By Robin Owens 7 days ago, Speakers
Affordable and high-quality smart speakers.
If you are looking for the best smart speakers, you should choose a voice assistant platform first. Think about which technology will work for you and then examine the specifications of the particular brand. This overview will help you find the right speakers that will meet all your needs.
There is no need to own a smart home to take advantage of smart speakers. Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, and other voice assistant platforms will help you make your listening experience more convenient and personalized. You don’t need to control your sound system manually, just say the name of your digital assistant. Read on to choose the best smart speakers we’ve reviewed below.
Dimensions: 1.7 x 3.9 x 3.9 inches | Weight: 6.6 lbs | Subwoofer: No | Frequency response: 100 Hz - 20 kHz
The Echo Dot 3rd Gen smart speaker is the perfect companion for any busy lifestyle. The best thing about the Echo Dot is its small form factor--this tiny little speaker will make any purse or bag seem like a super model. Echo Dot also has an LED screen that will show the current time, indoor temperature, or global timers. Control compatible smart phones, play music, receive the news, call anyone, and even control many other compatible smart house devices.
The Dot's sleek design is perfect for any room of the house and you can even use it with the best 43 inch smart TV if you connect it to your TV through HDMI. With the Echo Dot, your speaking voice assistant will never be the same. You'll be able to control Echo Dot speakers and devices right from your smartphone, iPad, or laptop computer. Echo Dot also comes equipped with an intuitive interface and a library of over 2 million audio and video files so you'll never run out of ways to entertain yourself.
Dimensions: 8.1 x 6.9 x 6.9 inches | Weight: 7.7 lbs | Subwoofer: No | Frequency response: 100 Hz - 20 kHz
Echo Studio is the ultimate smart speaker. Echo Studio creates a rich, immersive soundscape, enveloping you in studio quality audio from all directions. Ask Alexa to play a track, artist, or type and hear different details revealed on your preferred music.
Through Echo's integrated set of sound effects and equalizer tools, you can dial in exactly what you need for any live or on-the-fly mix. Its touch-sensitive controls make it easy to steer and match high volume music tracks without being a slave to a pad. Combine this with its built-in speakers, wireless capability, and easy setup and you have the smart phone/computer/dock for all your smart phone, tablet, laptop, and desktop music needs. Echo Studio smart speaker gives you a high quality experience of DJing/live sound mixing without the bulk or space!
Dimensions: 4.09 x 4.69 x 7.56 inches | Weight: 2.34 lbs | Subwoofer: No | Frequency response: 70 Hz - 20 kHz
The Bose Portable Smart Speaker is an amazing-sounding portable electronic speaker that's flexible enough to manage any situation. It creates amazingly large sound, with deep, rich bass that disperses evenly in all directions thus making for a realistic surround sound experience. No more blasting of loud noise to distract you and no more muffled voices competing with the sound of your favorite music. This is the best you can get.
Dimensions: 4.69 x 4.69 x 6.36 inches | Weight: 4.08 lbs | Subwoofer: No | Frequency response: 50 Hz - 20 kHz
The Sonos One SL smart speaker is an affordable, easy-to-use system for any home entertainment center. The innovative speaker from Sonos uses a 6-channel sound processor and provides maximum sound clarity through the optimized acoustics of its satellite speakers. It features high-quality audio streaming from digital music services like iTunes, i streamed music through Wi-Fi Direct, and standard Bluetooth. There is also support for high-definition music through the HDMI output port and powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery with over-charge warning feature.
With a compact design, it is easy to integrate into any room and perfect for home, work or entertainment. The six speaker slots provide easy access to the different components, while the front panel controls are conveniently located and easy to operate. Sonos offers the one-touch interface for controlling all the features of the Sonos One SL, including the on-screen volume control and speaker tuning adjustments. Sonos has integrated another one-touch menu function that allows you to switch from one function to another one.
Dimensions: 4.9 x 6.5 x 8.6 inches | Weight: 4.0 lbs | Subwoofer: No | Frequency response: 63 Hz - 20 kHz
The latest addition to Netgear's range of excellent products is the sleek, innovative Orbi speaker. At first glance, Orbi is similar to many other cell phone speakers - it has a deep, bass sound, a futuristic color scheme, and lots of fun sounds and gents and lady voices. But unlike many other speakers, the Orbi speaker can be powered by your computer, TV, or even a direct sun/moon impact. This is one exciting new product from Netgear. Available in only a few colors, this unique speaker has won rave reviews from everyone who's ever used it.
| IMAGE | NAME | FEATURES | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Echo Dot
Our choice
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CHECK PRICE → | |
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Echo Studio
Budget
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CHECK PRICE → | |
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Sonos One
Easy to use
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CHECK PRICE → |
The majority of smart speakers use the same intelligent voice assistants as modern smartphones. The only exception is Amazon Echo. Apple smartphones are fitted with Siri, Android devices use Google Assistant, and a discontinued Windows Phone platform incorporated Cortana. However, Cortana is now available on Windows 10. Alexa was specifically designed for Amazon Echo, but now this voice technology is included in a variety of devices, such as Ecobee Smart Thermostat or the Leviton Decora Smart Voice Dimmer.
Generally, the AI assistant is an online service that can perform tasks based on your personal voice commands. In the real world, digital voice assistants are not that complicated as it seems to be.
To activate a smart speaker, you should say the wake-up word such as "Alexa" for Alexa, "Hey, Google" for Google, and "Siri" if your speaker system is based on a Siri voice assistant. Once the system is activated, you can say a command or ask a question. All three voice assistants are relatively approachable, but they can get confused if you don't use the correct sentence structure. For example, Alexa requires a particular approach to talk to it if you want to achieve the desired results.
When you understand how Alexa is functioning and figure out how to better say your requests, you won’t have any issues with this digital assistant. However, try not to use unfamiliar terms or say the requests in an unusual way. Both Google Assistant and Siri better identify the human language and aren’t too demanding to the way you talk. Amazon is constantly developing its AI assistant and has recently upgraded the Echo speakers with an innovative A1Z neural-edge processor that relies on machine learning. However, Alexa is still inferior to Siri and Google Assistant in terms of understanding commands.
Nowadays, it is possible to use Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri to manage any home device. These digital assistants allow you to easily adjust several devices and even get multiple things done automatically using Routines. All three voice assistants are compatible with the majority of home device manufacturers, with some exceptions.
To connect smart speakers with a TV, you typically have a few options depending on the specific devices you are using:
Smart speakers offer convenient voice control for various tasks, such as playing music, getting weather updates, setting timers, and controlling smart home devices, eliminating the need for manual input and providing a hands-free user experience. Additionally, they often integrate with virtual assistants like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, allowing users to access a wide range of information and services with simple voice commands.
Some of the leading companies known for producing high-quality smart speakers include Amazon with its Echo lineup, Google with its Google Home and Nest speakers, and Apple with its HomePod series.
