14 Jan
Blog

JBL Charge 5 review: Potent and portable party speaker

JBL Charge 5.

JBL Charge 5

RRP $180.00

"Everyone will hear the JBL Charge 5 as soon as you crank it up."

benefits

  • Solid build quality

  • Can get very noisy

  • Excellent water and dust protection

  • EQ offers some sound enhancements

  • Works with JBL Portable App and PartyBoost

disadvantage

  • Cannot stereo pair with JBL speakers without Charge 5

  • Does not work as a speakerphone

  • Not a huge upgrade over the Charge 4

Look for a Bluetooth speaker and you'll find a variety of sizes to choose from. It's up to you to decide which one suits your lifestyle best, but when you have a lot of options it's not always easy to find the best value for your money. JBL's speakers come in a variety of sizes, and one of their key features is playing bigger than they appear.

This is where the JBL Charge 5 comes into play. It's medium sized and packs a punch, but has JBL changed too much about the sound while tweaking a few things in both design and functionality? Let's take a look.

JBL Charge 5 speaker and box.Ted Kritsonis/Digital Trends

What's in the box

You won't find much to wade through in the box. Aside from the speaker itself, JBL only includes a USB-C charging cable and a quick start guide. If you've used previous Charge speakers you might be wondering where the 3.5mm aux-in cable is located and it's not here because JBL removed that connector. This speaker is completely wireless.

The JBL Charge 5 speaker features rubber grips on the bottom.Ted Kritsonis/Digital Trends

draft

JBL doesn't reinvent the wheel with the Charge 5 and sticks to a very familiar look that doesn't differ too much from the previous version. I'm mostly referring to the aesthetics, where aside from the more pronounced logo and battery indicator on the front, and the rubberized grips on the bottom, many of the same elements apply.

The weight and dimensions differ only slightly compared to the Charge 4, except that the 5 is more robust.

The tightly woven fabric still looks and feels good, while the bumpers on each side protect the passive radiators. The button layout on top remains the same, while the rear features the USB-C charging port, along with a USB-A port that you can use to charge other devices, basically turning the speaker into a power bank.

The weight and dimensions differ only slightly compared to the Charge 4, except that the 5 is more robust. Instead of keeping the previous IPX7 rating for water resistance, JBL added good dust resistance for an excellent IP67 rating instead. These include salt water and sand, making this speaker equally at home on the beach as it is near a pool or bathtub.

Its overall size makes it a little too big to be highly portable. You could toss it in a bag and take it on a ride, but it's definitely not something you want to carry around for long periods of time. It doesn't have a handle or any indentations to make it easier to carry, but it's the sort of speaker you can take on a trip or from one room to another with relative ease.

The buttons are on the JBL Charge 5 speaker.Ted Kritsonis/Digital Trends

setup and configuration

It was easy to pair the Charge 5 right from the start and I've noticed an improvement in connectivity. The Charge 4 ran Bluetooth 4.2 while the Charge 5 uses 5.1. This shift helps stabilize the connection and plays a key role in why the audio doesn't stutter as you move farther from the speaker.

It can also be paired with two devices at the same time, but it's no help with calls since it's not speakerphone. There's no microphone, meaning you can only hear what your voice assistant is saying and still have to speak into your phone to issue commands. Pairing with two devices means you can easily switch from one to the other when you want to hear what they're playing.

The JBL Portable app (formerly the Connect app) for iOS or Android offers limited functionality, but a key feature that wasn't present when the Charge 5 launched is the three-band EQ. It's modest in scope, with bass, mids and treble available, each with five levels you can pan and adjust. You might think it's overkill for a JBL speaker, but you might also find this speaker more understated than it looks. I found better results tipping the mids up, but if you want more rumbling bass you can always max that out.

PartyBoost returns and stays with the same formula, meaning you can pair the Charge 5 with other PartyBoost-compatible JBL speakers to play music at the same time. If you want to pair the left and right channels in stereo, you need to pair it with another Charge 5. Keep in mind that once you turn on PartyBoost and connect to a different speaker, you will lose the EQ and the connected speakers will revert to the default sound profile.

The JBL Charge 5 speaker can be placed upright.Ted Kritsonis/Digital Trends

sound quality

While testing the Charge 5, I installed a firmware update that presumably affected the audio quality, especially the bass. I've never had to test the Charge 4 so I can't be sure there's an upgrade in that regard, but the Portable app's EQ can take the sound to greater depths if you start tinkering with a balance, that works for you.

It's a resonant speaker as its sound carries further than you might expect.

The good news is that this makes an audible difference. You don't get a JBL speaker for high definition audiophile sound. The Charge 5 only supports the Bluetooth codecs AAC and SBC anyway. If you're just looking for a sound that lets tunes play loud and clear, the Charge 5 can certainly get you there due to its volume. Distortion kicks in at very high volumes but lingers long enough before you get there to entertain a group or audience.

It's a resonant speaker as its sound carries further than you might expect. In smaller rooms, you don't necessarily have to turn the volume up too high to feel it. You might consider this purely relevant to bass-heavy music genres, but I'd argue that's not really true. There's enough here to enjoy pretty much whatever you enjoy listening to, and the EQ, while limited, gives you some flexibility to tweak it to your liking.

That bodes well for parties and barbecues and people with eclectic tastes. Nobody there would expect perfection from such a speaker, but they would probably be surprised at how much they can hear when they are further away.

The JBL Charge 5 speaker has bumpers on each side that protect the passive radiators.Ted Kritsonis/Digital Trends

battery life

JBL rates battery life at up to 20 hours per charge, but don't expect to hit that. Had JBL kept the 3.5mm aux-in port it probably would have, except Bluetooth and volume are the deciding factors. I didn't have to get too loud too often, so my mileage usually ranged from 15 to 17 hours. Not bad at all, except that when it runs out of juice it takes up to four hours to fully recharge. You can also plug it in during playback when the battery is low, if you can place it near an outlet or keep a power bank handy.

The speaker's own power bank function plays its own role in battery life. Of course, if you use the included USB-C cable and flip it the other way to connect the USB-A side to the rear port to charge something else via USB-C, you'll be using up some of its lifespan for playback .

Our opinion

You can find the Charge 5 for $180, which is a pretty standard price for a mid-range speaker like this. Whether its size and price are right for you depends on your needs and budget, but your money is definitely buying a volume that works well. Its added durability also stands out, making it versatile where and when you want to play it. There are also six colors to choose from, including the standard camouflage finish.

Is there a better alternative?

Given the limited differences between him and the fee 4, it's not a bad idea to consider the latter as an option, especially if you want a 3.5mm jack. the Ultimate Ears Mega Boom 3 is more expensive at $200, but offers serious durability and more spacious 360-degree sound, as well as color options.

If you'd rather use a speaker at home than one to take with you on trips and outings, you might want to check out this one SonosMove. It's portable enough to move from room to room, but isn't the kind of speaker you want too close to a body of water. And unless you appreciate the smart speaker or the whole-home audio capabilities, the $400 price tag is hard to justify.

How long it will take?

JBL makes sure its speakers play loud without breaking, so it's a good bet you can keep them for a long time. The biggest concern is that water or salt will somehow damage the internal components, which you can avoid by rinsing off sand or salt after a day at the beach. JBL has a one-year warranty against damage, but read the fine print on water damage as the company may not cover every case.

should you buy it

Yes, especially if you don't already have such a speaker. This isn't the kind of product you update yearly. You get it and keep it for as long as you need it. I'd think twice before doing that if you already have the Charge 4, where the upgrade probably doesn't feel that significant.

Editor's Recommendations



25 Nov
Blog

LG GP9 Review: The Best Gaming Speaker You Shouldn’t Buy

LG GP9 speakers in front of a monitor

LG UltraGear GP9 Review: The Best Gaming Speaker You Shouldn't Buy

RRP $ 499.00

"The LG GP9 is an incredible speaker that is only as good as its price allows."

advantages

  • Excellent sound quality for games

  • DTS: X and Hi-Res headphone support

  • Broad sound field

  • Excellent microphone echo cancellation

disadvantage

  • Way too expensive

  • Weak battery life

  • Below average music experience

LG's UltraGear brand is known for gaming monitors, but it's branching out. The GP9 gaming speaker is LG's first attempt at establishing UltraGear as a gaming brand beyond the field of monitors and hopefully getting LG into the conversation when it comes to the best gaming speakers. It's a solid attempt, but unfortunately it's tarnished by nagging oversights and an astronomical price tag of $ 500.

It seems that LG designed the GP9 in a vacuum, outperforming alternatives like the Razer Leviathan and Panasonic SoundSlayer by a few hundred dollars. On paper, the GP9's features justify the higher price tag – a built-in microphone for voice chat, support for high-resolution audio, and wireless operation from the built-in battery. In practice, however, these benefits do not match the price LG is asking.

Immediately after unboxing and setting up the GP9, I was overwhelmed with its gaming performance. This is one of the best gaming speakers, and it can't be denied, but it's hard for the GP9 to keep the conversation going when speakers that cost half the sound are almost as good.

Establish connection

Inputs on the LG GP9 speaker.Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

The GP9 has three inputs and two outputs. For inputs, you can connect it using the USB-C port, an optical cable, or Bluetooth. That's a solid range of options, although I imagine most of them use USB by default, which I have been doing throughout my review.

Bluetooth is a nice addition, but I wouldn't want to use the GP9 as a bluetooth speaker. For one thing, it's big and bulky so it's not the best travel companion, and it doesn't have an IP or water resistance rating, so leaving it outside isn't a good idea. Even with these issues, battery life is the real killer.

The GP9 has a built-in battery that LG says can last five hours, but even that is generous. On a morning of sparse video calling and the occasional YouTube video, the speaker lasted just under four hours. Blink, and the GP9 is dead.

In addition to the inputs, the GP9 has a headphone output. This port supports DTS Headphone: X for 7.1 virtual surround sound, but this is less of a feature than more of a plus. The GP9 is a $ 500 gaming speaker, after all, so plugging in headphones just for virtual surround sound would be a shame.

Built for games

Using the GP9 for the first time is like putting on one of the best gaming headphones. The soundscape suddenly opened up, sound effects felt like they were having an impact, and music complemented the game sound instead of working against it. If you've used a good quality gaming headset, you already know the experience the GP9 delivers.

LG GP9 speakers on a desk.Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

In Deep Rock Galactic, the synthesizer-driven soundtrack perfectly superimposed the sound of the drill through the stone, and the sound field seemed to stretch from one end of the room to the other. My desk is in the living room, but the GP9 still envelops the room.

The default sound profile sounds great. I tried it out in a couple of rounds of Call of Duty: Vanguard and Halo Infinite and could make out footsteps, bullet splatters, and explosions around me. LG's 3D gaming sound may seem like a gimmick, but it works.

In addition to the standard profile, the GP9 includes an FPS profile and an RTS profile. The names are irrelevant, even if these profiles sound great. The FPS profile has a more forward-looking presence, with much of the sound moving towards the center of the sound field, while the RTS profile pushes things to the sides as if the floor has fallen out of frequency range.

There's no denying that the GP9 sounds great in games.

The GP9 sounds great for games and skillfully places the smallest nuances around the sound field so that even separate 2.0 systems cannot cope. It's hard to ignore the cost, however. At $ 500 the tone is not enough. The Razer Leviathan sounds great too, is half the price, and includes a dedicated subwoofer.

Films and music take a back seat

The LG GP9 is a gaming speaker, and it shows in the sound quality of other media too. It is set up to play games, not listen to music or watch movies.

LG GP9 speakers on a desk.Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

Music was the biggest pain point for the GP9. I started with an emphasis on bass, uploading DNA from Kendrick Lamar and See You Again from Tyler, The Creator (which turned into a full listen to Flower Boy, as so often happens). For $ 500, I wasn't impressed. The GP9 sounded good, but no better than a $ 200 bluetooth speaker like the Sonos Roam.

With music, the main problem was having consistent bass. Songs with a consistent low end – like a metal track like Spiritbox's Circle With Me – worked fine, but any kind of dynamic low end fell apart. The GP9 undergoes the compression that often comes with smaller speakers, with the high-end getting out of the way for a moment while the bass booms.

And the bass is booming. The two passive bass radiators bring out impressive bass for such a small speaker, maybe even too much. In terms of sound, the bass is not too strong, but the speaker on my desk vibrated constantly when listening to music, even at about half the volume.

When watching movies or listening to music, it was like using a completely different speaker.

Problems still exist at the other end of the spectrum. The speaker is very bright and does not separate the higher frequencies when the volume is turned up. I couldn't counteract the problem with EQ, just blunt it. A couple of larger satellite speakers, like the Logitech G560s, can handle these higher frequencies with more grace.

If you want to listen to music, stick with headphones. The Quad-DAC shines with a flat pair of sockets like the BeyerDynamic DT 770 Pros. It supports high resolution, lossless audio, and I could immediately see the bright top end, warm bass, and massive sound field compared to my PC's sound card.

LG GP9 speakers with headphones attached.Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

Movies were better on the speaker. I saw Dune and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Dune sounded great. The transition from ambient to bombast in the score felt natural, and the soundscape, although narrow, still felt a lot wider than the speaker. Shang-Chi brought me back to earth, and the sound seemed to funnel into the hard upper mid-range.

Even with a bright spot in Dune, this isn't a speaker I would use outside of games. When watching movies or listening to music, it was like using a completely different speaker.

A functional built-in microphone

Microphone button on the LG GP9 loudspeaker.Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

One advantage of the GP9 over gaming speakers like the Panasonic SoundSlayer is that it includes a microphone, but the quality isn't great. It's just slightly above a laptop's microphone, although it was able to pick up my voice cleanly from a few feet away.

What impressed me more was LG's noise cancellation. LG is calling it Clear Voice Chat technology, which sounds like a bullet point on a product page. Fortunately, it's more. Even at a comfortable volume, the microphone was able to separate my voice from the speaker's audio, and that's hard to achieve.

The microphone is a voice chat solution, just not a great one. Clear Voice Chat is an impressive addition, but I would prefer most of the other microphones to the one in the GP9. You get far better quality with a $ 150 boom mic headset like the Corsair HS80 Wireless.

The app: a compromise case

App screens for the LG GP9.

The LG GP9 was designed for gamers, not gamers, and you don't need to look further than LG's XBoom app to see this. The app isn't bad and it only took a few minutes to set up the GP9 the way I liked it. But it's absurd that a speaker designed for PC gaming doesn't have a desktop app.

XBoom feels like a half-baked solution.

To connect the speaker you need to connect it to bluetooth, download the app, pair it with your phone, and then go back to your original audio source. That took me about 30 seconds. Here's the problem: turn off bluetooth and you'll have to repeat the process all over again. It's not bad, but XBoom still feels like a half-baked solution.

In the app you can adjust the EQ curve, change the RGB sub-lights and update the firmware of the speaker, as well as access all functions that are available as buttons on the top of the speaker. It's not a bad app, but a desktop version would round out the GP9's list of features.

Our opinion

LG has launched an attractive kit with the GP9. It's a speaker that offers the gaming headset experience without the annoying hassle, with a wide sound field, a built-in microphone for communication, and a healthy dose of RGB flair. At $ 300, I'd sing the praises of the GP9. At $ 500, it's an excellent gaming speaker that shouldn't be bought.

It's one of the best gaming speakers in terms of sound, but the sound isn't enough for a speaker that costs as much as a new console.

Are there alternatives?

Dozens. The Razer Leviathan and Panasonic SoundSlayer are the most obvious alternatives, but there are several other options for gaming. These include the Audioengine A2 + speakers and the Logitech G560 kit, both of which are cheaper than the LG GP9.

How long it will take?

Without years of using the GP9, it's hard to tell how long the speaker will last. LG offers a one-year parts and labor warranty as standard.

Should you buy it?

No, unless you can have one on sale. The GP9 is too expensive for what it is, and its positives are outweighed by the price. However, if you can pick one up for around $ 300, this is an excellent option.

Editor's recommendations



13 May
Blog

Speaker Reviews | Digital Trends

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09 Apr
Blog

Sony SRS-RA5000 360 Speaker Review: An Expensive Experiment

Sony SRS-RA5000 360 speakers

"A fascinating but expensive speaker that doesn't quite live up to the hype."

  • Easy adjustment

  • Crystal clear sound

  • Chromecast support

  • Works with Google Assistant / Amazon Alexa

  • Expensive

  • Polarizing design

  • Difficult placement requirements

  • Overwhelming 360 RA effects

  • No hi-fi bluetooth codecs

When Sony unveiled its 360 Reality Audio (360 RA) music technology – a stunning 3D format designed to restore listening to live music – the only way to hear it was through headphones.

Starting in March, you can now listen to 360 RA tracks aloud through two models of wireless speakers: The Small Room for $ 300 Sony SRS-RA3000 and the much larger $ 700 SRS-RA5000.

They're both designed to optimize 360 ​​RA playback, but also have the ability to make regular stereo tracks an even more immersive experience if you so choose.

Sony was kind enough to send Digital Trends a RA5000 to try out. So we tested the unusual looking speaker to see if it actually offered a listening experience worth investing in.

What's in the box?

Sony SRS-RA5000 360 speakersSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Sony keeps things simple with the RA5000. In the fully recyclable box you will find the speaker, its power supply and a collection of printed materials such as a quick start guide, safety information and warranty documentation. It's a bit of a surprise – especially considering the $ 700 price tag – that Sony didn't use a 3.5mm cable or two, but you might be expected to buy one when you need it.

With its copper-grilled speakers; curvy body wrapped in cloth; and tall stature, it will be controversial.

design

Sony SRS-RA5000 360 speakersSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

In recent years, Sony has been enthusiastic about black or anthracite-colored devices with copper accents. You can find this color scheme on the WH-1000XM4 wireless headphones and the excellent WF-1000XM3 wireless earphones, but the most bombastic display comes with the RA5000.

With his trio of copper-grilled step-up speakers; his curvy body wrapped in cloth; I suspect it will be a controversial purchase. I really like the way it looks, but my family members are divided about the aesthetics.

If a speaker isn't your cup of tea in terms of design, you can usually just stick it in a bookcase or in a corner behind a plant. That won't fly with the RA5000.

Although it can fill a room with sound from almost any position, the closer you get to it in a central location, the better able it is to accomplish its mission of true 360-degree sound.

However, this raises two questions: How can you supply a central location with electricity (there is no on-board battery) and how do you disguise the enormous power supply module?

Unfortunately, I don't have an answer to either question. For my assessment, I simply placed the RA5000 on a coffee table and let the power cord dangle over the edge. A nearby extension cord under my couch served as a power source, but the trip hazard it created (not to mention how unsightly it looked) means it would never work as a permanent place.

There are a total of six touch-sensitive buttons along the top edges that allow you to access the most frequently used functions such as playback, volume, source, Bluetooth on / off / pairing and sound calibration.

Sony does not include a remote control, presumably because a phone is required to use the RA5000.

Another difficult aspect of the RA5000 design is the use of metal grids over the three high-boosting drivers. These thin shields are eye-catching, but seem to be very easy to dent. Our test device arrived with a very noticeable and a slightly smaller bruise. This is something to keep in mind if you want to put the speaker in a very central location (exactly where Sony suggests it).

Setup and configuration

The Sony Music Center app serves as a guide for configuring the RA5000 and gives you access to settings such as EQ and turning the speaker’s Immersive Audio Enhancement mode on and off. You can also use it to trigger the speaker's automatic sound calibration. However, this can also be done using the touch-sensitive controls that line the upper edge of the housing.

Using the SRS-RA5000 as a Bluetooth speaker is a breeze. Just long press the power button to enter pairing mode, then select the speaker from your phone's Bluetooth device list.

To get the most of it, we recommend that you take the extra step of adding it to the Google Home app so that you can enjoy Chromecast audio.

This opens up all the functions that make the RA5000 unique: It enables 360 RA streaming, which is not supported via Bluetooth. This allows you to stream stereo tracks with much higher quality (up to CD quality), which is also not possible via Bluetooth. Finally, if you have other Chromecast-enabled devices, you can manage the speaker as part of a larger multiroom audio system. If you have a Google Assistant smart speaker, you can use your voice to control the RA5000.

Amazon Alexa users can also control the speaker using voice commands by adding the RA5000 as a device in the Amazon Alexa app.

Sound quality

Sony SRS-RA5000 360 speakersSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

The SRS-RA5000 is a speaker with a mission: to enable people to listen to Sony 360 RA music without headphones, while “upgrading” their non-360 RA sources for an even more immersive sound experience. Given the high price tag, these two scenarios should better be fantastic. Otherwise it will be difficult to give the RA5000 our recommendation.

I just don't appreciate what 360 RA brings to the noisy listening experience.

To really get a feel for how it handles these tasks, I created several playlists in the Tidal app. I started by searching through Tidal's 360 RA track library for songs I'd heard countless times before – Heart's Barracuda, Billy Joel's Big Shot, Pharrell Williams' Happy, and Dave Brubeck's Take Five. Then I added the standard HiFi stereo versions of these tracks so I could easily switch back and forth between the two formats.

I also listened to these stereo versions with and without Sony's Immersive Audio Enhancement feature.

Sony SRS-RA5000 360 speakersSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

The judgment? The RA5000 does a good job rendering 360 RA tracks with its signature open-air ambient sound. The up and side firing drivers add both width and height to these songs, making for an even more immersive experience than listening to the stereo version, even when using Immersive Audio Enhancement. Not sure if you are actually hearing 360 RA audio? An LED indicator light under the speaker glows cyan when the format is recognized.

But as noticeable as the effect is, I just don't appreciate what 360 RA brings to the loud listening experience. I find that opening up and “stretching” the music to fill the room with sound tends to hollow out the recordings. Intimate details in the mids that I know own these tracks are harder to spot. Lushness and immediacy give way to the ambience, and I think a lot of the songs don't survive this transition intact. Then there is the question of consistency. It turns out that not all 360 RA tracks are the same.

The upward and side fire drivers give these songs both breadth and height, making for an even more immersive experience.

Fire up the 360 ​​RA version of Heart's Barracuda, and the RA5000 does an excellent job of making the iconic rapid-fire guitar licks fill the room. But Ann Wilson's normally soul-piercing vocals sound like she's singing with her back to the audience.

Big Shot loses much of the deep bass thrumming that gives this song so much of its nuance, which is very strange given that the RA5000 is more than capable of producing excellent bass response.

Pharrell Williams' Happy 360 RA is a much better mix, and on the RA5000 at least, it's more fun to listen to than the stereo version. But I still prefer the way this song sounds when played on a traditional stereo pair of speakers. Only Dave Brubeck's Take Five sounded much better in its 360 RA version.

Is this an inherent problem with the 360 ​​RA format? I do not believe that. Some of the above issues can also be heard when listening with headphones. With headphones, however, the spatial rendering is much better controlled and can better convince your brain that the songs are being played by a band on stage in an open space.

The RA5000, despite its 360 degree driver suite, still acts as a very identifiable sound source, reducing the effectiveness of the 360 ​​RA spatial audio effect.

Now, if you gave me a choice between the 360 ​​RA tracks that play on the $ 700 RA5000 and Dolby Atmos Music tracks that play on the $ 800 Sonos Arc soundbar, I'd be Atmos take on the arc every day.

One thing that particularly confused me about the RA5000 is the Bluetooth capabilities. According to Sony, the speaker is designed for high resolution audio, which means it can accurately reproduce frequencies from 20 Hz to 40 kHz. The problem is that only SBC and AAC bluetooth codecs are supported, neither of which can carry high resolution audio.

That would be a bit understandable if there wasn't a better Bluetooth codec. But there is and Sony invented it. LDAC is one of only two Bluetooth codecs recognized as high definition by the Japan Audio Society. However, for reasons known only to Sony, the RA5000's LDAC was not supported.

More than music?

Sony SRS-RA5000 360 speakersSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Comparing it to the Sonos Arc soundbar raises another consideration: for $ 700, can this $ 700 spatial audio speaker do anything other than let you listen to streaming music?

The answer: it depends. You can connect the RA5000 to a newer Sony Bravia TV via Bluetooth. According to Sony, a signal is delivered with very low latency, which means that the audio and video remain well synchronized. However, Bluetooth doesn't allow for multi-channel audio like 5.1 or 7.1, and it definitely lacks the bandwidth required for Dolby Atmos, which is a huge missed opportunity given the RA5000's upstream drivers.

The TV connection feels like an afterthought. It is not officially endorsed by any other TV brand. Since the RA5000 has neither an HDMI port nor an optical port, it is pretty clear that Sony would prefer to use this speaker primarily for listening to music.

Our opinion

The $ 700 Sony SRS-RA5000 is a bold experiment – an eye-catching design that aims to bring immersive live music sound to rooms of all sizes. However, this experiment is not entirely successful, making the RA5000 difficult to recommend.

Is there a better alternative?

For a lot less money the $ 200 Amazon Echo Studio uses a similar multidirectional driver setup to support 3D sound formats like Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 RA. Plus, it can be connected via WiFi to select Fire TV streaming devices for home theater sound, and it's a full-fledged smart speaker from Amazon Alexa. It can't match the overall clarity and depth of the RA5000, but it's pretty impressive for the price.

For a traditional wireless speaker that's $ 700 Denon Home 350 has many of the same features (other than spatial audio) and offers bigger, bolder, more powerful sound, as well as decent stereo separation.

How long it will take?

Sony builds high quality products and the SRS-RA5000 is no exception. Since there is no internal battery to worry about and an additional analog input is no longer available, it should function without any problems for many years as long as you take care not to damage it (e.g. by accidentally pulling the power cord).

Should you buy it?

No. With the SRS-RA5000's unique design, cumbersome placement requirements, and high price tag, only those who want to experiment deeply with Sony's 360 Reality Audio should take the plunge.

Editor's recommendations




06 Apr
Blog

Sonos Roam Review: Tiny Speaker, Huge Value

Sonos Roam

"This magical little speaker could do for Sonos what the iPod did for Apple."

  • Excellent design

  • Lightweight and portable

  • Completely waterproof and dustproof

  • Very good sound for its size

  • Selection of intelligent speaker assistants

  • Wireless charging

  • No Bluetooth stereo pairing

  • Does not work as a speakerphone

  • Less battery life than some other speakers

The $ 399 Sonos Move is a very powerful wireless speaker. When you're at home, it can be connected to the rest of your Sonos gear. Thanks to the built-in microphone, it can act as a smart speaker powered by Google or Alexa. On the go, the Bluetooth radio and 10-hour battery ensure a powerful, portable sound system. Well, maybe not that portable.

As good as the Move is, it will never be a grab-and-go speaker because it's just too big and too heavy. Go out onto the terrace from the living room? Grab the train. Going to the park from the terrace? That’s a different story.

But now we have the Sonos Roam for $ 169. It has all of the features of the Move (and a few more) but is only a fraction of the size, weight, and price of the Move. Is roam a breeze for Sonos fans? Let's try it out.

What's in the box?

Sonos RoamSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Sonos has long been a leader in sustainably packaged products, but the Roam is its best performance yet. It even includes a handy label to help you determine which parts can be recycled.

In the small, simply printed cardboard box you will find the Roam, a USB-C charging cable, a printed quick start guide and no reference to plastic or foam.

design

Sonos RoamSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

The first thing you notice when you unpack the Sonos Roam is how small it is. Not only is it the smallest Sonos speaker by far, with a hair over 6.5 inches tall, it's also slightly smaller and lighter than many of the Bluetooth speakers it'll compete with, like the $ 120 JBL Flip 5 and the $ 150 Marshall Emberton.

The shape of the roam practically begs you to pick it up and take it with you.

Despite its small size, the Roam's minimalist design is a pure Sonos, regardless of how our test device comes in matte black or matte white.

The Toblerone style triangular shape isn't just for looks. it makes the roam extremely tangible. Point one of the three sides towards the palm of your hand, and your fingers will naturally curl around the curved edges along the other two sides. While the Move's integrated handle always feels a bit risky to grasp, the shape of the Roam practically prompts you to pick it up and take it with you.

The only thing missing is a built-in lanyard option for those times when you need your hands free.

You can stand the Roam vertically or lay it horizontally with the four built-in rubber feet to anchor it securely to your chosen surface.

In any case, the simple elegance of the Roam can be invisibly combined with almost any decor.

Sonos Roam with Sonos MoveSonos Roam (front) and Sonos Move Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

The physical controls are also very stealthy – a set of four buttons hidden behind a layer of rubber on the top, barely hinted at by their slightly raised icons. From a distance they disappear completely.

The loudspeaker grille with its thousands of tiny perforations fits seamlessly into the body of the Roam. It looks like it could be badly dented, but behind that thin layer is a much tougher hexagonal grille that gives the grille an impressive level of rigidity.

Two tiny LED lights hidden behind the grille indicate the status of the speaker: one light shows whether you are in WiFi or Bluetooth mode, and one that shows the charge level of the battery. A third light next to the microphone button indicates when the microphone is active. According to Sonos, this cable is permanently connected to the microphone circuit. When the lights are off, you can be sure that no one is listening.

Sonos RoamSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

On the back is the USB-C charging port and a small power switch that is also used for Bluetooth pairing. When you're at home, it's a good idea to keep the Roam plugged in so it's always ready to play your music. However, if you're likely to move it around a lot, you should take advantage of wireless charging.

Sonos sells a custom Qi charger for $ 50 that is shaped to fit the bottom of the Roam and stays magnetically locked until you need it. However, I did not receive a charger to test. Not that it matters – any Qi charging mat does the job, and I found it very easy to just let the Roam sit on one when I wasn't carting it around.

Setup and configuration

If you're a Sonos owner, I don't have to tell you how easy it is to set up the company's wireless speakers. A few taps of your finger on the Sonos app, a few keystrokes on the speaker and less than two minutes later you are done. With the Roam, Sonos has made this process even easier.

Every technical product should be this easy to configure.

After you've connected the Roam to a power source using the supplied USB-C cable (or wireless charger) and opened the Sonos S2 app, the app will automatically prompt you to set up the speaker. It's very similar to how Apple's AirPods prompt you when you first open the charging case.

The next step is to tap the back of your phone against the back of the Roam. This should allow the speaker's NFC sensor to detect your phone for the process to complete.

Unfortunately, this didn't work with my iPhone 11, but after two failed attempts, the Sonos app offered another solution: the Roam gave a beep that was picked up by the iPhone microphone and the setup completed automatically, including adding the Roam to my Wi-Fi network. No buttons to press and no passwords to enter. Every technical product should be this easy to configure.

At this point, you can play music through the Sonos app, manage the roam as a single speaker or as part of a group of Sonos products, or stream audio directly to the roam using Apple AirPlay.

However, since the Roam can also act as a smart speaker, you may want to take the extra step of adding it to the Google Home app or the Amazon Alexa app – it only takes a few extra minutes.

Sound quality

Sonos Roam with JBL Flip 5 and Marshall EmbertonJBL Flip 5 (left), Sonos Roam (center) and Marshall Emberton Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

In line with Sonos' reputation for products well above their weight class, the Roam sounds fantastic for such a small speaker.

It delivers a warm yet clear signature with a decent response considering how compact it is.

Indoors, the Roam is an ideal loudspeaker for smaller rooms.

If you have WiFi, you can use the Sonos app to adjust the bass and treble if you want to override the factory EQ – an optimization that's retained even if you switch to Bluetooth.

Indoors, the Roam is an ideal speaker for smaller spaces – such as a bedroom, bathroom or even a kitchen. Outside, it gets loud enough to host a pool party or a backyard gathering. Speaking of volume, the Roam is virtually distortion-free up to its loudest setting, and the speaker housing doesn't hum in an uncomfortable way, which can be the case with lower-quality Bluetooth speakers.

As you turn up the volume settings, the roam keeps the frequencies in balance – until you hit around 75%. Once you exceed this limit, the speaker simply no longer has a low or mid range and uses the high frequencies to reach maximum volume.

There is simply no way a speaker this size can deliver the deep bass or powerful sound of larger devices. However, when you place the roam in a corner – a tried and true way to improve bass response – it's surprising how deep the sound can get.

The roam outshines that JBL Flip 5 However, for clarity and sound quality, it delivers an almost identical signature to the Marshall Emberton.

The Emberton proved to be a little more flexible for outdoor gatherings thanks to its 360-degree speaker pattern, while the Roam is more directional.

In theory, the roam's automatic Trueplay feature will continually adjust the roam's sound depending on where you place it. It works whether you're using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, and you won't find it on any other non-Sonos-branded wireless speaker.

In practice, I found it difficult to determine if Auto Trueplay actually made a significant difference. I moved the roam to different indoor and outdoor locations and turned Auto Trueplay on and off to see if I could see it. For the most part, the changes were barely noticeable even when I placed the speaker in places that should have caused a lot of adjustment (like the corner placement mentioned above).

user friendliness

Sonos Roam Top controls

If you've never used the Sonos app and Roam is your first Sonos product, it's time to pamper yourself. It's the best audio streaming software in the world other than none. Not only is it compatible with almost every streaming music source imaginable – over 100 so far – but all of this music is incredibly easy to navigate and find thanks to the universal search function.

The Sonos software is so good that it's reason enough to buy the Roam over any other portable speaker in its price range.

You can create your playlists and favorites that will work independently from the ones you may have already created in your music apps. If you have more than one Sonos speaker, you can control each speaker independently or as a group.

Most other Wi-Fi speakers rely on Apple HomeKit, Google Home, or Amazon Alexa for their multi-room capabilities. However, these cannot affect the extensive range of functions of the Sonos app.

The Sonos software is so good that it's reason enough to buy the Roam over any other portable speaker in its price range.

As with any other Sonos speaker, the controls are as intuitive as possible. The two volume buttons work exactly as expected, while the play / pause button can skip a track forward with a double press or backward with a triple press.

Switching from Wi-Fi to Bluetooth is also very easy. A long press on the small button on the back will put the speaker in bluetooth mode and the Roam will automatically re-pair with the last paired device.

Pairing a second or third device is a little more complicated. You must turn off the bluetooth radio on the currently paired device so that the roam can re-initiate bluetooth pairing. Once the second (or third, etc.) device is paired, you can control which device the Roam is talking to without repeating the pairing process.

Unfortunately, Sonos does not support stereo pairing of its speakers via Bluetooth. To do this, you need to be on your home Wi-Fi network and have a matching set of Sonos speakers. The roam can only be paired with a second roam in stereo, and even a paired set of roams cannot be used as surround speakers for Sonos Arc, Beam, Playbase or Playbar.

And despite the presence of a microphone, you can't use the Roam as a speakerphone – which is a bit confusing given the number of business people likely to pack the Roam in their pockets when traveling.

Smart speaker skills

Sonos RoamSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

The Sonos Roam is by far the cheapest portable speaker that can also act as a smart speaker – and one of the few where you can choose between Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

It's amazing how easily the roam can hear and respond to your commands

I set it up with the Google Assistant. This process takes about two minutes and requires that you have the Google Assistant app installed on your phone.

Once you're ready, it's amazing how easily the roam can hear and respond to your commands. For fun, I placed the roam at one end of our yard and called "Hey Google" at the other end – about 40 feet away. The Roam heard and answered immediately.

Smart speakers are pretty darn handy and allow you to do everything from managing music playback to organizing your shopping lists to controlling smart home devices like lights and cameras. But smart speakers usually need to stay plugged in, which is why people often buy a Nest Mini or Echo Dot for every room in their home. Since the Roam is completely wireless, it can be used anywhere and will continue to function as a smart speaker as long as it has WiFi.

The Ultimate ears blast and JBL Link Portable can do this too, but they cost $ 10 more than the Roam and they only work with one assistant (Amazon Alexa for the Blast, Google Assistant for the Link Portable).

If freedom of choice is important to you, the Sonos Roam is clearly the best option.

Extras

Sonos RoamSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

What makes the Sonos Roam such a remarkable speaker is its additional features. Some, like wireless charging, Auto Trueplay, AirPlay, and its ability to act as an assistant-free smart speaker are tangible benefits for anyone who buys it.

However, if you have or want to buy other Sonos products, there are other cool features available, such as: B. Sound Swap, which allows you to transfer a Wi-Fi streaming session to and from the Roam by pressing and holding the Play / Pause button. It only works with newer Sonos products like Sonos One, One SL, Beam, Move, and Arc, but it works just fine.

You can also use the Roam's Bluetooth connection as a source for your other Sonos speakers. For example, if you're away from home and using the roam as a bluetooth speaker, when you return home you can open the Sonos app and group your other speakers with the roam, which will then share the roam's BT session with the group.

It's also a great solution for giving guests access to your Sonos system without giving them your WiFi password or forcing them to download and install the Sonos app.

It's also a great solution for streaming songs stored locally on your phone – a feature Sonos offered in its app.

Battery life

With a claimed battery life of 10 hours, the Roam doesn't set any endurance records, especially when you consider that the JBL Flip 5 packs 12 hours and the Marshall Emberton packs 20 hours. On the other hand, the Emberton weighs 40% more than the Roam.

Still, 10 hours is probably more than enough for a day trip. If you need to add more playtime to the Roam, you can always bring a portable battery pack as the Roam (unlike the Move) can be charged from virtually any USB power source.

robustness

Sonos RoamSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

With an IP67 rating, the Roam can handle just about anything you throw at it, from full immersion in water to a sandy day at the beach. That makes it a great companion for pool parties, as long as you're ready to dive in afterwards when it gets kerplunk: The Roam doesn't swim.

However, I am not convinced that the Roam can withstand drops on hard surfaces such as the JBL Flip 5 or Marshall Emberton.

Despite its thin rubber end caps, the body of the Roam is made of unprotected hard plastic that may crack or flake upon direct impact. Care should be taken to prevent this from happening.

Our opinion

Sonos packed so many features into the roam that it is easily the best value for a portable speaker.

Is there a better alternative?

You can find portable speakers with better sound quality, longer battery life, or louder volume, but you won't find one that offers all of the features of the Sonos Roam at all costs – including its more expensive big brother, the Sonos Move.

But if you're willing to forego WiFi, Apple AirPlay, voice commands, and the Sonos ecosystem, you get $ 150 Marshall Emberton sounds just as good and has a 20 hour battery.

If you're willing to forego a selection of voice assistants, Apple AirPlay, and Sonos Ecosystem, get $ 180 UE explosion has longer battery life and 360-degree sound.

How long it will take?

Sonos products are very well built. If you consider protecting IP67 from dust and water, it should last for many years as long as you protect it from severe shock. All Sonos products come with a one-year warranty.

Should you buy it?

Yes, I can only recommend Sonos Roam if you intend to start a new Sonos system, add it to an existing system, or use it all on your own.

Editor's recommendations




02 Jan
Blog

Bose TV Speaker Review: Elegant And Effortless TV Enhancer

Bose TV speakers

"The Bose TV speaker is a little expensive for what you get. It's the easiest way to get great TV audio."

  • Small, elegant design

  • Very easy to set up and use

  • Impressive bass for its size

  • Effective dialogue mode

  • Optional subwoofer

  • A bit expensive

  • Cannot be paired with Bose headphones

  • No HDMI inputs

Soundbars are a fantastic way to give yourself much better TV audio without the hassle of running cables or having multiple speakers. But there are also different levels of complexity in the soundbar world. Some come with wireless subwoofers, others with additional surround speakers, and many try to double or triple as smart speakers and Wi-Fi music systems. But what if you just want your TV to sound better with the least amount of hardware and expense? Bose's answer is: $ 250 Bose TV speakers.

What's in the box?

The Bose TV speaker is packaged with two small foam cradles, but the rest is lightly made from recycled cardboard. You will receive a power cord, a slim remote control with pre-installed button cell battery, an optical cable and a quick guide. Although the TV speaker has an HDMI ARC input and an additional analog input, Bose strangely does not include HDMI or analog cables.

design

Bose TV speakersSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

While the Bose TV speaker lacks many of the features found in the company's high-end smartbar soundbars (300, 500, and 700), its design and design means it is firmly in the same family as these more expensive speakers. The flat, perforated metal grille and the completely smooth surface give it a sophisticated, first-class atmosphere. The matte black plastic shell is non-intrusive, which means all of your attention is focused on the sound, not the speaker as it should be.

At just over 23 inches wide and hair over 2 inches wide, it easily fits in front of 32-inch TVs without blocking the bottom of the screen, which is an occasional problem with its predecessor, the Bose Solo 5 TV sound system.

If you'd like, you can mount the TV speaker using the same $ 40 wall mount kit that Bose sells for its other soundbars.

Setup and connections

Bose TV speaker connectionsSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

The beauty of a soundbar that is as simple as the Bose TV speaker is that it is as easy to set up as possible. Connect the speaker to your TV using the optical cable provided or your own HDMI or analog cable and plug the speaker's power cord into the wall. Congratulations you are done.

The TV speaker automatically detects which of these three connections you want to use, so you don't have to select the correct input. But you're not limited to using just one either. You can connect separate audio devices to all three if you want. The catch is that the TV speaker defaults to using the first one it detects as active. So if you want to play TV audio from HDMI ARC and switch to a CD player via the optical connection, you must first turn off your TV and then click play on the CD.

HDMI ARC is a good option, especially if your TV doesn't have an optical port, but the lack of an HDMI input means you are giving up valuable HDMI input on your TV just for the speaker. Since the TV speaker doesn't support any of the high bandwidth audio formats enabled by HDMI ARC (like Dolby Atmos), it might be better to use the optical connection if you can.

There is a dedicated subwoofer output that can be used to connect one Bose Bass Module 500 or 700 via an optional $ 10 cable.

You also get bluetooth. This can be used as a wireless connection for streaming music from a phone, tablet or computer. However, you can also connect the TV speaker as a companion device to a Bose smart speaker or soundbar using the Bose Music app.

Speaking of bluetooth, I wish Bose only had the ability to pair a set of Bose wireless headphones like you can with the company's smart soundbars. Given that the TV speaker is in many bedrooms, this would have been an excellent addition to home TV.

user friendliness

Bose TV speaker remote controlSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

If you just want to hear your TV through the Bose TV speaker, there is next to nothing to do, especially if you're using HDMI ARC. This connection allows your TV remote control to send volume and mute commands to the speaker. This is all you need for basic operation. As a bonus for Roku TV owners, the TV speaker is Roku TV ready. This means that all of the speaker's functions can be controlled through on-screen menus and your Roku remote.

There are no physical controls at all in the soundbar – just two LED indicators in the front left corner indicate when the speaker is being turned on, muted, or using Bluetooth.

The included remote is not illuminated, but the main volume and mute buttons are easy to spot in the dark thanks to their layout and recessed design. With the remote control you can activate bluetooth mode, switch the speaker to dialogue enhancement mode and adjust the amount of bass, all of which are effortlessly possible.

The Bose TV speaker is as simple as a soundbar, which is exactly what some buyers want.

Sound quality

Bose TV speakersSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Consistent with the TV speaker's focus on simplicity, you don't get any audio extras – no Dolby Digital, no Dolby Atmos, no DTS: X – heck, there isn't even a virtualized surround mode that pretty much every $ 100 Soundbar offers these days.

What you get is excellent 2-channel stereo sound that makes watching TV far more enjoyable. Bose has always been able to make small speakers produce big sound, and the TV speaker is no exception. There is no built-in subwoofer and yet the soundbar creates a lot of low-end – especially if you use the bass adjustment to the maximum.

The two angled full-range drivers convey a sense of breadth and depth that sometimes surprised me with its realism. At the price, it would have been nice if Bose had given us the ability to control other aspects of the EQ like highs and mids, but given the balance of the speaker that is out of the box, I doubt I would mess around with them myself when i had her.

Dialog mode does exactly what you'd expect, enhancing the upper registers where voices live while emphasizing the other soundtrack material.

Unlike some other dialog adjustments I've tried that can result in a harsh, brittle sound, the Bose TV speaker simply delivers cleaner, more understandable speech.

Bose TV speakersSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

The TV speaker can definitely get loud enough to fill large rooms with sound – with virtually no distortion – but its sweet spot is smaller rooms like bedrooms or dens. In these rooms, the loudspeaker really shines and offers a much wider and deeper soundstage than a standard TV without having to rely on pure energy when working.

Can you use the Bose TV speaker for music too? Absolutely. Streaming sources like Tidal, Spotify, and YouTube Music over Bluetooth sounded very good, although unlike Bose's Soundbar 700, which is used to reveal hidden details in my favorite songs, the TV speaker simply offers decent stereo sound through a single speaker. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

Our opinion

While the Bose TV speaker can be significantly more expensive than larger, bolder soundbars with more features, it's the perfect TV companion for those who are short on space, patient, and high-quality sound.

Is there a better alternative?

If you're looking for a simple TV speaker this is it Bose Solo 5 TV sound system is still available and is often offered for less than $ 200 off-peak. It is bulkier than the TV speaker, does not have HDMI ARC and does not have a special tweeter to improve dialogue.

If you want a soundbar with a similarly small footprint and more features, the $ 400 Bose Smart Soundbar 300 or $ 400 Sonos Beam are great options with voice assistants, Apple AirPlay 2, and smartphone apps that let you do a variety of EQ – and other settings.

How long it will take?

Bose products are of excellent build quality. I assume the Bose TV speaker will last as long as you need it, especially because of its simple design and features. However, Bose only provides a one-year manufacturer's warranty.

Should you buy it?

Yes. While expensive for what it is, the Bose TV speaker is a premium and easy-to-use TV audio add-on that will make your movies and shows sound as good as they look.

Editor's recommendations




18 Nov
Blog

Apple HomePod Mini Review: The Smart Speaker Apple Needs

Apple HomePod mini on the table

"The HomePod mini is exactly what Apple needs to be a relevant player in the world of smart speakers."

  • Computerized audio optimizes the experience

  • Clean sounding highs and mids

  • The compact size makes it discreet

  • It's the cheapest HomeKit hub

  • Siri lacks the advanced intelligence of her colleagues

  • Short power cord

Apple rarely has flaws in its products, especially in the dominant era that began with the release of the iPhone. The Cupertino, California-based company has been kicking it out of the stadium time and again, setting the bar for every product category it enters. Products like the iPod, iPhone, iPad, and AirPods have shown phenomenal appeal with consumers, but that doesn't mean Apple is infallible.

The HomePod is an example of one of those missed opportunities, and its failure has hampered Apple's ambitious smart home efforts. Pricing was partly the problem – a premium price of $ 349 out of the gates made it a tough sell for the masses. Now, however, there appears to be a redemption with the HomePod mini. While it looks like Apple has gotten smaller with this iteration, don't let its size fool you, as this decision has bigger implications that make it a great player in the smart home.

Smaller is better

Gone is the cylindrical, bulky design of the original HomePod, which has been replaced with a more subtle appearance thanks to its spherical shape. It's adorned with the same fabric as its predecessor – something I wasn't too excited about because my cats viewed it as a scratching post. However, thanks to its smaller size, it fits better in tighter, smaller spaces and out of the reach of cats. Eventually I decided to place it in my entertainment center in the living room where it won't overwhelm the rest of the material there.

Apple HomePod Mini Smart Speaker Size ComparisonJohn Velasco / Digital Trends

The HomePod mini has a backlit touch-sensitive lid. The animation of Siri listening and reacting gives it a sleek look, but it still can't lift my eyes from the echo LED ring of light. On the back is the power cord that ends with a USB-C connection. Surprisingly, the cable itself doesn't seem detachable. Since the original HomePod's cable could be removed with a bit of tug, I figured this would be the case here, too – but it doesn't seem to be. In addition, the length of the cord is quite short, which means it has to be placed near an electrical outlet.

Don't buy just one, buy two because this year's HomePod mini won't empty your wallet.

Apple's decision to go small is an interesting one. You'd think its size rivals the Nest Mini and Echo Dot, but it's actually meant to hold its own in the mid-range.

Computer audio at its finest

If you're all into raw audio, the original HomePod is the natural choice for you. You should stop now if this is your only priority. This is because the HomePod mini is nowhere near the performance of the original. HomePod mini really comes to life because compelling computer audio is able to analyze and optimize whatever is playing.

Apple HomePod Mini Touch controlsJohn Velasco / Digital Trends

From a technical specs perspective, the full-range driver of the HomePod mini and the two passive radiators don't let audiophiles drool too much. In fact, it's the combination of Apple's S5 chip and computer audio that provides an enticing and compelling audio experience. The HomePod mini doesn't disappoint with its size and produces plenty of mids and highs that are not drowned out by the bass. In fact, the focus on the mids and highs becomes even clearer as the volume is increased – it never loses contact with them and the bass never sounds tight.

If I have one criticism of audio quality, it is that the HomePod mini controls audio tuning. There is no way to customize or customize my special preferences. It's not a deal breaker, but I would still appreciate some degree of control over things like highs and lows.

John Velasco / Digital Trends

Back to my point about computer audio. This is most noticeable when I've paired the HomePod mini with my Apple TV 4K to watch videos. Unlike my soundbar, which seems to prefer the sound effects and scores over the dialogue, the computerized audio attenuates the scores and sound effects appropriately with each dialogue so that I can actually understand what people are saying. This kind of smart setting is also useful when playing commercials as my soundbar has a tendency to turn up the volume while playing. With the HomePod mini, however, the volume remains constant. When it comes to computer audio, I'm all-in.

Catching up with the competition

First and foremost, the HomePod mini is the cheapest home hub for Apple HomeKit devices at home. You need it so that your HomeKit devices can communicate with your needs when you are not on your home network. Previously, the only other alternatives were the more expensive Apple TV HD ($ 149), Apple TV 4K ($ 179), and HomePod ($ 299). You can also use an iPad, but I don't usually recommend doing this because you want your home hub to remain stationary at home. Therefore, the iPad is the least qualified candidate in my opinion.

Siri still has a lot of catching up to do, which is reflected in the fact that she is missing the performance of her colleagues. Google Assistant always surprises me for its intelligence, while Amazon Alexa can be exchanged for a celebrity voice like Samuel L. Jackson. Siri isn't as smart or as funny as the other two virtual assistants, but I really hope she catches up. For example, it annoys me that Siri doesn't want to reveal my appointments for that day when I ask about it. Instead, it tells me to check my phone, which is inconvenient. It's probably a setting somewhere that prevents her from announcing it, but it's annoying nonetheless.

Apple HomePod Mini Smart Speaker Size ComparisonJohn Velasco / Digital Trends

Even so, there are other features that I found useful. Use the intercom function, with which I can play an audio message on all connected HomePod speakers in my apartment. It's great when you don't want to shout from the kitchen to someone else in another room that dinner is ready. There's also Proximity Control, which lets me relay something I'm hearing on my iPhone to my HomePod mini – all by placing my iPhone over the HomePod mini’s touch-sensitive surface. The seamless functionality that allows different devices to communicate with each other in this way is what Apple is known for, and the proximity control is proof of that.

It's also about app support. Right now, music listeners only have a handful of options to choose from when it comes to streaming from an iPhone to a HomePod mini. Apple Music and Pandora work like a charm comfortably, but many other third-party apps like YouTube Music are missing.

The HomePod mini is the speaker Apple should bring out first.

Over the past year we've seen more and more HomeKit-compatible smart home devices, from smart locks to cameras. The lack of compatible devices undoubtedly reduced the consumer appeal of making Siri the virtual assistant of choice at home, but things have gotten better. While Apple still lags behind Google and Amazon in terms of overall devices supported, using HomeKit devices offers a higher level of security and privacy.

Apple HomePod mini in handJohn Velasco / Digital Trends

This is the untold story you won't hear too much about in the smart home wars. Apple doesn't require its users to install a new app or sign up for an account in order to use these smart home devices. All you have to do is set it up from the Home app and you're done.

Our opinion

The HomePod mini is the speaker Apple should bring out first. If so, the company would be in a far better position in the smart home market. Regardless, the $ 100 cost makes it an attractive proposition that is better positioned to bring Siri home. Sure, it's not as smart or powerful as some of the other smart speakers, but it doesn't have to be, as it's a logical choice for many more Apple due to its computerized audio, subtle design, and HomeKit home hub functionality. User is this time.

How long it will take?

Like all Apple devices, the HomePod mini is solidly built. The mesh should hold up if left undisturbed, but the cloth-like material is prone to staining if something is easily spilled on it.

Apple offers a one-year limited warranty that covers defects. However, you can also purchase them AppleCare + for the HomePod mini, which effectively extends coverage for two years and covers two instances of accidental damage.

Is there a better alternative?

You bet. For the same cost, Google Nest Audio is very present in the audio department. Audiophiles will appreciate its punchy and more powerful audio performance, while the Amazon Echo (4th generation) strikes a balance between design, performance and compatibility with other smart home devices.

Should you buy it?

Don't buy just one, buy two because this year's HomePod mini won't empty your wallet. Plus, if you are a home theater fan, you will be amazed at the computer audio you can get.

Editor's recommendations




17 Aug
Blog

Pantheone I Speaker Review: Sonos Smarts with Style

Pantheon loudspeaker rating 7

"The Pantheone I is an exceptional speaker for both your eyes and your ears."

  • Excellent audio quality

  • Connected: Bluetooth, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm and AirPlay

  • Unique design

  • Supports high definition audio

  • Easy to use and set up

  • Expensive

  • Imperfect app experience

When I asked the founder of Pantheone about his upcoming networked home speaker system, I saw a passion in him for creating something that many have tried and few have achieved: a home audio system that looks as good as it sounds. I have to take his side – most speaker systems are inherently ugly because they are nothing but functional. Most of the time, we just want to hide them (which is an important factor we consider when checking sound bars, for example).

The Pantheone I is not a speaker that anyone will try to hide. But does it sound like $ 2,200 and does it have the brain we expect in 2020? Let's go through it.

Unpack the giant

I feel bad for the delivery guy who pulled the 60 pound Pantheone box up a flight of stairs to my front door.

It was just as massive as I expected. The speaker itself was secure in foam in one box, in another box, wrapped in plastic, and held together with shipping tape and thick cardboard bumpers. I was kind of horrified at how much packaging was scattered around my living room. That is much. Pantheone won't score any points here on sustainability, but I'll say the product made it all the way to me with no flaws.

You can see the packaging carnage spread from my dining room to my living room. Jaron Schneider / Digital Trends

The first thing you see when you open the inner box is a small zippered pocket that contains two white gloves. I am assuming that it is a "service with white gloves". I found the inclusion of these gloves cute and branded, but also pretty goofy and funny as I have never experienced a white gloved service that I actually had to attend. As silly as they are, I appreciate them as the Pantheone unit can fingerprint and the gloves that came with it were definitely helpful in mitigating this while I got them to their final location.

Aside from being wrapped in foam, the Pantheone comes in a silk-like bag that, while nice to the touch, feels a bit free. It's not that I plan to box this speaker up and take it with me everywhere.

The Pantheone is powered by a standard power cord, but is strangely short for a home speaker. If you don't have electrical outlets in your floor, four feet of cord won't be enough for most people to bring the device to a central location in the living room. We plebeians with only a few sockets per room will most likely need an extension cord. My black speaker also came with a white cord that stands out a lot more than black on my hardwood floors. I wish Pantheone had included both colors in the box to give me more flexibility.

The power connector and the physical on / off switch are located on the underside of the device. Since there is also a touch-sensitive power switch on the top of the device, I'm not entirely sure why this physical switch is needed at all. It might have something to do with the power converter that I'm sure is wrapped up here (since the cable doesn't have a transformer) but that's just my guess.

Physical controls

The Pantheone I is a smart speaker like a Sonos or Amazon Echo. Hence, you need to set up a few minutes to use it. Just like Sonos, this process is thankfully quick and painless. When you turn on the Pantheone, a pleasant voice informs you that it is waiting to pair and downloads the app to get it started. Once downloaded, the Pantheone app will immediately search for the speaker and guide you through a simple process to connect it to your home's WiFi. No more than 30 seconds later, everything is set up and ready to use.

Setup is thankfully quick and painless.

The top gives you basic music controls like volume, play / pause, and skip. However, since there is no screen, you'll have to rely on a second device to broadcast the speaker content (in the same way as Sonos). I rarely use these controls mounted above because you can do everything they can and more from your phone or computer.

Jaron Schneider / Digital Trends

Since the buttons don't physically click, a chime will sound every time you press a button to confirm your command. This can get annoying when adjusting the volume as it disrupts the sound of your music. Nitpicky, I know.

Easy on the eyes

A section of a review that deals with the look of a product is pretty unusual to us, but remember: this isn't just a speaker, it's art.

Jaron Schneider / Digital Trends

I've shown the Pantheone to a number of friends and colleagues and received a fairly polarizing series of responses about its design. One of my associate editors called it hideous and refused to spend more than a few seconds looking at it. My wife likes it and thinks that if our house were not designed in a French country house style, but modern or modern, it would look fantastic. One of my co-workers said it looked like alien eggs. Another said it looked "majestic".

The upper speaker array contains a tweeter and midrange driver, while the lower one contains a subwoofer. The same arrangement is repeated on the other side. Jaron Schneider / Digital Trends

I think they are all correct. Art is meant to be subjective, and what appeals to me may not necessarily appeal to you. I think we can all agree that the Pantheone looks most unusual for a speaker. If you like the lines it draws and can see it in your home, that's all that matters.

App and integration

With Spotify labels all over the Pantheone box and manuals, it's clearly the streaming platform of choice for this speaker. Fortunately, the Spotify experience is fabulous too and is on par with the experience you would expect with Sonos. Regardless of which platform Spotify is open on, you can instantly see that music is being streamed to the Pantheone, and you also have full control of the Spotify platform. Hence, the Spotify experience with this speaker is the best.

Although several other services are supported, their integration is not necessarily as good. TuneIn, iHeartRadio, Apple Music, Tidal, and Napster are all directly supported, but I found that the Tidal experience wasn't that optimized. Unlike Sonos, Tidal doesn't seem to be fully integrated. While you can stream master tracks (which Pantheone supports) by logging into Tidal through the Pantheone app, the Pantheone won't show up as a supported source when using the Tidal app on your phone or computer.

Granted, Sonos doesn't seem as connected to Tidal as it is to Spotify, at least as far as the desktop app is concerned. My Sonos Move doesn't appear as a source in the desktop app, but it does appear in the mobile app. Pantheon does not appear either.

Review of the Pantheon speakers 8 "class =" m-carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn2.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/pantheone-speaker-review-8-640x640.jpg " srcset = "https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP//yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7The start screen has plenty of room to grow. Up to 8 Pantheone devices can be connected. Jaron Schneider / Digital Trends

Rating of the Pantheon loudspeaker 9 "class =" m-carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn3.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/pantheone-speaker-review-9-640x640.jpg " srcset = "https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP//yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Easy access to multiple music sources. Jaron Schneider / Digital Trends

Rating of the Pantheon loudspeaker 10 "class =" m-carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn4.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/pantheone-speaker-review-10-640x640.jpg " srcset = "https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP//yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7The turntable spins while the music is playing, which is cute. Jaron Schneider / Digital Trends

The Pantheone app gives you access to all offers of a music streaming service. So, if you don't mind using Pantheone's user interface, you have no problem here. However, I have found that whenever you put your phone to sleep, the Pantheone app seems to forget the connection and has to spend a few seconds reconnecting each time. Music continues to play without interruption, but it is not a perfect user experience. In addition, you can only control the volume of the Pantheone I from your phone when the app is open (e.g. from the lock screen as you can when using the Spotify app).

The Pantheone I works with AirPlay, but there is a delay of more than a second when you select a new track, pause a track, or even adjust the volume on your phone. This feels like something that can be ironed out with a firmware update and I hope they do because it's annoying enough that I stopped using AirPlay with the Pantheone at all.

Software is usually the biggest hurdle for companies that even make great hardware to leap successfully. So I'm going to loosen up Pantheone a bit here, especially since this is the company's first product.

The Alexa integration works perfectly. When you speak to him, the lighted upper control buttons will turn dark blue to indicate your voice has been heard and will flicker when starting a command. It's sufficiently visible and better integrated than I've seen on most other Alexa-enabled devices.

There is currently no way to adjust the Pantheone's EQ values ​​to your personal preferences (except for Spotify on mobile devices, when there is a direct connection via a 3.5 mm jack). However, this feature will be available for the app at a later date.

Room-filling noise

If a giant $ 2,200 speaker didn't sound great, we'd have a problem. Fortunately, there is no problem here – the Pantheone produces extraordinary sound. The multi-level driver layout and two-sided design result in a truly wonderful audio projection that transmits rooms through and through with incredible fidelity. While other speakers I've tested require more than one unit to get a strong sense of immersive sound, the Pantheone achieves this from a single monolithic egg.

For a company's first product, the Pantheone is shocking, incredibly good.

Personally, I love the sound quality of professional studio monitors as opposed to the processed sound that can be achieved with more consumer-centric headphones. It is usually more neutral in quality and clean, with even emphasis across the frequency spectrum. With that in mind, the Pantheone is like a pair of fabulous over-ear studio monitors for your entire room. Every detail of every note is clear, beautifully rendered, and danced through your living space.

Jaron Schneider / Digital Trends

The highs are beautifully balanced with the mids, and the bass is strong but not overwhelming. High definition audio streams from Tidal highlight the effect. For example, in some songs where the bass is much more important, it will get a boost. In other cases, when it falls behind so as not to overwhelm the other channels. If you've ever wondered how a musician wanted their music to be heard and you trust Tidal to get all this information in their master tracks, then you know the Pantheone stays true to that sound.

If a giant $ 2,200 speaker didn't sound great, we'd have a problem. Fortunately there is no problem here.

Most impressively, the Pantheone maintains a balanced EQ regardless of volume. From soft background music to window-shaking maximum power, I never had the feeling that what I was hearing wasn't exactly perfect as the music was supposed to sound like. This level of control is unusual and extraordinary.

Jaron Schneider / Digital Trends

Basically there aren't any other speakers like the Pantheone I, but if we had to compare, we'd immediately look at Sonos, Bose, Amazon, and Bluesound as they are the only other big brands making connected home music solutions. You may also want to consider Phantom, although personally I have no previous experience with their product.

I took a Sonos Move and put it next to the Pantheone to hear the difference in sound quality. I did the same with a bluesound soundbar that I praised for its musical chops. Totally unfair, I know, but I was curious as the Move is considered a great speaker and I liked the bluesound bar.

Side by side, the Pantheone blows them both out of the water – as it should. Where there's a cloudy, cloudy mix where highs, mids, and lows cross on the Sonos, each one was rendered clearly and beautifully on the Pantheone. The bluesound soundbar also didn't achieve the same level of sparkling detail and balance and was much weaker in the lows. It was absolutely not a fair fight, but know that when you throw serious coins at the Pantheone, the price of the system isn't just for looks and connectivity: this thing can really sing.

Our opinion

The Pantheone is incredibly expensive, and that's its biggest flaw. It pains me that the vast majority of those who read this review will never personally experience the audio quality of this speaker because they will never see or hear one in person. Not only is it a beautifully designed speaker aesthetically, but also from an integrated as well as an auditory point of view. For a company's first product, the Pantheone is shocking, incredibly good. We hope the company can make additional products that are more accessible to the average person as it clearly has the capabilities to compete with Sonos' Goliath.

Is there a better alternative?

As I mentioned earlier, there really is no other product like the Pantheone I. There are expensive high-fidelity speakers like the Devialet Phantom that we have looked at in the past that are possibly the closest thing to a direct competitor (though I did haven't personally tested). Or, you can buy a Sonos 5 or the Bose Home Speaker 500, which are much cheaper than the Phantom or the Pantheone but pale compared to the audio quality. But Pantheone markets its speaker as a work of art in addition to a home speaker solution and stands alone in this area.

How long it will take?

The Pantheone I is incredibly well built and made of resin, not traditional plastic. Backed by regular firmware updates and a great 2 year warranty, I expect the Pantheone I to perform wonderfully for years to come.

Should you buy it?

If you can afford to save $ 2,200 on a home speaker solution and your décor matches the Pantheone's unique design, I would emphatically say yes. The Pantheone I is extremely expensive, but I'm confident that you can enjoy it while playing music as well as not playing it.

Editor's recommendations




02 Jul
Blog

Bose Home Speaker 500 Review: Smart, Stylish, Surround Sound

Bose Home Speaker 500

"Rich, expansive sound helps this intelligent speaker deliver a virtuoso performance."

  • Expansive stereo sound

  • Slim, attractive design

  • Choice of Alexa or Google Assistant

  • Easy to use controls

  • Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and line-in options

  • AirPlay 2

  • Expensive

  • Some music services are not supported

  • A little cumbersome multiroom control

  • No Chromecast option for Android

In the early days of the smart speaker revolution, finding a speaker that sounded both smart and great was a challenge. Fortunately, those days are long gone. With products from Sonos, Marshall, Apple and Amazon, you can now have and eat your cake. However, before deciding on a new wireless smart speaker from one of these companies, you should consider the $ 300 Bose Home Speaker 500.

With a fascinating mix of sleek design, expansive sound and a choice of digital assistants, it could be just the smart audio device that your home was missing.

But is it right for you? Let's take a look.

design

Bose Home Speaker 500Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

The Bose Home Speaker 500 is available in triple black or a sophisticated two-tone silver and white tone and is deceptively large. With an elliptical shape that is much wider than it is deep, its base is small enough to easily find a seat on a countertop, bookcase, or coat. At just 4.75 pounds, it's also surprisingly light for its size.

Nothing breaks the smooth aluminum and plastic contours of the speaker – even the included AUX input is barely noticeable and is located on the back near the floor. My triple black test device looked great no matter where I placed it.

There are people who are tempted to hide their speakers (even the good looking ones) where they can be heard but not seen. However, this would be a mistake with the Home Speaker 500. Not only would this make using the thoughtful design more difficult touch controls that adorn the top, but also prevent you from seeing the front-facing color screen.

Not that you have to see or touch it (it's not a touchscreen), but it just looks so damn cool that it would be a shame not to place it where it can be appreciated.

But I can't help thinking that Bose missed an opportunity here. When you are listening to music, the 3-inch screen shows the album art for the currently playing track, along with the artist and the track name. If the speaker is inactive, you can choose a dial or nothing at all, but that's all it does. I can think of several ways to use this screen: weather forecasts, news feeds, or just a selection of softly animated screensavers.

Given that the home speaker 500 can also be used as a smart speaker, it would be super cool to see the screen as a secondary display for voice commands, e.g. If you said, "Alexa, what's the weather like?" and the screen showed you the current weather along with Alexa’s spoken response.

But I digress. Those who want to hear the same artists, playlists, or radio stations regularly will appreciate the six special preset buttons on the Home Speaker 500. You assign them in the Bose Music app and they can be assigned to almost any music source supported by the app.

configuration

Sonos has always been my benchmark for quick and easy setups, but Bose is under a second. With the Bose Music app, I configured the Home Speaker 500 for my home WiFi, connected it to my Google account for access to the Google Assistant, and streamed music in less than five minutes.

The Bose Music app is simple and mostly very intuitive to use, with great instructions and feedback at every step.

links

Bose Home Speaker 500Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Some wireless home speakers like Sonos only offer Wi-Fi, but the Bose Home Speaker 500 lets you make three connections: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and the aforementioned line-in input. With the exception of a USB port for accessing disk-based files, you can't ask for more.

However, Bose has chosen not to include an Ethernet jack, which you may miss if your Wi-Fi network is stained in some places. Sonos contains them except for one of its speakers, but I suspect that very few of its customers use them – I certainly never needed that.

Wi-Fi with its higher bandwidth than Bluetooth should be your preferred connection method, but it gets a little difficult here.

With Wi-Fi, you can set up and control the Home Speaker 500 through the Bose Music app. This also includes streaming music from Spotify Premium and Free, Apple Music, TuneIn, Pandora, SiriusXM, Amazon Music, Deezer and iHeartRadio. It's a good selection, but not nearly as extensive as Sonos'. For example, tide and YouTube music are not included. There is also no way to stream from a personal music collection on your home network.

If you're an Apple device owner, AirPlay 2 can make up for this shortcoming, so you can stream virtually any audio source from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to the Home Speaker 500. If you're an Android user who lacks the music app, Bluetooth is your only replacement option.

Chromecast for audio may be a future Wi-Fi path for Android owners, but the Home Speaker 500 does not yet support it. When it appears, it appears as a subset of the Google Assistant, so for those who prefer Alexa – or no assistant at all – it still gets stuck with Bluetooth.

Sound quality

Bose Home Speaker 500Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Bose makes a pretty big claim for the Home Speaker 500: "The widest sound of all intelligent speakers." I put it side by side with the $ 200 Amazon Echo Studio, which has a very similar internal driver layout and both products are designed to deliver impressive sound. The Home Speaker 500 performed admirably and delivered a slightly wider sound stage than the Echo Studio despite the weaker bass response.

How expansive the sound becomes depends in part on the placement. In an ideal world, you would give her plenty of room to breathe, away from the walls and preferably not stowed in a bookcase.

Broadest or not, I think you'll love how this speaker sounds. Bose has positioned the internal drivers so that sound waves are distributed in a kind of crooked 360-degree field. By that I mean the best seat in the house is right in front of the speaker, but you can still enjoy about 80% of its full quality from almost anywhere else.

I learned to appreciate this effect when I reviewed Bose's excellent portable home speaker, which produces an almost perfectly circular sound field.

What is impressive is that you not only get real room-filling audio, but also a fairly decent stereo separation – not an easy task for such a small speaker.

You can set both bass and treble in the app. However, if your taste isn't really going in either direction, the factory EQ offers a nice balance between the two.

If there's a weakness, it's in the midrange definition – a challenging area for even the best little speakers. This is particularly noticeable when playing genres such as classical or jazz – instruments that live in the middle frequencies, such as cellos and some woodwinds, can be flattened somewhat. Overall, the Home Speaker 500 is a pleasure to hear, regardless of whether it provides the setting for an intimate dinner or a rough get-together.

The Home Speaker 500 also offers impressive volume levels. Max get this thing out and be ready for many knocks on the door of irritated neighbors.

Multiroom audio

Bose Home Speaker 500Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

One of the advantages of buying a wireless speaker at home is that different music can be played in each room, or the same music (or a combination thereof) can be played in all rooms. The Home Speaker 500 can be easily grouped with other Bose home speakers such as the Home Speaker 300 or the Bose Soundbar 500 using the Bose Music app.

However, using multiroom requires a bit of planning. Since you can also create speaker groups with AirPlay 2, you need to decide whether you want to stream from a music service in the Bose Music app – in which case you would manage your speaker groups there – or from another app on your phone or tablet – in in this case you would manage the groups using the AirPlay 2 interface.

The two systems don't play well together. Groups created in the Bose Music app don't like trying to change them with AirPlay 2, or vice versa.

There's also no way to create stereo pairs with two Bose speakers. If multiroom audio is top priority, you're probably more satisfied with Sonos.

However, Bose has a trick up its sleeve that I haven't found in any wireless speaker system, including Sonos. Bose calls it Simplesync and allows you to group any Bluetooth audio device, from a portable speaker to a wireless headphone, with the Home Speaker 500. In this sense, according to Bose, this function works best with the company's own Bluetooth speakers and headphones. This audio is more precisely synchronized.

It's true. I tried Simplesync with a JBL Flip 5 speaker that I had on hand, and while setup was a breeze, there was a fraction of a second latency between the two speakers. I wouldn't rely on doing multiroom audio, but it's a pretty handy option.

Voice assistants

Bose has followed Sonos' role model in its smart speaker strategy, and that's an excellent decision. As with Sonos, with Bose you can choose between Alexa and Google Assistant for the Home Speaker 500 instead of selling two different versions of the speaker as with other home audio companies.

I chose Google Assistant for this review because I have more compatible products at home. However, setting up Home Speaker 500 with Alexa is just as easy. Bose really nailed the smart speaker experience. Voice commands are easily recognized, even in fairly noisy environments and up to 15 feet away, without you having to actually raise your voice. If privacy is an issue, a special microphone mute button guarantees an A.I.-free environment.

The response times are also very good. I have found no difference between the Home Speaker 500 and my Google Nest mini in terms of response times.

I particularly liked that the bright white LED strip over the color screen immediately gave visual feedback that my commands had been heard. Most smart speakers have a similar visual cue. However, if they are only visible from the top (e.g. Sonos smart speakers or Google's Home and Nest minis), you won't be able to see them that easily from a room.

There is one limitation when you choose the Bose Home Speaker 500 as your smart speaker, and that is compatibility with music services. Although Google Assistant and Alexa can take control of a variety of music services, you cannot use these voice assistants if the Home Speaker 500 does not support a particular service (see Connections above). Google Play Music (now mainly switched to YouTube Music), Apple Music and Tidal are examples of services that none of the Home Speaker 500 wizards can control.

Our opinion

At its new lower price of $ 300, the Bose Home Speaker 500 costs the same as the Apple HomePod and Google Home Max, two very good smart speakers. But with Bluetooth, line-in, a full color display and a choice of voice assistants, it offers more value than these two products and also sounds amazing.

Is there a better alternative?

For $ 200, the Sonos One delivers great sound and supports almost every streaming service on the planet. It doesn't have the ultra-wide stereo sound stage, Bluetooth, AUX input, or chic color screen of the Home Speaker 500, but it has the best multiroom audio system we've ever used. It's still our top rated smart speaker for a reason.

If you're on board with Bose and want to take over the smart speaker experience but prefer to pay a little less, the $ 200 Bose Home Speaker 300 loses the color screen and wide stereo sound, but retains all other functions.

How long it will take?

Bose builds great products that usually last a long time. It only applies to the Home Speaker 500 with a one-year warranty, although this is standard for similar products from other companies.

Should you buy it

Yes. The Bose Home Speaker 500 combines beautiful design with flexibility of the voice assistant and an expansive stereo sound, which is characterized by its slim body. The color screen is also a nice touch. Android users should be aware of the lack of Chromecast as a Wi-Fi streaming option, but Apple users should be more than happy with AirPlay 2 as a Bluetooth alternative.

Editor's recommendations




18 Jun
Blog

Sonos Move Review: A Great Speaker for the Great Outdoors

sonos move review 8

"The Sonos Move can be used anywhere, but is just as happy at home. It may be the only speaker you need."

  • Outstanding build quality

  • Integration with Sonos systems

  • Sounds particularly good outdoors

  • User replaceable battery

  • The Sonos app does not work via Bluetooth

  • Big size, big price

Sonos has been the leading brand for wireless home audio since the company effectively launched the category almost 20 years ago. All this time, however, it has decidedly refused to support Bluetooth wireless connections on its devices.

Only Sonos knows all the reasons why the company has held back, but this chapter is now closed. The company's first truly portable (and Bluetooth-enabled) $ 399 Move is here. The only remaining question is whether the move is worthwhile given the significant investment.

Big but balanced

Hold the Sonos Move by the handle

Sonos products are known for their excellent build quality. Regardless of whether it's a Sonos One SL (formerly Play: 1) or a Sonos Sub, every speaker feels solid and solid. The Sonos Move goes one step further. It weighs 6.6 pounds, making it more than two pounds heavier than a Sonos One and almost twice as heavy as the Ultimate Ears Megablast, a portable speaker with many of the same features.

Thanks to the well-designed integrated handle, you can still carry it from place to place without fear of accidentally dropping it. The included charging station essentially disappears with the move in position, which is ideal and offers additional stability.

Thanks to the handle, you can move the Move from place to place without fear of dropping it.

Not that the move needs it. Despite a rounded base that wants to roll the Move to the side at any time, a low center of gravity and a very grippy rubber floor lets the Move lean at surprisingly precarious angles without falling over. Even if that were the case (I didn't intentionally drop or roll the move), Sonos assures that the speaker will continue to work properly, although no promises have been made to dent the black metal grill. And unlike so many other speakers built for the elements, the Move's understated design still looks great on a coffee table or in a bookcase.

In June 2020, Sonos announced that a new matt white color would be added to the Move's matt black debut. This brings the Move in line with other black and white products from Sonos such as Sonos One SL, Sonos Five and the new Sonos Arc soundbar.

let it Rain

This robustness extends to the Move's ability to deal with the inherently variable outdoor conditions – in fact, this is a large part of the speaker's appeal. With IP56 protection, the Move should be able to withstand deserts and beaches alike, and if you take it to the snowboard terrain park, it should also work well there.

The Sonos move under a tap

I didn't do any of that with the move. Instead, I had a small meeting on the terrace, placed it next to our cats' dusty litter box for 24 hours, and then ran it under a tap to clean it. You would never do that with a normal Sonos speaker, but the Move did it all effortlessly.

Patio power

The ability to survive in the face of water, dust, and occasionally spilled beer is one thing, but a portable speaker must sound like it was built for one thing: great audio. Indoors, the Move is cheap compared to Sonos One or Play: 1. It creates a slightly wider sound stage and the bass is more pronounced, but there is also a corresponding clouding of the mid-range. You would only notice something like this if you place a move right next to one of these other models and then compulsorily switch between them while playing everything from The Offspring to Adele. Of course not that I did.

Take the movement outside and only one thought comes to mind: This thing rocks.

Take the train outside and all other thoughts but one melt away: this thing rocks. Even with a volume of less than 50%, I ran the risk of attracting unwanted attention from neighbors several doors away. The expanded sound stage, which made itself felt in the interior, magically expands further outdoors. We have a pair of Klipsch AWR-650-SM landscape speakers in our garden that are powered by a Sonos amp. You sound fantastic. But if the Move had been available, we could have bought two of them, saved ourselves considerable dough, and found a much more flexible solution for outdoor music. For many people, a single move is more than enough speaker for even the wildest pool parties.

A better battery

I've said it before, but it needs to be repeated: Sonos' decision to make the Move rechargeable lithium-ion battery user replaceable deserves praise. Sonos claims that the cell lasts three years or 900 charges. You can then replace the battery with a new one. The battery is suitable for an alleged duration of 10 hours at medium volume. I think that's pretty accurate, but I had a different experience when the Move was in standby. It was supposed to stay that way for up to 120 hours, but I found it heard an audible tone when I canceled it with a 40% charge remaining that it had to be plugged in after just 12 hours.

On June 16, 2020, with the announcement of the new white color option, Sonos announced that the battery life of the Move would be increased to 11 hours by a software update.

The Move can be charged via USB-C if you don't have the charging station at hand. However, please note the following: Not every USB-C charger works. The move requires a charger that can output one of these three voltage / current combinations: 12 V / 3 A, 15 V / 3 A, 20 V / 2.25 A, and it is highly unlikely to do so with your phone supplied charger is compatible. You don't want to make this discovery in the middle of a road trip. The Move's front LED flashes angry orange to let you know that she's not happy.

Hey google, can you say bluetooth, wifi and airplay 2?

The Sonos Move offers many options: a portable Bluetooth speaker with a battery life of 10 hours, a Wi-Fi speaker with AirPlay 2 and a smart speaker with Alex or Google Assistant on board. The move makes everyone right. Switching between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modes is as easy as pressing the dedicated mode button on the back of the speaker. Amazingly, Bluetooth sounds very similar to the quality of Wi-Fi, which proves that the biggest factor in the perceived sound quality of the speakers is not necessarily the source.

I still preferred to listen over Wi-Fi indoors, but frankly it's more than sufficient in places where Bluetooth is needed. Sonos claims that the Bluetooth wireless range is excellent on the go, and while this is true outside, it also had trouble staying connected to my phone indoors as I was in our multi-tier home, as in other BT products that I tested, say we didn't like being separated by more than one floor.

Sonos needs to find a way for the Sonos app to maintain operational control over the move in Bluetooth mode. It's not right to start a third-party app like Spotify, Apple Music or Tidal just because I'm not at home. I like the experience with the Sonos app and hope that one day it will be the only experience I need, regardless of the color of my wireless connection.

I had some difficulty installing the Google Assistant setup on the go, but I feel like I've already used GA for another Sonos product in my home. If you completely remove GA from the system and add it back in, everything will work properly. As soon as Google was operational, it ran perfectly and responded to all of my commands. "Hey Google, how do I make a mojito?" on the specific, "Hey Google, play Los Lobos in the living room", very quickly. The microphone array on the Move has so far proven to be more sensitive than that of the Sonos One. It picked up my orders in quiet speaking throughout the room and even whispered when it was only a few meters away.

Is it really trueplay?

The same microphone array is responsible for one of the more fascinating functions of the Move: Auto Trueplay or the ability to optimize your own EQ settings based on the location of the speaker. In last August's Sonos demo, a speaker moved the move from a wide-open living room to a tiny storage compartment, and in fact Auto Trueplay has adjusted to improve the sound.

I may not have made the move sound as extreme as I did in the demo, but I haven't noticed many EQ adjustments from place to place. I wondered if Auto Trueplay could only be as effective with its dependence on local acoustic feedback as Trueplay from a smartphone microphone outside the speaker. Unfortunately there is no way to test this. If you disable Auto Trueplay on the Move, you won't get manual Trueplay as an option.

Our opinion

At $ 399, the Sonos Move isn't as cheap as some would have liked for the company's first Bluetooth speaker. It lacks some Bluetooth gadgets like a speakerphone and Bluetooth stereo paring, and you can't use the Sonos app in Bluetooth mode. It only sounds a little better indoors than a Sonos One SL for $ 170.

With its ability to fill any garden or pool party with music, the easy switch between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and the practical integration of smart speakers, it is the ideal companion for some Sonos fans and possibly the only Sonos product that does so you need .

Is there a better alternative?

The number of portable, smart, weatherproof speakers that can work on both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi networks is gradually increasing. Many of them are cheaper than the Sonos Move for $ 399. Of these, the Bose portable home speaker for $ 349 is the closest in design and features. It's not quite as powerful as the Move, but it's a bit lighter and its handle makes it a better companion for longer hikes. Here's our head-to-head comparison of these two excellent portable devices. However, none of these competitors can connect to a Sonos system. This makes the Move unique for Sonos owners.

How long it will take?

All Sonos products come with a one-year warranty. However, this is not an indicator of longevity. Sonos speakers have always shown impressive build quality, and the company goes to great lengths to test its products for durability. We believe that the Sonos Move, with its user-replaceable battery and first-class construction, has an excellent lifespan.

Should you buy it

Yes. The Sonos Move delivers great portable sound in a package that survives almost anything you can throw at it.

Editor's recommendations




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