Everything about AirPlay 2 speakers and receivers
Thanks to AirPlay 2, you can combine multiple speakers into a multi-room system. You can find which manufacturers are participating in the overview below. Don’t want to search for too long? Then we recommend choosing the HomePod mini (approx. 100 euros) or the Sonos One SL (approx. 200 euros). You can also purchase the regular Sonos One with voice control.
- HomeKit speakers
- AirPlay 2 speakers
- AirPlay 2 receivers
- AirPlay 2 televisions
- AppleTV
- Unsuitable?
HomeKit speakers
If you want to give commands to HomeKit via the speaker, you need a HomeKit speaker. At the moment there is only one product that makes this possible, namely the Apple HomePod mini. This speaker costs about 100 euros and offers you the option to give commands to switch on the lighting or adjust the heating, for example.
Which AirPlay 2 speakers are there?
AirPlay speakers have been around for a few years and more and more manufacturers are adapting their products for AirPlay 2. Sometimes it means that you have to buy a new product, but fortunately there are also manufacturers who release a software update for AirPlay, so that your existing speakers can make it suitable for AirPlay.
Apple’s own HomePod, the Apple TV and the AirPort Express have been equipped with AirPlay 2 support for quite some time now. With the AirPort Express you can turn an existing speaker into an AirPlay 2 speaker, but note that this device has been removed from Apple’s range. So you will have to look in the second-hand circuit.
The following manufacturers release speakers with AirPlay support. For the complete list, check Apple’s website.
- Apple HomePod (available)
- Bang & Olufsen
- Bose
- Bowers & Wilkins
- CANTON
- Denon
- Devialet Phantom I and II
- Harman Kardon
- IKEA Symfonisk
- JBL
- Libratone
- Marshall
- Phillips
- Samsung
- Sonos
- Tivoli Audio
- Yamaha
Is your speaker not listed? Then check the overview on Apple’s website, because it is impossible to be completely complete.
You can find these speakers at the online Apple Store, Coolblue, bol.com, Amac, MediaMarkt, Wehkamp and other parties. Gradually more and more suitable speakers are released. We regularly update this list as soon as more speakers are announced.
Which AirPlay 2 receivers are there?
In addition to speakers, you will also find AirPlay 2 receivers in the store. These receivers usually require a software update before they work. New products usually already have AirPlay 2 support.
You can check this list to see which receivers officially support AirPlay 2:
- Arcam
- Bang & Olufsen
- Bose
- Bowers & Wilkins
- Denon
- JBL
- Libratone
- Marantz
- Onkyo
- Pioneer
- Sonos
- Yamaha
AirPlay 2 televisions
Maybe you are looking for a soundbar with AirPlay 2 for the television. In that case, you can also consider a television with AirPlay 2, because there are more and more TVs that support it. You can choose from models from LG, Samsung and Sony.
Alternative: connect speakers to Apple TV
If you have an unsuitable speaker, you can still use AirPlay 2 thanks to the Apple TV. Your television and speakers connected to it can play music via AirPlay 2 via the Apple TV. So you do not connect directly to the speakers themselves, because all communication takes place via the Apple TV. You need at least an Apple TV 4 or newer with tvOS 11.4 or later. This does not work on Apple TV 3 and older.
Don’t know which Apple TV you have? Then check out our list of Apple TV models.
Help, my speaker is not listed!
Manufacturers decide for themselves whether they provide a speaker with AirPlay 2 support. This depends on a number of factors, such as the age of the device, its technical specifications and the willingness of the manufacturer to cooperate. Some manufacturers have developed their own wireless technology and will see AirPlay 2 as a threat to it, or a lesser solution.
For example, manufacturers such as Sonos only release the update for specific models. This depends, for example, on the chip inside and the space that an AirPlay 2 firmware update would take up in the memory. That is why older Sonos speakers often no longer receive support. For example, the Sonos Play:1 has too little processing power.
Please note with Sonos Playbar and Sonos One
Please note, however, that the combination of Playbar and Sonos One or Play:5 (second generation) does not work. If you have set up the Sonos One and Play:5 as surrounds, they cannot function as an AirPlay speaker. It is always the home theater speaker that determines whether your setup is suitable for AirPlay. If that is a Playbar, you cannot use AirPlay.
If you want to use AirPlay 2 and the price does not matter much, you can buy a HomePod. You have to go to Germany, France or one of the other countries for this, because the HomePod is not yet officially available in the Netherlands and Belgium. Sonos speakers are more easily available and if you want to go for more expensive brands, Marantz and Denon offer broad support.
Apple’s official list does not include a date for the various speakers, so you will have to follow the announcements from individual manufacturers to know when the AirPlay 2 update for your favorite brand or speaker will be available. On iCulture we also keep an eye on manufacturer announcements.
Would you like to know more about AirPlay 2 and how it works?
