Product test winner from Berlin
Good Wi-Fi speakers are not available for less than 260 euros
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Stiftung Warentest tested twelve current Wi-Fi speakers, including the latest Sonos devices. They didn't make it to the top of the list, but a Berlin box took first place. The cheapest good speaker costs around 260 euros.
Networked speakers are popular, and the range and variety are correspondingly large. There are pure streamers, but many devices also allow you to use them with Bluetooth or connect players via cable. Many speakers can also be connected to form multi-room and/or surround sound systems, and microphones for digital assistants are almost standard. Stiftung Warentest has tested twelve new devices and now lists a total of 62 WLAN speakers.
Good devices from 260 euros, test winners from 500 euros
Good Wi-Fi speakers have their price, the cheapest good speaker among the test candidates is the JBL Authentics 200which is available online for around 260 euros. It achieved a quality rating of 2.3, with good marks for sound (2.5), handling and power consumption.
The test victory was shared by three devices with an overall score of 1.8. The best sound (1.6) of the trio is provided by the JBL Boombox 3 Wi-Fiwhich is offered online for prices starting at 500 euros. Stiftung Warentest gave its power consumption a very good rating, but its handling was only satisfactory.
The JBL Authentics 500 is available for just under 540 euros. It was rated good in all three categories, although its sound (1.7) is only slightly weaker than that of the Boombox.
The same applies to the newly tested Devil Motif Home which costs around 500 euros. It offers the best handling of the three test winners and is the smallest and lightest device of them.
Sonos is doing well, Apple can't keep up
Three newly listed speakers from market leader Sonos were unable to reach the top spots, but two of them performed well. Sonos One 200 (400 Euro) achieved a quality rating of 2.1 with good sound (2.1) and power consumption, but only satisfactory handling, the Sonos Move 2 (370 euros) achieved the same overall score with a slightly weaker sound (2.2), but very good energy consumption. The sound of the smaller Sonos One 100 (220 euros) the testers found only satisfactory (2.6), overall they gave it a quality rating of 2.6.
The Apple Homepod the second generation (350 euros) cannot keep up with satisfactory sound (2.9) and handling, and more than the overall rating (2.8) was not possible despite very good power consumption.
