April 28, 2023, 6:22 am | Read time: 2 minutes
Many people stream their music these days. This is a good reason for Wi-Fi speakers to replace expensive sound systems. But does the sound quality hold up? Stiftung Warentest has tested various speakers.
Sonos and the Amazon Echo with Alexa are Wi-Fi speakers that everyone probably knows. But there are many more models on the market at very different prices. Some of them have quite a thin sound. However, there are also models that deliver decent sound despite their compact size. And this is possible even at a price just over 100 euros, as Stiftung Warentest found in a comparison of twelve Wi-Fi speakers priced from 60 to 800 euros (from the “test” issue 5/23).
Read also: Sonos cuts basic function of its speakers for Android users
The control of such speakers is done via an app. For this and for linking multiple speakers throughout the apartment or house, known as multiroom operation, there are various systems. These include Apple Airplay and Google Chromecast, as well as Sonos or Bluesound. However, you don’t always have to commit to one system with the purchase of the first speaker. Many Wi-Fi speakers support several of them and can thus be connected to each other, according to Stiftung Warentest.
The Three Best Wi-Fi Speakers According to Stiftung Warentest
This includes the 375-euro test winner Canton Smart Soundbox 3 Gen 2 (overall score 2.4), which supports Airplay and Chromecast. The same applies to the 226-euro Harman Kardon Citation One MK III. It shares second place in the Stiftung Warentest test (overall score 2.7) with the Wi-Fi speaker Ikea Symfonisk Bookshelf Speaker Generation 2 for 129 euros, which works with the Sonos system. Ikea introduced the Symfonisk series in 2019, and it is now in its second generation. It is especially popular with buyers due to its low price. In addition to the classic Wi-Fi speakers, Symfonisk is also available as a wall art or lamp with speaker.
The Sonos system can be controlled with both Android and iOS devices. This also applies to Chromecast devices. According to the testers, only Airplay does not work easily with Android phones, but of course, it works seamlessly with iPhones and iPads.
With material from dpa