<h2 class=”bodyh2″><strong>How we chose the best multiroom speakers</strong></h2><p><strong></strong>We test multiroom speaker systems based on how you’ll be using them – from the initial setup and pairing to your home wifi network to how good the speakers sound. We evaluate the audio quality by <a href=”https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/productreviews/tech/g685104/bestmusicstreamingservices/” target=”_blank”>listening to music</a>, covering all types of genres, from rock to jazz. And we know the whole point of these speaker constellations is to join up, so we look at how easy the speakers are to install and group together. </p><p>We also judge the effectiveness of the official smartphone app, plus any builtin features like voice assistants, ondevice touch controls and privacy modes. Our roundup of the best multiroom speaker systems is based on a combination of handson testing and rigorous research. </p><h2 class=”bodyh2″><strong>What is a multiroom audio system?</strong></h2><p><strong></strong>A multiroom speaker system is a group of speakers that are connected via your home’s wifi network. They communicate with each other over that network and are controlled using a smartphone app or via a builtin voice assistant like <a href=”https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/productreviews/tech/g40007250/bestalexadevices/” target=”_blank”>Alexa</a> or <a href=”https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/productreviews/tech/a39384401/alexavsgooglehome/” target=”_blank”>Google Assistant</a>. </p><p>The speakers come in different sizes and shapes so you can choose the perfect fit for your surroundings and your home’s decor, whether you want it hidden under your TV stand or proudly on show. </p><p>After the initial setup and wifi pairing, you can play the same song from your streaming services across multiple speakers, one speaker at a time or different songs in different rooms. </p><p>Aside from a power cord, the speakers are wireless, so there’s no mess of cables around your home. Lots of audio brands, like Sonos and Bose, also offer <a href=”https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/productreviews/tech/g25888034/bestsoundbars/” target=”_blank”>soundbars</a> so you can make your home theatre setup part of the multiroom system. But that’s not all, the best systems can include extra <a href=”https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/productreviews/tech/g25053633/bestbluetoothspeakers/” target=”_blank”>portable Bluetooth speakers</a>, <a href=”https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/productreviews/tech/g25844363/bestsmartspeakers/” target=”_blank”>smart speakers</a>, amplifiers, or even Bluetooth record players. While it’s best to start small, one of the major benefits of a multiroom system is that it can be expanded in your house over time. </p>” datanexthead/>
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With more than eight years’ experience covering tech at publications including , and the , Jason has extensive knowledge of the latest gear and gadgets – reviewing phones, tablets, laptops, headphones, smart home products and more – and covering the biggest shopping events of the year, including Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day.
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He won at The Drum’s Online Media Awards in 2017 for his cybersecurity coverage in the International Business Times. When not writing and testing the latest gadgets, you’ll find Jason playing the guitar or learning how to parent his new baby.
“,”image”:”https://hips.hearstapps.com/rover/profile_photos/bcfc407f8d5b4d3cb1c46e87f5e3e496_1656598439.file”,”sameAs”:[“www.twitter.com/@Jason_A_Murdock”]},{“name”:”Simon Cocks”,”url”:”https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/author/531618/simoncocks/”,”@type”:”Person”,”description”:”
Simon Cocks is Good Housekeeping UK’s Technology Editor, overseeing tech shopping content and strategy for the title. He previously also worked across other titles including Esquire UK, Digital Spy, Men’s Health UK and Women’s Health UK.
Simon specialises in testing the latest smart gadgets, home entertainment gear, headphones, speakers, portable chargers, radios, ebook readers and smartphones. He’s reviewed top tech products from brands including Google, Apple, Amazon, JBL and Bose.
A magazine journalism graduate from Kingston University in 2014, Simon also worked on the Discovery and Silkroad inflight magazines. He then gained experience writing about entertainment at SFX and Total Film. He also contributed reviews and interviews to TwitchFilm (later ScreenAnarchy), CultBox and Frame Rated.
He joined Good Housekeeping UK as the Editorial Assistant for Special Projects and was part of Good Housekeeping’s Consumer Affairs Team between 2014 and 2019. In this role, he conducted price comparison research, wrote detailed household and moneysaving advice guides and edited thousands of indepth reviews for the Good Housekeeping Institute.
He has focused on technology and gadgets since 2020, where he started by testing out power banks and instant cameras. He writes reviews, roundups, news articles and deals updates, and also covers top tech deals during sales like Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
When not testing out the latest gizmos, you’ll find Simon either catching up with the newest releases at his local cinema or out shooting with his beloved compact camera.
You can follow Simon on Instagram, on Bluesky, on LinkedIn and on Threads.
“,”jobTitle”:”Technology Editor”,”image”:”https://hips.hearstapps.com/rover/profile_photos/4ce2e87213f0455d8dd56368b2f0729b_1727686501.file”,”email”:”Simon.cocks@hearst.co.uk”,”sameAs”:[“www.instagram.com/simonrcocks”]}],”@context”:”http://schema.org”,”about”:{“@type”:”ItemList”,”numberOfItems”:14,”itemListElement”:[{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:1,”item”:{“@type”:”Thing”,”name”:”Sonos”,”url”:”https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/productreviews/tech/g684693/bestmultiroomspeakers/?slide=1″,”description”:”We’ve been handson with multiple systems, and after testing, we think Sonos is a brand you should focus on. It is a great way to enjoy multiroom audio, but it’s definitely not affordable. Who is it for? This is a great allinone multiroom system. Once you get past the setup (and high cost of entry if you’re buying lots of speakers), it’s a seamless experience, from the app to the touch controls. The sound quality is balanced and loud enough for home use, and the sturdy build means the speakers last for years. Why we like it: Sonos offers a good balance of price, design, ease of use, a wellexplained setup process and top audio quality. Its speakers are well built, have excellent audio quality out of the box and come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from the portable Roam 2 to the hulking Sub Mini. Its most recent speakers all have responsive touch controls and a privacy switch that turns off the voice assistants and mics. Within the Sonos smartphone app, the layout is simple, and it works like a control centre for every Sonos speaker on your network. How it connects: For our tests, we used an Era 100 speaker in our living room downstairs and an Era 300 in the office upstairs, and via the app, we could easily choose where the music was playing and at what volume with a few quick taps. Clicking into the settings allowed us to tinker with EQ settings or add voice assistance via Sonos Voice or Alexa. The main upside of the system is how seamless it feels (and is) to use. All the speakers work in harmony, and it’s easy to expand. When we added the Era 300 to our network, the app immediately detected it, and we were blasting music in under five minutes. We found it to be beginnerfriendly, too. The app guides you through the initial setup, although some of us could find the number of steps overwhelming. You’ll have to create an account, add your wifi details, give your speaker a name and location and listen out for some pairing chimes and beeps – but the process will be familiar if you’ve ever added a wireless speaker or a pair of wireless headphones to your smartphone. Sonos does need a wifi connection to work effectively. Some of its speakers connect via Bluetooth, but true multiroom is based on wifi. “,”image”:”https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmgprod/images/sonosmain647db3db02c38.png”}},{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:2,”item”:{“@context”:”https://schema.org/”,”@type”:”Product”,”name”:”Era 100″,”description”:”The perfect starting point for your Sonos multiroom system. It looks great on a bookshelf or on a counter in your living room, dining room, bedroom or kitchen. It may have a fairly traditional wireless speaker design, but we like the circular casing and the neat touch control slider on top. We put the Era 100 in a living room and played music from a phone and the Sonoscompatible Victrola Stream Carbon record player. The music sounds loud and clear, with a nice balance of bass and midtones. There’s no spatial audio support like you’ll find on the Era 300, but it sounds full and clear whether you’re playing from Spotify or the builtin Sonos Radio. As explained in our Sonos Era 100 review, we love the “Trueplay” feature, which quickly tunes the output to match the size and shape of the room via the app. The colour selection is limited to either black or white, but that’s always been the case for Sonos, and it feels highend. There is one single power cable, but other than that, it is totally wireless and you can pair it to a second Era 100 (or a soundbar like the Arc, Ray or Beam) to enhance the audio from your TV, too. Not exactly sure where to start? The Era 100 is our goto recommendation for beginners. “,”image”:”https://vaderprod.s3.amazonaws.com/1685962946era100647dc0b18144d.jpg”,”sku”:”B0BXPFL4Y2″,”brand”:{“@type”:”Brand”,”name”:”Sonos”},”review”:{“@type”:”Review”,”name”:”Era 100″,”author”:[{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”Jason Murdock”},{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”Simon Cocks”}],”positiveNotes”:{“@type”:”ItemList”,”itemListElement”:[{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:”1″,”name”:”Fantastic audio quality”},{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:”2″,”name”:”Easy pairing and setup”}]},”negativeNotes”:{“@type”:”ItemList”,”itemListElement”:[{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:”1″,”name”:”Not as portable as Sonos Move”}]}},”offers”:[{“@type”:”Offer”,”url”:”https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BXPFL4Y2″,”priceCurrency”:”GBP”,”price”:”199.00″,”availability”:”https://schema.org/Discontinued”,”offeredBy”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”Amazon”}}]}},{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:3,”item”:{“@context”:”https://schema.org/”,”@type”:”Product”,”name”:”Era 300″,”description”:”The Era 300 is a more powerful, larger version of the Era 100 that supports spatial audio (an immersive audio technology that makes music appear to be coming from all around you while you are listening) and packs a booming punch at louder volumes. The design is one of the most unique that we’ve tested – Sonos calls it “cinched hourglass” – and the hulking size is an acquired taste and better suited to big rooms. The audio performance is undeniable, though. The speakers inside the Era 300 are directed left, right, forward and upward so you get a surroundsound experience when listening. This works if you play spatial audio music from Apple Music and Amazon Music Unlimited, but not Tidal. The two woofers (used for the deeper tones of your tunes) in the Era 300 deliver smooth and rich bass. We tested it by listening to the latest Arctic Monkeys album, a poprock playlist on Spotify and some lofi beats on YouTube. We love the default sound mix, although we found that it’s quite loud even at lower volumes.We put the Era 300 in an office room upstairs, and it was instantly recognised by the app. As the app was already set up with our wifi, the pairing process took under two minutes. From there, we could toggle which speaker (or group of devices) plays music and the Era 300 has the same touch controls as the 100, too. While it’s possible to have it on a big bookshelf, Sonos recommends that you have at least 60 cm overhead to get the best sound quality, so this isn’t a speaker for snug spaces. But if you have the area in your home, want to enjoy spatial audio and don’t mind the unique shape, the Era 300 is one powerful Sonos speaker. “,”image”:”https://vaderprod.s3.amazonaws.com/1685962971era300647dc0cd0c0e3.jpg”,”sku”:”B0BXPPPZS9″,”brand”:{“@type”:”Brand”,”name”:”Sonos”},”review”:{“@type”:”Review”,”name”:”Era 300″,”author”:[{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”Jason Murdock”},{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”Simon Cocks”}],”positiveNotes”:{“@type”:”ItemList”,”itemListElement”:[{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:”1″,”name”:”Spatial audio support”},{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:”2″,”name”:”Room filling audio”}]},”negativeNotes”:{“@type”:”ItemList”,”itemListElement”:[{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:”1″,”name”:”Need a large space for it”}]}},”offers”:[{“@type”:”Offer”,”url”:”https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BXPPPZS9″,”priceCurrency”:”GBP”,”price”:”429.00″,”availability”:”https://schema.org/InStock”,”offeredBy”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”Amazon”}}]}},{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:4,”item”:{“@context”:”https://schema.org/”,”@type”:”Product”,”name”:”Move 2″,”description”:”The Era 100 and Era 300 are stationary speakers but if you prefer Sonos onthego then get the aptlynamed Sonos Move 2. While it still has to initially be set up via wifi, this model is made to be much more portable – an ideal pick if you’ll also be bringing it camping or into the back garden this summer. Instead of solely using a power cable, it can run off a rechargeable battery, and it has a charging base. Used wirelessly, it should give you 24 hours of playback.The Sonos Move 2 has an IP56 rating, meaning it can withstand splashes of water (technically, it’s protected from immersion between 15 centimetres and one metre in depth, but we’ve not tested that) and dust. Unlike the Era 100 and 300, there’s a builtin handle for transportation. Still, we wouldn’t describe the Move as a true portable speaker that you’ll be bringing on your next holiday (after all, it weighs about 3kg), but this is a good option if you want to enhance the music at your next gathering. You can buy an optional wall hook (£29) and a neat travel bag (£79) as extras, too. The Move gives you more freedom than the others, and we love that it features automatic Trueplay so that it scans its surroundings to tune the sound output. If you want more portability, go for the Roam 2, but the Move gives you better sound quality and it works well both indoors and outdoors. “,”image”:”https://vaderprod.s3.amazonaws.com/17440264101718189803sonosmove2square66697ed690232.jpg”,”sku”:”B0CHFG17Q3″,”brand”:{“@type”:”Brand”,”name”:”Sonos”},”review”:{“@type”:”Review”,”name”:”Move 2″,”author”:[{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”Jason Murdock”},{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”Simon Cocks”}],”positiveNotes”:{“@type”:”ItemList”,”itemListElement”:[{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:”1″,”name”:”Protected from splashes”},{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:”2″,”name”:”Strong battery life”}]},”negativeNotes”:{“@type”:”ItemList”,”itemListElement”:[{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:”1″,”name”:”Still quite heavy for a portable speaker”}]}},”offers”:[{“@type”:”Offer”,”url”:”https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CHFG17Q3″,”priceCurrency”:”GBP”,”price”:”449.00″,”availability”:”https://schema.org/InStock”,”offeredBy”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”Amazon”}}]}},{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:5,”item”:{“@type”:”Thing”,”name”:”Apple”,”url”:”https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/productreviews/tech/g684693/bestmultiroomspeakers/?slide=5″,”description”:”Who is it for? This is a great option for iOS users, and while the speakers can be expensive if you want multiple devices around your home, the software works well. Using AirPlay 2 is also a very good option for adding thirdparty speakers.How it connects: If you have an iPhone in your pocket or an iPad slate at home, then we highly recommend using Apple’s lineup of speakers. They communicate via Apple’s own wireless streaming technology, called AirPlay 2, and can be used as part of a multiroom audio system if you dot them around your home. You change settings on the speakers via the Control Centre on your iPhone, iPad or MacBook, or ask the speakers to play music in specific rooms using the Siri voice assistant. It’s not just Apple devices with AirPlay builtin (for example, the Sonos Era has it, alongside speakers from Denon, Bose and JBL), and we’ve used it to pair a Roku Streambar in the living room to a Sonos Roam on our balcony without experiencing lag or desyncing. However, you do need an Apple device to get the playback started, as there’s no way to start AirPlay from an Android handset.Why we like it: We find Apple’s own HomePod series has the best connectivity and seamless pairing, particularly when you’re asking it to play music in specific rooms or everywhere at once, even if we have previously encountered some volume misalignment due to the speakers always playing at the last volume used. We love that you can set HomePods as a stereo pair and enhance music or TV audio, but that approach quickly gets expensive (two fullsize HomePods will set you back around £600). One perk for iOS users is Apple’s Handoff, which lets you transfer audio from an iPhone to a HomePod or HomePod Mini by bringing it physically closer to the speaker. We tested it with Spotifty and podcasting apps and it works well, giving nice haptic feedback when the playback hops from the phone to the speaker. “,”image”:”https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmgprod/images/homepodmain647db6dec1c56.jpg”}},{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:6,”item”:{“@context”:”https://schema.org/”,”@type”:”Product”,”name”:”Apple HomePod 2″,”description”:”The largest smart speaker that Apple makes, the secondgeneration HomePod gives you fantastic audio and build quality, plus brilliant integration with Apple Music and Apple TV.On test for our HomePod 2 review, we were very impressed with its Siri voice control for music playback and how much detail it has even at lower volumes. This is a physically large speaker, but it’s very easy to set up and it impresses as a stereo pair with another HomePod speaker (no, you can’t connect it to the Mini).The use of AirPlay 2 means it can stream music from Spotify and pair with other speakers around your home to create an effective multiroom system controlled right from your iPhone. “,”image”:”https://vaderprod.s3.amazonaws.com/1685962374homepod2size1675166770.jpg”,”sku”:null,”brand”:{“@type”:”Brand”,”name”:null},”review”:{“@type”:”Review”,”name”:”Apple HomePod 2″,”author”:[{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”Jason Murdock”},{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”Simon Cocks”}],”positiveNotes”:{“@type”:”ItemList”,”itemListElement”:[{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:”1″,”name”:”Fantastic sound quality”},{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:”2″,”name”:”Very stylish design”}]},”negativeNotes”:{“@type”:”ItemList”,”itemListElement”:[{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:”1″,”name”:”It’s just for Apple users”}]}},”offers”:[{“@type”:”Offer”,”url”:”https://www.argos.co.uk/product/1486063″,”priceCurrency”:”GBP”,”price”:”299.00″,”availability”:”https://schema.org/InStock”,”offeredBy”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”Argos”}},{“@type”:”Offer”,”url”:”https://go.redirectingat.com?id=127X1143637&url=https%3A%2F%2Fao.com%2Fproduct%2Fmqj73baapplehomepod2ndgenerationsmartspeakerblack96030301.aspx”,”priceCurrency”:”GBP”,”price”:”299.00″,”offeredBy”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”AO”}},{“@type”:”Offer”,”url”:”https://www.scan.co.uk/products/applehomepodmidnight360audio4micarraysiri5tweeterarraystereopairabletouchwifibluetoo”,”priceCurrency”:”GBP”,”price”:”299.00″,”offeredBy”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”scan.co.uk”}}]}},{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:7,”item”:{“@context”:”https://schema.org/”,”@type”:”Product”,”name”:”Apple HomePod mini”,”description”:”Closest in design to Amazon’s Echo Dot range, the HomePod Mini is a greatsounding smart speaker that works effectively as a multiroom system if you buy more than one (or with thirdparty speakers compatible with AirPlay 2).You control them from your iPhone or the Siri assistant using AirPlay 2 and, just like a Sonos system, can play tracks from one speaker, or multiple speakers simultaneously.The smaller design means these are better suited to sitting on your bookshelf or worktop, and they can be used as a Stereo Pair for a more encompassing experience when listening to music. “,”image”:”https://vaderprod.s3.amazonaws.com/1685962513homepodmini647dbf0530fdf.png”,”sku”:”argos_8324991″,”brand”:{“@type”:”Brand”,”name”:”john”},”review”:{“@type”:”Review”,”name”:”Apple HomePod mini”,”author”:[{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”Jason Murdock”},{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”Simon Cocks”}],”positiveNotes”:{“@type”:”ItemList”,”itemListElement”:[{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:”1″,”name”:”Very portable form factor”},{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:”2″,”name”:”Can be used as Stereo Pair”}]},”negativeNotes”:{“@type”:”ItemList”,”itemListElement”:[{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:”1″,”name”:”Limited to Siri for voice assistance”}]}},”offers”:[{“@type”:”Offer”,”url”:”https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8324991″,”priceCurrency”:”GBP”,”price”:”99.00″,”availability”:”https://schema.org/Discontinued”,”offeredBy”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”Argos”}},{“@type”:”Offer”,”url”:”https://go.redirectingat.com?id=127X1143637&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wexphotovideo.com%2Fapplehomepodminiwhite1765199%2F”,”priceCurrency”:”GBP”,”price”:”104.00″,”offeredBy”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”wexphotovideo.com”}},{“@type”:”Offer”,”url”:”https://go.redirectingat.com?id=127X1143637&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jacamo.co.uk%2Fshop%2FAppleHomePodmini%2FHA476%2Fproduct%2Fdetails%2Fshow.action%3FpdBoUid%3D9067%26optionColour%3DSpace+Grey%26optionSize%3DNO+SIZE”,”priceCurrency”:”GBP”,”price”:”99.00″,”offeredBy”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”jacamo.co.uk”}}]}},{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:8,”item”:{“@type”:”Thing”,”name”:”Amazon”,”url”:”https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/productreviews/tech/g684693/bestmultiroomspeakers/?slide=8″,”description”:”Do you already have a few Echo speakers dotted around your home? There’s a good chance you’ve got a basic multiroom system that you weren’t aware of. That’s right – Amazon’s “MultiRoom Music” feature is built into its devices, making this a more affordable way to enjoy music and podcasts across your home.Who is it for? An Amazon multiroom system is ideal if you’re on a much tighter budget, and there’s a very good chance you’ve already got some installed around your home. The daytoday user experience compared to Sonos is less impressive, as the app layout is cluttered and also shows our other connected gadgets like lights, plugs and bulbs in the same place. We encountered an unfortunate bug that blasted music at full volume until we physically turned down each device, and it’s not easy to individually control speakers as they’re playing. How it connects: If you have multiple Echos on your wifi, the app automatically groups them as “Everywhere” but you can edit the selection by going to the Speaker Groups section of the Device tab. From there, choose which of your devices you would like to play music on at the same time. It works, but it’s not always pretty. We paired two Echo Dots (one in the bedroom and one in the living room) so we could listen to music upstairs and downstairs at the same time but have it ignore the Echo Show 15 installed in the kitchen that we use to watch recipes while cooking.Why we like it: While we think that Sonos is superior in every way as a multiroom speaker system, we do appreciate this as a significantly more affordable option. As the Alexapowered Echo Dot range is regularly priced at under £50, these make it possible to enjoy multiroom audio in three rooms of your home for under £100. “,”image”:”https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmgprod/images/amazonmain647db48fa8f1a.png”}},{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:9,”item”:{“@context”:”https://schema.org/”,”@type”:”Product”,”name”:”Echo Dot (5th gen)”,”description”:”Having Echo Dots around the home is great for easy access to the Alexa voice assistant and music. Audio clarity and loudness is good enough for basic home use, and it’s extremely helpful that they are also used to control other smart home gadgets. The latest Echo Dot model includes a temperature sensor that we found useful for gauging the level in our rooms. As a wholehome system speaker, the Echo Dot works fine via the Alexa app, however, the true attraction is the price point.The speaker frequently drops to under £40 during Amazon sale events, so using these devices is a much cheaper way of starting a basic multiroom setup. “,”image”:”https://vaderprod.s3.amazonaws.com/1685962144echodot647dbd92c4d29.png”,”sku”:”B09B8YWXDF”,”brand”:{“@type”:”Brand”,”name”:”Amazon”},”review”:{“@type”:”Review”,”name”:”Echo Dot (5th gen)”,”author”:[{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”Jason Murdock”},{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”Simon Cocks”}],”positiveNotes”:{“@type”:”ItemList”,”itemListElement”:[{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:”1″,”name”:”Very affordable”},{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:”2″,”name”:”Helpful voice assistant”}]},”negativeNotes”:{“@type”:”ItemList”,”itemListElement”:[{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:”1″,”name”:”App support not as good as Sonos”}]}},”offers”:[{“@type”:”Offer”,”url”:”https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09B8YWXDF”,”priceCurrency”:”GBP”,”price”:”54.99″,”availability”:”https://schema.org/InStock”,”offeredBy”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”Amazon”}},{“@type”:”Offer”,”url”:”https://go.redirectingat.com?id=127X1143637&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jacamo.co.uk%2Fshop%2Fp%2Ffx801%3FoptionColour%3DWHITE%26optionSize%3DNO+SIZE”,”priceCurrency”:”GBP”,”price”:”64.99″,”offeredBy”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”jacamo.co.uk”}},{“@type”:”Offer”,”url”:”https://go.redirectingat.com?id=127X1143637&url=https%3A%2F%2Fao.com%2Fproduct%2Fb09b8ywxdfamazonechoechodot5thgensmartspeakersmartspeakerblue95589301.aspx”,”priceCurrency”:”GBP”,”price”:”39.00″,”offeredBy”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”AO”}}]}},{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:10,”item”:{“@context”:”https://schema.org/”,”@type”:”Product”,”name”:”Echo Studio”,”description”:”The most powerful speaker Amazon makes, the Echo Studio has five speakers, supports spatial audio and like the Sonos range, it features “roomadaption technology” to scan the acoustics of your room and tune the sound. This is a great option if you want to enjoy more bass and boom while also controlling your other smart home gadgets around your home. Like all Echo products, the Studio has the ability to be included in Alexa Routines.For a multiroom setup, that means you can set the speakers to all play some light, calming music at a certain time of the morning or, similarly, some upbeat pop around breakfast time. And if you have a Fire TV, you can use Studio devices (plus an Echo Sub) to create surround sound. “,”image”:”https://vaderprod.s3.amazonaws.com/1685962195echostudio647dbdc6ef98a.jpg”,”sku”:”B07NQCKJSH”,”brand”:{“@type”:”Brand”,”name”:”Amazon”},”review”:{“@type”:”Review”,”name”:”Echo Studio”,”author”:[{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”Jason Murdock”},{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”Simon Cocks”}],”positiveNotes”:{“@type”:”ItemList”,”itemListElement”:[{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:”1″,”name”:”Booming sound performance”},{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:”2″,”name”:”Full builtin Alexa support “}]},”negativeNotes”:{“@type”:”ItemList”,”itemListElement”:[{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:”1″,”name”:”Large size not suitable for snug spaces”}]}},”offers”:[{“@type”:”Offer”,”url”:”https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07NQCKJSH”,”priceCurrency”:”GBP”,”price”:”219.99″,”availability”:”https://schema.org/InStock”,”offeredBy”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”Amazon”}},{“@type”:”Offer”,”url”:”https://go.redirectingat.com?id=127X1143637&url=https%3A%2F%2Fao.com%2Fproduct%2Fb07nqckjshamazonechoechostudiosmartspeakerblack72440301.aspx”,”priceCurrency”:”GBP”,”price”:”139.00″,”offeredBy”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”AO”}},{“@type”:”Offer”,”url”:”https://go.redirectingat.com?id=127X1143637&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.currys.co.uk%2Fproducts%2Famazonechostudiosmartspeakerwithalexablack10202176.html”,”priceCurrency”:”GBP”,”price”:”219.99″,”offeredBy”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”Curry’s”}}]}},{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:11,”item”:{“@type”:”Thing”,”name”:”Bose”,”url”:”https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/productreviews/tech/g684693/bestmultiroomspeakers/?slide=11″,”description”:”Who is it for? This is not what we consider to be an easily accessible multiroom system, as the speaker selection is limited, but it may appeal to anyone already in the Bose ecosystem, particularly if you’re using a soundbar with SimpleSync tech. How it connects: Just like the Sonos speakers, Bose devices have both wifi and Bluetooth pairing. The lineup has a stronger focus on home theatre setups instead of speakers including soundbars, amplifiers and surround sound systems. These all feature tech called SimpleSync, and this lets devices communicate over a wifi connection and the Bose Music app. Why we like it: We love Bose audio quality it’s bassy and robust. The speaker selection for multiroom devices is much smaller when compared to Sonos, but it’s definitely worth your attention if you already have a few Bose devices in your home, like a Smart Soundbar for your TV, and prefer to stick with the brand. “,”image”:”https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmgprod/images/bosemain647db518524e3.png”}},{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:12,”item”:{“@context”:”https://schema.org/”,”@type”:”Product”,”name”:”Bose Home Speaker 500″,”description”:”The powerful Speaker 500 has a few features you won’t find elsewhere on our list of favourite multiroom speakers. There is a screen on the front that’s used to show information about the music that’s playing or the time (it’s not a touch display, though) and six customisable preset buttons on the top that can be set to your favourite playlists or music stations from libraries in the Bose app. For use as part of a multiroom setup, this pairs with the Bose Portable Smart Speaker below. “,”image”:”https://vaderprod.s3.amazonaws.com/168596233071sop4ImgWL.jpg”,”sku”:null,”brand”:{“@type”:”Brand”,”name”:”Bose”},”review”:{“@type”:”Review”,”name”:”Bose Home Speaker 500″,”author”:[{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”Jason Murdock”},{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”Simon Cocks”}],”positiveNotes”:{“@type”:”ItemList”,”itemListElement”:[{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:”1″,”name”:”Fantastic sound quality”},{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:”2″,”name”:”Easy pairing with (some) Bose devices”}]},”negativeNotes”:{“@type”:”ItemList”,”itemListElement”:[{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:”1″,”name”:”Multiroom speaker selection is limited”}]}},”offers”:[{“@type”:”Offer”,”url”:”https://www.argos.co.uk/product/1174863″,”priceCurrency”:”GBP”,”price”:”359.95″,”availability”:”https://schema.org/InStock”,”offeredBy”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”Argos”}},{“@type”:”Offer”,”url”:”https://go.redirectingat.com?id=127X1143637&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bose.co.uk%2Fen_gb%2Fproducts%2Fspeakers%2Fsmart_home%2Fbosehomespeaker500.html%23v%3Dbose_home_speaker_500_triple_black_gb_ie_sg_my_hk_uae”,”priceCurrency”:”GBP”,”price”:”359.95″,”offeredBy”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”bose.co.uk”}},{“@type”:”Offer”,”url”:”https://go.redirectingat.com?id=127X1143637&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnlewis.com%2Fbosehomespeaker500smartspeakerwithvoicerecognitionandcontrol%2Fblack%2Fp3751396″,”priceCurrency”:”GBP”,”price”:”359.00″,”offeredBy”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”John Lewis”}}]}},{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:13,”item”:{“@context”:”https://schema.org/”,”@type”:”Product”,”name”:”Bose Portable Smart Speaker”,”description”:”This is similar in design and intention to the Sonos Move and Roam, with up to 12 hours of use from a charge and IPX4 water resistance.That means it survives splashes of water but not submersion – so you can take it to your next outdoor party but keep it away from actual water.It has wifi and Bluetooth so the connection will remain strong and is controlled via the Bose app. It has SimpleSync for easy pairing, too. “,”image”:”https://vaderprod.s3.amazonaws.com/168596235271mcGFtTyCL.jpg”,”sku”:”B07WF981QW”,”brand”:{“@type”:”Brand”,”name”:”Bose”},”review”:{“@type”:”Review”,”name”:”Bose Portable Smart Speaker”,”author”:[{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”Jason Murdock”},{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”Simon Cocks”}],”positiveNotes”:{“@type”:”ItemList”,”itemListElement”:[{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:”1″,”name”:”Portable form factor”},{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:”2″,”name”:”IPX4 water resistance”}]},”negativeNotes”:{“@type”:”ItemList”,”itemListElement”:[{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:”1″,”name”:”Multiroom speaker selection is limited”}]}},”offers”:[{“@type”:”Offer”,”url”:”https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07WF981QW”,”priceCurrency”:”GBP”,”price”:”319.00″,”availability”:”https://schema.org/InStock”,”offeredBy”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”Amazon”}},{“@type”:”Offer”,”url”:”https://go.redirectingat.com?id=127X1143637&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bose.co.uk%2Fen_gb%2Fproducts%2Fspeakers%2Fsmart_home%2Fboseportablehomespeaker.html%23v%3Dbose_portable_home_speaker_black_gb_ie”,”priceCurrency”:”GBP”,”price”:”379.95″,”offeredBy”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”bose.co.uk”}},{“@type”:”Offer”,”url”:”https://go.redirectingat.com?id=127X1143637&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.currys.co.uk%2Fproducts%2Fboseportablewirelessmultiroomhomespeakerwithgoogleassistantandamazonalexablack10199021.html”,”priceCurrency”:”GBP”,”price”:”12.92″,”offeredBy”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”Curry’s”}}]}},{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:14,”item”:{“@type”:”Thing”,”name”:””,”url”:”https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/productreviews/tech/g684693/bestmultiroomspeakers/?slide=14″,”description”:”What to consider when starting a multiroom speaker systemInvesting in a quality multiroom system may sound challenging if you’re unsure what you’re looking for, but we’re here to help. Here what to consider when choosing: Check your budgetLike always when buying new technology, how much you can spend on a multiroom system dictates which brands are available to you. Sonos is easily our favourite multiroom system option in 2023, but Amazon Echo devices are significantly more affordable, and it’s possible to buy seven Echo Dot 5th gen speakers for the price of one single Sonos Era 100. Choose your brandLike a smart home, it’s vital to have strong foundations. Your speakers are tightly connected to an app and this matters if you plan on adding more devices in the future. You’ll always get the most seamless experience by pairing with devices from the same company. That has slightly changed in recent years thanks to AirPlay connectivity, which lets you add thirdparty speakers to your multiroom system just make sure you check the device specs when you’re expanding to make sure it’s compatible with AirPlay. If so, you shouldn’t have a problem with connecting. Portability and sizeSpeakers come in different shapes and sizes, so have a look at models from each company to see which best fit your home and decor. Sonos has the most choice of speakers when it comes to size and portability, from the portable Roam to the hulking Sonos Five. We find the Era 100 or the Move to be a nice balance if it’s going on a cabinet or bookshelf, but the Era 300 is ideal if you have more space around it to experience the booming volume and immersive spatial audio. Also, we advise having a quick glance at the weight – many speakers are described as being portable because they have a builtin handle, but actually weigh more than 2kg. Voice assistant support Sonos has the broadest voice assistant support in the multiroom space and is (mostly) able to work with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and its own assistant, Sonos Voice. But always check which voice assistant is built into the speaker, for example Google Assistant is available on all voiceenabled Sonos products except for Era 100 and the Era 300 – those only come with Alexa and Sonos Voice. Apple speakers are limited to its own assistant, Siri. Can you use a smart speaker? Smart speakers offer multiroom functions using their builtin voice assistant: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant or Apple’s Siri. However, we found that while they’re decent at playing one song on every compatible speaker in the house, some struggle when you play different music on different speakers at the same time (the notable exception was Apple’s HomePod). On occasion, we found that speakers from different manufacturers result in music being slightly out of sync when playing in different rooms. Another downside is there isn’t as wide a range of speakers from each brand, so you may end up with differentlooking speakers in each room. It’s worth noting that many multiroom speakers come with their own type of voice assistants (like Sonos Voice) and they may not be as effective as native devices. Privacy concerns We’ve all become pretty comfortable with having listening devices in our living rooms these days, but we appreciate that many of the best multiroom systems have builtin privacy protections. Sonos shines at this: for example, on the Era range there’s a touch button to disable voice assistance, plus a dedicated physical switch on the back that turns off all power to the microphone. There is also a micoff button on Amazon’s Echo series. With HomePods, you’d need to turn off the microphone within Apple’s Home app or by asking Siri to “stop listening”, although to reenable the microphone, you’d still need to go into the app.”,”image”:”https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmgprod/images/listiclelinebreaktransparency6475e995b822b.png”}}]}}
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Sonos Era 100
Pros
Cons
The perfect starting point for your Sonos multiroom system. It looks great on a bookshelf or on a counter in your living room, dining room, bedroom or kitchen. It may have a fairly traditional wireless speaker design, but we like the circular casing and the neat touch control slider on top.
We put the Era 100 in a living room and played music from a phone and the Sonoscompatible Victrola Stream Carbon record player. The music sounds loud and clear, with a nice balance of bass and midtones.
There’s no spatial audio support like you’ll find on the Era 300, but it sounds full and clear whether you’re playing from Spotify or the builtin Sonos Radio. As explained in our Sonos Era 100 review, we love the “Trueplay” feature, which quickly tunes the output to match the size and shape of the room via the app.
The colour selection is limited to either black or white, but that’s always been the case for Sonos, and it feels highend. There is one single power cable, but other than that, it is totally wireless and you can pair it to a second Era 100 (or a soundbar like the Arc, Ray or Beam) to enhance the audio from your TV, too. Not exactly sure where to start? The Era 100 is our goto recommendation for beginners.
Key specifications
| Connectivity | Wifi, Bluetooth |
|---|---|
| Voice control | Yes |
| Size | 12 x 13.17 x 18.35cm |
| Weight | 2.02kg |
Sonos Era 300
Pros
Cons
The Era 300 is a more powerful, larger version of the Era 100 that supports spatial audio (an immersive audio technology that makes music appear to be coming from all around you while you are listening) and packs a booming punch at louder volumes.
The design is one of the most unique that we’ve tested – Sonos calls it “cinched hourglass” – and the hulking size is an acquired taste and better suited to big rooms. The audio performance is undeniable, though. The speakers inside the Era 300 are directed left, right, forward and upward so you get a surroundsound experience when listening. This works if you play spatial audio music from Apple Music and Amazon Music Unlimited, but not Tidal.
The two woofers (used for the deeper tones of your tunes) in the Era 300 deliver smooth and rich bass. We tested it by listening to the latest Arctic Monkeys album, a poprock playlist on Spotify and some lofi beats on YouTube. We love the default sound mix, although we found that it’s quite loud even at lower volumes.
We put the Era 300 in an office room upstairs, and it was instantly recognised by the app. As the app was already set up with our wifi, the pairing process took under two minutes. From there, we could toggle which speaker (or group of devices) plays music and the Era 300 has the same touch controls as the 100, too.
While it’s possible to have it on a big bookshelf, Sonos recommends that you have at least 60 cm overhead to get the best sound quality, so this isn’t a speaker for snug spaces. But if you have the area in your home, want to enjoy spatial audio and don’t mind the unique shape, the Era 300 is one powerful Sonos speaker.
Key specifications
| Connectivity | Wifi, Bluetooth |
|---|---|
| Voice control | Yes |
| Size | 16 x 26 x 18.5cm |
| Weight | 4.47kg |
Sonos Move 2
Pros
Cons
The Era 100 and Era 300 are stationary speakers but if you prefer Sonos onthego then get the aptlynamed Sonos Move 2. While it still has to initially be set up via wifi, this model is made to be much more portable – an ideal pick if you’ll also be bringing it camping or into the back garden this summer. Instead of solely using a power cable, it can run off a rechargeable battery, and it has a charging base. Used wirelessly, it should give you 24 hours of playback.
The Sonos Move 2 has an IP56 rating, meaning it can withstand splashes of water (technically, it’s protected from immersion between 15 centimetres and one metre in depth, but we’ve not tested that) and dust.
Unlike the Era 100 and 300, there’s a builtin handle for transportation. Still, we wouldn’t describe the Move as a true portable speaker that you’ll be bringing on your next holiday (after all, it weighs about 3kg), but this is a good option if you want to enhance the music at your next gathering. You can buy an optional wall hook (£29) and a neat travel bag (£79) as extras, too.
The Move gives you more freedom than the others, and we love that it features automatic Trueplay so that it scans its surroundings to tune the sound output. If you want more portability, go for the Roam 2, but the Move gives you better sound quality and it works well both indoors and outdoors.
Key specifications
| Connectivity | Wifi, Bluetooth |
|---|---|
| Voice control | Yes |
| Size | 24.1 x 16 x 12.7cm |
| Weight | 3kg |
Apple
Who is it for? This is a great option for iOS users, and while the speakers can be expensive if you want multiple devices around your home, the software works well. Using AirPlay 2 is also a very good option for adding thirdparty speakers.
How it connects: If you have an iPhone in your pocket or an iPad slate at home, then we highly recommend using Apple’s lineup of speakers. They communicate via Apple’s own wireless streaming technology, called AirPlay 2, and can be used as part of a multiroom audio system if you dot them around your home.
You change settings on the speakers via the Control Centre on your iPhone, iPad or MacBook, or ask the speakers to play music in specific rooms using the Siri voice assistant. It’s not just Apple devices with AirPlay builtin (for example, the Sonos Era has it, alongside speakers from Denon, Bose and JBL), and we’ve used it to pair a Roku Streambar in the living room to a Sonos Roam on our balcony without experiencing lag or desyncing. However, you do need an Apple device to get the playback started, as there’s no way to start AirPlay from an Android handset.
Why we like it: We find Apple’s own HomePod series has the best connectivity and seamless pairing, particularly when you’re asking it to play music in specific rooms or everywhere at once, even if we have previously encountered some volume misalignment due to the speakers always playing at the last volume used.
We love that you can set HomePods as a stereo pair and enhance music or TV audio, but that approach quickly gets expensive (two fullsize HomePods will set you back around £600).
One perk for iOS users is Apple’s Handoff, which lets you transfer audio from an iPhone to a HomePod or HomePod Mini by bringing it physically closer to the speaker. We tested it with Spotifty and podcasting apps and it works well, giving nice haptic feedback when the playback hops from the phone to the speaker.
Apple HomePod 2
Pros
Cons
The largest smart speaker that Apple makes, the secondgeneration HomePod gives you fantastic audio and build quality, plus brilliant integration with Apple Music and Apple TV.
On test for our HomePod 2 review, we were very impressed with its Siri voice control for music playback and how much detail it has even at lower volumes. This is a physically large speaker, but it’s very easy to set up and it impresses as a stereo pair with another HomePod speaker (no, you can’t connect it to the Mini).
The use of AirPlay 2 means it can stream music from Spotify and pair with other speakers around your home to create an effective multiroom system controlled right from your iPhone.
Key specifications
| Connectivity | Wifi, Bluetooth |
|---|---|
| Voice control | Yes |
| Size | 16.8 x 14.2cm |
| Weight | 2.3kg |
Apple HomePod mini
Pros
Cons
Closest in design to Amazon’s Echo Dot range, the HomePod Mini is a greatsounding smart speaker that works effectively as a multiroom system if you buy more than one (or with thirdparty speakers compatible with AirPlay 2).
You control them from your iPhone or the Siri assistant using AirPlay 2 and, just like a Sonos system, can play tracks from one speaker, or multiple speakers simultaneously.
The smaller design means these are better suited to sitting on your bookshelf or worktop, and they can be used as a Stereo Pair for a more encompassing experience when listening to music.
Key specifications
| Connectivity | Wifi, Bluetooth |
|---|---|
| Voice control | Yes |
| Size | 8.43 x 9.79cm |
| Weight | 345g |
Amazon
Do you already have a few Echo speakers dotted around your home? There’s a good chance you’ve got a basic multiroom system that you weren’t aware of. That’s right – Amazon’s “MultiRoom Music” feature is built into its devices, making this a more affordable way to enjoy music and podcasts across your home.
Who is it for? An Amazon multiroom system is ideal if you’re on a much tighter budget, and there’s a very good chance you’ve already got some installed around your home. The daytoday user experience compared to Sonos is less impressive, as the app layout is cluttered and also shows our other connected gadgets like lights, plugs and bulbs in the same place. We encountered an unfortunate bug that blasted music at full volume until we physically turned down each device, and it’s not easy to individually control speakers as they’re playing.
How it connects: If you have multiple Echos on your wifi, the app automatically groups them as “Everywhere” but you can edit the selection by going to the Speaker Groups section of the Device tab. From there, choose which of your devices you would like to play music on at the same time. It works, but it’s not always pretty. We paired two Echo Dots (one in the bedroom and one in the living room) so we could listen to music upstairs and downstairs at the same time but have it ignore the Echo Show 15 installed in the kitchen that we use to watch recipes while cooking.
Why we like it: While we think that Sonos is superior in every way as a multiroom speaker system, we do appreciate this as a significantly more affordable option. As the Alexapowered Echo Dot range is regularly priced at under £50, these make it possible to enjoy multiroom audio in three rooms of your home for under £100.
Echo Dot (5th gen)
Pros
Cons
Having Echo Dots around the home is great for easy access to the Alexa voice assistant and music. Audio clarity and loudness is good enough for basic home use, and it’s extremely helpful that they are also used to control other smart home gadgets.
The latest Echo Dot model includes a temperature sensor that we found useful for gauging the level in our rooms. As a wholehome system speaker, the Echo Dot works fine via the Alexa app, however, the true attraction is the price point.
The speaker frequently drops to under £40 during Amazon sale events, so using these devices is a much cheaper way of starting a basic multiroom setup.
Key specifications
| Connectivity | Wifi, Bluetooth |
|---|---|
| Voice control | Yes |
| Size | 10 x 10 x 8.9cm |
| Weight | 340g |
Echo Studio
Pros
Cons
The most powerful speaker Amazon makes, the Echo Studio has five speakers, supports spatial audio and like the Sonos range, it features “roomadaption technology” to scan the acoustics of your room and tune the sound.
This is a great option if you want to enjoy more bass and boom while also controlling your other smart home gadgets around your home. Like all Echo products, the Studio has the ability to be included in Alexa Routines.
For a multiroom setup, that means you can set the speakers to all play some light, calming music at a certain time of the morning or, similarly, some upbeat pop around breakfast time. And if you have a Fire TV, you can use Studio devices (plus an Echo Sub) to create surround sound.
Key specifications
| Connectivity | Wifi, Bluetooth |
|---|---|
| Voice control | Yes |
| Size | 20.6 x 17.5cm |
| Weight | 3.5kg |
Bose
Who is it for? This is not what we consider to be an easily accessible multiroom system, as the speaker selection is limited, but it may appeal to anyone already in the Bose ecosystem, particularly if you’re using a soundbar with SimpleSync tech.
How it connects: Just like the Sonos speakers, Bose devices have both wifi and Bluetooth pairing. The lineup has a stronger focus on home theatre setups instead of speakers including soundbars, amplifiers and surround sound systems. These all feature tech called SimpleSync, and this lets devices communicate over a wifi connection and the Bose Music app.
Why we like it: We love Bose audio quality it’s bassy and robust. The speaker selection for multiroom devices is much smaller when compared to Sonos, but it’s definitely worth your attention if you already have a few Bose devices in your home, like a Smart Soundbar for your TV, and prefer to stick with the brand.
Bose Home Speaker 500
Pros
Cons
The powerful Speaker 500 has a few features you won’t find elsewhere on our list of favourite multiroom speakers. There is a screen on the front that’s used to show information about the music that’s playing or the time (it’s not a touch display, though) and six customisable preset buttons on the top that can be set to your favourite playlists or music stations from libraries in the Bose app. For use as part of a multiroom setup, this pairs with the Bose Portable Smart Speaker below.
Key specifications
| Connectivity | Wifi, Bluetooth |
|---|---|
| Voice control | Yes |
| Size | 20.3 x 17 x 10.9cm |
| Weight | 2.15kg |
Bose Portable Smart Speaker
Pros
Cons
This is similar in design and intention to the Sonos Move and Roam, with up to 12 hours of use from a charge and IPX4 water resistance.
That means it survives splashes of water but not submersion – so you can take it to your next outdoor party but keep it away from actual water.
It has wifi and Bluetooth so the connection will remain strong and is controlled via the Bose app. It has SimpleSync for easy pairing, too.
Key specifications
| Connectivity | Wifi, Bluetooth |
|---|---|
| Voice control | Yes |
| Size | 19.15 x 11.9 x 10.4cm |
| Weight | 1.06kg |
What to consider when starting a multiroom speaker system
Investing in a quality multiroom system may sound challenging if you’re unsure what you’re looking for, but we’re here to help. Here what to consider when choosing:
Check your budget
Like always when buying new technology, how much you can spend on a multiroom system dictates which brands are available to you. Sonos is easily our favourite multiroom system option in 2023, but Amazon Echo devices are significantly more affordable, and it’s possible to buy seven Echo Dot 5th gen speakers for the price of one single Sonos Era 100.
Choose your brand
Like a smart home, it’s vital to have strong foundations. Your speakers are tightly connected to an app and this matters if you plan on adding more devices in the future. You’ll always get the most seamless experience by pairing with devices from the same company. That has slightly changed in recent years thanks to AirPlay connectivity, which lets you add thirdparty speakers to your multiroom system just make sure you check the device specs when you’re expanding to make sure it’s compatible with AirPlay. If so, you shouldn’t have a problem with connecting.
Portability and size
Speakers come in different shapes and sizes, so have a look at models from each company to see which best fit your home and decor. Sonos has the most choice of speakers when it comes to size and portability, from the portable Roam to the hulking Sonos Five. We find the Era 100 or the Move to be a nice balance if it’s going on a cabinet or bookshelf, but the Era 300 is ideal if you have more space around it to experience the booming volume and immersive spatial audio. Also, we advise having a quick glance at the weight – many speakers are described as being portable because they have a builtin handle, but actually weigh more than 2kg.
Voice assistant support
Sonos has the broadest voice assistant support in the multiroom space and is (mostly) able to work with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and its own assistant, Sonos Voice. But always check which voice assistant is built into the speaker, for example Google Assistant is available on all voiceenabled Sonos products except for Era 100 and the Era 300 – those only come with Alexa and Sonos Voice. Apple speakers are limited to its own assistant, Siri.
Can you use a smart speaker?
Smart speakers offer multiroom functions using their builtin voice assistant: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant or Apple’s Siri. However, we found that while they’re decent at playing one song on every compatible speaker in the house, some struggle when you play different music on different speakers at the same time (the notable exception was Apple’s HomePod). On occasion, we found that speakers from different manufacturers result in music being slightly out of sync when playing in different rooms.
Another downside is there isn’t as wide a range of speakers from each brand, so you may end up with differentlooking speakers in each room. It’s worth noting that many multiroom speakers come with their own type of voice assistants (like Sonos Voice) and they may not be as effective as native devices.
Privacy concerns
We’ve all become pretty comfortable with having listening devices in our living rooms these days, but we appreciate that many of the best multiroom systems have builtin privacy protections. Sonos shines at this: for example, on the Era range there’s a touch button to disable voice assistance, plus a dedicated physical switch on the back that turns off all power to the microphone.
There is also a micoff button on Amazon’s Echo series. With HomePods, you’d need to turn off the microphone within Apple’s Home app or by asking Siri to “stop listening”, although to reenable the microphone, you’d still need to go into the app.
Jason Murdock was Hearst UK’s Deputy Technology Ecommerce Editor, contributing to multiple titles including , and , between 2022 and 2023.
With more than eight years’ experience covering tech at publications including , and the , Jason has extensive knowledge of the latest gear and gadgets – reviewing phones, tablets, laptops, headphones, smart home products and more – and covering the biggest shopping events of the year, including Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day.
He won at The Drum’s Online Media Awards in 2017 for his cybersecurity coverage in the International Business Times. When not writing and testing the latest gadgets, you’ll find Jason playing the guitar or learning how to parent his new baby.
Simon Cocks is Good Housekeeping UK’s Technology Editor, overseeing tech shopping content and strategy for the title. He previously also worked across other titles including Esquire UK, Digital Spy, Men’s Health UK and Women’s Health UK.
Simon specialises in testing the latest smart gadgets, home entertainment gear, headphones, speakers, portable chargers, radios, ebook readers and smartphones. He’s reviewed top tech products from brands including Google, Apple, Amazon, JBL and Bose.
A magazine journalism graduate from Kingston University in 2014, Simon also worked on the Discovery and Silkroad inflight magazines. He then gained experience writing about entertainment at SFX and Total Film. He also contributed reviews and interviews to TwitchFilm (later ScreenAnarchy), CultBox and Frame Rated.
He joined Good Housekeeping UK as the Editorial Assistant for Special Projects and was part of Good Housekeeping’s Consumer Affairs Team between 2014 and 2019. In this role, he conducted price comparison research, wrote detailed household and moneysaving advice guides and edited thousands of indepth reviews for the Good Housekeeping Institute.
He has focused on technology and gadgets since 2020, where he started by testing out power banks and instant cameras. He writes reviews, roundups, news articles and deals updates, and also covers top tech deals during sales like Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
When not testing out the latest gizmos, you’ll find Simon either catching up with the newest releases at his local cinema or out shooting with his beloved compact camera.
You can follow Simon on Instagram, on Bluesky, on LinkedIn and on Threads.
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