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

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The Addon C5A has impressed me for a couple of years. I love the speaker's look and think it’s one of the best looking on the market. The multi-room wireless audio works great, but Audio Pro does need to improve its app to keep it up to date with Sonos etc. 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 is the use of a BMR, or Balanced Mode Radiator, tweeter that is most canny, however. Among its many benefits, this flatter-faced driver has the ability to offer wider dispersion than a traditional tweeter – up to 180º in fact – and so can make the most of the A10’s cylindrical form, making it far less fussy when it comes to positioning.

Audio Pro Addon C5A review | What Hi-Fi?

This range of speakers has always been blessed with straightforward musicality, but as part of a multi-room system the range of tasks the Addon C5 is asked to perform is likely to be wider. Talk radio and podcasts are on the menu, perhaps even services as an upgrade to TV speakers.But it’s important to point out the Audio Pro is far from the most limited multi-room app out there, and its occasional bug and rudimentary nature is forgivable when you consider the price and sound quality of the speakers it's controlling.

Audio Pro Addon C-Sub Multiroom Subwoofer - Black Audio Pro Addon C-Sub Multiroom Subwoofer - Black

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.In terms of features, both the Sonos One and the Audio Pro Addon C5A are fairly evenly matched. They both come with built-in voice controls via Alexa (the Sonos One also supports Google Assistant too), which definitely makes them a lot easier to use. Simply ask the speaker to start playing something, whether that's a song, playlist, or even an internet radio station, and it will- simple! Unsurprisingly, that’s one of the first things that jumps out when we switch the A10 on. We love the directness of its siblings, but the versatility and sheer spread of sound here is to be admired. It doesn’t have quite the unwavering focus, nor the sheer weight in the low end, but we can move around our test room and still be treated to the same high quality sound. Both Bose and Sonos offer speakers and soundbars that can talk to each other wirelessly to create a multi-room system. Our tests have shown Sonos' devices have come out on top overall, thanks to the reasons listed above. But Bose does make some excellent speakers, while its noise-cancelling headphones are some of the best in the business.

Audio Pro Addon C5A with Alexa built-in, Wireless, Bluetooth

Remember, the Addon range is a system meant for you to combine the different speakers in the range depending on where you are listening. If it was my money, I would go with a C10 in the living room, C5A in the kitchen and bedrooms, and perhaps a C5A set up in the garage and study. That would be a really nice setup for an average family home. Final Thoughts The Addon C5 is as happy expressing the irreverence in Mortimer’s tone – and the desperation in Dawson’s as he attempts to say something funny – as it is laying down the grooves on Echoes. Have a speaker in every room and play to one or all at the same time, listen where you want and how you want. Enjoy high quality streaming or play music from your computer: the choice is yours.All four speakers house a large circular volume control flanked by sets of four smaller buttons on the top: for power-on, play/pause, input selection and Bluetooth pairing to the left, and pre-sets to its right. In comparison to Sonus? For me, it’s not even close; the Audio Pro is better looking and better designed. Audio Pro Contol Application The increased power and driver and cabinet size predictably ushers a grander performance each step you take up the chain, with the Addon C10 particularly able to rattle trinkets from the mantelpiece or twist our insides with its low-end authority.

Product Support - Audio Pro - Play Nice Product Support - Audio Pro - Play Nice

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. 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. The usual connections, wired and wireless, are featured, with the A10 having capacity for 3.5mm aux, Bluetooth 4.0, Apple AirPlay, wi-fi andSpotify Connect. It also supports MP3, WMA, AAC, FLAC and Apple Lossless formats.Of course, it helps that Sonos' app is first class, as is its sound quality. Is Bose or Sonos better? It's a combination of factors. Sonos has been in the game for a long time, so it's built up a reputation. Its ecosystem is one of the most comprehensive out there, with all the main streaming apps and services covered, and an 'everything just works' approach. The sound quality applied to Audio Pro can be felt in every tune played on the Addon C5A. Feel and hear every detail, with a consistently powerful performance and punchy delivery. Sound quality is subjective. Ask even two audiophiles to compare the same speaker, and they will probably have very different opinions. At their price point, both of these multiroom speakers massively outperform the competition. If we had to choose between them, though, we would have to give the edge to the Addon C5A. For one thing, it's much more comfortable producing truly room-filling sound. With twin 3/4" tweeters and a 4" long-throw tweeter, all powered by a 40W Class D digital amplifier, it produces truly hi-fi quality sound. The Sonos One is slightly less expressive, whereas the speaker tech and layout of the Addon C5A means music of all genres has enough space to really shine. Features I will keep this short because there is no real reason to compare. Depending on the size of your room, how much bass you like, and how loud you listen to music will all factor into which one works best.