Audio Pro Addon C5A with Alexa built-in, Wireless, Bluetooth, Smart Speaker with Multi-room – Grey

Product Information

Sure to fit in with any modern home aesthetic, the Audio Pro C5 Mk II is striking with Scandinavian roots, and you can tell. Yes, but if they had a hub, even an internet outage wouldn't affect it. I have cheap smart outlet plugs, several Lutron switches and recently added an AppleTV so I can access HomeKit when I'm away. When our internet goes down, unless our router blew up, we still have our home network - we just have no connection to the world. Our printers work. Our lights and outlets work. Sonos works. Apple speakers work. Other speakers work. You can't get streaming services, nor access to your music in the cloud, so I'm not sure what the point would be since no content is stored locally that I know of? Unless you use cellular data, in which case ANY Wifi connected speaker system would work. What Hi-Fi? said:Sonos might be among the best in the business, but it isn't your only option if you want to go multi-room. It goes loud, too. From the moment we start playing music, it’s clear that the HomePod Mini comfortably outperforms its size and price, quite frankly embarrassing its direct competition with the sophistication and maturity of its sound.

Setting up the speaker for the first time with Wi-Fi is very easy, you can choose to do so with the Audio Pro Control app, Google Home or Apple Home. For the purposes of this test, I used both the Audio Pro Control app and Google Home. Over the years it's also built up a portfolio of products that covers every need, from portable speakers ( Sonos Roam), to soundbars ( Sonos Ray), and everything in between. So whatever kind of system you're building, there's a Sonos speaker (or three) for every room in the home. Though there is a pair of unknown quantities in the Audio Pro line-up as far as we’re concerned – the Addon C-Sub can help those smaller speakers delve deeper into the low frequencies, while the A40 is set to receive a wider release following its design for the company’s 40th anniversary– our time spent with the rest of the company’s speakers allows us to confidently celebrate it as the best-sounding multi-room suite available for the money. On top of the sub is the second part of the Drumfire’s set-up, containing two 11cm woofers and a 25mm tweeter. This box has an RCA input for an external analogue source, as well as an ethernet port and 3.5mm input.At What Hi-Fi? we comprehensively test and review every product we recommend, from soundbars to speakers, headphones and TVs. And it's no different for Sonos alternatives. Living with the app is a slightly different proposition, though. In some ways it’s simple –‘drag and drop’ to partner or separate speakers, either in stereo pairs or multi-room zones, and tweak the bass and treble at your leisure. But it can be a little buggy, and is certainly limited compared to most rival systems. The C10 MKII is a 2022 What Hi-Fi? Award-winner, and boy did it earn that accolade. With multiple streaming and multi-room options thanks to Chromecast, AirPlay 2 and the Audio Pro app, multiple inputs (including RCA and 3.5mm aux in) and arguably the nicest design of all the brand's speakers, the C10 MKII looks as good as it sounds. And it sounds rather lovely courtesy of some big steps up in clarity, bass tautness and refinement over the previous iteration. As the Addon C10 is to the Addon C3, similarly the Drumfire’s better-honed talents run further than the added power and bottom end over its family members – it is again a step up in terms of performance across the board.

Sonos is rumoured to be working on a pair of wireless headphones, so who knows, there might be less to separate these two brands in future... The deep integration with Apple’s ecosystem also makes it blissfully easy to set up. Paired with an iPhone all you have to do is scan for the speaker and run through a few on-screen commands to get it fully up and running and integrated with your smart home setup. The entire process only took us a few minutes. DON'T BUY SONOS is the only advice I can offer. I don't know what else to get; the options you gave were really limited.

The Winner: Audio Pro Addon C5A

The bugs are neither constant nor devastating, but the odd stutter and hang – particularly when pairing or splitting speakers – gets annoying in a short time. Audio Pro C5-A, more lengthily titled ‘Audio Pro AddOn C5-A Wireless Voice-Controlled Speaker’, is a versatile take on the original Addon C5 model, with an increasingly wider universe of connectivity and convenience – combining modern ‘Alexa’ virtual assistant technology with an already-high spec domestic speaker for the trendy home user. As a rule, we do comparative testing – ensuring new products are tested against their rivals according to product type, features and price. Almost all the testing is carried out by our team of expert reviewers at our dedicated test rooms. Each comprises the 'koala bear' driver configuration that has become these speakers’ distinguishing feature, with a pair of 2cm soft dome tweeters and mid/bass drivers (and reflex ports, incidentally) growing in line with the cabinet. Measuring 130 x 250 x 150mm, the Audio Pro C5 Mk II is the same size as its predecessor which is not particularly small but it’s not huge either so will look perfectly at home on a shelf or side table in your living room, office or kitchen. Of course, you do need to place it near a power source because it doesn’t come with a battery built-in, something I think this device would massively benefit from.