The 8 Best Alexa and Alexa-Enabled Speakers of 2021

Best Overall: Amazon Echo Dot with Clock (4th Gen)

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The Echo Dot line primarily began as a dedicated voice assistant to call up information, schedule calls, check the weather, and other typical day-to-day stuff. But the original Dots weren’t particularly great speakers for music listening. That’s where the fourth-generation Echo Dot, with a clock display, comes in.

This round, globe-like device features a bigger, angled speaker driver that provides a much fuller and richer sonic response. Amazon achieves this by angling the speaker upward and toward the front, pushing the sound in the direction of your room, rather than just upward like earlier generations. This makes it an ideal speaker for listening to tunes in the morning or while you’re doing chores.

This particular configuration comes with a bright digital clock face, shown through the mesh on the front, which makes it perfect for nightstands. You can, of course, complete all the expected Alexa tasks, such as smart home control, asking questions, etc. This really is Amazon’s best foot forward for most people, and it comes at a reasonable price.

_{Bluetooth or Wi-Fi: Both | Voice Assistant: Amazon Alexa | Battery Powered: No | Water Resistance: No}

Best Bose: Bose Home Speaker 300

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For general sound quality and user-friendliness, Bose is really one of the best audio brands around. The Home Speaker 300 is its answer to in-home audio with built-in Amazon Alexa functionality. This means you get all the features you can expect from a dedicated Echo Dot built into a room-filling Bose home speaker.

The larger drivers give you a much bassier sonic response, and the round-firing speakers give you a more 360-like sound. Beyond sound quality, you can connect your speaker to your home Wi-Fi system to communicate with your in-home audio system, but you can also use Bluetooth connectivity to connect the speaker to a phone or computer more instantaneously.

Using Bose’s SoundTouch functionality gives you fuller control over any Bose speaker in your system. Simple capacitive touch controls and the classy Bose design round out an incredibly solid option for a smart speaker. At about $200, it is on the expensive side of our list, so that’s a major consideration here.

_{Bluetooth or Wi-Fi: Both | Voice Assistant: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant | Battery Powered: No | Water Resistance: No}

Best for Compatibility: Sonos One (Gen 2)

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One of the other big names in the smart speaker game is Sonos, and the Sonos One is an excellent choice for those who want a fully integrated smart speaker system. This unit allows you to buy into a system that doesn’t lock you into one specific smart ecosystem. That’s because the Sonos interfaces entirely via Wi-Fi through the Sonos app.

While the sound quality will be best if you buy a pair of Sonos Ones to use as a stereo set, a single speaker fits nicely on an office shelf or in a kitchen. Alexa is built right in, allowing for the same smart control you’d expect from the Echo line of smart speakers. But there’s also AirPlay 2 and a host of other services supported through the Sonos app, such as Spotify and Pandora.

There’s a lot of digital signal processing and sound research that has gone into Sonos’ technology, meaning that this speaker sounds just plain great.

_{Bluetooth or Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi | Voice Assistant: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant | Battery Powered: No | Water Resistance: No}

Best for TV & Entertainment: Polk Audio React Sound Bar

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While a dedicated Echo Dot is a great device to have around the house, and many of the models work well in a pinch if you want to listen to music, these gadgets don’t work for rounding out your overall entertainment setup. That’s where a soundbar comes in. The Polk Audio React sits nicely just below your TV, working to pick up where your TV’s sub-par built-in speakers lack.

The React gives you six dedicated drivers, some focused on mids and bass, with tweeters focused on the higher end of the frequency spectrum. Polk has even loaded in some DSP that targets the vocal part of the frequency spectrum to help isolate and accentuate it—perfect for watching dialog-heavy shows.

Then, of course, there’s the Alexa functionality, allowing you to call up Amazon’s voice assistant right from the soundbar itself. This versatile, Wi-Fi based unit works well for movies and entertainment setups.

_{Bluetooth or Wi-Fi: Both | Voice Assistant: Amazon Alexa | Battery Powered: No | Water Resistance: No}

Best Budget: Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen)

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One of the best aspects of Amazon’s dedicated hardware is that you can get a great deal on a great device. The fourth generation of the Echo Dot does provide better sound quality, but if you want to save a few bucks, you can still get incredible performance from the third-generation model. Available in Charcoal, Heather Gray, Plum, and Sandstone, these little circular devices are meant to sit on a table or shelf, blending seamlessly into your decor.

And with the release of this third-generation line, Amazon amped up the sound quality with bigger, better-tuned drivers that provide a fuller sound than older options. And because it’s compatible with Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, and more, it’s actually a pretty capable music machine.

There’s all the smart functionality you could want from an Alexa speaker, such as checking your calendar, calling up the weather, and teaching hundreds of skills dedicated to Alexa. And the best part is because it’s just one generation old, you still get reasonably modern performance at a price that sits under $40 (and can often be had for even less on sale).

_{Bluetooth or Wi-Fi: Both | Voice Assistant: Amazon Alexa | Battery Powered: No | Water Resistance: No}

Best Sound Quality: Amazon Echo Studio

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A lot of the sound features in the Echo Studio might be rather surprising for an Amazon-designed smart speaker. The five-speaker array offers pretty immersive sound for a comparatively small footprint, and the presence of Dolby Atmos tech means this speaker is making the most of the sound quality that's there.

The speakers are laid out in a really interesting way, with three main drivers pointing in three directions, some tweeters to cover the higher end of the spectrum, and a larger subwoofer pointing down with an open port to project. Amazon has also built in some room-reading tech that tries to adapt to the acoustics of the room, further optimizing the sound quality.

There is also the Alexa-based functionality inherent in smaller Echo products. You can call up Alexa to ask questions or set up scheduling for your day, or you can teach Alexa skills through the Echo network. There’s smart home control as well, provided your smart home devices are Alexa-compatible. This all means that you can get solid sound quality and the convenience of a voice assistant, all in an Amazon-built device.

_{Bluetooth or Wi-Fi: Both | Voice Assistant: Amazon Alexa | Battery Powered: No | Water Resistance: No}

Best Splurge: Marshall Acton II Alexa Voice Wireless Speaker System

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Marshall is a brand most known for half stacks and classic tube amps, but in recent years, the guitar giant has taken strides toward consumer-focused Bluetooth speakers. The second-generation Marshall Acton looks every bit as quintessential as Marshall’s classic amps, with the gilded grill cover and metallic gold accents and knobs. The Acton is actually advertised as a multi-room speaker, meaning that if you pair it in the Marshall app with other compatible speakers, you can control audio between this speaker and others.

There are several means of connecting, including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and some hardwired inputs. And, of course, the Acton is Alexa-compatible right out of the box, meaning it will operate much like an Echo Dot. With tons of richness across the spectrum, plenty of coverage from bass to treble, and a really nice design, the Acton II is a great option if you can afford the $300 price tag. 

_{Bluetooth or Wi-Fi: Both | Voice Assistant: Amazon Alexa | Battery Powered: No | Water Resistance: No}