The Riva Festival was by far the loudest speaker we tested. That said, if you want the best sound from a Chromecast speaker under $500, this is the one to get. But it's not fair to compare the two, any more than it's fair to compare a luxury sedan with an econobox. As of this writing, it was priced more than three times as high as the JBL Playlist, our top pick. The Riva Festival sounds better than any Chromecast speaker we tested, but it's in an entirely different class of product than our other two picks. It has a rear 3.5 mm analog input for connecting an MP3 player or other source, and a switch that lets it work as the left or right speaker when two CastDock X2s are paired for stereo. The CastDock X2 sounds amazingly good for such a small, inexpensive product, though the bass was not as nuanced as the JBL Playlist's. Just pop off the magnetically attached lid, connect the audio and power cables, drop in the dongle and replace the top. Fortunately, the CastDock X2 is specifically designed to accommodate said dongle. In fact, it doesn't even come with Chromecast-you have to add your own Chromecast Audio dongle, which as of this writing raises the combined price to only about $20 less than the Playlist. It's a no-frills design with no playback or volume controls, so you have to do everything with your phone. If the JBL Playlist isn't available, or if you want a design that's a little more compact, we recommend the Grace Digital CastDock X2. The three of us agreed unanimously-in my experience, a rare result for a blind test.
After they shared their ratings, we removed the black fabric and considered the products' design and prices, and Lauren and Phil gave their final picks. We started with each speaker at maximum volume, so they could see what it was capable of, then we adjusted the volume to their liking. We concealed all of the speakers with thin black fabric, and then played whatever music Lauren and Phil requested using a Samsung Galaxy S8. Next, we called in a listening panel-headphone editor Lauren Dragan and musician Phil Metzler-for a blind test. We listened to various models for a few days, then sat down for a few hours to compare their sound. We started by using them in a casual manner, setting each up on our network, and downloading the manufacturer-provided app if there was one. We ended up with 10 speakers that fit our criteria, at prices ranging from a little over $100 to almost $500. Physical controls for functions like volume or play/pause, for times when you can't find your phone or the phone's in a different roomĪbility to be used portably via a rechargeable battery
#Best chromecast speakers Bluetooth#
Supports for Bluetooth or AirPlay, in addition to Chromecast
There were a few other features that aren't really necessary, but we appreciated seeing them anyways: When looking for the best Chromecast speaker, the only feature we insisted on was Google Chromecast (or in the case of our runner-up, the ability to incorporate a Chromecast Audio dongle). Panelist Phil Metzler contemplates the merits of the design of the various Chromecast speakers after the black cloth was removed to reveal their identities. You can also add Chromecast to practically any speaker with a 3.5 mm analog input, using Google's inexpensive Chromecast Audio dongle. You can also play music from a phone or tablet on a speaker in another part of your home, and can control it using voice-commands through Google Home. Chromecast's main advantage over the more common Bluetooth standard is that it lets you play the same audio on multiple speakers throughout your home.
Why you might want a Chromecast speakerĪ Chromecast Audio speaker connects to your home Wi-Fi network, and receives Internet-based audio content from a Chromecast-compatible app on your smartphone, tablet, or computer. It sounds good and looks great, and is priced low enough that you can buy several for the price of one high-end Chromecast or competing Wi-Fi speaker.
#Best chromecast speakers full#
Read the full article here.Īfter a blind listening test and more than 40 hours of casual use with a variety of speakers, we think the JBL Playlist is the best Chromecast speaker for most people. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter, reviews for the real world.
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