The best speakers on the market have gone through a lot of changes in the last decade. Gone are the days when ‘wireless’ was just the outdated way grandparents referred to the radio. Wireless is now the way to listen to audio content, taking advantage of the huge array of streaming hardware and software.
Wireless speakers are a phenomenon not just because they’re extremely user-friendly and convenient, allowing us to control music hands-free from anywhere in the house, but because they sound great. It was a concern for a while that audio quality would be an issue when the signal had been bounced off of walls before reaching the speaker, but thanks to huge developments in wireless capabilities and the amount of information that can be sent through the air, this concern has passed. With the right setup, you can even listen to your record player through a wireless connection.
The best wireless speakers for home at a glance:
• Best overall wireless speaker for home: Sonos One (Gen 2) - View offer on Amazon UK
• Best wireless home speaker for music: Marshall Woburn III - View offer on Amazon UK
• Best wireless home speaker for Apple users: Apple HomePod Smart Speaker - View offer on John Lewis
• Best wireless home speaker design: Bose Home Speaker 500 - View offer on Amazon UK
There are a lot of options out there, with many companies claiming to have the best sound and functionality at the best price. Well, only some of them can be right, and we’ve found the ones who are telling the truth. All of the wireless speakers we have listed here are going to deliver incredible sound and usability.
Check out our FAQs at the bottom of the page to break through any jargon.
Best overall wireless speaker for home
The compact Sonos One has earned its place as a market leader. The sound it delivers is large, wide, full of bass, clear and bright. It'll go loud for parties but will also provide a clear profile for radio listeners and audiobook fans. As with all things Sonos, the One can be linked up to other Sonos devices to create surround sound or multi-room setups. The wireless connection is via Wi-Fi, so it remains stable as you move around the house with your streaming device. The One accepts all major streaming services, including Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, and Amazon Prime Music. Alexa is built-in, so it is voice controllable too.
Pros
- Stable connections
- Great for bass
Cons
- Limited colour variety
| Dimensions: | 12 x 12 x 16.2 cm |
| Battery life: | N/A |
- Customer review: "The sound quality is excellent. The integration of multiple speakers is the best I have experienced and the software is really well designed and more importantly, it works."
Best wireless home speaker for music
During our in-depth review of the Marshall Woburn III, we found that it really did deliver on its iconic reputation as the mainstay speaker brand for rock, metal and everything else for that matter. Here we have the Marshall signature sound - loud, immersive, and full of mid-range.
Its predecessor, the Woburn II, lacked the extra pair of cones that this employs to fill the tonal gap between bass and treble. The soundstage is super-wide, with room-filling volume. And when you're done shaking the floorboards to rock and roll, you could even hook the Woburn III up as a television or home cinema speaker too, thanks to the HDMI ARC input. This is a beast of a standalone wireless speaker that elevates every type of music you put through it. It’s easy to set up, more than looks the part, and the build quality is second to none.
Read our full Marshall Woburn III Bluetooth Speaker review.
If you're looking for a similar experience in a smaller package, check out our Marshall Acton II review.
Pros
- Faithful but fun audio quality
- Works at high and low-volume
- Tons of bass
- Hugely attractive styling
Cons
- No carrying handle
- Big - you'll need a lot of space for it
| Dimensions: | 400 x 317 x 203 mm |
| Battery life: | n/a |
- Our review: "I've had several Marshall guitar amps over the years and wrongly assumed their home speakers were a bit of a novelty. I couldn't have been more wrong, and to my enormous surprise the Woburn III somehow managed to deliver the same crushingly powerful sound I'm used to hearing from my amp to whatever music I'd played through it.
"Dial it back a bit or put on something quieter and it's also capable of subtlety, with rich and nuanced tone even at lower volumes. But where it's really impressive is at full whack where the sound is so immersive it feels like you're swimming in it.
"Downsides? No carrying handle means you can't take it everywhere with you (and you'll want to) while its slightly awkward shape means you'll need a lot of space on your TV unit to make use of the HDMI ARC connectivity. And again, this is a really great function that expands the breadth of its abilities." Tried and tested by Adam Binnie, Affiliate Operations Editor
Best wireless home speaker for Apple users
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The Apple HomePod is an offering for those already embedded into the Apple IOS ecosystem. Android systems are not supported at all. That aside, Apple users, you're in for some fun. The bass response offered by the HomePod is full, and the mids and highs are pleasantly balanced. You'll also be glad to know that it goes loud, too. Apple AirPlay 2 is supported, which will allow you to link to other manufacturers' speakers for multi-room playback.
Pros
- Ideal for music
- Superb sound
Cons
- Limited connectivity
| Dimensions: | H16.8 x W14.2cm |
| Battery life: | N/A |
- Customer review: "I thought very carefully before going for this - but having taken the plunge I am delighted. It is perhaps a shame that you can't plug anything into it - it only plays nicely with Apple kit, but then that's what it is built to do and it does it extremely well. The sound exceeds its appearance and size. A rich deep sound that works well with classical music."
Best wireless home speaker design
The Bose Home Speaker is aptly named – it can certainly be heard around the house. This is a nice surprise as the speaker isn't a huge size, and the sound isn't just all volume. It pumps out some balanced mids and highs and a thick, punchy bass with great instrument separation. Connectivity is good, as it'll offer playback via AirPlay 2, WiFi, Bluetooth, Amazon Alexa and a 3.5mm audio-in jack. The Bose Home Speaker 300 is the smaller brother of the 500, offering the same quality audio without the playback display screen.
Pros
- Well-balanced audio
- Great size
Cons
- Somewhat slow response to commands
| Dimensions: | 20.3 cm x 10.9 cm x 16.9 cm |
| Battery life: | N/A |
- Customer review: "It’s a really nice speaker, great for AirPlay, Spotify with a lovely tone, only small gripe is that the Alexa integration could be better, after giving Alexa a command say to play a radio station it takes about 5 seconds to respond which is annoying - but on the whole very pleased with it."
Best versatile wireless speaker for home
If you like the sound of a speaker that suits both your home and the outdoors, we think the Libratone ONE Click is perfect for you. Despite the small size, the ONE Click produces sound in 360 degrees, meaning it has no trouble covering the entire room with sound. The 12-hour battery is more than enough to last an outdoor excursion, and best of all, you don't need to panic when it suddenly starts pouring down; the IPX4 rating means this little device is splash-proof, so it can take a bit of downpour as you sprint for shelter.
Pros
- Splash-resistant
- Lightweight
Cons
- Not as powerful as other options
| Dimensions: | 31D x 21W x 10H cm |
| Battery life: | 12 hours |
- Customer review: "I already knew the brand with the Zipp 2, which had already impressed me. This one gives me the same satisfaction, the sound is really good (adjustment possible via the application) for a speaker of this size and at this price especially."
Best home speaker with smart assistant
Amazon's very own Echo came as a bit of a surprise to audio fans. It turned out to be more than a virtual assistant – it's a high-quality and formidable speaker which challenges other more renowned and expensive models. The bass is loud and has a pleasing punch, and despite the storage build shape, Amazon has managed to get a nice mid and high audio profile.
There is clear instrument separation and no crackle, even at high volumes, which is what you would typically expect with lower-priced solutions. Connection is over Wi-Fi, and all of the big streamers are supported.
Pros
- Brilliant performance for the price
- Responsive smart assistant
Cons
- Odd shape might not appeal to everyone
| Dimensions: | 10W x 10D x 8.9H cm |
| Battery life: | N/A |
- Customer review: "It has been working fine. The sound is great and it looks good too. Great for a first-time Alexa or someone who is remotely tech-savvy. I can switch on and off the lights, but you must purchase the plug. the only thing I don't like is the wire is white. It should match the actual speaker"
Best wireless home speaker for bass
The Echo Studio takes everything that makes the standard Echo a real pleaser and takes it up a few notches to deliver a 5.1 surround sound experience. Whereas the standard Echo runs with one 0.8-inch tweeter and one 3-inch subwoofer, the Studio boasts Dolby Atmos supported by three 2-inch midrange speakers, one 1-inch tweeter and a 5.25-inch woofer. This gives your audio much more room to breathe and shout with incredible bass, mid and high qualities.
This speaker is intended to facilitate the impeccable audio offered through Amazon's Music HD service and it'll also work to offer immersive TV sound when linked with a Fire Stick, Fire Cube or record player. All of the expected Alexa Dot and Echo capabilities are here, too, along with the big names in streaming.
Pros
- Fantastic bass
- Excellent clarity
Cons
- Somewhat bulky
| Dimensions: | 10W x 10D x 8.9H cm |
| Battery life: | N/A |
- Customer review: "I mostly listen to orchestral or choral music, and can hear the instruments clearly. It is more than loud enough for my house, and remains clear at all volume levels."
FAQs
What is multi-room?
Multi-room is the ability to play your music in different rooms around your home, on individual speakers (individually or in chorus) connected via a Wi-Fi network. Multi-room audio systems are wireless and offer great versatility and performance.
What is Apple AirPlay 2?
Apple AirPlay 2 is, in some ways, comparable to Bluetooth. It allows you to control and stream audio or visual media from your Apple iPhone or iPad to an Apple device using a Wi-Fi connection.
How is Airplay 2 different to Bluetooth?
Airplay 2 is a connection facilitated by a Wi-Fi network, therefore has a range only restricted by network area. Bluetooth is a direct linking connection which typically has a range limited to 10 meters, and this can be restricted further by room size and blocking walls.
What is Bluetooth?
Bluetooth is a method of carrying information over short-distance, short-wave radio signals. Initially a relatively slow process, Bluetooth has developed into the ubiquitous method for transferring music information between devices - challenged in its quality and usability only by Wi-Fi.
What is bass, midrange and treble?
Bass, midrange and treble are sometimes referred to as lows, mids and highs. These terms refer to the different sound frequencies found in audio.
Bass, low or lo, is the boomier sections of sound, the frequencies that people can most often 'feel' - bass drums are an example of low frequencies. Without bass, audio sounds very empty and 'tinny'. Too much bass and music can sound rumbly, overpowering and woolly.
Midrange, middle or mid, is all the stuff that happens in the middle - guitars, vocals and speech. Balancing this with bass really brings audio to life. If you struggle to hear vocals in music or conversation in podcasts, boosting the midrange can bring these out for you without having to play with volume.
Treble, highs, or hi, is the highest frequencies. These are important for picking out details in audio, but if they are too high, they can annoy and be painful to listeners – overpowering treble gives audio the dreaded tinny sound.
What’s Dolby Atmos?
Dolby Atmos is an object-based sound system which offers the impression of being in the centre of the action. Sound is given the impression of coming from all around, including above. It’s ground-breaking and extremely immersive.
William Lobley is a Deputy Tech & Fitness Editor and reviewer for WhatsTheBest, specialising in technology, audio and outdoors. He also writes for Empire Online.
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