![best-wi-fi-wireless-speaker-of-2024-[cnet]](https://i0.wp.com/upmytech.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/203583-best-wi-fi-wireless-speaker-of-2024-cnet.jpg?resize=300%2C231&ssl=1)
Best Wi-Fi Wireless Speaker of 2024 [CNET]
Our Experts
Ty Pendlebury has worked at CNET since 2006. He lives in New York City where he writes about streaming and home audio.
Expertise Ty has worked for radio, print, and online publications, and has been writing about home entertainment since 2004. He is an avid record collector and streaming music enthusiast. Credentials
- Ty was nominated for Best New Journalist at the Australian IT Journalism awards, but he has only ever won one thing. As a youth, he was awarded a free session for the photography studio at a local supermarket.
Prakhar Khanna Update Writer / CNET
Prakhar writes and updates all kinds of articles on CNET. When not tinkering with gadgets, he can be found napping. Contact: parkydoesstuff(at)gmail(dot)com Twitter: @ParkyPrakhar
John Falcone Senior Editorial Director, Shopping
John P. Falcone is the senior director of commerce content at CNET, where he coordinates coverage of the site’s buying recommendations alongside the CNET Advice team (where he previously headed the consumer electronics reviews section). He’s been a CNET editor since 2003.
Expertise Over 20 years experience in electronics and gadget reviews and analysis, and consumer shopping advice Credentials
- Self-taught tinkerer, informal IT and gadget consultant to friends and family (with several self-built gaming PCs under his belt)
Whether you’re hosting indoors or outside this summer, you need a wireless speaker. Not only are the Bluetooth speakers of today portable with great sound quality, but they also allow you to play music from virtually all music streaming services, including Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora and more. We found the best Wi-Fi wireless speakers to pump up the party and fill your space with high-quality sound.
To help you figure out the perfect fit for your home’s audio setup, we put together this list of the best wireless speakers to stream music wherever and whenever. We’ve tested all of these speakers in the CNET labs to gather first-hand insights and identify the speakers that are truly worth your money.
Read more: Best Bluetooth Speakers of 2024
” page-position linktext linkurl like dislike can-collapse=”true” can-truncate=”true” truncate-on-page-load=”true” offer=”{“id”:”2a73264d-1cba-46db-bc5a-5ee59e3cc2f7″,”label”:”Sonos Era 100″,”slug”:”sonos-era-100″,”edition”:[“US”,”ES”],”imageId”:”25b003bc-6259-4cf0-9158-526a09404a77″,”imgUrl”:”/content/image/redirect/25b003bc-6259-4cf0-9158-526a09404a77/resize/75×56″,”typeLabel”:”Series”,”objectType”:”content_product_series”,”icon”:”type-icon ct-cmg-tech-product-series ct-small”}” techobjectinfo=”{“uuid”:”2a73264d-1cba-46db-bc5a-5ee59e3cc2f7″,”name”:”Sonos Era 100″,”slug”:”sonos-era-100″,”productType”:”SERIES”,”updateType”:”PRISM”,”mod”:1722366004947}” overridecredit=”Ty Pendlebury/CNET” overridecaption=”
” imagegroup=”{“uuid”:”306ca18b-9f6f-4de1-acb1-5e1077dc6aa6″,”alt”:”sonos-era-100-2″,”caption”:”
“,”credits”:”Ty Pendlebury/CNET”,”imageData”:{“id”:”306ca18b-9f6f-4de1-acb1-5e1077dc6aa6″,”filename”:”sonos-era-100-2.jpg”,”path”:”https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/5650b22cd2a3f6744e0e2b26f44a573a19c505a3/hub/2023/03/24/306ca18b-9f6f-4de1-acb1-5e1077dc6aa6/sonos-era-100-2.jpg?auto=webp&height=500″,”dateCreated”:{“date”:”2023-03-24 20:47:15.000000″,”timezone”:”UTC”,”timezone_type”:3},”primeColor”:null,”hasWarning”:false},”size”:””,”float”:””,”lightbox”:false,”imageUrl”:”https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/5650b22cd2a3f6744e0e2b26f44a573a19c505a3/hub/2023/03/24/306ca18b-9f6f-4de1-acb1-5e1077dc6aa6/sonos-era-100-2.jpg?auto=webp&height=500″,”imageCaption”:”
“,”imageCredit”:”Ty Pendlebury/CNET”,”imageAltText”:”sonos-era-100-2″,”imageFilename”:”sonos-era-100-2.jpg”,”imageWidth”:3999,”imageHeight”:2662,”imageDoNotCrop”:false,”imageDoNotResize”:false,”imageWatermark”:false,”imageDateCreated”:”2023-03-24″,”imageParallax”:””,”imageCrop”:””,”imageEnlarge”:false}” usepricing=”false” ng-block=”{“id”:”xqs18bx7f2ppi0r”,”type”:”listicle”}” edition=”us” data-key=”cnetlisticle__39eb0855-9157-4dc5-a38a-972b9bb4ce03″ index=”1″ contenttype=”Best List – Precap” pagelayout=”Ad-Heavy Listicle” tagslugs=”gap-project,hv60,google-assistant,alexa,freelance-update,amazon,bluetooth,bose,wi-fi,google,pandora,sony,spotify,siri,apple” isbestlistredesign=”true” imagecredit=”Ty Pendlebury/CNET” imagealttext=”sonos-era-100-2″>
At $249, the Sonos Era 100 is the smart speaker to please any music fan. The compact device makes a number of improvements on the award-winning One, including stereo playback and even better sound quality. With Bluetooth, Amazon Alexa and Apple AirPlay 2 compatibility the Era 100 is a more flexible streaming speaker than ever before.
Photo Gallery 1/1
” page-position linktext=”Read the Ikea Symfonisk review” linkurl=”https://www.cnet.com/reviews/ikea-symfonisk-bookshelf-wifi-speaker-review/” like dislike can-collapse=”true” can-truncate=”true” truncate-on-page-load=”true” offer techobjectinfo overridecredit=”Sarah Tew/CNET” overridecaption=”
” imagegroup=”{“uuid”:”de23ee79-1826-4c18-b2de-94f02e80d90a”,”alt”:”Ikea Symfonisk Bookshelf”,”caption”:”
“,”credits”:”Sarah Tew/CNET”,”imageData”:{“id”:”de23ee79-1826-4c18-b2de-94f02e80d90a”,”filename”:”08-ikea-symfonisk-bookshelf.jpg”,”path”:”https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/6d77558658f721b3f852a12806ba4ad465a40716/hub/2019/07/19/de23ee79-1826-4c18-b2de-94f02e80d90a/08-ikea-symfonisk-bookshelf.jpg?auto=webp&height=500″,”dateCreated”:{“date”:”2019-07-19 21:43:22.000000″,”timezone”:”UTC”,”timezone_type”:3},”primeColor”:null,”hasWarning”:false},”size”:””,”float”:””,”lightbox”:false,”imageUrl”:”https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/6d77558658f721b3f852a12806ba4ad465a40716/hub/2019/07/19/de23ee79-1826-4c18-b2de-94f02e80d90a/08-ikea-symfonisk-bookshelf.jpg?auto=webp&height=500″,”imageCaption”:”
“,”imageCredit”:”Sarah Tew/CNET”,”imageAltText”:”Ikea Symfonisk Bookshelf”,”imageFilename”:”08-ikea-symfonisk-bookshelf.jpg”,”imageWidth”:3000,”imageHeight”:1688,”imageDoNotCrop”:false,”imageDoNotResize”:false,”imageWatermark”:false,”imageDateCreated”:”2019-07-19″,”imageParallax”:””,”imageCrop”:””,”imageEnlarge”:false}” usepricing=”true” ng-block=”{“id”:”ycituzjknpc6pb4″,”type”:”listicle”}” edition=”us” data-key=”cnetlisticle__9ea6c3bb-f5ac-4bef-a3f1-ed17efe791c5″ index=”2″ contenttype=”Best List – Precap” pagelayout=”Ad-Heavy Listicle” tagslugs=”gap-project,hv60,google-assistant,alexa,freelance-update,amazon,bluetooth,bose,wi-fi,google,pandora,sony,spotify,siri,apple” isbestlistredesign=”true” imagecredit=”Sarah Tew/CNET” imagealttext=”Ikea Symfonisk Bookshelf”>
For $120 there’s a number of excellent smart speakers to choose from, including the Amazon Echo, Nest Audio and HomePod Mini, but the Symfonisk is bigger than all of them. Bigger cabinets usually mean bigger sound. While this speaker is best as part of a Sonos surround sound system, it also makes a great kids’ room or garage speaker.
Watch this: Sonos Era 100 and Era 300 Are Here: See the Next Gen of Wireless Streaming Speakers
The HomePod Mini may be outgunned by the new HomePod in terms of output power, but it is also a third of the price. For its size, the HomePod Mini has a laundry list of useful features — Siri voice assistant, temperature and humidity controls — and it sounds really good, too. If you’re deep in the Apple ecosystem, especially if you use Siri a lot, then the Apple HomePod Mini should make a seamless addition to your home.
” page-position linktext linkurl like dislike can-collapse=”true” can-truncate=”true” truncate-on-page-load=”true” offer=”{“id”:”9fbdb492-ce9c-4689-99c7-bc1a4ff1a230″,”label”:”Linkplay WiiM Pro”,”slug”:”linkplay-wiim-pro”,”edition”:[“US”,”ES”],”imageId”:””,”imgUrl”:null,”typeLabel”:”Series”,”objectType”:”content_product_series”,”icon”:”type-icon ct-cmg-tech-product-series ct-small”}” techobjectinfo=”{“uuid”:”9fbdb492-ce9c-4689-99c7-bc1a4ff1a230″,”name”:”Linkplay WiiM Pro”,”slug”:”linkplay-wiim-pro”,”productType”:”SERIES”,”updateType”:”PRISM”,”mod”:1722006016143}” overridecredit=”Ty Pendlebury/CNET” overridecaption=”
” imagegroup=”{“uuid”:”6c76cb0a-01b6-4ad3-b16f-c7f21ea68254″,”alt”:”wiim-pro-1″,”caption”:”
“,”credits”:”Ty Pendlebury/CNET”,”imageData”:{“id”:”6c76cb0a-01b6-4ad3-b16f-c7f21ea68254″,”filename”:”wiim-pro-1.jpg”,”path”:”https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/bcdc86912d3f96279b803674442cc65d5c3ec736/hub/2023/05/04/6c76cb0a-01b6-4ad3-b16f-c7f21ea68254/wiim-pro-1.jpg?auto=webp&height=500″,”dateCreated”:{“date”:”2023-05-04 20:04:05.000000″,”timezone”:”UTC”,”timezone_type”:3},”primeColor”:null,”hasWarning”:false},”size”:””,”float”:””,”lightbox”:false,”imageUrl”:”https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/bcdc86912d3f96279b803674442cc65d5c3ec736/hub/2023/05/04/6c76cb0a-01b6-4ad3-b16f-c7f21ea68254/wiim-pro-1.jpg?auto=webp&height=500″,”imageCaption”:”
“,”imageCredit”:”Ty Pendlebury/CNET”,”imageAltText”:”wiim-pro-1″,”imageFilename”:”wiim-pro-1.jpg”,”imageWidth”:1920,”imageHeight”:1174,”imageDoNotCrop”:false,”imageDoNotResize”:false,”imageWatermark”:false,”imageDateCreated”:”2023-05-04″,”imageParallax”:””,”imageCrop”:””,”imageEnlarge”:false}” usepricing=”false” ng-block=”{“id”:”ql0o9ol74pkdcun”,”type”:”listicle”}” edition=”us” data-key=”cnetlisticle__d67adbd7-3cdb-4360-a28b-0e940e76968c” index=”6″ contenttype=”Best List – Precap” pagelayout=”Ad-Heavy Listicle” tagslugs=”gap-project,hv60,google-assistant,alexa,freelance-update,amazon,bluetooth,bose,wi-fi,google,pandora,sony,spotify,siri,apple” isbestlistredesign=”true” imagecredit=”Ty Pendlebury/CNET” imagealttext=”wiim-pro-1″>
Not a speaker as such, but a great option for people who don’t want to buy a whole new one. Say you’ve got a stereo system — or even an old Bluetooth speaker like the Fluance F170 — and you wanted to be able to add Wi-Fi streaming to it. The WiiM Pro offers the best sound and streaming support of any other dongle I can think of — and it’s only $149. The app makes it easy to set up and use, and it will integrate with many multi-room systems too.
” page-position linktext linkurl like dislike can-collapse=”true” can-truncate=”true” truncate-on-page-load=”true” offer=”{“id”:”94dde57d-3569-4239-9330-d70f516a2953″,”label”:”JBL Playlist”,”slug”:”jbl-playlist”,”edition”:[“US”,”ES”],”imageId”:”8316e5b1-0ab6-458b-b514-372ee948b8ce”,”imgUrl”:”/content/image/redirect/8316e5b1-0ab6-458b-b514-372ee948b8ce/resize/75×56″,”typeLabel”:”Series”,”objectType”:”content_product_series”,”icon”:”type-icon ct-cmg-tech-product-series ct-small”}” techobjectinfo=”{“uuid”:”94dde57d-3569-4239-9330-d70f516a2953″,”name”:”JBL Playlist”,”slug”:”jbl-playlist”,”productType”:”SERIES”,”updateType”:”PRISM”,”mod”:1722006010111}” overridecredit=”Sarah Tew/CNET” overridecaption=”
” imagegroup=”{“uuid”:”90336de9-8de2-4c45-b50c-9a0cd79fe77b”,”alt”:”A black JBL Playlist Capsule speaker on a pink table against a green background.”,”caption”:”
“,”credits”:”Sarah Tew/CNET”,”imageData”:{“id”:”90336de9-8de2-4c45-b50c-9a0cd79fe77b”,”filename”:”jbl-playlist-capsule-review-02.jpg”,”path”:”https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/ec6eb346a35e596a7d02dd2779b31b6085da1f23/hub/2017/07/26/90336de9-8de2-4c45-b50c-9a0cd79fe77b/jbl-playlist-capsule-review-02.jpg?auto=webp&height=500″,”dateCreated”:{“date”:”2017-07-26 21:27:48.000000″,”timezone”:”UTC”,”timezone_type”:3},”primeColor”:null,”hasWarning”:false},”size”:””,”float”:””,”lightbox”:false,”imageUrl”:”https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/ec6eb346a35e596a7d02dd2779b31b6085da1f23/hub/2017/07/26/90336de9-8de2-4c45-b50c-9a0cd79fe77b/jbl-playlist-capsule-review-02.jpg?auto=webp&height=500″,”imageCaption”:”
“,”imageCredit”:”Sarah Tew/CNET”,”imageAltText”:”A black JBL Playlist Capsule speaker on a pink table against a green background.”,”imageFilename”:”jbl-playlist-capsule-review-02.jpg”,”imageWidth”:3960,”imageHeight”:2640,”imageDoNotCrop”:false,”imageDoNotResize”:false,”imageWatermark”:false,”imageDateCreated”:”2017-07-26″,”imageParallax”:””,”imageCrop”:””,”imageEnlarge”:false}” usepricing=”false” ng-block=”{“id”:”locrnvrpe5gif81″,”type”:”listicle”}” edition=”us” data-key=”cnetlisticle__40b680ff-407d-4af6-9b77-f46033217c77″ index=”7″ contenttype=”Best List – Precap” pagelayout=”Ad-Heavy Listicle” tagslugs=”gap-project,hv60,google-assistant,alexa,freelance-update,amazon,bluetooth,bose,wi-fi,google,pandora,sony,spotify,siri,apple” isbestlistredesign=”true” imagecredit=”Sarah Tew/CNET” imagealttext=”A black JBL Playlist Capsule speaker on a pink table against a green background.”>
Google may offer a lot of speakers, including the Nest Audio, but the one that was truly great with music — the Home Max — has been discontinued. It’s surprising then that the list of affordable-yet-good-sounding Chromecast built-in speakers can be counted on the fingers of one hand. And of those, the JBL Playlist is the best I’ve tested, with a generously sized speaker and enough volume to fill a typical room. It also has Bluetooth and an auxiliary input to expand its flexibility. It may not be “smart”, but if you want a system that can be controlled via an existing Google Assistant speaker, this is the one to get.
- JBL Link Portable (Out of stock): The Link Portable is a larger-size competitor to the Sonos, being both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth compatible, and it can play louder and with weightier bass. In his review of the Sonos Roam, reviewer David Carnoy says he preferred the sound and build quality of the Sonos and would buy it over the JBL
- Bose Home Speaker 300 (Out of stock): If you’re after a responsive smart speaker, the Bose Home Speaker 300 is both snappy in operation and lovely to look at. In terms of audio quality, however, it doesn’t measure up to its competitor, the cheaper Sonos One. In addition, the onboard Bose Music multiroom system is not compatible with existing SoundTouch products. The 300 appears to be out of production but it can still be found in new condition at select retailers. There are also plenty of refurbished models available for even less. Read CNET’s review of the Bose Home Speaker 300.
The new HomePod now features an edge-to-edge Siri display
Ty Pendlebury/CNET- Apple HomePod (2023) ($300): The new HomePod is a refined take on Apple’s first smart speaker with better sound and more features. Despite new-found support for Dolby Atmos it’s the temperature and humidity sensors which are the most palpable changes. Yet, at $300 most people are better off buying the HomePod mini which has an almost-identical set of features. Read CNET’s review of the Apple HomePod (2023)
- Bowers and Wilkins Formation Flex ($425): A smaller brother to the flashy Formation Wedge, the Flex is still quite stylish and boasts an open-hearted sonic signature. There’s plenty of competition at this level though, including the Sonos Five, which is capable of a much bigger, party-ready performance. Read CNET’s first take on the Formation range.
The Sonos Move
David Carnoy/CNET- Sonos Move ($399): If you want a wireless speaker model that’s (kinda) portable and water resistant, the Sonos Move offers great sound in a very large box. If you need to power a tailgate or large party this would be great, but for most people the Sonos Roam is both cheaper and more pocketable. Read CNET’s review of the Sonos Move.
- Sony SRS-RA5000 ($798): Where are people supposed to put large speakers like the Sony SRS-RA5000 and the McIntosh RS150? A dressing table — like, a really big one? The Sony is over a foot tall but adding to its potential awkwardness is its 360-degree playback, making the “best” place to put it at the center of a room. The sound is fine, but if you want to hear 3D spatial audio, the Amazon Echo Studio is a quarter of the price. Read CNET’s first take on the Sony SRS-RA5000.
- McIntosh RS150 ($1,200): The massive McIntosh RS150 has some great things going for it — namely Chromecast built-in, Roon Ready and Spotify Connect. Nonetheless, the sound wasn’t as clear as I’d expected and the unit offers no EQ controls to compensate. In addition, while the previous RS100 had the fabled McIntosh blue meter this update misses a trick by replacing it with LEDs. The competitive Naim Mu-so Qb is more compact and offers excellent performance for the same price.
CNET follows a rigorous, unbiased evaluation process for all of our audio testing. We test Wi-Fi speakers ranging from simple bedside speakers all the way through to high-end systems. Our audio lab includes a Roon server running on a Synology NAS, Google Nest and Amazon Echo speakers, plus both iOS and Android devices. Similar speakers are compared side by side in a living room environment with different styles of music and utilizing multiple streaming platforms when required. We grade the sound quality of each by evaluating clarity, dynamics, bass response and stereo imaging (if applicable). If the speaker comes with a proprietary app we will compare that to other competitive controllers.
Wi-Fi Speaker FAQs
- A Wi-Fi speaker sounds better than a Bluetooth speaker due to its higher bandwidth.
- Wi-Fi has better range.
- Wi-Fi doesn’t take over your phone’s audio channel — so you can take a call without interrupting the song, for example.
- It also works great for multiroom audio, allowing playback from multiple speakers all over the house via your Wi-Fi network, all controlled by a single phone app.
” page-position linktext linkurl like dislike can-collapse=”true” can-truncate=”true” truncate-on-page-load=”true” offer techobjectinfo overridecredit overridecaption=”
” imagegroup=”{“imageData”:{},”size”:””,”float”:””,”lightbox”:false,”imageDoNotCrop”:false,”imageDoNotResize”:false,”imageWatermark”:false,”imageParallax”:””,”imageCrop”:””,”imageEnlarge”:false}” usepricing=”true” ng-block=”{“id”:”8hyf6gr59qd0kke”,”type”:”listicle”}” edition=”us” data-key=”cnetlisticle__505fd5e0-2f5c-4929-b2c0-4d04bfd4c8a3″ index=”8″ contenttype=”Best List – Precap” pagelayout=”Ad-Heavy Listicle” tagslugs=”gap-project,hv60,google-assistant,alexa,freelance-update,amazon,bluetooth,bose,wi-fi,google,pandora,sony,spotify,siri,apple” isbestlistredesign=”true” imagecredit imagealttext>
Both of them can be termed as wireless speaker systems. Wi-Fi delivers the same basic convenience as Bluetooth: using your phone’s Wi-Fi connection to play music over an external speaker or sound system. Just like speakers that use Bluetooth connectivity, it can work with a subscription music service app such as Spotify (via Spotify Connect) or Apple Music, a radio service like Pandora or TuneIn, or your own music collection. Here are the best reasons to get a streaming Wi-Fi speaker:
- A Wi-Fi speaker sounds better than a Bluetooth speaker due to its higher bandwidth.
- Wi-Fi has better range.
- Wi-Fi doesn’t take over your phone’s audio channel — so you can take a call without interrupting the song, for example.
- It also works great for multiroom audio, allowing playback from multiple speakers all over the house via your Wi-Fi network, all controlled by a single phone app.
![activision-blizzards-esports-division-suffers-layoffs-[game-informer]](https://i0.wp.com/upmytech.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/25133-activision-blizzards-esports-division-suffers-layoffs-game-informer.jpg?resize=390%2C205&ssl=1)
![best-phone-under-$500-for-2023:-all-the-features-you-need-–-cnet-[cnet]](https://i0.wp.com/upmytech.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/121928-best-phone-under-500-for-2023-all-the-features-you-need-cnet-cnet.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1)
![‘aaa-action-platformer’-game-for-console-and-pc-announced-by-funko-and-10:10-games-[game-informer]](https://i0.wp.com/upmytech.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/78607-aaa-action-platformer-game-for-console-and-pc-announced-by-funko-and-1010-games-game-informer.jpg?resize=390%2C205&ssl=1)