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WiSA is an alliance that is licensing its technology to different speaker manufacturers. It operates in a different wireless band than conventional 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz Wi-Fi, making it less prone to interference. It is mostly aimed at building wireless surround-sound systems, where it can support lossless 24/96 audio with 7.1 channels, but it is starting to add multiple zones for multiroom wireless speakers. Unfortunately, it’s not a complete system approach and thus not a true competitor in this arena. Sonos speakers with Alexa built in also have some other voice-control shortcomings when compared with proper Echo devices. For example, Sonos doesn’t support Alexa Routines that include audio actions .
When playing Dolby Atmos and 3D audio content, CR’s testers report that the model provides a spacious “soundfield” that can fill a room. But the “Stereo Spatial Enhancement” setting adds a bit of an echo, so we recommend switching it off. Like the name implies, sound bars are horizontal enclosures designed to sit below your TV. And some let you play music through a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection. The only major frustration of using Alexa as your primary multiroom music platform is that adding or removing individual speakers during playback isn’t supported. So, for example, if you’re listening to a podcast or audiobook in the bedroom and want to add your living room and kitchen speakers to the stream in real time, that’s currently not possible.
Adjusting your group settings
Our trained testers put each model through a battery of lab tests for ease of use, versatility, and especially sound quality, which gets extra weight in our ratings. To setup, users can pair any Bluetooth speaker with Google Home and then head to the companion app to set it as the default. Afterwards, any command given to the Assistant device will automatically play audio through the set speaker without having to specify.
A powered subwoofer adds powerful bass to most any stereo or home theater system. They easily connect to any receiver, amplifier, or powered stereo speakers that have a subwoofer output. Battery-powered Bluetooth speakers stream tunes from your smartphone, tablet, or computer. Larger ones are perfect for hanging out at the pool or the campground. Logitech has added multiroom support to UE Boom speakers, but they still stream the music from your phone over Bluetooth and communicate over Bluetooth, so the range is lacking. It’s a noticeable improvement in the sound quality over the 3rd Gen unit.
Control volume of an active device
The Marshall Uxbridge Voice is a versatile smart speaker that supports AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth streaming. It can be integrated with either Alexa or Google Assistant voice assistants, as well. Audio Pro is a Swedish company that’s been making speakers since 1978.
It gives you multi-room audio playback for all your Chromecast-compatible devices and more. Roon accesses your digital music collection from your iTunes library or NAS drive. Roon lets you do deep dives into your music, showing artist bios, photos, reviews, and lyrics. Roon can also suggest other artists and songs based on your selections, making it easy to discover new music you'll enjoy. It wasn’t that long ago that a multiroom audio system could break the bank.
Enable Multi-Room Music Playback on Echo
You'll also notice that on the Home screen of the Google Home app your speakers will be displayed in rooms e.g. 'Living room' and 'Bathroom' which is a handy way to glance at them. All Chromecast audio speakers or speakers with Chromecast built-in will also work together in a multi-room audio setup. Any Google or Nest-branded smart speaker will work with multi-room, as will many of the third-party speakers with Google Assistant built in. Next, you'll be asked to confirm which device you're setting up. A sound will play from your speaker to confirm that it's the right one. Google will briefly ask you if you're okay with sharing usage statistics.
Purchasing thousands of dollars worth of speakers, amps, keypads, and switching devices was just the beginning. You then had to hire a technician to snake wires through the walls, make the connections, and adjust the settings to get all the components playing together nicely. Keep in mind that having speakers next to each other may result in multiple devices responding to your voice commands. This shouldn't be an issue generally, as the Google Assistant will pinpoint where you're speaking from and respond from the device closest to you. However, this might be something to keep in mind if you use smart displays and want to make sure that, for example, the device with the screen is the one that responds when you're in the kitchen. With multi-room control, you can group any combination of Google Nest or Home speakers and displays, and Chromecast devices together to play music in multiple rooms or transfer media to a speaker group.
Great sound at an affordable price
AirPlay 2 is Apple's second-generation streaming protocol and it's different than the original AirPlay because it actually supports multi-room streaming. And a lot wireless speakers made by different manufacturers – not just ones made by Apple – support AirPlay 2. Meaning you can mix and match speakers from different manufacturers and have them all play music together. One of the distinct advantages of having Wi-Fi speakers is the ability to wirelessly play music on multiple devices at the same time. It just so happens you can do this through the Google Home app on your phone by creating speaker groups.
You can install speakers on an exterior wall above your deck or patio. Some are disguised as rocks, so they blend in to your garden scenery. You can even get an outdoor subwoofer to accentuate the bass.
Given that history, it’s no surprise that sonically, the Audio Pro C10 MKII sits near the top of our ratings. Our testers report that it delivers bass that’s deep and impactful, though just a bit boomy, while the midrange does a fine job with both music and dialogue. There’s enough volume to fill a medium-sized room, and you can pair two units in stereo to improve the sound. The Google Home app will take you through the final phases of setup, which may vary if you already have other devices set up. You'll be asked to confirm privacy policies, add your address, and enable voice match. This last feature will let you get personalized responses based on your voice in multi-user households.
Overall, we think both these speakers are okay for casual, low-level listening, but many of the other wireless speakers that The Wirecutter has tested deliver clearly superior sound quality. One of the expectations of a Google digital assistant is that it works with Google’s online services, but in this regard it falls short. You can set alarms and timers, and even schedule recurring alarms. You can ask the Home to translate a phrase from English to another language.
The Home includes two built-in far-field microphones that are always listening in on your conversations, ready to leap into action when it hears the right trigger words. Speaker placement for home theater How to position your speakers in 5.1, 7.1 and other surround sound setups. Intro to home theater speakers What are the best surround sound speakers for your home? This guide walks you through how to build a well-matched home theater system.
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