![]() ![]() The HomePod Mini works best if you’re deeply immersed in Apple’s ecosystem because it offers easy integration with the Apple Music streaming service, including full voice control and multiroom capability. That means the Mini is okay for podcasts or background music in a small room but hardly great for playing your favorite tunes. The audio for the $99 model is congested in a way that’s similar to the $50 Amazon Echo Dot and Google Nest Mini, albeit with a fuller bass. The HomePod Mini is Apple’s one remaining smart speaker, and unfortunately, it doesn’t sound nearly as good as the original HomePod, according to our testers. Our trained testers put each model through a battery of lab tests for ease of use, versatility, and especially sound quality, which gets extra weight in our ratings. Like everything we rate, from printers to pickup trucks, CR buys speakers anonymously through regular retail channels. The following are some of the top multiroom speakers in CR’s ratings. If your goals are more modest-streaming the 99% Invisible podcast quietly in the kitchen while the kids crank “Encanto” in the family room, all controlled by your smartphone-that’s also an option. If your aim is to execute an epic Rickroll and play “ Never Gonna Give You Up” perfectly synced through 16 speakers on four different levels of your house, go right ahead. Our top-rated multiroom speakers offer not only solid sound but also impressive flexibility. And if you own a smart speaker from one of the major brands- Amazon Echo, Google Nest, or Apple HomePod-you can add other speakers to form a multiroom system that can deliver voice-controlled music throughout your home. Sonos has led the way when it comes to multiroom systems, but other companies have joined in, giving music lovers a variety of choices for modestly priced wireless speakers. Even better, you can set it up yourself in a manner of minutes, right from your smartphone. You can buy a wireless multiroom speaker system with great performance and unprecedented flexibility for surprisingly little money. Today, it’s much easier-and much less of a shock to your budget. You then had to hire a technician to snake wires through the walls, make the connections, and adjust the settings to get all the components playing together nicely. Purchasing thousands of dollars worth of speakers, amps, keypads, and switching devices was just the beginning. Shipping and taxes/duties are extra.) The Control Freak comes with cables attached.It wasn’t that long ago that a multiroom audio system could break the bank. ![]() ( International customers can order Emotiva components through the company's website. The Control Freak sells for $49 in the US this converts to £29.70 in the UK and AU$53.63 in Australia. The Control Freak is a "passive" device, so it doesn't get plugged into an AC wall outlet or use a wall wart. The Control Freak's cables are terminated with RCA plugs, but Emotiva also includes a separate adapter fitted with a 3.5mm plug to connect to a computer's or portable music player's headphone jack. Just bear in mind, the Control Freak is designed to work with speakers with built-in amplifiers. If you don't have a desktop digital converter, hook up the Control Freak's cables between your computer's headphone jack and your speakers. I hooked up the Control Freak's cables first between my Schiit Bifrost digital converter and my Emotiva Airmotiv 5S desktop speakers later I switched over to Focal Alpha 50 speakers (both models have built-in power amps). The Control Freak's rubberized base kept it in place on my desktop - it never budged. I admit the tactile aspects of knob twirling might seem frivolous, until you try it. The oh-so-smooth feel of turning this beautifully machined aluminum knob recalls the glory days of Japanese-built stereo receivers. As soon as I used it, I knew the Freak would be an essential part of my desktop audio system, I love this thing! Enter the Emotiva Control Freak, a knob you can place anywhere on your desktop to control volume. With a flick of the wrist I can instantly get the exact volume I want. In 2014 I still like volume-control knobs - onscreen "sliders" or up/down volume buttons may get the job done - but honest-to-goodness knobs make it so much easier. The feel of the volume control knob was paramount, and I can't explain why, but there was a real satisfaction to grabbing a knob and turning it. The Emotiva Control Freak volume control, upper right.īack in the 1970s and 1980s, consumer electronics manufacturers knew their way around knobs. ![]()
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