These smart speakers offer premium sound coupled with the advanced functionality of Amazon's Alexa

Amazon's Alexa is one of the most popular smart voice assistants. It works on many devices but truly shines when integrated into a fantastic smart speaker. Whether you want to quickly check the weather, play your favorite song, set a timer, or call a friend, Alexa can do it. You can also use your Alexa-enabled speaker to control any other essential smart devices connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

The sheer plethora of smart speakers available can confuse even the most astute consumers, though. To make your choice a little easier, we've put together this handy list of the best-sounding Alexa-enabled options on the market to help you find which works best for you.

The One is often touted as having the best audio quality of any smart speaker of a similar size, even better than many larger ones. It can be used by itself or as part of a larger whole-home Sonos sound system and boasts a stylish, refined aesthetic that looks great in many settings. You can also purchase it in a 2-, 3-, or 4-speaker bundle for those looking to listen to music in multiple rooms or set them up for surround sound with a TV. They work exceptionally well when paired with the company's Beam soundbar.

In addition to Alexa, which integrates as seamlessly as any of Amazon's devices, the One also supports Google Assistant. You can turn them both off entirely, too, if you have any privacy concerns. It's not without its downsides, namely the lack of an internal battery or Bluetooth connectivity. This means it's only suitable for home listening. Still, it's easily one of the best smart speakers available.

If you care more about smart functionality from a compact and affordable speaker than you do about having the best sound, the diminutive Echo Dot is for you. Though the audio quality is by no means poor and certainly good enough for the average user who just wants to listen to some tunes, it can't compete with the other models on this list.

That said, it's the ideal choice for the nightstand in a bedroom or as a kitchen speaker. It has an illuminated digital clock on the front that can be set to dim and brighten based on ambient light automatically, and you can also turn it off altogether when it's time to sleep.

The microphone does a respectable job of picking up voice commands, so Alexa should have no trouble understanding you. Alexa also speaks clearly when responding, making it equally easy for you to understand her. Overall, it's a smart value buy for someone looking for a wallet-friendly Alexa-enabled speaker to add some smart functionality to their home.

If you've ever owned a Bose speaker before, you won't be surprised by the room-filling audio of the Home Speaker 500. It has a remarkably wide soundstage for its size, thanks to two custom drivers that point in opposite directions to replicate a surround sound experience from a single speaker. There is good separation of high, mid, and low tones, so you never wind up with muddied sound where the bass bleeds into the vocals. Plus, it can be linked to other speakers in the Bose Smart Home Family for multi-room listening. It also has several connectivity options, including wired and wireless. Those who like to listen to radio will appreciate the FM tuner and the ability to store up to six presets. You can access them via the physical buttons on top of the speaker.

If a tablet and a smart speaker had a baby, it would probably look a lot like the Echo 10. It's currently Amazon's most expensive smart device but feels more than worth every penny. It pairs a 10.1-inch HD display for video calling, browsing the web, viewing media, and more. It has two tweeters and a woofer that produce loud and crisp audio. Perhaps the most innovative feature of the Echo 10 is the motorized motion tracking that lets it rotate to keep the screen facing your direction as you automatically move about a room.

It also integrates with video doorbells and smart home security cameras, so you can bring up their feed for convenient viewing on the display anytime. Like the Sonos One, the Echo 10 needs to be plugged in and isn't intended as a portable device for on-the-go use.

The Addon C5A can compete with premium Bose and Sonos devices regarding sound quality, which is essential because it commands a similarly hefty price tag. It also has similar smart functionality. It can link to multiple units together for multi-room listening and easily understand most voice commands without having to overpronounce words or raise your voice. Where it really scores points, though, is the cool retro aesthetic that will catch the eye of all your guests.

It comes in three colorways: black on black, white with black accents, and, our favorite, gray with brown and black accents. The physical buttons on top of the speaker are a refreshing change from all the touch-controlled devices these days too. However, if you're in the market for a portable speaker, you'll have to look elsewhere because the C5A doesn't have a built-in battery.

If you like the functionality of Amazon's Echo devices but feel like they don't deliver on audio and you don't need a portable device with its own battery, then the Studio will be right up your alley. It's the company's most powerful model to date and features three mid-range speakers, a forward-firing tweeter, and a downward-firing 5.25-inch subwoofer. As far as we are concerned, it's Amazon's only model that can compete with high-end speakers from Sonos and Bose in terms of audio quality, and it does so for a more affordable price.

The biggest downside, literally, is the size. It's big, heavy, and bulky, so don't expect it to just sit discreetly on a desk or bookshelf. It looks and feels more akin to an entertainment subwoofer, which makes sense because it works really well for that purpose. In fact, it makes a great budget sound system for a TV that is more than adequate even if you don't add any satellite speakers.

Inside the Denon Home 350 are two tweeters, two mid-range drivers, and two 6.5" subwoofers. Altogether, these six drivers combine to deliver some of the best bass response found in any smart speaker. It gets loud enough to fill entire rooms with sound and doesn't introduce annoying compression artifacts, no matter how high you crank it. In fact, it's both engineered and programmed for premium, essentially lossless audio, with plenty of streaming apps, including Spotify, Tidal, and Deezer built-in. It also supports high-resolution playback of advanced types such as FLAC, ALAC, and DirectStream Digital. As a complete package, it's a better speaker than nearly anything else with Alexa built-in.

So, why doesn't it receive the Premium or Editor's Choice awards? Quite simply, it may have the most advanced sound technology of any smart speaker, but at $700, it's one heck of an investment.

If you want two kill two or more birds with one stone, consider the midrange Yamaha YAS-209BL soundbar. At 36 inches wide, it's a great size for many small and mid-size 4K TVs. A wireless subwoofer means it puts out a wider range than any completely self-contained soundbar could. Working with Alexa is as easy as can be, which makes it the perfect way to add voice control to a living room that doesn't yet have a dedicated smart speaker. There's a lot to like about it, especially at this price; for example, it can filter TV show and movie audio to enhance dialogue in hard-to-hear scenes, and subwoofer setup is as simple as turning everything on.

There are only a few areas of concern. First, it doesn't support some advanced Alexa features, such as alternate wake words and voice calls. There's also no center channel, although the dialogue enhancement does a decent job of making up for it.

When it comes to a rugged Alexa-enabled speaker that can handle just about everything life throws at it, there are few better options than the Megablast. It has a 16-hour battery life and boasts an IP67 rating, which means it can be immersed in water up to 3 feet deep for 30 minutes without ending up any worse for the wear. The speaker produces powerful sound too, and the cylindrical design does a respectable job of dispersing it over a large area, so everyone in an outdoor setting can hear it.

However, audiophiles will notice that the bass can distort slightly when played at the loudest volumes. Also, as great as it is for use on the go, it has downsides worth mentioning that mean there are better options for home use. Unlike many other smart speakers, it can't be linked to other units for multi-room listening. The charging port is a hassle to access, too, though this issue can be mitigated by purchasing the wireless charging base.

Bose's Portable Smart Speaker offers the mighty sound you expect from this company but in a battery-powered, IPX4-rated design for use on the go. Like many Alexa-enabled speakers, you can link it with multiple units for a multi-room sound system, but unlike Amazon's device, this Bose model also features Google Assistant. It isn't the smallest nor lightest portable model, but it's still compact enough to toss in a backpack or beach bag. The flip-up handle makes it comfortable to carry too.

On the top of the unit are physical control buttons for when you prefer to adjust the volume or skip songs manually, and the base is rubberized for stability. It's worth noting that it requires you to download the Bose Music app on your portable device to set up the speaker and update its firmware, but after doing so, the process is simple, and you are guided through every step.

When it comes to Alexa-enabled speakers, there are tons of models to choose from. Surprisingly though, Amazon's own devices aren't always the best choice. In fact, the Sonos One blows all of them out of the water in terms of functionality and sound quality. It allows you to choose between both Alexa and Google Assistant. It integrates perfectly with other Sonos speakers to use surround sound in your entertainment center or create a whole-home sound system.

We'd also recommend Bose's Home Speaker 500 over all of Amazon's speakers if audio quality is your primary concern. Not only does it offer deeper bass than you'd expect from a speaker of its size, but its smart dual-driver design replicates a two-speaker audio setup from just a single device for room-filling sound. In terms of value, though, Amazon's own 4th-generation Echo Dot is impossible to beat. Most Echo products offer impressive versatility, can make convenient voice calls, and even serve as a de facto intercom.

If you want something considerably more versatile, few can match the Amazon Echo Show 10. It's essentially a smart speaker and a tablet combined into a single, all-purpose device that would be a handy addition to any home. In fact, any of Amazon's Echo Show smart displays work well as speakers, but the Show 5 and Show 8 don't have big enough speakers for satisfying music playback.

For pure ruggedness, the Megablast stands at the top of the pack. It's a great choice for an outdoor party speaker since it can withstand all kinds of abuse, including being dropped into water, and its battery lasts all day long. It's been discontinued, so you might have difficulty finding it, but it's a good choice if you can.

We also wanted to highlight a few less conventional options that don't exactly embody the common idea of a smart speaker. The Yamaha YAS-209BL soundbar measures 36 inches and will make your TV sound considerably better while offering nearly all of Alexa's popular voice control functions. Then there's the Denon Home 350, which sports a rather pedestrian design but arguably the best sound quality of any Alexa-enabled speaker. Its combination of two tweeters, two midrange speakers, and two subs ensures you hear every note of your favorite songs perfectly.

The big decision here comes down to whether you need a speaker primarily to recognize and answer your commands or play back high-fidelity music. If you already have a decent speaker setup and don't need another, the Echo Dot is the best value proposition. Households that want premium music playback integrated with an Alexa control center should consider a more high-end option, like the Sonos One or either Bose.

Chris’s first foray into electronics included fixing and destroying early PCs in his dad’s basement while testing the overclocking capabilities of an Intel 486 CPU. Since then, he’s melted considerably fewer processors while pushing increasingly powerful gaming hardware to its limits. He’s spent the last several years writing for numerous online tech magazines, of which Android Police is the latest and most fun. Chris has been a freelancer with Android Police since early 2022 and is honored to contribute alongside its team of experts. His focus lies on straightforward, helpful buying guides that make it easy for the average electronics user to make informed decisions on the most cost-effective devices. In particular, he loves recommending affordable wireless headphones that outperform far more expensive brands. One of his biggest goals is to find a high-quality yet truly compact Android smartphone that doesn’t cost a fortune, something the market hasn’t seen in several years (RIP Sony XZ1 Compact).