High-quality WLAN speakers can't be found for under 260 euros.
Stiftung Warentest evaluates twelve modern wireless speakers, including models from Sonos. The Sonos devices don't take the top spots, but a Berlin-made speaker claims the number one slot. The minimum price for a decent speaker is about 260 euros.
With the rise in popularity, there are numerous options for wireless speakers, ranging from those that solely stream music to those that work with Bluetooth or have cables for connection. Many devices can even be combined to create multiroom or surround sound systems, and most now feature built-in mics for digital assistants. Stiftung Warentest assesses twelve new devices, adding to their already extensive list of 62 WLAN speakers.
Affordable speakers from 260 euros, winners from 500 euros
Cheap but good wireless speakers don't come easy, with the most inexpensive model from the testing group being JBL Authentics 200, priced around 260 euros online. It received a quality rating of 2.3, excelling in sound (2.5), handling, and power consumption.
Three models share the victory, each scoring a total of 1.8. The JBL Boombox 3 Wi-Fi, priced at least 500 euros, delivers the best sound with a 1.6 rating. Although its handling was decent, it wasn't perfect.
The JBL Authentics 500, around 540 euros, scored well in all three categories, sporting a 1.7 in sound that's slightly weaker than the Boombox.
Equally delightful is the newly tested Teufel Motiv Home, which costs approximately 500 euros. It offers the best handling among the winners and is the most compact and lightest of the trio.
Sonos performs well, Apple struggles
Three new Sonos devices, the market leader, did not win the top positions, but two of them did well. The Sonos Era 300, 400 euros, has good sound (2.1) and power consumption, but its handling was merely satisfactory, resulting in a 2.1 quality rating. The Sonos Move 2, 370 euros, achieved the same overall score, though its sound was slightly weaker (2.2), its power consumption was highly commendable. For the smaller Sonos Era 100, priced at 220 euros, the sound was just satisfactory (2.6), resulting in a 2.6 quality rating.
The second-generation Apple Homepod, 350 euros, fell short with an unsatisfactory sound (2.9) and handling, both lacking the required improvement over the overall score (2.8), and despite its commendable power consumption.
Read also:
In the Technology tests conducted by Stiftung Warentest, some WLAN speakers with impressive sound quality require an investment of at least 260 euros, like the JBL Authentics 200. Streaming music over a wireless connection is just one of the many features modern speakers offer, including support for Bluetooth, cables, and Digital Assistants, as demonstrated by the JBL Authentics 200.
