Technological inventions continue to improve our living standards. Through the Internet of Things, you can wirelessly connect and interact with most gadgets in the home and workspaces. Fully automated homes, for instance, are no longer far-fetched science fiction ideas but tangible proof of smart technology in operation.
Loaded with AI-powered voice assistance alongside other in-built smart features, smart speakers are the center spot of most smart gadgets. Improvements in smart tech are quickly promoting specialization of smart gadgets to address specific tasks. Read on to identify the most ideal trending smart speakers for music lovers in the market in 2019.
1) Sonos One
The Sonos One smart speaker is built with two perfectly tuned class-D humid-resistant digital amplifiers. Its drivers and acoustics embody high quality that’s ideal for music listening, control, and streaming. This smart speaker’s single mid-woofer, outputs deep, rich bass, and high-quality mid-range vocals, making it a winning choice for your music playback.
Design
Sonos One features Amazon Alexa for effortless voice control. It’s equipped with top of the line far-field microphones for smart voice detection and noise cancellation so you can listen to and stream your favorite music anywhere in the room. During voice capture, it emits a high-frequency tweeter to alert you that it has received and is responding to your voice command.
The Sonos One’s top panel houses a capacitive touch console with controls for play/pause, volume up/down, next/previous music track, and microphone mute. An illuminated LED display shows the Sonos’ state, mute status, and alerts you when the microphone is active to safeguard your privacy.
Performance
You can conveniently connect your Sonos One to an 802.11b/g, 2.4 GHz home wifi for seamless music streaming or wire it directly to a router via a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet port if Wi-Fi is unstable. And if you crave digital stereo surround playback, connect this smart speaker with others via Wi-Fi. Alternatively, you can exploit Sonos One’s capability to talk with Siri and enjoy multi-room music playback via Apple AirPlay 2 on Apple devices running iOS 11.4 and above.
Thanks to the collaboration with Amazon, you can stream your choice music from Spotify, Amazon Music Unlimited, and Tunein among other partners.
2) Amazon Echo Dot
The Amazon Echo Dot is a little but impressive smart speaker in the Amazon Echo Smart Speakers series. Currently, its latest version is the 3rd generation. It’s made to augment your smart home living at minimal space, making it one of the best selling smart speakers for music lovers. Nonetheless, the Echo Dot lacks a few essential features with the 3.5mm auxiliary cord being the most notable absence.
Design
Designed with rounded edges, the 3rd generation Amazon Echo Dot hardly resembles a hockey puck, unlike its two prior versions. Its outer edges are made of fabric grille, giving it an ultramodern look while the fabric mesh blends it with the other Amazon Echo smart speakers.
The four most familiar buttons for Alexa voice assistant, volume up and down, and microphone mute as well as an array of four microphones are conveniently positioned on the speaker’s top.
At its back, the Amazon Echo Dot features a proprietary power jack, unlike the MicroUSB option in previous versions, and 3.5mm auxiliary audio jack to hook it up with compatible speakers.
In addition, the Echo Dot comes with Amazon’s noise-reduction algorithm to make voice commands more accurate, especially for music control and phone calls.
Performance
You can activate Alexa in the Amazon Echo Dot by saying its name or via its dedicated button. A major setback of the Echo Dot is the complexity of connecting it with other devices as it still relies on Bluetooth technology which is considerably less reliable than Wi-Fi connectivity. Though not a deal-breaker, this disqualifies the Echo Dot from the list of most trending smart speakers for playing DJ music.
Still, the 3rd Gen Echo Dot embodies the Amazon echo sound quality with a revamped audio system that pushes it higher in playback quality than all prior versions. Nonetheless, the Amazon Echo Dot is mostly ideal for select music genres like rap as it hardly outputs bass like its competitors. It may also lead to loss of vocals in a cacophony of sounds due to its minuscule speaker.
Though Amazon is still working to improve the audio playback quality, you may have to connect your Amazon Echo Dot to a better external speaker to enjoy better quality loud music experience.
3) Google Home Max
If you’re a music enthusiast looking for a high-end smart speaker with built-in Google Assistant, then Google Home Max is your best choice.
Design
The Google Home Max is a massive smart speaker made of an off-white or black chassis and muted mesh housing. It contains six in-built far-field microphones for accurate voice control as well as rear ports for various physical connectivity options- a switch for microphone toggle, a 3.5mm audio jack to hook up analogue gadgets, and a USB-C port to charge compatible devices like your Pixel 2 or make a more stable USB-C to Ethernet connection so you can stream your favorite music better.
This smart speaker is cleverly designed and comes with a magnetic resting pad to safeguard your furniture from scraping. Also, you can rest it vertically or horizontally depending on your preference or available space.
Performance
Built for a full auditory experience, the Google Home Max outputs layered, rich-quality playback. Regardless of your house’s size or design, this smart speaker’s in-built microphones and Google algorithm automatically tweak the equalizer to give you the best quality smart playback according to the surrounding acoustics.
The Google Home Max also comes with a touch-control panel that cleverly adapts to its orientation. While your smart speaker is resting horizontally in a surface; shifting your finger from left to right increases the playback volume. When placed upright, however, the controls flip such that moving your finger upwards increases the volume.
You can use the speaker’s Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to sync it with other compatible devices or stream your favorite music. With its Google Assistant support, you can ask Google Home Max questions, control connected devices, and make phone calls. Further, Google’s partnerships with numerous companies will allow you to stream music from entities like iHeartRadio, Pandora, Spotify, and YouTube Music.
4) Apple HomePod
Design
The Apple HomePod is an excellent smart speaker choice for music playback and streaming as it’s built with incredible sound quality and a highly responsive interface. It’s made specifically for use with the Apple smart products line so you can only use it with Siri voice control to enjoy your favorite music through Apple Music.
Performance
The Apple HomePod adjusts the music playback in sync with your room’s acoustics. This way, you enjoy excellent quality sound from every music track you listen to.
Bottom line
Smart technology is swiftly evolving to present the world with more cutting-edge smart appliances. To get the real value for your buck when purchasing a smart speaker to listen to, control, and stream your favorite music, you must conduct thorough due diligence.
Some smart speakers may contain a host of features fitting for smart home security, making phone calls, and controlling various home alliances among other functions. To get the best music experience, go for smart speakers with high-end voice assistance, strong speakers for rich feedback, reliable web connectivity for music streaming, and seamless compatibility with most of your music gadgets.
2 Comments
Through it is very helpful and doubt clearing blog, this is very kind request that please calibrated all this on price scale.
Sure, I’ll update the article soon.