer's name tucked away within its specification. But then the BeoPlay A1, by Bang & Olufsen, is no ordinary Bluetooth speaker; it's exemplary for the kind of sound quality that can be achieved at this small... Read more

Can a wireless speaker already be retro? Weirdly enough, that's what the Harman Kardon Go + Play feels like. There's something refreshing about how out-of-step it is.As a large wireless speaker it totally ignores the trend for every speaker larger than... Read more

When we meet Francesco Pellisari, the designer of the Zemi Aria speaker, he's a mixture of eccentric Italian and yet quiet in that seemingly genius-like manner. Does his latest speaker exhibit the same qualities as its designer?We're drawn to the Zemi... Read more

There have been a few Star Wars themed speakers over the years but few quite as visually impressive as the first duo of Bluetooth loudspeakers from British audio firm AC Worldwide.It revealed to Pocket-lint that it will be releasing additional models... Read more