Speaker Reviews
We can all do with more music and, thankfully, tech manufacturers couldn’t be more eager to sell you a speaker, whether it’s a multi-room setup from Sonos, a wireless Bluetooth option from Bose or JBL, or a smart speaker, like the HomePod, Google Home, or Alexa-powered Amazon Echo. Not all of them are good or reasonably priced, but we’ve cut through the overcrowded speaker market and offered a critique to the most popular speakers.
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This Bluetooth speaker’s design is a breath of fresh air, but Bose skimped on some features that are usually standard at this price.
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The company closes out a difficult year with this terrific soundbar that proves Sonos still knows how to do hardware. Software, though...
Latest In Speaker Reviews
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7
Verge Score
The smaller sibling to UE’s Epicboom offers plenty of punch for its size. But it’s a little thin on features to justify $250.
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8
Verge Score
More than just a lazy remaster, the new Pill includes unexpected features like lossless audio over USB-C. And like recent Beats products, it equally appeals to the iOS and Android crowds.
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7
Verge Score
As usual, Bose’s audio processing makes this speaker sound excellent. But for $400, it’s fair to expect more features and more smarts.
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7
Verge Score
JBL is the first to make Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant coexist on the same speaker, and it works quite well. But the price you pay for that convenience feels a little uneven.
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6
Verge Score
It’s 2023. If Ultimate Ears is going to charge this much, there needs to be more to its speaker than just Bluetooth.
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Sonos has an ever-growing lineup, and after you’ve bought your first speaker, you’ll likely want to put one in every room.
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9
Verge Score
With stereo sound, twice the battery life, and line-in playback, the Move 2 improves upon the original at every turn — unless you need Google Assistant.
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There are smarter and much bigger speakers to choose from, but this tiny little thing offers surprisingly crisp sound for its low price.
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When you find a good spatial audio song, Sonos’ new speaker can blow your mind and sounds like nothing else. But it trails the Sonos Five at stereo playback and suffers from the wildly inconsistent state of Atmos mixes.
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The more affordable Era speaker improves upon the Sonos One by nearly every measure and will likely find the same success and popularity among Sonos customers.
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Water resistance and lengthy battery life are now standard
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It’s a luxury purchase through and through, but Sennheiser’s new soundbar carries forward many of the original Ambeo’s strengths. Unfortunately, it also suffers from short-sighted missteps.
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Apple’s second take on the HomePod doesn’t stray far from the original, but it’s better all around.
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The long-awaited $429 Sub Mini doesn’t disappoint, but there are still reasons to opt for the standard Sub
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The $2,400 Dione is a luxury buy for people who don’t want to deal with surrounds or a subwoofer
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The Ray offers fantastic voice clarity and crisp sound, but this optical-only soundbar isn’t without frustrations
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A mood-setting novelty speaker that doesn’t slouch on sound
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Better looks, easier bulbs, still niche
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Dolby Atmos isn’t the reason you should buy it
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For those who can afford to throw cash at something that sounds great
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The latest Symfonisk collaboration is another attempt to camouflage tech in the home
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The tiny, lightweight speaker has a ton of functionality, but don’t expect sound quality miracles
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It’s a very Sony product, in ways both good and bad
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Apple’s newest smart speaker is way more affordable but still chasing Amazon and Google
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7.5
Verge Score
Google’s latest smart speaker has good sound and an attractive price
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The Studio is a great-sounding smart speaker that has some silly gimmicks you can thankfully ignore
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Sonos’ first portable speaker is more comfortable at home than on the go
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The Symfonisk lamp and bookshelf speakers actually sound good, too
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A simple solution for Roku TV owners who want better sound
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A $300 neck speaker was always going to be niche, but Bose made a good one
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