From Sonos to Apple, smart speakers are hot right now. But how do you separate the good from the bad? We’ve gone and done it for you. No matter your needs, these are the smartest speakers out there.
Riva Concert
Our pick
Why you should buy this: It sounds incredible, has Alexa built-in, and offers wide support of multiple streaming services.
Who it’s for: Everyone.
Why we picked the Riva Concert:
With gorgeous sound, a small footprint, and Amazon Alexa built-in, the Riva Concert goes head-to-head with our previous favorite smart speaker, the Sonos: One.
But there are a few awesome features that help the Riva Concert beat the Sonos option. First and foremost, it’s that the Concert offers true stereophonic sound — something the compact
The splash-proof Riva Concert also features Bluetooth (another thing Sonos lacks), and the option to add-on an external battery — meaning it can be a great portable speaker, should you need one.
The Concert supports Spotify Connect and Airplay, and is extremely easy to set up via the company’s Riva app, making it an absolute no-brainer regardless of which of the most popular streaming services you use.
Amazon Echo Dot
The best budget smart speaker
Why you should buy this: It’s affordable, controls your home, and can route sound through bigger speakers.
Who it’s for: Those in need of an Alexa voice-control hub.
Why we picked the Amazon Echo Dot:
Alexa is the first Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) assistant that comes to mind for most people, and Amazon’s Echo has followed suit, becoming the signature smart speaker line. Typically, the Echo series — comprising the Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Spot, Echo Plus, and Echo Show (not to mention auxiliary items like the Echo Buttons and Echo Connect) — prioritizes smart control over audio quality, but the Dot’s got a unique solution for that concession.
The Echo Dot offers all the Alexa-based powers you’d get from the full-size version, and adds an awesome touch — an auxiliary output port, which allows you to route playback through a bigger (and presumably better-sounding) speaker, as long as that speaker has an aux-in jack.
Like the Echo, the Dot’s microphone will recognize your voice individually, so everyone can quickly get the info they need, and it’ll offer full command over all your Alexa-compatible smart devices. Plus, of course, it can tell you jokes and help with homework.
Marshall Stanmore II Voice
For those who hate the way smart speakers look
Why you should buy this: This smart speaker not only fills a room (or a condo) with sound, it fills it with style too.
Who it’s for: Anyone who wants a smart speaker, but can’t stand the sound and style compromises required by many of the other models.
Why we picked the Marshall Stanmore II Voice: You’d think that given the number of companies out there, all producing smart speakers, we’d have a greater variety of designs to choose from. But plastic and fabric pucks and cylinders are everywhere, and for some of us, it’s just not the look we’re going for. Though not a budget purchase, Marshall’s Stanmore II Voice is a breath of fresh air in a category that desperately needs it: Superb wireless sound, in a retro-guitar-amp body that oozes authenticity, and Alexa built in. What more could you ask for? Google Assistant perhaps? No problem: It comes in a Google-flavored version too.
Amazon Tap
The best portable smart speaker
Why you should buy this: It’s part smart speaker and part portable Bluetooth speaker.
Who it’s for: Anyone who values versatility and portability.
Why we picked the Amazon Tap:
The Tap occupies an interesting niche in the smart home space. It doesn’t offer the best sound quality-to-price ratio, it can’t make phone calls for you, and it doesn’t have any revolutionary abilities. It does, however, have a rechargeable nine-hour battery, so it effectively splits the difference between portable Bluetooth speakers and Echo-esque smart speakers.
The Tap boasts 360-degree audio, and unlike the Echo, it fires omnidirectionally — not downward — meaning the sound travels further and with better clarity. It’s got a microphone button on board for Alexa activation, but you can set it up for voice activation using the mobile app.
Otherwise, it can do everything an Echo does, minus phone calls. Need trivia answers? Sure. Access to Alexa’s Skills? You betcha. Want to trigger smart home routines? You get the picture. Just don’t take it near the pool, as it’s not waterproof.
