Sonos Era 300 review

Sometimes you just want to be completely immersed in your music, so much that you wish you could inject it into your bloodstream. While this may not be possible, you can get pretty close with a surround sound speaker system in a room with good acoustics. The new Sonos Era 300 is a great contender […]

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Apple HomePod (2nd Generation) review

The original HomePod was one of Apple’s only recent product failures (in a relative sense—it still sold millions of units), discontinued without a replacement two years ago. Since then the HomePod Mini has been slowly rekindling Apple’s smart home hopes, and now we’ve got a new mainline smart speaker. The Apple HomePod (2nd Generation) is […]

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Edifier S1000W review

Not just a set of basic bookshelf speakers, the Edifier S1000W has all kinds of wireless connectivity, as well as most of the wired ports we’ve come to expect on consumer speakers. These are hefty retro-inspired beauties, but underneath all that wood beats a heart of modern convenience, with app support, Bluetooth, Apple Airplay 2, […]

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Bose Smart Soundbar 900 review

It’s not easy being the best. You have to tick every box on the checklist successfully. So, the stakes are high for the Bose Smart Soundbar 900, and considering it sits at the top of the Bose soundbars we have a lot of expectations to meet. Is it the best Bose speaker? That might depend […]

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Bose Home Speaker 500 review

The world of smart speakers is ever-expanding, and the Bose Home Speaker 500 is one of the many. Bose has a lot of smart speakers in its arsenal, and the Home Speaker 500 fills the niche of being moderately sized, but with loud audio. Is that enough stand out from the rest? About this Bose […]

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Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) review

Amazon Echo devices have been on the market for years, and while Alexa is the main draw for all of them (and works pretty much the same on all of them), there are always a few new quirks and updates to look at. The Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) seems to pare back a little […]

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Bose Smart Soundbar 600 review

Audio veteran Bose shores up its speaker portfolio with a compact, all-black slab intended to take down the Sonos Beam. The Bose Smart Soundbar 600 is a simple yet powerful home theater solution in the middle of its soundbar line. Bose has a couple of tricks that elevate this Dolby Atmos soundbar above others, but […]

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Bose Portable Smart Speaker review

The Bose ecosystem is vast, and smart speakers are a natural extension of the brand’s reach. The Bose Portable Smart Speaker aims to combine smart functionality with the ability to move from room to room or even outside. But there are a lot of smart speakers out there; does the Bose Portable Smart Speaker stand […]

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Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin review

Lofty promises tend to come in attractive packages, and the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin claims to deliver top-notch sound and smart functionality with a high-flying flourish. However, plenty of speakers feel like they’ll lift you up into the clouds, only to leave you firmly on Earth. Does the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin take off or […]

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Sonos Five review

You can mix and match smart speakers, but when it comes to cohesive ecosystems, Sonos has a reputation few can match. The Sonos Five aims to fit into that world, but also offers features to make it stand on its own. With a line-in port and Wi-Fi connectivity, this bulky speaker seems to straddle two […]

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Sonos One (Gen 2) review

It’s painful to sacrifice sound quality for smart features when buying a home audio system. Luckily, with the Sonos One (Gen 2) that’s not much of a concern. This smart speaker has built-in Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant and it sounds pretty good for something so little. You can connect it for multiroom playback, and […]

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What is a smart speaker, and what makes it great?

The smart speaker is becoming like any other household utility: ubiquitous arguably to the point of being mundane, but that doesn’t mean you should blindly explore the world of smart speakers. Rather than risking buyer’s remorse, we’ve laid out the key smart speaker features to keep an eye on when shopping around. Editor’s note: this […]

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Best smart speakers

It’s hard to know what to look for when picking out a smart speaker. After all, there are many options for each interface, be it Google, Amazon, or Apple. Today, we’re breaking down the best smart speakers for your needs and have listed something for everyone. Editor’s note: this article was updated on June 22, […]

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