The Pocket-lint Awards have fun a number of the finest gadgets the group at Pocket-lint has seen and reviewed during the last 12 months, spanning 21 classes from smartwatches and smartphones to laptops and headphones. Every class has six nominations, all of which have been absolutely reviewed by us prior to now 12 months.
The Finest Speaker class is all about acknowledging the best-sounding at-home or on-the-go audio gadgets and it has been a 12 months stuffed with some nice ones. The shortlisted nominees for Finest Speaker 2023 are:
You’ll be able to click on on the hyperlinks above to learn our full evaluation on every of those distinctive speaker nominations. We have additionally highlighted some brief verdicts under that can assist you perceive what we liked about them, what they did effectively and why they’ve been nominated for the Finest Speaker class within the Pocket-lint Awards 2023.
Apple HomePod (2nd Gen)
The Apple HomePod (2nd technology, 2023) is a superb-sounding speaker, simply like its predecessor was, and if it is sound high quality you are after, the HomePod (2nd technology) won’t allow you to down. It delivers an excellent steadiness with a powerful soundstage for quite a lot of tracks and genres.
It is also a lot smarter than the 2018 mannequin was (you at the least get radio this time round), including a spread of options that make it considerably extra helpful as a sensible speaker. Matter help helps to make HomeKit extra related within the sensible house market and in flip, HomePod. There are additionally a couple of nice-to-have options combined in too, particularly – and importantly – for these embedded in Apple’s ecosystem.
Bang & Olufsen Beosound A5
Whether or not the Beosound A5 is a smart approach of spending north of $1099/£899 will very a lot rely upon what you establish “wise” to be. For a lot of it is going to be a stretch too far, particularly when a few of its finest competitors prices half the worth.
Nonetheless, this is among the finest battery-powered speaker we have heard and it appears undoubtedly beautiful too, significantly within the end we examined. It is an actual step above anything within the class.
JBL Cost 5 Wi-Fi
The JBL Cost 5 Wi-Fi may not rip up timber with a number of new options, and the shortage of a battery life improve is a little bit of a bummer, however the basic reality is that it takes an excellent speaker and makes it higher.
Having all the advantages of portability, together with these of Wi-Fi connectivity, for underneath $200 makes it a very strong choice for individuals who desire a new all-purpose speaker. It is as at house on the kitchen counter or on a tenting journey, which you’ll’t say is true of that lots of its rivals.
Marshall Middleton
The Middleton is one other completely rock-solid speaker from Marshall, one that truly weighs about as a lot as a rock, however sounds phenomenal to make up for it. Its weight implies that it will not be good for each situation, however that is effective – there are smaller audio system obtainable. For individuals who do need its hefty, punchy sound, it is a nice beefy speaker.
It manages to retain sonic steadiness even at excessive volumes and makes it very easy to regulate issues on the fly, all whereas wanting like a little bit of traditional sound tools.
Sonos Period 100
The Sonos Period 100 is a brand new period – pun solely supposed – for Sonos speakers. It takes the corporate’s wonderful entry-level speaker from 2017 and provides it a make-over, each internally and externally.
The Period 100’s new design provides the child Sonos a brand new lease of life, while including numerous new options that make it much more interesting – like Bluetooth capabilities, new controls and line-in performance. Sure, it provides a couple of kilos or {dollars} to the One‘s price ticket, and no it may possibly’t be paired with its predecessor, however in the event you’re contemplating getting into the Sonos platform, the Period 100 is an ideal place to begin.
Sonos Period 300
The Sonos Period 300 has a novel design. Some will like it, others may not be so certain, however you possibly can’t deny it is totally different and we have now grown fairly keen on it. It is not nearly what it appears like although – the Period 300 sounds unimaginable.
It gives wonderful efficiency, a spread of nice options and a design that actually stands out. Certain, in case you are an Apple consumer, the HomePod could possibly be a more sensible choice, however for these already invested within the Sonos system, or trying to begin one with a bang, the Period 300 is a really unbelievable alternative.
How the Pocket-lint Awards judging works
The winner for the Finest Speaker class is determined by the Pocket-lint group, together with a panel of professional judges from different publications throughout the trade. Following a vigorous scoring course of, the Finest Speaker winner for 2023 might be introduced at an in-person occasion on 9 November 2023, together with the winners from the opposite 20 classes.
A Product of the 12 months winner can even be introduced, chosen from the winners of the 21 classes and a winner of the New EE Superfast Award can even be revealed on the occasion. On the night time, we’ll announce the outcomes on the Pocket-lint Twitter handle as they unfold and there can even be a function detailing the winners as soon as the Awards are over too.
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