best free music players for mac supports airplay

This combined effect makes the HomePod 2 our current recommended AirPlay speaker.

Thanks to AirPlay 2 it’s also quick and easy to connect the HomePod 2 with another HomePod 2 in stereo, which we found worked great with Spatial Audio and Dolby Atoms content during our checks. Siri support is also excellent, with the HomePod 2’s mics easily picking up our tester’s vocal commands even during tests with background noise. Switching to The 1 by Taylor Swift, our testers were immediately struck by the clarity and warmth of the vocals. Despite this, the Apple HomePod 2 dealt with it admirably delivering crisp audio that was blissfully free of the sibilance we experience listening to it on many competing speakers. SBTRKT’s Trials Of The Past in Apple Lossless is a track nearly every speaker this price struggles with. The clever trick it plays, that no other speaker on this list does, is to intelligently optimise its settings in real time depending on where it’s placed.ĭuring our checks, we could hear the speaker adjusting its sound moving it from an open area to a location next to a wall in our listening rooms. Testing the HomePod 2 we were amazed not just by how well it sounded, but also by how easy it is to set up. It’s also one of the smartest you’ll find at this price in this list. The HomePod 2 is the best AirPlay speaker made by Apple. 30 Apple Music tips, tricks and features.

Despite its five-star rating (and the fact that it's a belter of an AirPlay smart speaker) in March 2021 Apple announced it was discontinuing it to focus its efforts on the HomePod Mini – which is absolutely on our list. The reason? Oh it's nothing to do with performance. You may be surprised to see that the Apple HomePod isn't on this list. If you want to keep your Apple Music experience entirely on brand, these are your best AirPlay speaker options. Plus, it means you can use the product with non-iOS source devices too.

If you're not quite ready to give up one technology for the other, you will be pleased to note that most AirPlay speakers also offer Bluetooth, so you won't miss out on any functionality. There's also the promise of improved audio buffering and multiple control access across iOS devices to acknowledge (a useful touch for multi-room streaming). Thanks to AirPlay 2, multi-room playback is on the menu – and it is not limited to Apple-branded products. Size and aesthetics aside, you need to know the perks of opting for a speaker with AirPlay baked in. Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.

Best free music players for mac supports airplay