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Great AirPlay 2 speakers offer Apple’s latest and greatest connectivity standard, to be sure, but they also boast other smart features, look good, and sound great, too.
That's exactly why we’ve chosen the Sonos One as our top pick — it has all the features you want in an AirPlay 2 speaker with the added benefit of a smart voice assistant, thanks to Alexa support.
The concept of the multi-room speaker is only getting more popular as companies increasingly adopt new wireless standards to deliver excellent audio experiences that you can enjoy throughout the home. While early multi-room experiences were limited to companies like Sonos, these days the likes of Apple and Google have their own multi-room standards, so you can buy different speakers from different companies for different rooms and still connect to all of them from your phone.
The most recent of these standards is Apple’s AirPlay 2, which is an updated version of the original AirPlay. The new standard adds a number of great features, including multi-room support. That means you can stream content to multiple different devices at once, straight from the apps that you’re used to using on your phone.
Only a few months after the launch of AirPlay 2, there are a number of compatible speakers, and they’re not all created equal. Some are more expensive, yet offer a superior sound-quality, while others are built more to be portable and inexpensive rather than deliver a top-quality sound.
When buying an AirPlay 2-compatible speaker, there are a few things to keep in mind. The first is other standards. Some speakers don’t just have AirPlay 2, they also feature other connectivity standards like Bluetooth. That is important for homes with both Android and iPhone users.
Next up, you’ll want to keep in mind digital assistants. While speakers that aren’t Apple's HomePod unfortunately don’t offer Siri support, some might have Alexa or Google Assistant built in instead.
Here are the best AirPlay 2 speakers you can buy:
Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.
The best AirPlay 2 speaker overall
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Why you'll love it: The Sonos One is well-designed, sounds great, and boasts plenty of smart features — easily ensuring it gets the top spot amongst other AirPlay 2-compatible speakers.
The Sonos One has topped our list of speakers a few times, and after the company added AirPlay 2 support, it was a no-brainer that it should be the top pick for this guide, too. The One is well-designed, sounds great, and boasts a ton of connectivity.
Perhaps the best thing about the Sonos One is just how smart it is. Apart from offering support for AirPlay 2, it also has Amazon’s Alexa built in to it, and Sonos says it will get Google Assistant support by the end of the year. Safe to say, while you might want Siri to feature on the speaker, getting both Alexa and Google Assistant certainly isn’t a bad compromise.
Of course, the best thing about the speaker is how it sounds. The bass on the speaker is nice and thick, offering a nice cut to kick drums and a smooth bass tone. The midrange is well-tuned, offering warm low mids and cutting high mids, though there does seem to be a slight cut in the high mids, which is something for the audiophiles among us to keep in mind. The high end is clear and detailed, helping cymbals shimmer through.
The speaker is also well-designed and easy to control. There are touch-sensitive buttons on the top of the speaker for things like playing and pausing, plus there’s a microphone button to mute Alexa if you so choose.
So what are the downsides? Well, the main one is that the Sonos One isn’t overly cheap — though it’s not too expensive if you buy multiple One speakers in a bundle. Also, as mentioned Google Assistant isn’t yet featured on the device.
Pros: Nice design, good sound quality, smart features
Cons: A little pricey, Google Assistant not yet featured
The best AirPlay 2 speaker for loud bass
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Why you'll love it: If you want a speaker with a little extra oomph, then the well-designed B&O Beoplay M5 is the best way to go.
While the Sonos One is the way to go for the vast majority of shoppers, those who want a bassier sound should get the B&O Beoplay M5 — providing you’re willing to shell out the cash for it.
The Beoplay M5 has a lot going for it. For starters, it’s absolutely beautifully designed. It offers a nice cloth outer design that should look great in any modern home. The design of the speaker is optimized for 360-degree use, so you’ll get a nice even sound even if you place it in the middle of a room.
It’s also a very smart speaker. Apart from AirPlay 2, the speaker also boasts Google Cast, Spotify Connect, Bluetooth, and even B&O’s own Beolink Multiroom. In other words, if down the line you decide you don’t want to use AirPlay 2 and switch to Google products, you’ll still be covered.
Perhaps the best thing about the BeoPlay M5 is the sound quality. As mentioned, there’s a ton of bass on offer, which is great for those who like the idea of a heftier sound. That’s not to say there isn’t excellent high-end response, though. The high-end boasts a ton of clarity and detail.
There are, of course, a few downsides to the B&O BeoPlay M5. For starters, it’s certainly not cheap, coming in at a cool $590 on Amazon. On top of that, while it certainly sounds great it doesn’t quite offer the most natural sound, so if that’s what you’re looking for, you may want to keep looking.
Pros: Plenty of bass, great design, lots of connectivity
Cons: Expensive
The best portable AirPlay 2 speaker
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Why you'll love it: The Libratone Zipp features a unique design and a good sound-quality, plus it’s got a battery that will help it last more than 10 hours on a single charge.
Perhaps you’re looking for something a little more portable, in which case, it’s worth considering the Libratone Zipp. This particular speaker is built to offer a great sound quality in a well-designed body, while still containing a battery for portability. In other words, it’s a great option for those who want a speaker they can use both at home and on the go.
The Libratone Zipp is perhaps one of the most unique-looking speakers in our guide, but certainly not in a bad way. True to its name, the Zipp features a zipper three-quarters of the way down the speaker, and while you can’t do much with the zipper, it’s a neat design idea. It also comes in a striking red color if you want a change from black, white, and gray.
Like the other speakers on this list, it’ll connect to your listening device through AirPlay 2 and through Bluetooth, so even if you don’t use AirPlay, you’ll still be able to listen.
What truly sets this speaker apart, however, is the fact that it has a built-in battery, so you can easily take it on the go too. The battery in the device offers up to 10 hours on a single charge, which should be more than enough for most day trips.
There area few downsides to the Libratone Zipp. The device is a little big and heavy, which is something to keep in mind if you do plan on taking it out on the road with you. On top of that, it’s a little pricier than some of the other options on this list, coming in at $250 — though that price may drop when the newer Libratone Zipp 2 becomes available.
Pros: Nice design, great sound, battery power
Cons: A little pricey, a bit heavy
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