Finest AirPlay audio system for iPhones & Apple Music 2025 (plus Black Friday offers)

We’re placing the HomePod mini within the prime spot on the premise of its low price ticket, glorious sound high quality and deep integration with Apple’s software program ecosystem – so long as you don’t thoughts being tied to Siri.

The HomePod mini can’t match the bass punch of the full-size HomePod, however the output remains to be much better than we’ve got any proper to anticipate at this measurement and value. (Simply to reiterate, it’s a 3rd of the worth and a seventh of the burden of its bigger sibling.)

For jazz, rock and classical we have been blown away by its clear, wealthy sound. And whereas it’s not fairly obtained the welly to deafen your neighbors with home music at 3 am, and also you received’t fill a village corridor with sound, however it does fill a room superbly – particularly when teamed with a second mannequin as a stereo pair.

In the event you’re deep within the Apple ecosystem and also you respect high quality audio, that is the good speaker for you: it can play your music superbly and make TV watching a delight.

As with the HomePod mini, ease of setup is one among its strongest options–plug within the HomePod and wave an iPhone vaguely in its path and an onscreen popup (on the telephone) will invite you to set it up. If there’s one other HomePod of the identical mannequin within the chosen room, you’ll be given the choice to hitch them as a stereo pair.

It sounds nice whether or not used as a single unit, or as a stereo pair, and it’s an amazing accompaniment to your Apple TV because it helps Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio (the HomePod mini doesn’t). To search out out extra, learn extra about how the HomePod compares to the HomePod mini.

The primary disadvantages of the 2023 HomePod are the excessive value (thrice that of the HomePod mini) and the frustrations related to being reliant on Siri to manage it. We actually need a HomePod with a display.

The Audio Professional C10 MKII W has a minimalist design, consisting of a easy rectangular field measuring 166mm excessive, 320mm huge, and 180mm deep. Regardless of its small measurement, it’s sturdy, weighing over 4kg.

The entrance panel encompasses a good cloth grille that may be eliminated for a retro look with uncovered drivers. Eradicating the grille reveals a big woofer within the centre for deep, full sound, with smaller tweeters on both aspect for larger frequencies.

The C10 MKII W has a complete output of 80W, making it appropriate as a most important speaker system in the lounge. Nonetheless, it requires mains energy and is probably going for use in a single room at dwelling attributable to its weight. 

The C10 MKII W helps Bluetooth, Apple’s AAC codec, and dual-band Wi-Fi. The up to date Audio Professional app works with numerous streaming companies, together with Spotify, Amazon Music, and SoundCloud. It additionally helps AirPlay 2, permitting audio streaming from Apple units and integration with multi-room music programs. Android customers could also be upset that there’s no aptX assist with Bluetooth, however the C10 MKII W helps Google Solid.

The speaker has RCA connectors for wired connections, however no audio cables are included.

The C10 MKII W delivers good sound high quality. The lossless model of Madonna’s Frozen on Apple Music by way of AirPlay revealed delicate string touches and delicate digital chimes, adopted by a pointy percussion crack that led into the refrain.

The C10 MKII W handles tougher rock sounds nicely. Sing Alongside by Sturgill Simpson, captured the thick, fuzzy guitar sound and the wailing keyboards, making a energetic environment. The deep bass may very well be firmer, however an additional RCA connector permits for an exterior sub-woofer for enhanced bass.

Whereas it’s costlier than Apple’s HomePod, the C10 MKII W excels in readability and precision, particularly with high-res music on Apple Music and different streaming companies. It additionally presents higher connectivity.

Audio Professional’s mannequin numbers are inconsistent, with some older fashions nonetheless on sale, so ensure that to purchase the right mannequin.

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin vary of audio system first appeared again in 2007. The  Zeppelin Professional Version launched on the finish of 2024 and appears nearly an identical to the Zeppelin launched, so watch out to verify which mannequin you might be contemplating shopping for. 

At $799/£699, it’s one of many costlier AirPlay audio system at present out there, however it actually does ship the products by way of sound high quality.

The Zeppelin Professional Version measures 210 x 650 x 194mm and weighs 6.6kg. It’s out there in a darkish ‘area gray’ or ‘photo voltaic gold’. 

In contrast to many one-piece speaker programs – together with Apple’s HomePod – the Zeppelin Professional Version supplies a full stereo system, with separate left and proper audio channels, in addition to a devoted sub-woofer for dealing with decrease frequencies. That’s an analogous set-up to earlier Zeppelin fashions, however Bowers & Wilkins says the woofers and tweeters have been redesigned for the Zeppelin Professional Version for even higher sound high quality.

Like earlier fashions, the Zeppelin Professional Version helps Bluetooth with AAC for Apple units, and aptX Adaptive for Android. There’s additionally Wi-Fi with assist for AirPlay 2, which lets you stream wi-fi audio (and Apple Music) over your own home community out of your Apple machine. Utilizing AirPlay with Apple units supplies extra bandwidth for high-quality audio information. The Zeppelin Professional additionally helps Spotify Join, and Tidal and Amazon Music by way of an app. 

Our solely grievance is that the Zeppelin Professional doesn’t provide wired inputs, so you may’t join it to a CD participant or Hello-Fi.

The Zeppelin Professional Version is likely one of the bigger and costlier AirPlay audio system. If you need a strong, high-quality stereo speaker that helps AirPlay 2 this can be a nice possibility. 

Roku is well-known for its vary of streaming media units, which provide an reasonably priced different to Apple’s personal Apple TV field. Nonetheless, the Roku Streambar goes a step additional by combining streaming options with a compact soundbar speaker and assist for Apple’s AirPlay 2 – and all for a extremely aggressive $129.99/£129.99.

The AirPlay assist and built-in dual-band Wi-Fi imply that you could merely use the Streambar as a standard AirPlay speaker, utilizing AirPlay to stream music by way of Wi-Fi from any Apple machine. It’s surprisingly highly effective for such a compact speaker, and greater than loud sufficient for taking part in music at dwelling or watching a couple of Hollywood blockbusters. It even supplies fairly good bass too, touchdown the bass guitar and crashing drums on Kate Bush’s The Huge Sky with actual influence (and Roku has lately introduced a brand new vary of wi-fi audio system that additionally assist AirPlay 2, though we’ve not had the prospect to check these but).

Going past primary speaker mode, you can even use the HDMI port on the again of the Streambar to attach it to a TV or pc show, and this lets you stream video at as much as 4K decision out of your Apple units as nicely. You possibly can even do away with your Apple units altogether, and simply use the Streambar’s built-in streaming options to attach your TV or pc monitor to a variety of video companies–together with Apple TV+, Netflix, Disney+ and so forth. It additionally helps quite a lot of music streaming companies too, equivalent to Apple Music and Spotify.

Admittedly, the low value of the Streambar implies that it does lack a couple of superior options, equivalent to assist for Dolby Atmos, which you will get from Apple’s HomePod and likewise the Apple TV 4K. However, after all, the Apple TV field doesn’t embody a speaker, and the Streambar’s low-cost mixture of AirPlay speaker and music and video streaming options makes it an absolute discount at this value.

In 2024 Roku launched the Streambar SE, which is a less expensive model of the Streambar reviewed right here. The bigger Streambar Professional has been discontinued, however for now Roku appears to be persevering with to promote the Streambar.

When Sonos first launched the Period 100 it was positioned as a mid-range possibility that sat between the entry-level Sonos One and the imposing Period 300 with Dolby Atmos on the top quality. Nonetheless, the veteran Sonos One quietly light away a couple of months in the past and the Period 100 has taken over as the brand new entry level for the Sonos vary of multi-room audio system, with a $249/£249 price ticket that makes it different to the Apple HomePod at £299/$299.

At first look, the Period 100 does look similar to the unique Sonos One, with an upright cylindrical design that’s out there in black or white. It’s barely bigger than the Sonos One, although, standing 182.5mm excessive, 120mm huge and 130mm deep. This enables the Period 100 to squeeze in an extra high-frequency tweeter, in order that it now homes two tweeters which might be angled out to the appropriate and left to unfold sound extra broadly than the Sonos One. It additionally features a bigger woofer than the Sonos One, to deal with the mid-range and bass and add just a little further energy as nicely.

This new design works a deal with and the Period 100 supplies superb sound high quality for a comparatively compact speaker. The atmospheric harmonies of Enya’s Orinoco Circulate have a light-weight, shimmering sound, however the compact speaker has obtained some muscle too, and is well capable of fill the room round me with Enya’s swirling cloud of sound. The dual tweeters present a crisp, clear sound for the digital loops that fly via the air, however that bigger woofer may attain down and embrace the gradual bass pulse and rumbling drums that enter as Enya’s multi-tracked vocals chant – “flip it up, flip it up”.

The one minor disappointment is that the Period 100 doesn’t assist Dolby Atmos or spatial audio. In the event you’re a house cinema fan who actually needs Atmos then you definitely’ll have to pay just a little extra for alternate options such because the Apple HomePod or the high-end Period 300. However, when you’re simply in search of a compact, high-quality speaker with wi-fi and assist for AirPlay, then the Period 100 delivers the products at a lower cost than most of its AirPlay rivals.

Sonos’ Roam needs to be the smallest and most transportable AirPlay 2 speaker we’ve seen to date.

Sonos’s unique Roam good speaker was launched again in 2021, and it was top-of-the-line transportable audio system we’ve ever seen, offering superb sound high quality in a extremely compact design that additionally managed to squeeze in helpful options equivalent to wi-fi charging and even assist for Wi-Fi and AirPlay for Apple units. The Roam 2 fine-tunes quite a lot of options equivalent to its set-up and tuning course of, and supplies extra easy controls.

Accessible in quite a lot of colours–together with crimson, inexperienced, blue and plain outdated black and white–the Roam 2 seems to be an identical to its predecessor. It’s 168mm tall, 62mm huge and 60mm deep, and weighs 0.43kg. It’s not pocket-size, however it can match right into a backpack. It has a IP67 score water and dirt resistance, so it’s suited to the outside.

There’s no room for a big battery within the compact design, however it ought to final for as much as 10 hours with music at 50% quantity. It wants to face upright for wi-fi charging and the amount, playback and microphone controls sit on the highest, however you may flip the speaker onto its aspect and lay it flat. A USB-C port on the again can be utilized for charging too. 

Roam 2 helps Bluetooth 5.2 and now has separate buttons for Energy and Bluetooth pairing, that are simpler to make use of than the fiddly multi-function button on the unique Roam. You possibly can press the Bluetooth button to pair by way of Bluetooth, however it’s essential obtain the Sonos app for iOS with a purpose to set the speaker up correctly. We encountered issues getting the speaker related to our Wi-Fi community and needed to spend time altering the Wi-Fi settings. However, as soon as that was finished, the Roam 2 labored rather well. Fortunate its assist for AirPlay made connecting it to further Apple units easy.

The Roam 2 presents nice sound high quality for such a compact speaker, particularly over a Wi-Fi connection. It did job with Sturgill Simpson’s Sing Alongside, laying down the grinding, fuzzy guitars that type the bedrock of the sound. On Billie Eilish’s Unhealthy Man it achieved a fairly respectable bass beat for such a small speaker.

Switching to Bluetooth induced the sound to lose just a little readability–however that’s a limitation of Bluetooth reasonably than the speaker itself, and the Roam 2 can go head-to-head with any transportable speaker of this measurement and weight. The Roam 2 actually punches above its weight in terms of sound high quality and its sturdy and light-weight design is nice for outside use. 

Apple has been banging the drum for spatial audio for a couple of years now, however Sonos actually took a step ahead with that know-how when it launched the Period 300 in 2023. Appropriately sufficient, it additionally marked a brand new period for the Sonos vary of multi-room audio system, with a completely new design that was not less than eye-catching even when it wasn’t maybe as elegant as Sonos claimed.

Accessible in black or white, the cumbersome, hourglass design of the Period 300 may be very a lot designed for spatial audio, housing a minimum of six separate speaker drivers, with assist for Dolby Atmos when watching movies and video, or listening to spatial audio on Apple Music. There’s one woofer and one tweeter on either side of the unit, which give a large stereo soundstage, whereas one other tweeter on the entrance highlights vocals and dialogue, or lead devices. There’s another tweeter on the highest, which is designed to fireside pontificate the ceiling to assist create a way of peak and area when listening to music or video that makes use of Atmos.

Like most Sonos audio system, the Period 300 makes use of dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz/5.0GHz) to hook up with your own home community, and likewise helps AirPlay 2 to be used with Apple units and different AirPlay-compatible audio system. However, in contrast to earlier Sonos audio system, the Period now helps Bluetooth as nicely, in order that it could present a fast and simple wi-fi connection for cell units and computer systems when required. You may as well purchase an adaptor that gives a wired connection (though it’s annoying that this prices an additional $19/£19, given the speaker’s hefty $449/£449 price ticket).

The Period 300 can earn its maintain, although. The Dolby Atmos assist works rather well on the opening scene of Blade Runner, creating an actual sense of motion because the hovercar flies over the Los Angeles skyline, and there’s a satisfying bass rumble to the bursts of steam and flame that erupts into the air.

It does job with spatial audio on Apple Music too, particularly with Ringo’s deft percussion on the Atmos mixture of Come Collectively by the Beatles. The bongos skip flippantly via the air and the bass guitar glides ahead with a swaying, sinuous rhythm. There’s actual weight behind the guitar riff that leads into the refrain, however the Period 300 can nonetheless pick gentler particulars such because the shimmering cymbals and rhythmic keyboards. Admittedly, it’s one of many costlier AirPlay audio system at present out there, however the highly effective and atmospheric sound of the Period 300, and assist for Dolby Atmos, make it different to costlier soundbar programs for music and watching video.

It sounds higher than most transportable audio system this measurement, however nonetheless sounds clipped at excessive volumes and a few controls are just a little opaque.

The Beats Tablet is way improved over earlier variations, however it has a couple of faults that we’d like to see addressed within the subsequent revision.

Beats’ iconic “capsule” form is helpful to hold round, suits wherever a water bottle would go, and sits nicely on a desk or equally flat floor. You will get one in traditional Beats colours—black, crimson, or champagne.

When at relaxation the audio system are tilted 20 levels upward, which is a good way to venture the sound extra straight at you. 

The Tablet is IP67-rated, so is needs to be protected on the seashore, beside a pool, or within the rain. A silicone outer wrap helps forestall bumps and dings, whereas including weatherproofing.

Alongside the highest, you’ll discover quantity buttons, a middle multi-function button, and an influence button. They’re far sufficient aside and labeled clearly sufficient that it’s simple to hit the appropriate one with out paying shut consideration.

Within the again is a single USB-C port that can be utilized for charging or as an audio enter, with assist for lossless audio (not that the Tablet has the sound high quality to do it justice). It even reverse-charges with a triple-tap of the facility button so it may be a form of energy financial institution to your telephone.

Beats says the battery will final 24 hours. We will verify it could simply run all day with out recharging.

With a single woofer able to 90 % extra air displacement than the woofer within the Beats Tablet+ and a paired tweeter, the brand new Beats Tablet sounds OK. Like all transportable audio system with a cylindrical design it lacks low-end oomph. There’s extra bass than you’d anticipate, however nonetheless lower than you want. It does get fairly loud, however at excessive volumes, there’s a clipped or restricted really feel.

There’s a microphone to allow speakerphone or voice assistants, however it doesn’t have a lot in the best way of noise discount to guard from sturdy wind or close by freeway noise.

The weatherproofing, comparatively loud quantity, and improbable battery life all make this a extremely nice reasonably priced speaker for hanging out by the pool. The $149.99/£149.99price is cheap, too. You simply have to handle your expectations for getting nice sound high quality out of just a little transportable speaker like this.

We’ve appeared on the JBL Flip 7, which launched in spring 2025, and they’re good, however they lack AirPlay. Tucked away in a quiet nook of the JBL web site the corporate has a spread of good audio system, known as Authentics, which embody each Wi-Fi and assist for Apple’s AirPlay.

There are three audio system within the vary, beginning at $349.99/£238.99 for the entry-level Authentics 200, going as much as $699.99/£529.99 for the top-of-the-range Authentics 500. Nonetheless, the candy spot for us is the mid-range Authentics 300, which has probably the most versatile design and prices $449.99/£249.99, though yow will discover them cheaper.

The Authentics 300 is attractively designed, with a sturdy picket cupboard and an enormous, chunky grille on the entrance that offers it an deliberately retro look. It’s pretty giant, standing 195mm excessive, 342mm huge and 180mm deep, and it weighs in at a hefty 4.9kg. Even so, it’s nonetheless meant to be a conveyable speaker and – in contrast to the opposite Authentics audio system – it features a rechargeable battery that lasts for round eight hours. There’s additionally a sturdy steel carrying deal with, so it’s simple to select the speaker up and carry it from room to room at dwelling, or out into the backyard when the summer time ultimately arrives.

Contained in the speaker are two 25mm tweeters, and a beefy 133mm woofer, together with a big passive bass radiator on the underside of the speaker to assist in giving the bass a little bit of a lift. There’s a quantity dial on the highest panel, together with separate controls for adjusting Treble and Bass, however the inclusion of wi-fi and assist for AirPlay means that you could additionally simply management the speaker from any Apple units, and the JBL One app additionally consists of an eight-band Equalizer that gives extra exact management over the sound.

Getting began is a chunk of cake, because the JBL One app initially makes use of Bluetooth to hook up with the speaker after which guides you thru the method of connecting to your own home community, utilizing both wi-fi or the Ethernet port situated on the again of the speaker. There are two microphones constructed into the speaker, though these solely work with Alexa and the Google Assistant, however there’s a Mute button that permits you to flip the mics off when you favor to maintain issues personal.

Sound high quality is nice, and the Authentics 300 lets the bass guitar on Blondie’s Rapture bounce together with a relaxed, infectious vitality. There’s a brilliant, clear tone on the chopping rhythm guitar, and the drums and percussion of the late, nice Clem Burke are as taut and exact as ever. And, with 100W output, the speaker has greater than sufficient energy to get issues going at a BBQ or house-party. Our solely minor grievance is that the USB-C port on the again of the speaker doesn’t present a wired audio enter – though there’s a 3.5mm connector on the again of the speaker when you want a wired connection.