MacLife - USA (2019-09)

A

MAZINGLY, AIRPLAY HAS been

with us in one form or another for

some 15 years. As AirTunes, its

first incarnation, it was primarily there

to send music from iTunes to an Airport

Express; when the transition to AirPlay

came in 2010, its support extended to

third–party apps and devices.

It’s clearly a very capable streaming

protocol, and one which has grown

beyond audio to support video

streaming, screen mirroring and more.

Harnessing Wi–Fi rather than

Bluetooth increases both the potential

range and the streaming resolution,

while also making setup a breeze.

AirPlay 2, which came to us with the

release of HomePod last year, truly

cemented that reputation.

AirPlay 2 adds a host of extra

controls, putting devices into Apple’s

Home app and allowing Siri to boss

them around. It improves buffering,

ensuring glitch–free streaming. And,

crucially, it boosts the interoperability

of speakers, adding multi–room support

and, at least in the case of HomePod,

stereo pairing. Our testing showed that

you can’t pair up different speakers of

different brands, but all five of the

devices were happy to play multi–room

audio as part of one seamless network,

and they’ll work with a HomePod, too.

A device doesn’t need to be built for

AirPlay 2 to support it. Indeed, the

Yamaha MusicCast 20 has only just

received the firmware update that

added support in; there will likely be far

greater support for AirPlay 2 cropping

up in speakers in future months. So if

you’re looking to fill your home with

sound, AirPlay 2 is the choice to make.

Things to consider...

Everything you need to know before starting

1

PERFECT PLACEMENT

For any speaker to sound its best,

it needs to be in the right place. Sound

waves bouncing off reflective surfaces

can cause audio disruption, while

tucking one away on a bookshelf could

neuter surround sound.

2

EXTRA SMARTS

Got a burgeoning smart home?

An interface to an assistant (like the

HomePod’s Siri integration) means you

don’t just get easy audio, you also get

extra access to your smart home kit.

3

ON–BOARD CONTROLS

Fighting your phone to tweak the

audio coming out of a speaker is no fun

— if you need to turn it down fast, on–

board controls are essential. But if

there are small volume–abusing fingers

around, this might not be such an asset.

4

SOUND QUALITY

There are hundreds of low–cost

Bluetooth speakers around, but one

listen will tell you they’re generally

very poor. You’re not just investing in

an AirPlay 2 device for multi–room

convenience, but for superior sound

quality as well.

5

EXTRA INPUTS

It’s a great protocol, but why tie

yourself exclusively to AirPlay 2? Some

smart speakers offer more ways to play,

from Bluetooth streaming to the classic

3.5mm jack input.

How we tested

Each speaker was set up side by

side, first on a coffee table in

the middle of a large room;

secondly at the back of a desk

abutting a wall, with appropriate

environment settings triggered

if available. As well as using

a range of music, we also ran

Audiolab’s Audio Test Tones

album, in order to test each

speaker’s ability to handle high–

and low–end tones.

HIGHER...

NAIM MU-SO 2ND GEN

naimaudio.com

Around $1,599

The latest version of the Mu–so

(p47) is a huge AirPlay 2–

supporting sound machine that’ll

blow you away time after time.

Amazing audio, at a cost.

...OR LOWER?

AIRPORT EXPRESS

ebay.com

Around $40

It’s been discontinued, but if you

can find the 2012 model on eBay

or through a second–hand

retailer, it received an AirPlay 2

update for any speaker you

connect to its audio port.

maclife.com SEP 2019 55

Tough testing, trusted ratings

AirPlay 2 brings multi–room convenience,

reliable streaming and great sound quality.