Test 1 Setup & go
Getting started and connected
One of AirPlay 2’s many advantages is
its ability to detect and connect devices
quickly; universally, these speakers were found
by the Home app and added in a couple of taps.
And none had any real issues streaming audio;
a couple of anomalous multi–room tests saw
one or another speaker slipping just slightly out of sync with
the others (never the same speaker, suggesting none is
specifically to blame) but a pause and restart fixed the
problem without any difficulty.
The real metric, then, should be in how easy they are to set
up, but we were foiled again: they were all slick and easy, and
stayed consistently connected throughout our test. Some of
the apps are less friendly than others — Bluesound’s BluOS
could do with a interface spruce up, for example — but the fact
is that AirPlay 2 support means they’re entirely optional after
that initial setup procedure.
Test 3 Shelf appeal
Feast your eyes on the audio prize
One speaker here really stands out: the
imposing Libratone Zipp 2. It’s the only one
with all–around sound projection, and the
only one with, er, a zip, there to facilitate
changeable covers to match your décor. But its
height meant it didn’t fit on every shelf we
tried to put it on, particularly if we wanted to access its neat
control circle on top. At least you can activate a specific Shelf
mode in the app to make the most of its position.
Once you’ve killed the lights on the Pulse Flex, its flat front
means it blends in very nicely, with easily accessible top–
mounted controls. The MusicCast and Sonos are similarly
blessed, with a handy collection of touch controls.
Beoplay’s M3 is perhaps a little limited in the direct control
department — the only accessible buttons are actually on the
rear of the device — but as the shortest and narrowest speaker
here, it’s by far the least obtrusive of the pack.
Test 2 Sound quality
It’s your ears that really matter
It wouldn’t be fair to expect true audiophile
quality here — that’s just not what these
speakers are built to do. But they are all
excellent in their own ways. The Sonos One is
perhaps the most refined, managing a rich,
wide–reaching tone with pleasing balance and
bounce to its soundstage. We could (and did, in fact!) listen to
this all day long.
We found the output of the Yamaha and Beoplay contenders
to be clean and capable, with the M3 just slightly on the richer
end. The larger Zipp can get effortlessly loud, and it’s
tweakable in–app to go from subtle to brash and everywhere
between. The Pulse Flex had us in two minds. It’s very capable,
loud when you need it to be, and pleasing to the ear, but its
boosted mids can push the treble out of the way. This isn’t the
end of the world, though if you’re a lighter listener you might
miss a little detail.
Test 4 Versatility
More than just a pretty sound
At least by default, the Zipp 2 is the only one
of these speakers with a battery, and it really
does seem to be built to be portable even
though it offers such room–filling (or even
yard–filling) sound. But it’s not the only
movable option here: we also tested the Pulse
Flex 2i with its neat BP100 battery pack (sold separately for
$79) which lasts a good amount of time and can be filled with
standard AA batteries if you need power in a pinch. The other
speakers on test need to be plugged in.
All offer connectivity options beyond AirPlay 2. Three (the
Sonos, Bluesound and Yamaha devices) can connect using
Ethernet, for example, and only the Sonos One lacks Bluetooth.
And then there’s voice assistance: while there’s no Siri built–in
here (you’ll need a HomePod for that), the Zipp 2 functions as
an Alexa conduit, while the Sonos One can connect to either
Alexa or Google Assistant, depending on how you set it up.LIBRATONE
ZIPP 2BLUESOUND
PULSE FLEX 2i SONOS ONE BEOPLAY M3YAMAHA
MUSICCAST 20LIBRATONE
ZIPP 2BLUESOUND
PULSE FLEX 2i SONOS ONE BEOPLAY M3YAMAHA
MUSICCAST 20LIBRATONE
ZIPP 2BLUESOUND
PULSE FLEX 2i SONOS ONE BEOPLAY M3YAMAHA
MUSICCAST 20LIBRATONE
ZIPP 2BLUESOUND
PULSE FLEX 2i SONOS ONE BEOPLAY M3YAMAHA
MUSICCAST 20
Reviews
56 SEP 2019 maclife.com