Audio Pro Addon C10 MkII: Two -minute review

Update September 19, 2025: WiiM and Audio Pro have contacted TechRadar to clarify that contrary to the initial September 4 announcement about a big Audio Pro WiiM-powered wireless speaker rollout, Audio Pro's new range of speakers aside from the C10 you're reading about here and the new A10 should no longer be described as "powered by WiiM" and instead "powered by LinkPlay", which is the parent company of WiiM. Audio Pro's new speaker range does not integrate with the WiiM ecosystem, and does not have direct WiiM support.

The release states: "For further clarity, the only Audio Pro speakers that are powered by WiiM and integrated with the WiiM Home app are the A10 and C10, WiiM Edition speakers, available exclusively via WiiM’s Amazon storefront."

To explore how WiiM compares to Sonos as a multi-room option, read this guide to the current state of both platforms. The rest of this review remains as written.

The Audio Pro Addon C10 MkII is a predictably good-looking wireless speaker with plenty going for it purely in design terms (as long as you're OK with monochrome). It’s lost its handle and its Amazon Alexa voice control compared with the original model, but it’s gained a swanky new streaming platform (thanks, WiiM!) which offers an absolute stack of options where music sources and system flexibility are concerned.

Best of all, it’s a fine-sounding speaker that is able to extract an absolute stack of information from a recording and put it into convincing context. It’s punchy when it needs to be, it’s insightful, and it sounds a heck of a lot bigger than it looks. Deft control of the low frequencies, plenty of midrange articulacy and a winning way with dynamic variations all add to its sonic charm. If it was just a little more vibrant and exciting when the music demanded it, the Audio Pro Addon C10 MkII would be absolutely ideal, but it is nevertheless worthy of a place among the best wireless speakers out there.

Audio Pro Addon C10 MkII review: Price and release date

• Cost $360 / £259 / AU$699 (approx.)
• Launched in 2021

When the Audio Pro Addon C10 MkII first launched back in 2021, it cost $450 / £329 / AU$749 (approx.).

Fast-forward to today, and not only has this product become even more compelling thanks to upgrades in its streaming support and smart features, but it’s also routinely available for $360 / £259 / AU$699 (approx.). It looks like rather than becoming outdated, the C10 MkII has matured and evolved…

Audio Pro Addon C10 MkII review: Features

• 80 watts of power
• Dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2
• Numerous streaming options

It’s fair to say that Bluetooth 4.2 with SBC and AAC codec compatibility is not the most inspiring specification for a wireless speaker in 2025. But what the Audio Pro Addon C10 MkII lacks in cutting-edge Bluetooth chops, it more than makes up for in its wireless network abilities.

The exemplary control app, which is now bolted to WiiM’s extremely well-regarded streaming platform, allows you to integrate a lot of music streaming services – and I mean a lot: Amazon and Apple Music, Deezer and Spotify, Qobuz and Tidal, QQ Music, iHeart Radio and vTuner, and plenty more besides. The C10 MkII is compatible with Apple AirPlay 2 and Google Chromecast, and the app allows the speaker to be half of a stereo pair or part of a multi-room system without any fuss whatsoever. It’s an extremely flexible device.

Once aboard, digital audio information is processed by a 24bit/96kHz DAC and then is breathed on by 80 watts of Class D amplification. A pair of 19mm tweeters get 20 watts of power each, and in between them there’s a 133mm midrange driver that receives the other 40 watts. This bigger driver is supported by a rear-facing vertical bass reflex port.

• Features score: 4.5 / 5

Audio Pro Addon C10 MkII review: Sound quality

• Open, detailed and well-controlled sound
• Great tonal balance and frequency response
• Could sound a little more exciting

Yes, by the standards for $350-ish wireless speakers the Audio Pro Addon C10 MkII is quite large. But be assured the sound it creates is plenty larger than the cabinet it’s coming from.

The sort of scale the Audio Pro can invest in a FLAC file of Hookworms’ Negative Space is straightforwardly impressive. It can open the recording out and offer a proper sense of space at the same time, even though the point-source of sound is always obvious. The amount of dynamic headroom that’s available allows the speaker to track the ever-increasing intensity of the recording convincingly, and the control of the lowest frequencies is such that rhythmic expression is confident and naturalistic, too.

And as well as being controlled with real authority, the bottom end – like the rest of the frequency range – is loaded with detail and variation. The C10 MkII is no thumper – it hits good and hard at the low end, but is textured and tonally varied. The same is true at the opposite end, where treble sounds are bright and substantial, with plenty of information available regarding tone, attack and decay. Through the midrange, the Audio Pro is about as explicit and as eloquent as any device of its type and price I’ve heard. It communicates in absolute torrents.

The tonal balance is nicely judged – it’s not absolutely neutral, but the tiny suggestion of warmth (especially towards the bottom end) is almost certainly sensible in the context of the circumstances the C10 MkII will probably be used in. The evenness of the frequency response is splendid, too, giving measured and appropriate weighting to every part of the tonal range, without underplaying or overstating any particular area.

Really, about the only area of mild concern where the sound of this speaker is concerned has little to do with the specifics of performance – it’s more about attitude. For all of its undoubted dynamic potency and ability to paint a full and nicely detailed picture, the Audio Pro is not the most demonstrative listen.

It sounds quite like it looks: sophisticated, understated and in unarguable good taste. This, where audio quality is concerned, can be considered shorthand for ‘slight lack of excitement’. No one is interested in a feral loudspeaker, of course, but at those moments when a recording demands vigor and attack, I get the strong impression the C10 MkII thinks this kind of behavior is a little beneath it.

• Sound quality score: 4.5 / 5

Audio Pro Addon C10 MkII review: Design

• 165 x 320 x 185mm (HxWxD)
• Black, white or gray matte finishes
• Magnetically attached grille

The Audio Pro Addon C10 MkII is, by the standards of a ‘rectangular box’ wireless speaker, very nicely finished and actually quite elegant in an understated sort of way.

This is just as well – given the 165 x 320 x 185mm (HxWxD) dimensions, it could have very easily ended up looking a bit bulky. As it is, though, the standard of construction and finish, along with the unapologetically monotone options of black, gray or white matte colours, make for a very harmonious look. The magnetically attached grille helps with the clean look, too.

It’s a fairly sizeable proposition on the average desk, though, and the lack of a handle makes transporting its 4.3kg weight rather less easy than it might be. I can’t deny I’ve used the bass reflex port as a handle, but I can’t imagine Audio Pro would recommend it as an option…

• Design score: 5 / 5

Audio Pro Addon C10 MkII review: Usability and setup

• Great control app, extensive physical controls
• No voice control
• Can easily be part of a multi-room set-up

Unlike the previous generation of C10, there’s no Amazon Alexa voice control here – there’s no voice control at all, in fact. You may count this as a negative, you may not, but there’s no denying that your other control options are very nicely realized indeed.

That WiiM-powered control app, as already mentioned, is stable, logical and slick in operation. As well as the ability to integrate a generous number of music streaming services and internet radio providers, it’s also where you can form a stereo pair or establish a multi-room system. There’s bass and treble adjustment, the ability to establish as many as half a dozen presets, input selection, the ability to check for firmware updates and various timer and alarm-clock functions.

The top surface of the cabinet features a selection of controls, too, embedded in a tactile steel plate. Power, volume, playback control and Bluetooth pairing are all available here, and access to the six presets you’ve defined in the control app are also available. There’s also a little LED giving confirmation of the selected input.

• Usability and setup score: 4.5 / 5

Audio Pro Addon C10 MkII review: Value

• Excellent standard of finish
• Versatile streaming platform and app
• Extras add up to value for money

Consider the standard of build and finish, and then consider the out-and-out sound quality. Take into account the great new WiiM-powered streaming platform and all its possibilities, from forming a true stereo pair to easily creating a multi-room system.

And then look around at what this kind of money can buy you from alternative brands. Yes, the Audio Pro Addon C10 MkII is very good value for money indeed.

• Value score: 4.5 / 5

Should you buy the Audio Pro Addon C10 MkII?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Audio Pro Addon C10 MkII: Also consider

How I tested the Audio Pro Addon C10 MkII

Because the C10 MkII is mains-powered rather than battery-powered, I listened to it exclusively in my home. It’s a bit big for a desktop speaker, but nevertheless I gave it a go – it was much more at home on a shelf in the lounge, though.

I listened to music from Tidal and Qobuz via the excellent control app, of many types and quite a few different file sizes. And I listened both critically and with the Audio Pro functioning simply as a ‘background’ device – and there were never less than thoroughly enjoyable.

• First reviewed: July 2025

Sonus Faber Concertino G4: Two-minute review

The Sonus Faber Concertino G4 are a very posh set of passive bookshelf speakers. That poshness isn’t just imbued by the colour palette and material choices that define their physical form, even though they do help a bit. Nor is that poshness fully explained by the not-inconsiderable $5,000 / £4,625 / AU$9,495 price point, though, again, that cost does its own fair share of heavy lifting on that front.

The poshness of these posh speakers comes, in my opinion, from Sonus Faber’s dedication to detail. So much attention has been paid to the design, construction, and resulting sound of these speakers, creating an experience arguably greater than the sum of its parts.

On the sound front, these speakers sound unsurprisingly excellent. The two-way design provides for both rich, detailed bass and generous, airy high-end – balanced to the point of tasteful sweetness. There’s a real tactility to the sound produced by the Sonus Faber Concertino G4, as if you could reach behind each instrument or sound source and cup it in your hands. This incredible, three-dimensional resolution is caveated by some serious directionality, but having to sit before your speakers for optimal results is neither a problem, nor anything new.

Visually, it’s hard to beat those walnut sides – but the vegan Ohoskin leather cladding gives it a good old college try. The brass accents consummate the executive nature of these speakers’ design, and the high attention to detail paid in their execution. If you’ve the figurative brass to spare, and are willing to buy more than a great pair of speakers, here’s where to start looking. Among the best stereo speakers money can buy? Absolutely.

Sonus Faber Concertino G4 review: Price & release date

• Released September, 2024
• Priced $5,000 / £4,625 / AU$9,495

The Sonus Faber Concertino G4 are something of a celebration for the Italian brand – specifically, an anniversary. It’s been 30 years since the first Concertinos made it to listening rooms around the world, and Sonus Faber has deigned to mark the occasion with this special revisit to its classic design.

The first 300 pairs of the Concertino G4 are numbered via a unique brass plate on the left cheek, and sold as the Concertino G4 Maestro Edition; the pair reviewed here is number 29. The occasion, the numbering of the first out of the gate, and the brand from which they hail are all overt clues as to the lofty space these audiophile bookshelfs aim to occupy on the market. The other is the price – $5,000 / £4,625 / AU$9,495 per pair, with purpose-designed iron stands coming in at an extra $1,500 / £1,375/ AU$2,875 (approx.).

These are by no means the most expensive speakers you’ll see from Sonus Faber – indeed, they actually sit quite comfortably at the cheaper end of the brand’s (dauntingly broad) price bracket – but they are nonetheless considerably pricy objects d’art. How do you think they hold up?

Sonus Faber Concertino G4 review: Specs

Sonus Faber Concertino G4 review: Features

• Passive, bi-wirable two-way speakers
• Unique cork damping
• Look at ‘em!

The Sonus Faber Concertino G4 are a pair of passive two-way bookshelf speakers, but also probably the most beautiful pair of passive two-way bookshelf speakers I did ever see. I’ll be breaking down the impeccable aesthetic design of these bookshelfs a little later, but for now – quelle finesse!

Being a passive set of hi-fi speakers, the Concertino G4 are fundamentally uncomplicated and untroubled by the shoehorning-in of needless techy fripperies. However, there are some very nifty goings-on within, that make for a sound as phenomenal as the look. More specifically, the Concertino G4 utilize some precision-modeled cork damping material inside, which does a remarkable job of reducing internal resonances (and, I like to think, contributes a certain ‘springiness’ to the resulting sound of these excellent speakers).

This cork damping is paired, for the first time in Sonus Faber’s history, with a mid-woofer – a 5-inch paper-pulp, long-throw mid-woofer that goes some way to defining the brand’s sonic signature. Couple this with a 1-inch silk-dome tweeter, and you have a stunningly broad, stunningly rich set of living room listeners.

The speakers are, of course, bi-wirable; what else would you expect from a two-way speaker at this price? This writer doesn’t subscribe to the idea that running a bi-wired speaker system results in any tangible sonic improvements whatsoever, but bi-amping is a very different thing entirely – and something the Concertino G4 promise to benefit from all the more.

In the box, you’ll find the speakers, some optional magnetically attachable grille cloth covers, and, if you’re lucky enough to get a double-digit Maestro Edition, one of 100 hand-printed artworks – a copy of an etching, illustrating the Concertino G4’s unique internal damping, delivered in an embossed manila envelope. As far as ‘box candy’ is concerned, this is an excellent little gift, especially for the monumental shame that such downright cool designs are permanently, necessarily hidden from view.

• Features score: 4.5/5

Sonus Faber Concertino G4 review: Sound quality

• Exceptional dimensionality
• Sonorous low-end
• Generous, airy high-end

Holy hell.

Being a writer of variable income (that is, varying somewhere between 'ramen noodles every night' and 'slightly posher ramen noodles every night'), I tend to champion the cheaper stuff over anything. Particularly so when returns diminish starkly after a certain price cut-off, and especially where it’s obvious that a premium brand is cashing in on its perceived pedigree as opposed to offering anything of serious value.

As such, it’s rare for me to recognize anything asking upwards of $2000 as 'worth it'. But the Concertino G4 are exceedingly hard to turn down, simply for the rapturous quality of sound they dare to bring into my humble living room.

I use ‘three-dimensional’ a lot as a term when describing the structure and texture of a given device’s auditory performance, and am forced to again here – but in full acknowledgement that this is about as three-dimensional as any bookshelfs can be. The platonic ideal. The dragon I’ll be chasing for decades to come.

Rich(ard) Dawson’s End of the Middle is a record rich (geddit?) in raw percussive instrumentation, blooming low-tuned guitars and alternately plain-spoken/high-falsetto’d art-folk tales of the unexpected. Through the Concertino G4s, Dawson’s heartbreaking windows into the banal (played from a 12-inch on my Victrola Stream Sapphire) are rendered with stunning richness and clarity.

Aptly for the Sonus Faber name, these are sonorous speakers. The low-end is unbelievably rich and structured; it’s rare to feel like you can reach behind the bass strings and grasp the thick air in their wake. Dawson’s voice is rich [that's enough now – Ed.], complex, and fully present – his fricatives feel as if formed in the room.

High-end information is rendered generously. There’s a sense that all higher elements sit plushly within a cushion of air, presenting themselves forth for scrutiny without force or strain – the same force and strain that, in my self-invented mythos of sound, causes tinniness, cloy or otherwise intolerable screech from lesser sources.

The balance of sound is hugely directional. If you, like me, place these facing across a room as opposed to down it, you’re likely to find patches of especial untamed bass-i-ness. Unsurprisingly enough, if you situate yourself where Sonus Faber’s manual actually instructs you to – that is, dead in front, with the speakers facing you, as one point of an audiophile equilateral triangle – the fruits of the Concertinos’ labor make the sense they’re supposed to make.

Dirty Projectors’ Swing Lo Magellan, also listened to on vinyl, is every bit as immediate as your mind’s ear interprets it. It might be a bit dross to fall on the word ‘musical’ to describe the Concertino G4 here, but here we go nonetheless – the subby kicks of opener Offspring Are Blank are discrete, weighted and musical, a far cry from the placeless wub lesser speakers would offer up as alternative.

As Offspring…’s pre-chorus opens out with twanging guitars, there’s a spring in the step – a delightful bounce emphasized by the rubbery drums and densely sponged short-scale bass of ensuing track About To Die. Percussion throughout the album is supple and giving despite its forefront presence, and David Longstreth’s dry, dead-center vocals are a floaty, reedy delight. My album favourite, The Socialites, has a weight and focus I’ve not heard elsewhere. It's a unique joy.

Speaking of which, the Concertino G4 has no issue bringing that same weight and focus to famously less-focused records, like My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless. Kevin Shields’ stacked soundscapes throb and thrum with excitable energy throughout, while the dead, motorik drums at the center of When You Sleep punch out from behind as if pummeled by a hammer. Side B loud-lullaby Sometimes is a glorious bath of multi-tracked guitars and rabbit-heartbeat kicks, distinct in its indistinctness and clear in its complete lack of conventional clarity. A beautiful paradox delivered through these speakers.

The word I keep returning to with these speakers is ‘generous’. There’s space in and around everything tackled, from distant roomy drums to attention-begging upfront vocals – space enough you genuinely feel as if you could cup each element in your hands, or awkwardly reach around them to grab something. Aside from their clear preference for head-on listening (which is, assuredly, of necessity and by design), these speakers are functionally faultless.

• Sound quality score: 5/5

Sonus Faber Concertino G4 review: Design

• Executive walnut and brass build
• Delicious vegan leather cladding
• Nifty magnetically attachable clothe grille covers

Design-wise, it’s hard to know where to start with the Concertino G4s because of Sonus Faber’s trademark meticulousness. Each speaker is a work of art, exuding craftsmanship from every angle. They benefit from beautifully shaped walnut cheeks, with an outward crease that runs from bottom to top, front to rear, and bisect the trapezoidal shape of the whole thing in a very pleasing manner.

New here is the involvement of Ohoskin, an Italian manufacturer of high-quality leather alternatives. This bio-based leather material (made from orange and cactus byproducts) is eco-conscious, sure, but also a stunning ‘pleather’ that clads the top and front of the chassis. It certainly could’ve fooled me.

Between this sleek black not-actually-leather and the solid walnut cheeks, these are a distinctly executive set of audiophile speakers, enhanced further by the mirror-polished brass that forms its front logo panels, rear terminal plates and side-mounted issue number placards. Even the studs holding those walnut cheeks in place are highly reflective, monogrammed indications of attention to detail.

That same attention to detail gifts us sleekness elsewhere. Sonus Faber supplies you with a pair of lightweight cloth grille covers, which you may optionally attach to the front of the Concertino G4 by way of some concealed magnets beneath the pleather.

Now, I think these speakers look far better in their uncovered glory, both for generally preferring uncovered hi-fi speakers and for having my own aesthetic misgivings around the covers' design. Still, the option is a nice one to have, and well-executed besides – from the completely invisible magnets to the soft felt material covering the ‘feet’ on the covers themselves.

• Design score: 5/5

Sonus Faber Concertino G4 review: Value

• Commands a considerable price
• But represents more than just ‘good sound’
• Clearly made with skill, reverence and love

When buying the Sonus Faber Concertino G4, you’re actually buying at least two things, not one. Yes, one of them is an excellent-sounding pair of bookshelf speakers, but you’re also buying an immaculately designed, reverently constructed pair of artworks for your living space. On top of that, if you buy the Maestro Edition, you’re also buying a secret third thing – a limited-edition set, made all the more valuable for its combination of rarity and pedigree. It is with this in mind that I suggest, humbly, that value is difficult to ascribe to this set of speakers.

I’ve heard dozens upon dozens of bookshelf speakers below £1,000 – and even owned a fair few second-hand speakers bought for below £100 – that display similarly remarkable attention to detail in the audio realm, even if their chassis leave a little to be desired. Yet all fall short, however marginally, of the dimensionality on display here. Buying the Concertino G4 for performance alone could be justifiable, yes, but only if you’re willing to throw an extra £3,500 at the extra 5-10% that elevates these speakers above their upper mid-range contemporaries.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the Concertino G4s. It’s a rare pair of speakers that can so convincingly render voices and instruments in discrete three-dimensional space, and nothing short of magic to hear the care with which such sound sources are treated. But you can find this for less. What you can’t is the Italian-made, executive-saloon suavity of the Concertino’s form, or the combination of this hand-built reverence with such deferent approaches to audiophilia.

So, while I might not be currently tempted to sell my belongings in favor of owning the Sonus Faber Concertino G4, I do know that, with the right capital and in the right atmospheric conditions, I’d snap them up in a heartbeat. Not just for their impeccable sound, but for the space they command, and for what that command represents.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Sonus Faber Concertino G4 review: scorecard

Should you buy the Sonus Faber Concertino G4?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

Also consider

How I tested the Sonus Faber Concertino G4

• Tested for four weeks
• Used in my living room, as my primary listening speakers
• Tested using a Victrola Stream Sapphire and Cambridge Audio receiver

As someone with considerable personal and professional investment both in the enjoyment of music and in its production, I have unique experience on both sides of the equation. I engage with speakers of various types as a matter of course each day, from flat-response studio monitor speakers to gorgeous, flattering hi-fi numbers like these.

For four glorious weeks, the Sonus Faber Concertino G4 speakers were my primary listening speakers in my living room. I wired them into my Cambridge Audio Azur 540r receiver, which received the sound of my vinyl record collection via a Victrola Stream Sapphire turntable (outfitted with an Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge).

First reviewed: July 2025

Read more about how we test at TechRadar

Audioengine A2+ review

Designed for desktop use, and living rooms where even bookshelf monitors claim too much space, this compact Bluetooth speaker package from Audioengine punches above its weight when it comes to versatility and design. But can the A2+ also hit the right notes when it comes to musicality?

I fostered a pair, eager to find out if pint-sized speakers really can deliver a reassuringly big sound to match the best stereo speakers.

The Audioengine A2+ Bluetooth speakers are tailored for near-field listening. Measuring a mere 152 x 101 x 134mm, these titchy enclosures offer a wealth of connectivity, including Bluetooth aptX-HD, USB, and analogue stereo input/outputs via RCA phonos and 3.5mm minijack. They lack a digital audio input though.

Available in a choice of matte (blue or black), and gloss finishes (red or white), build quality is excellent. My glossy red review set oozed premium appeal, their reflective glossy finish contrasting beautifully with the black drivers.

The cabinets themselves have decent heft. Made from MDF, they stand just slightly taller than a Snickers bar and should be easy to accommodate on untidy desks, or even as part of a minimalist Hi-Fi setup.

The left speaker is the active model, with connectivity, built-in amplification and volume control, while the right is its passive partner. The power supply is separate from the active enclosure, thankfully the brick isn’t too large.

Each cabinet houses a 70mm aramid fibre woofer and 19mm silk dome tweeter, with venting at the base to enhance low-frequency performance.

Unsurprisingly, given their size, these speakers are not volume monsters. The system is rated at 15W RMS per channel at 4 ohms, with a peak power output of 30W per channel.

When it comes to system configuration, there’s the option of USB audio, stereo RCA inputs, and a 3.5mm minijack input. There’s also a subwoofer output should you want to add extra bass, in the form of Audioengine’s S6 subwoofer.

Despite this versatility, I expect most buyers will probably do the majority of their listening via Bluetooth. Here, aptX HD ensures high-resolution wireless audio streaming (when connected to an aptX HD compatible smartphone), though there's no Wi-Fi, unlike most of the best wireless speakers. My system was ready to connect as soon as it powered up.

Also included in the box are 2m of connecting speaker wire, a minijack audio cable, plus a USB lead to connect your PC. All of this, plus the speakers, comes packed in microfiber cloth bags for protection. There’s no remote control included (although you probably don’t need one).

Setup is nice and straightforward: just connect the passive right speaker to the powered left with the included speaker cable, connect the power brick, and you’re good to go.

It’s worth noting that the A2+ is not a smart system; there’s no voice assistance from the likes of Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.

Straight from the box, the A2+ are an enjoyable listen, not least because they’re capable of true stereo imaging, something of a rarity in the predominantly one-box Bluetooth speaker market. Tracks like Stevie Nicks’ Edge of Seventeen showcase this well, with the choppy guitar riff anchored on the left and percussion neatly spread across the stage. Their spatial presentation is coherent and involving.

Clarity and detail are also good; the A2+ reward hi-res audio sources, finding subtle nuance in Pearl Jam’s Present Tense (24-bit/48kHz) and Radiohead’s sonically layered Burn the Witch (24-bit/48kHz). They definitely have a knack for detail retrieval.

Given their compact size, low frequency performance is understandably limited. Chase and Status’ thumping Baddadan lacks the visceral low-end thump associated with this drum and bass belter. If you want more slam, you’ll need to add that subwoofer.

The mid-range is the sweet spot here. From Dire Straits’ Sultans of Swing, where the interplay between tweeter and woofer handles intricate riffs effortlessly, to the soaring piano of In This Moment’s Into the Light, the A2+ system proves adept across genres – those treble highs always as clear as crystal.

I’d hesitate to call the A2+ speakers musical, though. I never felt myself carried away by its beats, and I was always aware sounds were emanating from the two shiny enclosures, rather than hanging in the air before me. That said, what the A2+ offers is precise and performative.

Loren Allred’s pleading vocals in Never Enough, from The Greatest Showman soundtrack, manages to elicit an emotional tingle, exactly as it should.

While 15W per channel is perfect for desktop use (Audioengine optimistically quotes 60W peak power output), these speakers struggle to serve larger rooms. They’re also quite directional, sounding sharpest when aimed squarely at eye/ear level, so position accordingly.

Audioengine A2+ review: Price & release date

• £255 / $269 / AU$449
• Launched August 2024

The Audioengine A2+ Bluetooth speakers are available now for £255 or $269 (US), which undercuts many of their main rivals, including the likes of the Kanto Ren, which are around twice the price.

The S6 subwoofer (£299 / $299) pushes up the system price quite considerably, though, and you certainly can find other Bluetooth stereo speakers for a similar price or cheaper, including from the likes of Edifier and Majority.

Audioengine A2+ review: Specs

Should you buy the Audioengine A2+?

Buy them if…

Don't buy them if…

Audioengine A2+ review: Also consider

How I tested the Audioengine A2+

Over the course of a week, I evaluated the Audioengine A2+ in various settings, focusing on near-field desktop use. Material was streamed via aptX HD Bluetooth and played through a wired high-resolution music player. Tracks ranged from classic rock to EDM and orchestral pieces, allowing me to assess tonal balance, clarity, and stereo imaging.

Speaker width was dictated by the supplied speaker cable which links the two enclosures, which were positioned at head height (or thereabouts) for optimal performance.

• First reviewed: March 2025
• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

Sonus Faber Lumina II: Two minute review

Since the early 1980s, Sonus Faber has been creating high-performance, high-end loudspeakers and charging a (generally perfectly justifiable) arm and a leg for them. But in a move not many people saw coming, the company decided to democratize its ‘Made in Italy’ cachet by launching a pair of speakers that sell for an almost-mainstream $1,499 / £999 /AU$2,200 per pair. They’re called the Sonus Faber Lumina II.

In many ways, the Lumina II are Sonus Faber business as usual. The standard of build and finish is impeccable, the materials are premium (although the company’s customary use of real leather will no doubt alienate as many people as it excites), the look is sophisticated and understated. And, sure enough, there’s a little ‘Made in Italy’ sticker on the cabinet's rear, just to let you know you're dealing with something a little special even among the heady brands that make the best stereo speakers.

In many ways, the Sonus Faber Lumina II sound like their money’s-worth, as well as looking and feeling like it. They’re a balanced, insightful and nicely detailed listen, are able to organize a soundstage well, and with unarguable talent where frequency response and tonal fidelity are concerned. No, they’re far from the punchiest speakers around – they run out of meaningful puff quite early in the bass frequencies – and they’re not enthusiastic about bigger volume levels, either.

But for some people, the fact that this is Sonus Faber we’re talking about will be enough to overlook these (admittedly fairly mild) shortcomings. The harder-headed consumer, though, knows that the Sonus Faber Lumina II are far from the only choice at this sort of money – the likes of the KEF LS50 Meta loom large.

Sonus Faber Lumina II review: Price and release date

• Released June 15, 2021
• $1,499 / £999 / AU$2,199

The Sonus Faber Lumina II are on sale now, and in the United Kingdom a pair will cost you £999. In the United States, you’re looking at $1,499, while in Australia they’ll set you back AU$2,199.

Passive standmounting speakers at this sort of money are not exactly a rarity, of course. So, apart from the ‘handmade in Italy’ cachet, what does Sonus Faber have up its beautifully tailored sleeve?

Sonus Faber Lumina II review: Features

• 29mm ‘damped apex dome’ tweeter
• 150mm pulp/fibre mid/bass driver
• Front-facing bass reflex port

As a pair of small and (relatively) affordable passive loudspeakers, the Sonus Faber Lumina II aren’t exactly awash with features, but those they have are of high quality and are utterly fit for purpose.

So, reading from the top of the front of each speaker, there’s a 29mm tweeter of Sonus Faber’s own ‘damped apex dome’ design, which features a silk diaphragm and is mounted using a visco-elastic baffle to effectively isolate the vibration it produces from the cabinet. Below here there’s a 150mm mid/bass driver – a cone made from a combination of natural fibres and cellulose pulp. It sits in what Sonus Faber describes as an ‘ultra-free compression basket’, and the promise is of high linearity and dynamic performance.

The speakers stand on a little plastic plinth – there’s a little gap between the main cabinet and the plinth where a bass reflex port faces forwards. This makes the Lumina II nicely forgiving of positioning in your room, notwithstanding a few rather unusual positioning issues thrown up further down in the ‘design’ section.

The overall arrangement is good for a frequency response of 55Hz - 24kHz, according to Sonus Faber. Crossover is at an unremarkable 1.8kHz, sensitivity is an equally ordinary 85dB, and nominal impedance is four ohms. The manufacturer suggests that any worthwhile amplifier with 50 watts or more available should be able to drive the Lumina II without issues.

• Features score: 4 / 5

Sonus Faber Lumina II review: Sound quality

• Detailed and spacious presentation
• Organized and unflappable…
• …unless you decide to listen at bigger volumes

If you’re familiar with any of Sonus Faber’s products from the turn of the century onwards, the overall emphasis of the Lumina II sound isn’t going to come as much of a surprise. No matter the sort of stuff you like to listen to, and no matter the source of it, these speakers are a balanced, naturalistic and periodically absorbing listen.

The tonal balance of the Lumina II is carefully neutral, so a nicely organic recording like Nico’s The Fairest of the Seasons enjoys a true-to-life depiction of the small string section, acoustic guitar, and expressive and unmistakable vocal. There’s plenty of detail revealed and contextualized at every part of the frequency range, and the Sonus Faber travel from top to bottom in a smooth and undemonstrative manner. No part of the frequency range gets overstated and, apart from the very lowest frequencies, no part is underplayed. The crossover between tweeter and mid/bass driver is all-but imperceptible.

The speakers do good work with harmonic variations, and are quite explicit where soundstaging is concerned, too. There’s a respectable degree of dynamic headroom available, and a willingness to track even the smaller changes in attack or intensity carefully.

Switch to a copy of Aw, Shoot! by CMAT and the Lumina II’s ability to open up a fairly compressed and dense recording is straightforwardly impressive. It can create appreciable space on the soundstage, and where less accomplished speakers present this recording as a sort of aural wedding cake, with element piled on top of element, the Sonus Faber bring some order to bear. Detail levels are good all over again, and the ability to tease out the finer, more transient occurrences in a recording and let them enjoy a little breathing space is not to be sniffed at.

There’s appreciable bite and shine at the top of the frequency range, but nothing too threatening or hard-edged – there’s real refinement to the treble response here. The midrange is eloquent and revealing, and – up to a point – low frequencies are just as substantial and well-resolved as everything going on above them.

The Lumina II don’t so much run out of extension at the bottom of the frequency range – not by the standards of reasonably compact standmounters, anyway – as run out of conviction. There’s a lack of power and drive towards the bottom of their frequency response which can make for a slightly lightweight rendition of whatever it is you’re listening to. Low frequencies are nicely controlled, so rhythmic expression is convincing, but outright ‘punch’ is in rather short supply.

It’s equally safe to say that volume is a factor in the Sonus Faber comfort zone. At moderate volumes the Lumina II are a composed, insightful and well-organized listen, with talents that extend well beyond ‘unflappability’. But if you up the ante, volume-wise, a fair bit of that composure deserts them, along with some of their powers of organization. The can begin to sound just fractionally two-dimensional and ever-so-slightly stressed. Dial the volume down just a little and normal service is quickly resumed.

• Sound quality score: 4 / 5

Sonus Faber Lumina II review: Design

• Choice of three finishes
• Leather-covered sides and top surface
• 304 x 180 x 263mm (HxWxD)

Obviously you’ll make up your own mind as to the decorative potential (or otherwise) of the Sonus Faber Lumina II. What can’t be argued with is the quality of construction or finish – these are impeccably made loudspeakers. The company’s ongoing determination to cover a good portion of its speakers in leather (both sides and the top of this model) won’t sit well for those who’d prefer a vegan option, but as far as ‘craftsmanship’ is concerned, the Lumina II have plenty in evidence.

Each speaker is a tidy 304 x 180 x 263mm (HxWxD), and if you choose either of the ‘walnut with maple inlays’ or ‘wenge with maple inlays’ the front baffle is of multilayered wood with real wood veneer. The piano black alternative is glossy, all right, and also built of multilayered wood but it’s quite reflective, so is not perhaps the first choice for those who may wish to use their Lumina II as part of a home theater set-up in a darkened room.

At the rear of each cabinet there are four nickel-plated speaker binding terminals that can be used with bare wire, banana plugs or spade connectors. Biwiring or biamping is perfectly straightforward.

Although the configuration of the speakers makes them quite forgiving of room position, the liberal use of leather does not. The company is quite unequivocal: you should not position your Lumina II near windows or sources of heat, and they should not be exposed to direct sunlight. Perhaps lots of leather isn’t such a brilliant idea after all…

• Design score: 4 / 5

Sonus Faber Lumina II review: Value

‘Made in Italy’ seldom comes cheap, and in a market dominated by speakers that have been ‘designed and engineered’ in one place and then inevitably ‘made in China’, it’s quite a prestigious point of difference. And where materials, build quality and the standard of finish are concerned, it’s hard to argue that you’re not getting full value here.

And up to a point, that’s all true when it comes to sound quality, too. But a look at the ‘also consider’ section below lets you know that if you’re prepared to forgo a bit of the undeniable Sonus Faber cachet, better pound-for-pound performance is available…

• Value score: 4 / 5

Sonus Faber Lumina II review: Should you buy them?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

Sonus Faber Lumina II review: Also consider

Sonus Faber Lumina II review: How I tested

• Connected to a Naim Uniti Nova, listening to Qobuz and Tidal tracks
• Also hooked up a Rega Apollo for CDs; Cambridge Audio/Clearaudio for vinyl

During my spell listening to the Sonus Faber Lumina II, they were powered by a Naim Uniti Nova streamer/amplifier capable of delivering 70 watts of power per channel. I also used the Naim for listening to Qobuz and Tidal, as it is both a streamer and an amplifier.

I listened to compact discs using a Rega Apollo player, and vinyl via both the Cambridge Audio Alva TT v2 and Clearaudio Concept turntables.

The Lumina II remained in my listening space for the test's entirety – the area is nothing too sophisticated, it’s a fairly ordinary (though not particularly reflective) room that works excellently for my purposes. Using this disparate sources, I listened to myriad different recordings, from a plenty of genres, and from a wide range of eras.

• First reviewed: February 2025
• Read more about how we test

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition: Two-minute review

The Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition is part of a great lineage. It’s been almost 20 years since the first Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin launched – back then it was an iPod dock with a 30-pin connector. It’s moved with the times, of course, so now this version offers aptX Adaptive Bluetooth codec compatibility and the ability to host numerous music streaming and internet radio services within the ‘Music’ control app it has in common with other Bowers & Wilkins wireless audio products.

The look of the Zeppelin Pro is, of course, the look. The Zeppelin line is very much its own thing, and build quality and the standard of finish are predictably good. And when it comes to business, the Pro Edition features a reworked tweeter array and uses the titanium dome unit found in the class-leading B&W 600 S3 series of passive speakers. That's along with a couple of mid-range drivers and a relatively large (150mm) bass driver, plus 240 watts of power to drive them; the on-paper specification is promising to say the least.

And in practice, the Zeppelin Pro Edition makes good on that paper promise. It’s simple and quick to get it up and running, and once the listening starts in earnest there’s next-to-nothing to take issue with.

It’s a detailed, spacious and vigorous listen, able to tease out the finest details yet hit with real determination at the same time. The tonal balance is convincing, the frequency range is integrated smoothly, and there’s an openness to the presentation that’s far superior to any other one-box option among the best wireless speakers at this budget. It’s not the last word in dynamic expression, true – but nevertheless, the ‘plus’ column is far, far longer than the ‘minus’ where sound quality is concerned.

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition review: Price and release date

• Costs $799 / £699 / AU$1,349
• Launched in late 2024

The Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition is on sale now, and in the United Kingdom it costs £699. American customers will have to part with $799, while in Australia it’s more like AU$1,349.

You’re not short of choice where wireless speakers at this sort of money are concerned, of course. The excellent Naim Muso Qb Gen 2 is down to this sort of money nowadays, and things like JBL’s Authentics 500 are well worth considering too…

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition review: Features

• Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX Adaptive codec compatibility
• 240 watts powering a five-driver array
• 35Hz - 24kHz frequency response

In most respects, the Zeppelin Pro shares a feature-set with the 2021 incarnation of the Zeppelin. Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX adaptive codec compatibility, 240 watts of Class D grunt powering a five-driver array, compatibility with the exemplary Bowers & Wilkins ‘Music’ control app, a claimed frequency response of 35Hz - 24kHz… so far, nothing has changed.

In fact, the only major difference where features are concerned is regarding 40 percent of the driver array. The Zeppelin Pro uses the same 150mm low-frequency driver and the same pair of 90mm ‘FST’ (fixed suspension transducer) mid-range drivers as the 2021 model – although the mid-range drivers have had their cone damping upgraded in an effort to minimize cone break-up.

The tweeters in the Zeppelin Pro, though, are 25mm versions of the titanium dome design that’s currently in use all across the company’s 600 S3 range of full-size passive loudspeakers. This, it’s fair to say, is an upgrade on the double-dome tweeters fitted to 2021’s Zeppelin. Revised digital sound processing is deployed to take account of the new and improved tweeter line-up.

As with previous Zeppelins, the Pro features built-in multi-room functionality - it can be paired with other Zeppelins or members of Bowers & Wilkins’ ‘Formation’ range of wireless speakers (in case anyone remembers them). The Pro can also be used in conjunction with any of the company’s current (and excellent) line-up of wireless headphones and earbuds.

And as with previous Zeppelins, the Pro is only part-smart. Bluetooth connectivity is all well and good, of course, and the fact that it can sit on your home network and access your favourite streaming services (or, at least, some of them) is good news too – but there’s no DLNA or UPnP compatibility, so network connectivity only takes you so far, and the speaker has no truck with voice assistants either.

• Features score: 4.5 / 5

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition review: Sound quality

• Wide and organized presentation
• Punchy and detailed in equal measure
• Dynamic, but not to the extent separate speakers

Everything’s relative, of course, but while the idea that the Zeppelin Pro creates a true sense of stereo separation is hard to get behind, there’s no denying it generates a wider and more spacious sound that pretty much any other price-comparable single-unit wireless speaker is capable of.

It’s this openness that’s the most immediately striking thing about the way the Bowers & Wilkins performs. You’d never confuse it for the sound of two stereo speakers, of course, but whether it’s playing a 16bit/44.1kHz file of The Wedding Present’s Dalliance or a 24bit/96kHz equivalent of Summon the Fire by The Comet Is Coming, the Zeppelin Pro musters a big, well-organised and entirely convincing soundstage on which a recording can fully express itself.

There’s a gratifying amount of attention paid to the spaces between instruments and voices, and the amount of elbow-room each element of a recording enjoys makes for a coherent and easy-to-follow presentation.

Low-frequency impact is significant, and there’s good control of the attack of bass sounds at the same time – so the low end doesn’t blur, and rhythms are confidently described. The mid-range benefits a great deal from the overall spaciousness – vocalists of all types and all competences get the chance to properly communicate, for better or for worse.

And at the top of the frequency range, the reworked tweeter arrangement allows for plenty of substance to accompany the top-end bite and attack the Zeppelin Pro can muster. Integration of the frequency range is smooth and unobtrusive, despite the numerousness of the drivers here.

The Pro maintains a nicely neutral tonality throughout, and manages to invest every part of the frequency range with plenty of broad and fine detail. It does good work with high-frequency transients, and gives the bottom end lots of texture and variation where lesser speakers can just thump along monotonally. And the mid-range is absolutely alive with personality – there’s an eloquence to the way the Bowers & Wilkins hands over a voice that is never less than engaging.

Only a slight inhibition during the bigger dynamic shifts in volume and/or intensity prevent the Zeppelin Pro from scoring full marks here. If ever a band indulged in the ‘quiet/LOUD/REALLY DAMN LOUD’ dynamic, it’s The Wedding Present – but when the angst really gets into full swing the Bowers & Wilkins just can’t quite breathe deeply enough to give it the fullest expression.

It’s not that everything happens at a fixed level of attack, you understand – it’s just that there’s greater distance between the most contemplative and most fierce moments in the recording than the Zeppelin Pro is able to describe.

• Sound quality score: 4.5 / 5

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition review: Design

• Choice of two new finishes
• Choice of 15 (!) downlight colors
• Still looks like a Zeppelin

If you’ve seen one Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin, you’ve seen 'em all – which is not meant to be any kind of a put-down. In one guise or another, it’s a product that’s been in production for almost two decades, and it’s rapidly approaching ‘classic’ status – and the way it looks hasn’t done any harm in this respect.

So the Zeppelin Pro is recognizably a Zeppelin, and at 210 x 650 x 194mm it’s the same dimensions as the 2021 model. You’ll need a decently sized surface to stand it on, although at 6.6kg it’s hardly a burden where weight is concerned.

The speaker wears its relative bulk quite lightly, though, and this is helped in no small way by the two finishes – both new – in which it’s available. My review sample is in ‘solar gold’, and ‘space gray’ is also available. And within the stable, logical and extensive control app, there are no fewer than 15 different ‘ambient light’ colors with which to illuminate the speaker’s foot (and, if you’re anything like me, expose exactly how long it’s been since anyone did any dusting around here). Or you can turn it off altogether, of course.

• Design score: 5 / 5

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition review: Usability and setup

• Bowers & Wilkins ‘Music’ control app
• Some physical controls
• Swift and stable wireless pairing

The Zeppelin Pro is ‘just’ a wireless speaker, and as such it doesn’t take long to set up – unpack it, plug it in, let the ‘Music’ control app (free for iOS and Android) discover it, connect it to your local network, and you’re in business.

The control app is fairly thoroughly specified. As well as Bowers & Wilkins’ curated content, it’s also able to let you integrate your favourite music streaming service(s) – as long as they’re Amazon Music, Deezer, NTS, Qobuz, SoundCloud or TIDAL. Spotify Connect and AirPlay 2 provide alternative ways of getting music over to it. Internet radio is available via Last.fm and TuneIn.

EQ adjustment (or, more accurately, bass and treble adjustment) is available, and the app also lets you update firmware as and when, and for some reason has a switch to allow aptX Adaptive reception to be switched on or off.

There are a few physical controls at top of the rear of the speaker, too. ‘Bluetooth pairing’, ‘volume up/down’, ‘play/pause’ and ‘power on/off’ are all available.

• Usability and setup score: 5 / 5

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition review: Value

• Bowers & Wilkins devices are always of a very high standard
• Not as pricey as some B&W devices, but just as impressive
• Excellent specs and sound

If you know Bowers & Wilkins, you know there’s seldom any issue regarding the standard of build and finish of any of its products – and that’s as true of the Zeppelin Pro Edition as it is of a pair of its passive speakers costing tens of thousands of pounds.

Add in thorough specification, nicely executed control options and an intangible, but definite, pride of ownership and we’re well on the way to calling this wireless speaker ‘very decent value for money’. The way it sounds simply confirms things.

• Value score: 4 / 5

Should you buy the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition: Also consider

How I tested the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition

I positioned my review sample on the top shelf of my Blok Stax 2G equipment rack, and then because it was preventing my turntable from sitting there I also positioned it on a necessarily large bookshelf.

I used my Qobuz and TIDAL accounts to stream music of many different varieties and file sizes, and I also checked out some favorite internet radio stations using TuneIn.

I can’t pretend it was any kind of hardship to do this for well over a week…

• First reviewed: February 2025