Pair that with its W amp, and this room-shaking soundbar has the power to blow your mind and your windows out. Sonos essentially invented the idea of a connected, multi-room sound system — the type where you can choose to control music from speakers dotted all around your house from one central device.
Its handling of overhead Dolby Atmos sounds exemplary, delivering clear positional audio, and with the weight and dynamism that its high-end audio heritage is suggestive of. Suppose you pine for an authentic surround sound experience. In that case, you can buy additional wireless Sonos speakers at your leisure and use them to create distinct audio spots around your viewing environment.
You can then choose to have different music playing in different zones of your house from your phone or set them all to synchronize for the mother of all house parties. True surround sound systems are fantastic for boosting your home theater experience, but building one can get a little expensive over time. If you want something that will deliver you results straight away without needing to add rear speakers, external subwoofers, and more at a later date, this offering from Klipsch is one to consider.
It comprises five speakers in total - one center channel and four speakers to place around your space - it's more customizable than some other surround sound systems simply because you have control over where you put them. In addition, the system contains an aluminum tweeter and high-excursion aluminum woofer cones for high-quality sound. Of course, the trade-off for the price is that the Klipsch HT50 doesn't include Bluetooth connectivity or compatibility with smart home systems like Google Assistant and Alexa.
However, if this doesn't matter to you, then it's a good starter pack for the less tech-savvy among us who don't want to miss out on excellent audio.
The JBL Bar 9. What at first looks like a standard soundbar hides a secret — its ends snap off, revealing themselves to be battery-powered, fully-featured wireless rear speakers! Moreover, with the speaker ends attached, you get two additional front-facing and overhead Atmos channels.
There had to be one. Though the JBL Bar 9. It still comes recommended. Though the Sennheiser Ambeo does a great job of making it feel like the sound is coming from all around you from one central spot, the LG SN11RG offers rear speakers as part of its package to truly envelope you in sound.
So not only do you get audio coming from in front, to the side, and above you then, but with the LG SN11RG, you get two dedicated speakers to put behind you to blast you from that angle, too, as well as adding additional overhead audio oomph.
With booming bass coming from its separate subwoofer, the extra discrete channels allow the LG system to nail a sense of direction from its sound stations. Upscaling low-quality audio sources is masterfully handled, eARC support makes it future-proofed for the high-resolution audio sources to come, while 4K and Dolby Vision pass-through make it an excellent match for any high-end TV that supports the rich HDR format.
Just two HDMI inputs feel a bit mean, too. NFC near field communications is the same wireless technology you find in contactless bank cards and means you can instantly transfer whatever music is playing on your phone to the speaker with just a tap. With Chromecast built-in, you can quickly find videos on your phone and have them beamed to your TV via the soundbar, too. Our favorite multi-speaker set-up, the Samsung HW-QT, is a modest and compact system that provides a brilliant surround soundscape without taking up too much space around your living room.
If you have your Echo speakers configured to control your smart-home devices, you can also create Routines that include music and home-automation tasks such as lighting levels and thermostat settings.
In other respects, Alexa and Sonos get along quite well. You can, within the Alexa app, create speaker groups of Sonos speakers, but you cannot include Sonos speakers and Echo speakers together in the same group. However, you can select a Sonos speaker as the preferred speaker for any Echo device. But this arrangement does complicate day-to-day use a bit, so if you value simplicity, your best bet is to pick one or the other for all of your multiroom music streaming needs.
This means that if both you and your neighbor have Sidewalk enabled, you might be using a bit of their internet connection and they might be using a bit of yours. You can read more about our stance on Sidewalk, and get more details about how it works, here. Given that Apple AirPlay 2 is a relatively open ecosystem, it has a lot going for it. Add in Siri voice control, and the overall flexibility of the platform is hard to deny. For one thing, if you want to add or remove speakers from playback or adjust the volume of individual speakers, you need to do so via a widget found in the iOS Control Center.
However, Google has discontinued that dongle, so now you must buy other devices speakers, soundbars, smart speakers, and the like with Chromecast built in.
Sonos also lets you control every source from a single app or, in many cases, allows you to use the individual app, whereas Chromecast still works only through individual apps. We just like Echo a little better overall.
You stream to the speakers via AirPlay, Bluetooth, or Chromecast, not through an integrated app that unites all the services in one place. You need to load the Marshall setup app to send audio to multiple rooms or join speakers into a group. We like the retro styling of the Marshall speakers, but the system lacks the complete integration that other whole-home audio systems offer. Bose SoundTouch models offer presets on the device, giving you fast access to your favorite internet radio stations or playlists.
It supports 5. The lack of Apple Music support makes this system easy to pass up for now. Yamaha MusicCast is currently only in Yamaha devices, including soundbars, speakers, and receivers. It supports AirPlay and Bluetooth on all its devices, but not enough services directly. BlueSound is meant as a higher-end option and has the features to back that up.
Logitech has added multiroom support to UE Boom speakers, but they still stream the music from your phone over Bluetooth and communicate over Bluetooth, so the range is lacking. It might be a fantastic-sounding speaker, but it starts at a price that is too high for most people. WiSA is an alliance that is licensing its technology to different speaker manufacturers.
It operates in a different wireless band than conventional 2. Our pick. Sonos One Great sound at an affordable price The Sonos One sounds great and is an affordable entry point to the Sonos system. Sonos Five Bigger, better sound for larger rooms The Sonos Five easily fills large spaces with full-range, detailed sound comparable to that of nice bookshelf speakers.
Also great. Amazon Echo 4th Generation If voice control is a priority The fourth-generation Amazon Echo is a significant departure from earlier generations in terms of sound quality and design, and the native Alexa support allows for more advanced voice control.
Amazon Echo Studio Dolby Atmos on the cheap If you want to add immersive 3D audio playback capabilities to your multiroom wireless music system, the Echo Studio is the easiest and most affordable way to do so.
Everything we recommend. Why you should trust us. Who this is for. How we picked and tested. A wide selection of models at a wide range of prices: Having a model that works for each situation in your house, without being too expensive, allows you to integrate your whole home into the music system.
Easy control of the speaker system via apps or voice control: An audio system that requires you to physically adjust the volume or skip tracks on the speaker itself is not as useful as one that lets you do those things from anywhere in the home.
Ability to group speakers together: Your system should be able to stream the same music around the whole house or allow you to combine two speakers into a stereo pair for a more dedicated listening experience. If you want to fill a larger room with sound, though, spring for something more powerful. Take a look at our overview of 2. As with headphones, wired systems often deliver better sound, but their setup tends to be more complicated.
Standard wireless connectivity is offered over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Some sound systems also come with NFC for pairing. Most separate subwoofers are also wireless, meaning they pair automatically with the rest of your sound system when you plug it in.
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Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Alex Williams. Alex Williams is an experienced tech writer with an interest in wearable technologies.
He focuses on everything from gaming headsets to headphones. Updated on November 06, Rich Scherr. Rich Scherr is a seasoned technology and financial journalist who spent nearly two decades as the editor of Potomac and Bay Area Tech Wire. Our Fact-Checking Process.
Twitter LinkedIn. Read the full review: Yamaha YAS This speaker package is 'designed for modern living', according to Monitor Audio. That means the speakers have smaller chassis, as well as minimal variance in performance regardless of where they're situated. That should be a godsend if - like most of us - you don't have endless placement options. You can even wallmount the satellites and still achieve a wrap-around sound field.
The speakers chime with military precision, with both stereo and surround sound performances being equally as impressive. Gunshots pop, dialogue is clear, and the bass rumbles satisfyingly - it's an instant upgrade to any movie. So, what to partner it with? The Denon AVC-XH is so good we now use it as our reference home cinema amp - in other words, it's the standard by which we judge all other home cinema kit.
Praise doesn't come much higher. There's even Alexa Voice Control for hands-free operation. Its awesome combination of excellent 4K visuals and superb sound quality make it worth the extra investment. It all makes up for a versatile disc spinner that can take care of business. This was one of the first real quality Dolby Atmos soundbars available, and it's just as impressive today as when it first launched.
It's a little smaller than some of its rivals, but still packs a punch sonically: there's a definite sense of space and movement to proceedings, yet with no hint of harshness at higher volumes.
It's mighty versatile too, with support for streaming services and plenty of inputs onboard. It boasts a vibrant and immersive HDR picture, which it combines with punchy colours and a powerful, weighty sound. At this price, it's a great buy.
Two grand is a lot to spend on a soundbar, but this Sennheiser is something special. It's bigger than its rivals, but then it has much larger drivers and a built-in subwoofer, capable of delivering much more impactful sound. We're talking a genuine one-box home theatre solution. The downside? Its size and driver placement means it can be a little tricky to situate. You're best off wall mounting it. But if you can make space and are willing to make the investment, this soundbar will reward you in spades.
It has a wealth of options when it comes to connections and supported wireless tech, and the sound quality will blow you away. It offers a crisp, insightful picture that's bursting with detail, while the sound is dynamic and expressive with a fantastic sense of timing. It's one of the pricier models around, but the perfect partner to the Sennheiser Ambeo.
Read the full review: Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar. Our pick of the best soundbars you can currently buy. What Hi-Fi? Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.
Read more about how we test. Included in this guide: 1. Dali Oberon 5 5. You can build a great surround system around this hugely enjoyable package. Specifications Channels: 5. Subwoofer: W. Reasons to avoid - Nothing at this price.
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