Apple AirPlay is one of the easiest ways to stream music and create multi-room set-ups if you own an iPhone or iPad. The popular wireless speaker standard is used in Apple's own HomePods alongside third-party products from the likes of Sonos and Naim, and while the choice is excellent, AirPlay can be a double-edged sword.
For a start, having AirPlay functionality doesn't guarantee the speaker will sound great or be compatible with all devices. Be wary of which speaker you add to an existing system, though, as mispairing speakers can negatively impact how they sound and work together. If you want optimal results for a multi-room system, we recommend pairing speakers in the same family, like a Sonos Era 100 with a Sonos Era 300, or two Apple HomePod 2s.
This guide detailing the top options for sound, design and features will help you find the best AirPlay 2 speaker for your needs and budget. Every product on this list has been tested by our team of reviewers, both in our listening rooms and home environments, and we've made sure to check not only how well AirPlay functions but also how each one functions as a speaker in its own right.
You can find out more about our testing process or journey onwards to see the best models from our list below.
Recent updates
October 28th: What Hi-Fi? 2024 Award winners labelled following our recent Awards announcements.
The quick list
The superbly made second-gen HomePod sounds natural and spacious, but you need an Apple Music subscription to get the most from it, so only fully committed Apple disciples should consider owning one.
Apple doesn’t normally do budget, but the HomePod Mini’s price tag matches its tiny dimensions while offering a sound that’s anything but small.
The Era 300 makes Dolby Atmos tunes sound immense, but it performs brilliantly no matter what format you feed it.
Versatile, affordable and packed with features, we have no hesitation in recommending the enjoyable-sounding Sonos Era 100 to absolutely anybody.
Naim’s little box of musical tricks belies its compact dimensions in many ways, delivering superb sound and loads of streaming options that make it worth every penny.
With a lower price and slightly fewer features than the standard KEF LSX II, the LT version is an absolutely excellent way to enjoy AirPlay and a lot more.
A classic wireless speaker with boosted performance and price, still great after all this time.
The formerly Award-winning Addon C3 is yet another supremely talented member of the Audio Pro family, offering up AirPlay, multi-room capabilities and great sound inside a portable, simple package.
I'm a senior staff writer who has listened to and reviewed dozens of products, from AirPlay speakers to portable Bluetooth speakers to wireless headphones, during my time at What Hi-Fi?. I have first-hand experience with the speakers tested below, which boast ample features beyond AirPlay and deliver some of the best performances from a wireless speaker. Overall, the best AirPlay speakers should be a breeze to set up with your iPhone or iPad, be compatible with any music streaming service and deliver great sound quality without any stuttering or dropouts in connection. If you want to know which AirPlay speaker is right for you, I've got you covered.
Best AirPlay speaker overall
Simply put, the HomePod 2 is the best AirPlay speaker made by Apple, and one of the smartest you’ll find at this price.
If you love Apple tech and want a great-sounding smart speaker with room-filling audio and the considerable boon of AirPlay 2, the HomePod 2 is the best candidate that we’ve tested. Apple's Award-winner is the larger option in the Californian brand's current line-up, sitting above the smaller HomePod Mini in terms of weight and size.
It's also one of the finest Apple products around today, with the second-gen model's main draw coming from its ability to scan and optimise its audio settings for the room and position it's in on the fly, something which worked superbly during our tests. The HomePod 2 brings in Apple's S7 chipset for more comprehensive and high-performance spatial audio, better room-sensing algorithms than the Mini and overall smoother levels of performance, all leading to what is unquestionably a class-leading smart speaker.
We were also hugely impressed by the built-in temperature and humidity sensors which can be used to create custom automations in your smart home, and it would take a whole dedicated page (or our current review) to really dig down into how much the HomePod 2 can do. Trust us, though, when we say it sounds great, looks sharp and gives you all the Apple-centric features, including AirPlay, that you'd expect at this price. The fact that it's still winning Awards in 2024 should tell you just how highly we rate it.
Read our full Apple HomePod 2 review
Best budget AirPlay speaker
As an affordable, compact and hugely effective way of getting AirPlay 2, plus quite a lot else into your life, the HomePod Mini is our Award-winning place to start, especially if the standard HomePod 2 happens to be a tad big for your living space.
As it's a HomePod, the Mini will integrate seamlessly into your Apple ecosystem, and at just 8.4cm tall and 9.8cm wide, it's easy to fit anywhere into your current domestic set-up. Siri works exceptionally well, and a quick utterance of the phrase, “Hey Siri, play something I'll like,” will kickstart Apple's special curation algorithm which assesses your current listening habits and then plays something it thinks you'll like – and rather brilliant it is, too.
AirPlay 2 is obviously baked in, and there's no question that the HomePod Mini has been built around the Apple way of doing things. Most voice commands for music-related requests work exclusively with Apple Music, meaning you're not so well served if you happen to be a big Spotify fan.
The Mini goes loud, though, comfortably outperforming its size and price, quite frankly embarrassing its direct competition with the sophistication and maturity of its sound. If your budget can't stretch to the bigger HomePod 2 but you're keen on an Apple speaker with AirPlay 2, the Mini is your best bet.
Read our full Apple HomePod Mini review
Best AirPlay speaker for spatial audio
One of our favourite speakers from 2023 is officially AirPlay ready, although if that's the only reason you're buying the Era 300, you might find it to be a bit of a waste of money.
If you're familiar with everything that the Era 300 can do, however, it's very much worth the investment. Yes, £449 / $449 / AU$749 is a hefty investment, but the Era 300 has plenty going for it to excuse that substantial outlay. Thanks to its unusual, “cinched hourglass” shape, for instance, Sonos' smart speaker does spatial audio brilliantly, and, alongside AirPlay 2, 24-bit/48kHz hi-res music support from Qobuz and Amazon Music services are also included.
It's that spatial audio and broad soundscape that really convinced us during testing, though. Throw whatever you like at the Era 300, chances are it has it covered, filling our testing rooms with cohesive, spacious sound without a hint of a struggle. Big choral numbers feel big and immersive thanks to spatial audio, but the Era 300 excels seemingly with all genres and across every taste from hip-hop to classic rock, soundtracks to folk.
Yes, it’s considerably more expensive than a HomePod 2, but the Era 300’s great sound and AirPlay compatibility for iOS devices mean it’s comfortably earned its place on this list.
Read our full Sonos Era 300 review
Best mid-price AirPlay speaker
Dropping down from the rather premium price tag of the Sonos Era 300 is the Era 100, a fantastic alternative that comes with a veritable host of features, including AirPlay 2, Alexa voice control, stereo pairing and Trueplay tuning, to keep even the most demanding of customers happy. Be in no doubt, the Era 100 keeps up with its bigger, more expensive brother in delivering a host of streaming playback features alongside another excellent-sounding speaker.
Yes, it's smaller and more affordable, but the Era 100 still pumps out a big, open sound, a lovely sense of rhythmic drive and all the detail and precision you could hope for at this price point. The app is excellent to use, while Apple Music and AirPlay 2 support will allow it to excel with your chosen Apple device. This is still a £249 / $249 / AU£$399 speaker, don't forget, so it's still a proper piece of kit that you're getting.
If we're being picky, we'd say that the HomePod 2 is intuitively a little more natural when reproducing the human voice. Still, at a slightly cheaper price and with all the Apple compatibility you need, it’s very hard to go wrong with Sonos’ hugely talented Era 100.
Read our full Sonos Era 100 review
Best versatile AirPlay speaker
While the Apple HomePod Mini comes with all the company's signature technologies, if you want top-quality sound from an AirPlay 2 speaker – and have the budget for it – the Naim Mu-so Qb 2nd Generation is well worth a look. After all this time, it's still a thing that we're rather smitten by.
Again, if you're buying the Mu-so Qb purely for AirPlay 2, that's probably a mistake. If you know just how great this chunky monolith looks and sounds, though, it makes perfect sense, and whether it's sporting its olive, terracotta or peacock grille alongside that deep black finish, the Naim truly looks the part.
Belying its box-like dimensions with a punchy bass alongside sparkling and rich tones across frequencies, the Mu-so Qb 2nd Generation has scooped up multiple What Hi-Fi? Awards for the best home wireless speaker over £500/ $500. If you can grab a discount then it's well, well worth a listen.
Read our full Naim Mu-so Qb 2nd Generation review
Best AirPlay stereo speaker system
If you're looking for a do-it-all speaker system with AirPlay built-in, the KEF LSX II LT need to be on your shopping list. Conceived as a stripped-back, slightly feature-light (hence "LT" version of the standard LSX II speaker system, the LT has already become a firm favourite of ours as it gives us so much of what we loved with the original without sacrificing a single shred of sound.
In terms of value for money, this AirPlay-enabled stereo speaker streaming system is the real deal, pulling out everything that (most) consumers don't need and keeping all of the essentials intact. Roon Ready-ness is gone, as is the humble Aux chord (rest in peace), and you won't get the same number of luxurious finishes as you would with the standard LSX II. Still, with AirPlay 2, wi-fi, Chromecast and Bluetooth, as well as a wide spectrum of streaming services like Amazon Music, Deezer, Qobuz, Spotify and Tidal, you're hardly starved for features. And don't worry, physical inputs like the HDMI ARC and USB-C connections for hooking up to a TV and laptop respectively remain intact.
Better still, unlike the classic LSX II for which both speaker units need to be plugged into the mains, the LT only needs a single lead hooked up to the primary unit, with the other speaker sharing the power courtesy of a 3m USB-C interspeaker cable. Handy if you don't have many plug sockets free...
Sonically, there's not a hint of sacrifice. That robustness of the bass, the same strength and force of each instrument, the adeptness at organisation and cohesion, not to mention lovely layers of detail and nuance, they're all there and they all make for a satisfying, well-balanced listen. We loved the standard LSX II, but the value for money here takes the LT to new, Award-winning levels.
Read our full KEF LSX II LT review
Best premium AirPlay speaker
The excellent Mu-so Qb 2 above remains a great choice for anyone looking for extensive streaming and high-quality sound. You can take things to new heights with the sublime-looking Naim Mu-so 2 though, essentially the elongated, full-fat brother of the Qb which continues to impress despite having been around for around five or so years.
Such is the breadth of choice when it comes to AirPlay speakers, you can spend under £100 or end up forking out well over £1000. The Mu-so 2's price tag will put off anyone looking to save money without sacrifice, but there's no issue with a product being costly if it has the chops to back it up. And back it up the Mu-so 2 certainly does.
Bass is plentiful and high quality, and while that design won't be for everyone, if you like it, you'll fall for it in a big way. To us, it's a thing to behold, looking for all the world like a premium wireless speaker, matched only by the rich, confident, detailed and rhythmically adept presentation of its supreme sound.
The sleek unit's extensive feature set includes all manner of wireless streaming technologies, including AirPlay 2 and Chromecast, while music streaming platforms like Tidal and Spotify are also supported, as is high-res audio up to 24-bit/88kHz. If you want to plug the Naim into your TV, a versatile HDMI ARC input gets you hooked up to give your cinema system a boost.
Be aware that the Naim may soon have some competition from Cambridge Audio's new Evo One all-in-one speaker which offers AirPlay 2 alongside Google Cast, Bluetooth and even support for hi-res audio files up to 32-bit/192kHz over wi-fi or ethernet. Watch out, Naim, Cambridge could be coming for your crown.
Read our full Naim Mu-so 2 review
Best portable AirPlay speaker
To be a little reductive, the Audio Pro Addon C3 is essentially the wi-fi-enabled, multi-room version of the Addon T3 speaker, with those rather pleasing minimalist looks, textured surfaces and embossed leather carry handle all adding a bit of Swedish class to proceedings.
Decent wireless tech adds a whole new dimension to your listening, though. The Addon C3 supports the major music streaming services, including Tidal, Spotify, Qobuz and Apple Music, and you can control your playback (and a lot more) via the Audio Pro Control app. It’s not quite the seamless experience offered by Sonos’ all-conquering equivalent, but it's not bad, either.
Set-up is a painless process whether you choose a Bluetooth or wi-fi connection, and yes, AirPlay is of course on board. Setting up a multi-room system is simple and pain-free, with the app searching for other Audio Pro speakers in the vicinity on the same network and then letting you drag and drop them into the groupings you desire.
Sonically, the C3 remains a belter of a speaker. The sonic delivery is mature, refined and textured, with a spacious, detail-heavy delivery bolstered by some impressive rhythmic chops. The only thing we could really find to gripe about was a slightly clunky control app, but that's hardly the most fatal of fatal flaws.
All in all, an excellent AirPlay speaker that, given its advancing years, can often be picked up for an almighty discount,
Read our full Audio Pro Addon C3 review
Also Consider
Ruark Audio R410: Sublime to look at a delight to listen to, the R410 is a five-star do-it-all speaker that runs the Naim Mu-so 2 seriously close. They're chalk and cheese to look at, but what's not up for debate is how fantastic the R410 sounds when placed alongside its Naim rival. A flexible, awesome-sounding system that doubles as a lovely piece of furniture? Sold.
Audio Pro Addon C10 MkII: An excellent, five-star alternative to the Addon C3 above, the Addon C10 MkII is a former Award-winner that we still think is one of the best speakers of its type. Often discounted and never lacking fun or features, it's a smashing piece of kit.
JBL Authentics 300: The Authentics range is a fun line from JBL, with both the hefty 300 and the larger 500 models (below) ditching general portability and ruggedness in favour of substantial style and lots of sonic welly. Hugely powerful and offering dual voice assistants, wi-fi streaming, Bluetooth, Alexa Multiroom and AirPlay 2, the 300 does the lot.
JBL Authentics 500: Think that bigger means better? If portability doesn't concern you, the chunky, funky Authentics 500 still packs many of the same features as the 300 unit (including AirPlay, of course), but with spatial audio capabilities and a fuller, bolder sound.
Sonos Roam: Sonos has jumped into bed with AirPlay in a big way, so much so that even its smallest speakers have the protocol locked, loaded and ready to go. Despite being ostensibly a portable Bluetooth model, you can use a wi-fi connection to hook the Roam up via AirPlay 2. There's a Roam 2 out as well which also gives access to AirPlay 2, though we didn't find it to be much of an improvement over the older model.
How to choose the best AirPlay speaker
If you're contemplating an AirPlay speaker specifically, the strong likelihood is you're using an Apple iPhone or iPad to control and stream your music, but just make sure that all iOS devices are up to date and compatible with your new AirPlay speaker.
Size and aesthetics vary a lot here, so you'll need to make sure the speaker fits into the space you've allocated for them. Some, like the HomePod Mini or Sonos Era 100, are small enough to be flexibly placed anywhere in the house, while bigger models like the large Naim Mu-so will need their own dedicated space on a rack.
That aside, you need to know the perks of opting for a speaker with AirPlay baked in. Firstly, you'll need a wi-fi connection to use AirPlay, so make sure you have a stable connection to connect the speaker to. Thanks to AirPlay 2, multi-room playback is on the menu – and it is not limited to Apple-branded products, as the fantastic new Sonos Era speakers and various third-party speakers show. There's also the promise of improved audio buffering, higher-quality audio than Bluetooth streaming, and multiple control access across iOS devices to acknowledge (a useful touch for multi-room streaming).
If you're not quite ready to stick to just one streaming technology, you will be pleased to note that most AirPlay speakers (that aren't the HomePods) also offer Bluetooth and other streaming features like Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect, so you won't miss out on any functionality. This means that those with Android devices can still use AirPlay speakers, just by using a different streaming method.
Price is also a key factor. There are budget options as well as very premium models – with extra additional features – so it's crucial to decide on which main features are important to you, and to stick within your budget.
How we test AirPlay speakers
The What Hi-Fi? team tests hundreds of products every year – and that includes AirPlay speakers. We have state-of-the-art testing facilities in London and Reading where our team of expert reviewers handles every step of the independent testing processes. This gives us complete control, ensuring consistency and impartiality over every review we publish.
Besides outright sound quality, we also test and evaluate every aspect of an AirPlay speaker's audio performance, including battery life, connection quality, ease of use, and versatility. We have iPads and iPhones as part of our testing facilities, so we can check how seamless it is to use the iOS ecosystem as well as a speakers' own apps when testing AirPlay speakers. We use a variety of music genres and streaming sources when testing the sound quality, and ensure the speaker has been given plenty of running in time so we know it's performing at its best. It's very similar to the process involved in testing wireless speakers and usually involves diving into our list of the best test tracks for testing any hi-fi product.
All AirPlay speakers are tested and reviewed in the context of their value on a performance-per-dollar basis, and as part of our testing procedure, all products are compared against similarly-priced class leaders to see how they perform and help us figure out an appropriate rating. Our review philosophy doesn't change based on price or brand reputation.
All review verdicts are agreed upon by the team as a whole rather than an individual reviewer, again helping to ensure neutrality and consistency.
Finally, we choose the culmination of our efforts – the best products from all of our in-depth reviews – to feature in our Best Buys, which is where you are now. If you take the plunge and buy one of the products recommended above, or on any other Best Buy page, you can be assured you're getting a What Hi-Fi? approved product.
FAQ
Is AirPlay better than Bluetooth?
This depends on what you mean by "better": AirPlay tends to deliver better sound quality than Bluetooth, but Bluetooth is more widely available and can be used with most compatible sources.
AirPlay is a wireless protocol that needs a wi-fi connection to work, and allows for higher bandwidth and more data to be streamed, compared to the narrower, lower-quality Bluetooth streaming method. In terms of audio quality, we often find that songs streamed over AirPlay deliver a finer sonic performance with more detail and more dynamic scope, compared when using Bluetooth. AirPlay doesn't have a restricted range between source and speaker the way Bluetooth does; it has a wider range thanks to wi-fi but is dependent on the strength and stability of your home network.
However, AirPlay can be restrictive as it can only be used with Apple iPhones or iPads as a source, whereas Bluetooth is more widely supported by all devices (Android, Windows etc), doesn't require a wi-fi connection, and is more versatile and easier to use by all.
Which devices support AirPlay?
AirPlay is Apple's own wireless streaming protocol meaning that, naturally, all Apple-made products support it. The HomePods above, for instance, naturally have AirPlay capabilities, as they're both designed and built by the Cupertino-based corporation.
That said, not every item on the list above is Apple-made, meaning it isn't just Apple products that can enjoy the benefits of AirPlay. Multiple audio brands have licensing agreements to use AirPlay thanks to its higher audio quality potential, ease of use and consumer popularity.
Recent updates
October 2024: What Hi-Fi? 2024 Award winners labelled.
June 2024: No new models added, but checked that all entries are still available and added references to new and upcoming products.
June 2024: Added JBL Authentics 300 and Authentics 500 to the "Also Consider" section.
April 2024: Added FAQ and Also Consider sections to help with buying decisions and frequently asked questions.
November 2023: What Hi-Fi? 2023 Award winners labelled after the 2023 Awards Best Buys and Product of the Year announcements.
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