Which Speaker Should I Buy? Advice Very Welcome!

Kategs on 04/07/2024 - 12:59

I'm wanting to invest in a decent speaker to use in my kitchen and large open plan family room (for music streaming and podcasts). I am insanely far from tech savy though so would appreciate advice on what to buy!

I saw the deal yesterday for the Anker Soundcore Motion X600 for $129 (or less with the code). It's so cheap compared to others I've been considering such as the Sonos Era 300, Sonos Move 2 and the Apple Homepod 2. Would the sound quality be noticeably different? I'm an Iphone user. I do like the idea of voice controls (hands free) for when I'm doing food prep. I also like the idea of being able to answer calls hands free from the speaker, but sound quality for music is a greater priority. If the Anker speaker quality is not as good as the Sonos or Apple, which gives better sound quality Sonos or Apple? I've seen the Sonos Era 300 for $649 today…don't know if that's a good price?

Thank you in advance to anyone who is kind enough to share their experience / knowledge / advice!

Electrical & Electronics Speakers

Comments

  • oscargamer on 04/07/2024 - 14:12

    Sonos music quality is better than any other you have listed

    • Kategs on 04/07/2024 - 14:18

      I suspected so. Thank you! Do you know if their soundbars are worth the money? I'm thinking my husband might be more amenable to me paying for a Sonos speaker if we also buy him a soundbar for the tv!

      • Caped Baldy on 04/07/2024 - 17:14
        +4

        Sonos actually have rebranded speakers/collaboration with IKEA so this might be a more budget friendly option for you.

        I've got a google home and it's nice being able to use voice controls. Sound quality won't be as good. The some amazon echo devices have audio out so can plug into a dedicated speaker.

        • BronzingStubble on 05/07/2024 - 12:25

          I have the IKEA branded Sonos wifi bookshelf speaker, SYMFONISK. Its a little ripper. It was about $150-160, something like that.

      • HeWhoKnows on 05/07/2024 - 09:27

        Worth the money?

        How much are you willing to spend on high quality speakers and will it really make any difference to your listen pleasure given its probably going to just be background music?

        Do you really need top notch speakers or just ones that do the job well.

        All speakers have different characteristics.
        So it doesnt necessarily come down to price.
        In most cases you are paying for the name.
        There are very good speakers without the high price tag.

        Go instore and test them out if you can.
        Or read the reviews online as a guide

  • seraphim2017 on 04/07/2024 - 14:20

    Depends on budget. For $129, you won't get a Sonos or Apple, so the Anker wins. For $649, or 5x the price, the Sonos will be better, but 5 times better for your use/need? Only your wallet can decide that! At similar price points you won't notice much difference in speakers quality, made to a price point, apple premium notwithstanding.

  • jv on 04/07/2024 - 14:45

    Which speaker should I buy?

    Have you tried Dick ?

    • spackbace on 04/07/2024 - 14:55
      +2

      Have you tried Dick ?

      Interesting question to pose

      • jv on 04/07/2024 - 15:00
        +1

        Depends on your Member…

  • sumyungguy on 04/07/2024 - 14:50

    Choose Era 300 (which I haven't auditioned) or HomePod (of which I own five big and three mini). HomePod does automated room compensation, spatial audio and excels at ambient music. Era 300 needs an app to setup. Problem is these devices need to be trialled in a normal room which I don't think any retailers have setup. Even Apple doesn't bother with a sound lounge for HomePod. If your household uses Apple Music this tips the scale toward HomePod. Most reviewers rate Era 300 for superior sound but at higher cost because you should get a pair whichever way you go.

    • Kategs on 04/07/2024 - 15:00

      Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts. Our household uses both Apple and Android phones. My husband is anti Apple (so annoying!) so Sonos is probably more his vibe. He wants a soundbar for our tv too in the same room / area, but I assume that wouldn't work as a stand alone speaker for listening to music.

      • sumyungguy on 04/07/2024 - 15:05

        Good luck with your mixed marriage! If you have Andoid users then go for Era 300, but try these with your TV before purchasing a soundbar. In my kitchen there's a wall-mounted iPad bluetoothed to a Ruark R1. I don't think the woven cloth finish of HomePods is suited to a kitchen and Era 300 is overkill for that use case. Yes, I'm the cook in my household.

        • Kategs on 04/07/2024 - 15:18

          This is SO helpful. Thank you! I was hesitating re the homepods in large part because of their woven cloth and it not being "kitchen friendly"….your comment has solidified my hesitations!

          • sumyungguy on 04/07/2024 - 15:23

            @Kategs: Put a pair of HomePods in your living room and you can be exclusively in charge of playlists. I have HomePods on top of my home theatre tower mains. We often want ambient music and you can simply ask Siri to play whatever. Bose Soundlink Flex or equivalent would go well in a kitchen.

  • TrdiK89 on 04/07/2024 - 15:33

    Bluesound PULSE M or Dynaudio Xeo 10 Wireless if you have the budget - Sonos is not good quality for the price, you are paying more for brand name and marketing then the product itself which is subpar to be polite about it.

    • Kategs on 04/07/2024 - 16:10

      Thanks for the heads up. LOL, I'd never heard of Bluesound or Dynaudio. Do you know if a soundbar from either brand could double up as a decent speaker to listen to music?

  • AustriaBargain on 04/07/2024 - 16:02

    Apple surely has a new speaker coming up sometime, so I wouldn't "invest" a lot of money in their old speaker. Their little speakers are very cute though and have temperature and humidity monitor in them for home automation, like close your blinds when it gets above 25 degrees or whatever.

    • Kategs on 04/07/2024 - 16:13

      I agree re Apple being overdue for a new speaker and also share your view about the minis being pretty cute. We quite happily live in the dark ages when it comes to home automation though so any "smart" features would be wasted on us. I really appreciate good quality sound and decent bass etc, but am quite content without having Siri turn my lights on/off etc.

  • ECE on 04/07/2024 - 16:57
    -1

    Bose

  • fisherfriendman on 05/07/2024 - 09:45

    You can consider this brand too.
    https://au.creative.com/p/audio-enthusiasts?filters=1268

    They hail from the PC days as one of the first sound card makers for PC, and have branched into audio experience when the PC market shifted.

    • Kategs on 05/07/2024 - 20:31

      Thank you!

  • Karfaffel on 05/07/2024 - 11:35
    +1

    You've got a great TV in a large space. The best solution for long term enjoyment would be to invest in a proper surround system.

    This will be amazing for movies but will also provide great sound for music. You can use your phone to stream to the surround amp. If you need background music in the kitchen then add a HomePod or other quality device near the kitchen. The HomePod mini doesn't sound very good in my opinion. All the cheaper, small devices are a huge compromise in sound quality.

    Soundbars are overpriced for what they provide. They can never match a proper surround system.

    It's the same for wireless speakers. People want convenience and no wires and they end up spending a lot of their budget on that rather than sound quality.

    Everything is a compromise. You just need to work out which compromises you'll be happy with.

    • Kategs on 05/07/2024 - 20:32

      Thank you! I really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. What brand / models would you suggest?

      • Karfaffel on 06/07/2024 - 12:20

        If you're going to go down that route it will require some research. Sometimes you can find some good bargains second hand, but if you'd like new then going to a HiFi dealer (if one still exists near you) and seeing what they've got would be best. I just had a look at JB HiFi and it seems, sadly, it's all about soundbars now.

        Convenience and lack of wires has won over sound quality. 🙈

        To answer your question re brands…
        NAD, Yamaha, Pioneer are decent for surround amps.
        Speakers have to be auditioned. It's a matter of preference. If you don't feel confident about that maybe take a friend who is really into audio with you. It will depend a lot on what's available at your local dealers also.

        • Kategs on 06/07/2024 - 14:58

          Thank you! I think your suggestion of taking a friend is an good idea…feeling very out of my depth (but then again, maybe that's a sign that my ears would be perfectly satisfied with a soundbar / entertainment type set up and I'd be none the wiser if I purchased something mediocre 🤦‍♀️!).

          • sumyungguy on 06/07/2024 - 16:43

            @Kategs: If you share your room dimensions including ceiling height I'm sure you'll get help with narrowing your selection. There are calculators online for subwoofer size. A recent example: I was helping a friend to spend as little as possible; I acquire a pre-owned Yamaha sound bar $100 and added an 8-inch Yamaha sub I had lying around, they sounded wholly satisfactory in my 5m x 3.5m media room (3.1m ceilings). He installed the setup in his open-plan apartment, same ceiling height. It sounds just average because the room simply swallows up both the soundbar and small diameter under-powered sub. But magnitudes better than TV speakers. “Ye Cannae Change the Laws of Physics”

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