One of the big players in the smart speaker revolution, Sonos continues to refine its products, and its “move” device is no exception. Features: Voice controls, IP56 weather resistant.
Read the full Ruark R1 Mk4 review Buy now £229 .uk
It’s a charming product that upgrades the R1 series while retaining its unique spirit. This is certainly a radio first, rather than a dedicated speaker, but the sound quality is more than a match for many speakers at this price point, with the treble particularly impressive. The OLED display shows the time, station or song that’s playing, which is handy if you’re not permanently tied to your phone. It looks like a classic radio, perfect for the bedside or a coffee table, with a pleasingly old-school look that hides some very modern, class-leading audio and visual tech. The R1 Mk4 radio is, as the name suggests, the fourth generation of Ruark’s flagship R1 radio. Read the full Naim mu-so Qb second generation review Buy now £899 .ukįamily-owned brand Ruark, based on the south coast of England, has been developing sound systems and radios since the 1980s, so the pedigree is clear to see. The Qb can also be linked to other non-Naim speakers through Apple home or chromecast – but that seems a bit like mixing champagne with lemonade. The controls on the top are intuitive and clean, with the volume dial doubling as a touchscreen for navigating favourite tracks and advanced settings.
It shouldn’t have come as a surprise, however, as this second-generation speaker features a multicore digital signal processor, providing more than 13-times the power and accuracy of the previous version, and speaker drivers optimised for refined bass and distortion cancellation. It’s a cliché, but the listening experience is almost as good as having the musicians in the room – a rarity for wireless speakers. The Naim Qb has by far the clearest sound on this list.
Stockholm brand Transparent’s more sustainable, modular set up means you can continue to upgrade your purchase by replacing its constituent parts, instead of having to buy an entirely new speaker.
Best light and portable powerful speaker – Bose portable smart speaker: £379, .uk.
Best easy-to-use speaker – Audio Pro BT5: £149.99, .uk.Best poolside speaker – Sony SRS-XB43: £169, .uk.Best for home use – Sonos move: £399, .uk.Best for style – Marshall emberton: £119, .uk.Best radio-first speaker – Ruark R1 Mk4 review: £229, .uk.Best budget garden speaker – KitSound diggit outdoor speaker: £29.99, .uk.Best for clear and loud sound – Naim mu-so Qb second generation: £899,.Best for outdoors – Bang & Olufsen beosound A1: £189, .uk.Best overall – Transparent small transparent speaker: £375, Transpa.rent.