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

Product Information

Multi-room speaker systems are tested for sound quality, features, ease of set-up and use, and overall performance. And we aim to test multiple products in each family, usually involving at least two wireless speakers and a soundbar but this will vary depending on each system's product line-up. 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.

The Addon C5A welcomes us with that same Award-winning musical understanding. There’s plenty of bass for a unit this size, and a level of detail we’ve become used to from these speakers, but the highlight is undoubtedly these boxes’ level of expression. Clear, balanced sound with a wide soundstage makes for superb listening. It’s powerful and punchy enough for a party but without breaking glass or shaking walls. Lyrics come through clearly and aren’t at all overwhelmed by the bass, making for a very pleasant and precise sound. Through the Audio Pro Control app, you can actually adjust the bass and treble to better suit you as well. Other features in the app include a sleep timer to save energy or alarms to get you out of the house on time in the morning. 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.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. 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. Sure to fit in with any modern home aesthetic, the Audio Pro C5 Mk II is striking with Scandinavian roots, and you can tell. Removing a service requires that service's ID and passcode - yet the reason I want to remove a service is because it's outdated and I don't have the login info! Updating, sure. But removing???? All the controls for the speaker are located on a metal panel on the top. These are all clearly labelled, so it doesn't take long to get to grips with them. They also have a satisfying "clunk" to them when pressed; they are a world away from the cheap plastic buttons you find on many other speakers. There's also a separate panel for the built-in Alexa feature, with an LED strip to tell you when the C5A is listening and a button to manually mute the microphone.

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 bugs are neither constant nor devastating, but the odd stutter and hang – particularly when pairing or splitting speakers – gets annoying in a short time. 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. 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.

Design & Build

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 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. 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...