Best Wi-Fi Wireless Speaker of 2024
We’ve put all the best Wi-Fi speakers for streaming music to the test, and rounded up our favorite picks
Our Experts
- 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.
- Self-taught tinkerer, informal IT and gadget consultant to friends and family (with several self-built gaming PCs under his belt)
Our Picks
If you’re looking to elevate the sound of your entertainment setup, look no further. Adding the right wireless Wi-Fi speaker can take your audio setup seamlessly up a notch. The best Wi-Fi speakers offer a range of features that will bolster your music streaming setup, whether you’re listening in one room or you’re controlling music in a multiroom environment.
For ease of use, most Wi-Fi speakers also offer voice control, such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri on Apple, which means that you can ask your speaker to play a specific song. If voice control isn’t your thing, there’s also the option of turning it off and using your Wi-Fi speaker like a more traditional music speaker. What’s great about Wi-Fi speakers is the fact that they are available at a range of prices; you don’t need to spend much to get yourself a high-quality multiroom speaker.
To make selecting the right speaker for your audio setup and price range a little easier, we’ve put together a list of all the best Wi-Fi speakers we’ve tried, tested and loved.
Also consider: Best Bluetooth Speakers of 2023
At $249, the Sonos Era 100 is the smart speaker to please any music fan. The compact device makes several 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.
Best budget speaker
Ikea Wi-Fi Symfonisk Bookshelf
For $140 there's several 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 a 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.
Best for Android users
JBL Playlist 150
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. 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.
The best sounding Amazon Echo
Amazon Echo Studio
The Echo Studio comes from the house of Amazon – the creator of Alexa. It is easy to set up and is loud enough to fill a room with sound. With thumping bass, clear sound and good highs, this is easily the best Amazon Echo. You can use Alexa to stream songs from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, Tidal and more.
Best AirPlay speaker
Apple HomePod Mini
The HomePod Mini may be outdone by the new HomePod in terms of output power, but it's only 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.
Best portable speaker
Sonos Roam
The Sonos Roam is a portable Bluetooth speaker on steroids -- it can be used on the go or as part of a Sonos multiroom system. It's affordable (for Sonos, that is) and it sounds better than other products of its type. It also comes with a choice of voice assistant to make choosing a song even simpler.
Best for streaming to existing systems
WiiM Pro
Not a speaker as such, but it's 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 want 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.
