Greatest AirPlay audio system for iPhones and Apple Music 2025

We’re placing the HomePod mini within the prime spot on the idea of its low price ticket, wonderful 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 continues to be much better than we have now any proper to anticipate at this measurement and value. (Simply to reiterate, it’s a 3rd of the value and a seventh of the burden of its bigger sibling.)

For jazz, rock and classical we had 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 gained’t fill a village corridor with sound, nevertheless it does fill a room fantastically – particularly when teamed with a second mannequin as a stereo pair.

Should you’re deep within the Apple ecosystem and also you recognize high quality audio, that is the good speaker for you: it should play your music fantastically and make TV watching a delight.

As with the HomePod mini, ease of setup is considered one of its strongest options–plug within the HomePod and wave an iPhone vaguely in its course and an onscreen popup (on the cellphone) 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 affix 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 awesome accompaniment to your Apple TV because it helps Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio (the HomePod mini doesn’t). To seek 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 regulate it. We actually need a HomePod with a display.

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

At $799/£699, it’s one of many costlier AirPlay audio system at the moment obtainable, nevertheless 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 obtainable in a darkish ‘house gray’ or ‘photo voltaic gold’. 

In contrast to many one-piece speaker methods – together with Apple’s HomePod – the Zeppelin Professional Version gives 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 private home community out of your Apple gadget. Utilizing AirPlay with Apple units gives 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 supply wired inputs, so you may’t join it to a CD participant or Hello-Fi.

The Zeppelin Professional Version is among the bigger and costlier AirPlay audio system. In order for you a robust, high-quality stereo speaker that helps AirPlay 2 it is a nice choice. 

Roku is well-known for its vary of streaming media units, which supply an inexpensive different to Apple’s personal Apple TV field. Nevertheless, 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 you could merely use the Streambar as a traditional AirPlay speaker, utilizing AirPlay to stream music by way of Wi-Fi from any Apple gadget. It’s surprisingly highly effective for such a compact speaker, and greater than loud sufficient for taking part in music at residence or watching a number of Hollywood blockbusters. It even gives fairly good bass too, touchdown the bass guitar and crashing drums on Kate Bush’s The Massive Sky with actual affect (and Roku has not too long ago introduced a brand new vary of wi-fi audio system that additionally assist AirPlay 2, though we’ve not had the possibility to check these but).

Going past fundamental speaker mode, you may also use the HDMI port on the again of the Streambar to attach it to a TV or laptop show, and this lets you stream video at as much as 4K decision out of your Apple units as effectively. You’ll be able to even eliminate your Apple units altogether, and simply use the Streambar’s built-in streaming options to attach your TV or laptop monitor to a variety of video providers–together with Apple TV+, Netflix, Disney+ and so forth. It additionally helps a lot of music streaming providers too, equivalent to Apple Music and Spotify.

Admittedly, the low price of the Streambar implies that it does lack a number of superior options, equivalent to assist for Dolby Atmos, which you will get from Apple’s HomePod and likewise the Apple TV 4K. However, in fact, 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 cut price 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 choice that sat between the entry-level Sonos One and the imposing Period 300 with Dolby Atmos on the high quality. Nevertheless, the veteran Sonos One quietly pale away a number 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 obtainable in black or white. It’s barely bigger than the Sonos One, although, standing 182.5mm excessive, 120mm broad and 130mm deep. This permits the Period 100 to squeeze in an extra high-frequency tweeter, in order that it now homes two tweeters which are angled out to the fitting and left to unfold sound extra extensively than the Sonos One. It additionally features a bigger woofer than the Sonos One, to deal with the mid-range and bass and add a bit additional energy as effectively.

This new design works a deal with and the Period 100 gives superb sound high quality for a comparatively compact speaker. The atmospheric harmonies of Enya’s Orinoco Circulation 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 by the air, however that bigger woofer also can attain down and embrace the sluggish 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. Should you’re a house cinema fan who actually needs Atmos you then’ll have to pay a bit extra for alternate options such because the Apple HomePod or the high-end Period 300. However, for those who’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 a lot of options equivalent to its set-up and tuning course of, and gives extra easy controls.

Accessible in a wide range of colours–together with crimson, inexperienced, blue and plain outdated black and white–the Roam 2 seems to be equivalent to its predecessor. It’s 168mm tall, 62mm broad and 60mm deep, and weighs 0.43kg. It’s not pocket-size, however it should match right into a backpack. It has a IP67 ranking water and mud resistance, so it’s suited to the outside.

There’s no room for a big battery within the compact design, nevertheless 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 quantity, 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’ll be able to 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 linked to our Wi-Fi community and needed to spend time altering the Wi-Fi settings. However, as soon as that was completed, the Roam 2 labored very well. Fortunate its assist for AirPlay made connecting it to further Apple units easy.

The Roam 2 gives 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 brought on the sound to lose a bit readability–however that’s a limitation of Bluetooth slightly 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 relation to 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 number of years now, however Sonos actually took a step ahead with that expertise 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 no 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 could 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 both sides 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 yet one more tweeter on the highest, which is designed to fireplace hold forth the ceiling to assist create a way of peak and house 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 private home community, and likewise helps AirPlay 2 to be used with Apple units and different AirPlay-compatible audio system. However, not like earlier Sonos audio system, the Period now helps Bluetooth as effectively, in order that it might probably present a fast and simple wi-fi connection for cell units and computer systems when required. It’s also possible to 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 preserve, although. The Dolby Atmos assist works very 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 frivolously by 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 the moment obtainable, however the highly effective and atmospheric sound of the Period 300, and assist for Dolby Atmos, make it different to costlier soundbar methods 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 a bit opaque.

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

Beats’ iconic “capsule” form is useful to hold round, suits wherever a water bottle would go, and sits effectively on a desk or equally flat floor. You may 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 ought 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 straightforward to hit the fitting 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 ability button so it may be a kind of energy financial institution on your cellphone.

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

With a single woofer able to 90 p.c 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, nevertheless it doesn’t have a lot in the best way of noise discount to guard from robust wind or close by freeway noise.

The weatherproofing, comparatively loud quantity, and unbelievable battery life all make this a extremely nice inexpensive speaker for hanging out by the pool. The $149.99/£149.99price is affordable, too. You simply have to handle your expectations for getting nice sound high quality out of a bit 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, referred to 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. Nevertheless, 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 you could find them cheaper.

The Authentics 300 is attractively designed, with a sturdy wood cupboard and a giant, chunky grille on the entrance that provides it an deliberately retro look. It’s pretty giant, standing 195mm excessive, 342mm broad and 180mm deep, and it weighs in at a hefty 4.9kg. Even so, it’s nonetheless supposed to be a conveyable speaker and – not like 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 straightforward to choose the speaker up and carry it from room to room at residence, 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 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 private 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 for those who favor to maintain issues non-public.

Sound high quality is nice, and the Authentics 300 lets the bass guitar on Blondie’s Rapture bounce together with a relaxed, infectious power. There’s a vivid, 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 for those who want a wired connection.

We point out the brand new for 2024 Zeppelin Professional above, however for now Bowers & Wilkins continues to promote the 2021 Zeppelin so you could discover it at low cost. Simply remember that whereas we celebrated this fashions terrific sound high quality when it got here out, the newer mannequin boasts even higher sound.

Accessible in both Midnight Gray or a silvery Pearl Gray, this Zeppelin seems to be similar to the 2024 Zeppelin Professional and its predecessors, with the eye-catching oval design that provides the speaker its title.

On the within, this Zeppelin has a pair of high-frequency tweeters and mid-range woofers situated on both sides of a central sub-woofer, whereas your complete unit is powered by a roof-rattling 240W amplifier.

The Zeppelin helps AirPlay 2, together with Bluetooth and Apple’s AAC codec and the AptX Adaptive codec that’s used on many Android units, and Spotify Join too.

At $799/£699 this mannequin has the identical (excessive) value because it’s predecessor, however as it’s phased out it’s prone to see value drops.