Streaming Device Reviews

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Barb Gonzalez  |  Nov 29, 2024  | 

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $99

AT A GLANCE
Plus
4K Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos
Spot-on content suggestions
Continue watching from the home screen on most apps
Remote control finder

Minus
Push-to-talk remote for voice commands
No dedicated Play button on the remote
Not WiFi 6 capable
The library menu is poorly designed


The Verdict
The Google TV Streamer’s faster processor provides improved sound and video quality, making it a solid performer. But what really sets this streamer apart is its excellent home screen content suggestions, personalized using AI to analyze your Google activity for the perfect recommendations.

Mark Henninger  |  Jul 31, 2024  | 

Performance
Build Quality
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $1,000

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Rich, detailed sound for an all-in-one
Excellent build quality
High-resolution audio support
Subwoofer output
Minus
No visual display
App is very basic
No S/PDIF input

THE VERDICT
The JBL L42ms is a music-focused integrated system that blends retro aesthetics with modern audio technology. Its simple design offers high-quality sound, ease of use, and useful features. It is a well-crafted, high-performance speaker that delivers audio satisfaction.

The JBL L42ms speaker system is a testament to JBL's ability to blend the charm of classic design with cutting-edge audio technology. Inspired by the iconic JBL L100 speakers from the 1970s, the L42ms is part of the company’s Classic Series and features an attractive wood veneer finish and JBL’s signature Quadrex foam grille.

Barb Gonzalez  |  Apr 17, 2024  | 
Ever since Sonos came out with a multiroom audio solution nearly two decades ago, companies like Bose, Denon (HEOS), and others have followed suit. In 2012, Canada-based Lenbrook Group—which manufactures NAD, PSB Speakers, and Bluesound—first launched its BluOS platform for speakers and devices. It has morphed and developed into BluOS 4, the most uncomplicated controller and aggregator app for wireless speakers.
Leslie Shapiro  |  Mar 06, 2024  | 

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE Arcam ST5 Streamer ($799) and A25 Integrated Amp ($1,499): $2,298 (as tested)

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Gorgeous matching components
Streamlined integration
Excellent sound quality
Minus
Identical remotes
App lacks direct access to Tidal and Spotify

THE VERDICT
Combining a streaming media player and amplifier eliminates all excuses to use anything else to play music. You can add the speakers you prefer for the music you enjoy with seamless access to Tidal, Spotify, UPnP, and a USB drive powered by a 100 Wpc amplifier. What a winning combination!

Come on and admit it. Most of the time, when you stream your favorite playlist from Spotify or Tidal, you just toss it to the nearest little Bluetooth speaker you have. Or heaven forbid, just listen to it on your phone. Oh, the humanity.

While getting access to infinitely massive libraries of streaming music has become amazingly easy, listening to that music on a high-quality system still seems to be elusive. However, pairing the new Arcam A25 integrated amplifier with the also-new Arcam ST5 streaming media receiver makes it effortless to get your music from the cloud out to your oft-neglected stereo speakers.

Barb Gonzalez  |  Jan 24, 2024  | 

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $699

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Power to push most speakers with clarity at all sound levels.
Wi-Fi connection supports up to 192kHz/24- bit high-resolution audio.
Plays from a wide variety of streaming and physical music sources.
Clean design with easy-to-read front display.

Minus
The DTS Play-Fi app is clunky, buggy, and hard to use.
There is no equalizer to make sound adjustments.

THE VERDICT
With the Prime Wireless Pro SoundBase, streaming music has become a sit-down-and-listen experience rather than just background music. It has excellent sound quality for a reasonable price. It’s a great addition to include quality stereo music streaming, even if you already have a sound system.

For anyone who has been waiting for streaming music to be a high-quality sit-and-listen experience, the SVS Prime Wireless Pro SoundBase streaming integrated amp fits the bill. It’s the second-generation S VS wireless smart integrated amplifier.

Not only can it play just about any high-resolution audio file you send to it, but this 300-watt class D amplifier powers your speakers easily for outstanding sound. Connect it to standard speakers, and it becomes a DTS Play-Fi zone with reference sound (i.e. uncompressed) quality that can stream from numerous music services like Tidal, Deezer, Qobuz, Amazon Music, and others.

Daniel Kumin  |  Jan 17, 2024  | 

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $4300 (UD-701N), $3800 (AP-701B)

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Faultless sound quality
Superb headphone amp
Outstanding build, finish quality
Minus
Less-than elegant app, interface
Expensive

THE VERDICT
Jewel-like stereo separates deliver definitive stereo audio performance.

Rob Sabin  |  Jul 12, 2023  | 

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $2,471

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Outstanding full-dome Atmos movie effects
Superb spatial audio music reproduction
Plays loud without distortion
Minus
Expensive
No spatial audio streaming from the Sonos Tidal app

THE VERDICT
Sonos has scored a knockout with the Era 300 spatial audio surround speaker, which finally brings the full promise of Dolby Atmos to their flagship soundbar.

Back in 2020 I reviewed the then-new Sonos Arc soundbar for Sound & Vision, and it never left my family room. It’s been swapped out multiple times while I reviewed other Atmos-compliant soundbars, and some of these were mighty impressive.

Rob Sabin  |  May 10, 2023  | 

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $449

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Excellent stereo and spatial audio
Works as a standalone, in stereo pair
Use as rear surrounds with Sonos soundbars
Good "smarts" with Alexa, Sonos Voice
Bluetooth compatible
Impressive industrial design

Minus
No compatibility with Atmos tracks on Tidal
Does not work with Sony 360 Reality on Amazon
Sensitive to speaker placement

THE VERDICT
The Sonos Era 300 successfully brings high quality spatial audio to life in a compact, standalone package.

The Sonos Era 300 is the latest in a new generation of Atmos-compliant "spatial audio" speakers that bring a more immersive listening experience without the hardware and installation grief inherent with discrete surround systems. At $449 (in black or white), it costs more than its competition though, in typical Sonos fashion, it is engineered to a fare-thee-well and represents a considerable achievement.

David Vaughn  |  Apr 25, 2023  | 
For eight months, I've had a Kaleidescape Strato-C and 48TB Terra server in my system and the user experience has been outstanding. At the time my initial review posted many readers argued that the system offered poor value compared to ripping discs onto local storage solutions and playing them through an Nvidia Shield or similar front-end device.
Mark Henninger  |  Apr 03, 2023  | 

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $1,349 (Juke-6) / $1,499 (Juke-8)

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Plug-and-play upgrade
Simple and reliable
Low cost per zone
Expandable
Minus
Only 20 watts RMS per channel
No EQ

THE VERDICT
The Juke is a simple, affordable way to retrofit an existing multiroom wired architectural speaker system, or power a new one. It provides high-quality sound and is easy to use.

Multiroom streaming audio is a fun and affordable way to upgrade your home. Juke Audio's six-zone or eight-zone (12- or 16-channel) smart amplifier is a quick, easy, and reasonably priced way to get started. Leveraging AirPlay/AirPlay2 and Spotify Connect, it communicates directly with a wide array of supported apps.

Leslie Shapiro  |  Feb 02, 2023  | 
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $800

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Easy streaming to Sonos
Automatically turns on
Included Ortofon 2M Red cartridge

Minus
App is finicky
Lacks phono output
Dust cover feels cheap
Complex music can overwhelm codec
Expensive

THE VERDICT
The Victrola Stream Carbon Turntable is a fun, convenient, albeit expensive way to stream directly from vinyl into the Sonos ecosystem. With RCA line outputs, it's also a simple, solid turntable for a traditional analog system.

If you've wandered by some iterations of Victrola turntables on the shelves in Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond, or Crate & Barrel, you wouldn't set high expectations for the sound quality of those suitcase record players. However, in a bold move, Victrola hit the market with the Stream Carbon Turntable VPT-3000 (MSRP $799), designed for the serious vinyl enthusiast who also craves the convenience of streaming into their existing Sonos ecosystem.

Mark Henninger  |  Jan 31, 2023  | 

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $300

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Clear and detailed sound
Easy to set up and use
Supports Dolby Atmos, eARC
Pair two with an Apple TV 4K for a complete system
Minus
Needs an iOS device for setup
No optional subwoofer
Limited maximum volume

THE VERDICT
Apple's attractive and intelligent HomePod speaker arrives just in time to ride the spatial audio wave. It's a technologically advanced, high-fidelity, hyper-smart speaker that transforms into a full-blown surround-sound system when you add a second one.

The moment I first heard a pair of the new Apple HomePod speakers play spatial audio, I could not get one thought out of my mind: This is going to be more than good enough for 90+ percent of listeners. Of course there will still be a place in this world for large, powerful, multi-speaker systems.

Barb Gonzalez  |  Jan 28, 2023  | 
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE A50+ $199, S50+ Pro $219

AT A GLANCE
Plus
A50+
Multiple music sources include streaming music services
Multiroom streaming or stream separately
EQ adjustment buttons on remote
Presets to favorite playlists
Stream legacy devices like turntables or CD players

S50+ Pro
Pairable with A50+ for synchronized listening throughout the home
Optical input and output
Decodes high-resolution audio
Remote control with EQ direct buttons
Presets to switch to favorite playlists from a variety of services
Stream legacy devices like turntables or CD players

Minus (A50+ and S50+ Pro)
The 4STREAM app is confusing and incomplete
Can’t create a play queue
Amazon Music has bugs (doesn’t play when switching from another app)
Output is compressed CD quality, not high-resolution audio
Doesn’t have AirPlay2
Doesn’t work with Alexa, Google, directly with Siri

THE VERDICT
The Arylic A50+ wireless multiroom full digital hi-fi amplifier and the S50+ Pro wireless streaming preamplifier are reasonably priced streaming solutions for specific needs. These aren’t devices for the average user looking for a whole home music system. Instead, the Acrylic amp and preamp are better suited for DIYers or users who are comfortable piecing together a system.

Arylic's A50+ and S50+ are small music streamers that work with most music sources...

Barb Gonzalez  |  Jan 22, 2023  | 

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $140

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Super Resolution Upscaling to 4K improves HD and SD content
Hands-free control of the Fire TV Cube and Smart Home Devices
Fast navigation and loading of content
Connect thumb drive or external drive to view/listen to media
Connect webcam for video calling
Minus
Sponsored apps, ads, and Amazon’s FreeVee monopolize home screen and search
Set-top box integration didn’t work with DISH Hopper

THE VERDICT
If you have Amazon Prime, cable or satellite, and smart home devices, definitely consider upgrading to the Fire TV Cube 3rd generation.

The 3rd generation Fire TV Cube has several new features that may make it worth upgrading from your current Fire TV. One of these features is HDMI pass-through, which allows for easy integration with set-top boxes. Additionally, the cube has a more powerful processor that improves picture quality. As the top-of-the-line Fire TV model, the cube combines the functionality of a smart Echo speaker and a streaming Amazon Fire TV.

Barb Gonzalez  |  Dec 01, 2022  | 

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $29.99

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Quick and easy setup
Excellent picture quality when upscaled on a 4K TV
Connects to TV USB for power
Voice control, private listening, and hidden control with mobile app
Minus
It only supports up to 1080p high-definition resolution
Is not Dolby or DTS enabled, requires pass-through
It cannot be hidden behind the TV
No volume buttons, microphone, or TV control on remote

THE VERDICT
With its Roku OS simplicity and surprisingly good performance for an HD streamer, it’s an excellent choice for anyone looking for a budget device to go with a second TV.

Considering its low price, it wouldn't be fair to compare the entry-level Roku Express with higher-end 4K models. This 1080p streamer isn't trying to be the best in the market, but it does an excellent job for what it is—a value-priced HD player. When the Roku Express goes on sale, it's an easy choice as a gift or to go with that legacy TV in the second room.

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