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

Product Information

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. Yes, but if they had a hub, even an internet outage wouldn't affect it. I have cheap smart outlet plugs, several Lutron switches and recently added an AppleTV so I can access HomeKit when I'm away. When our internet goes down, unless our router blew up, we still have our home network - we just have no connection to the world. Our printers work. Our lights and outlets work. Sonos works. Apple speakers work. Other speakers work. You can't get streaming services, nor access to your music in the cloud, so I'm not sure what the point would be since no content is stored locally that I know of? Unless you use cellular data, in which case ANY Wifi connected speaker system would work. 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. 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. At What Hi-Fi? we comprehensively test and review every product we recommend, from soundbars to speakers, headphones and TVs. And it's no different for Sonos alternatives.

The Audio Pro C5 Mk II wireless speaker has a lot to boast about - not only does it sound great and work just as you'd expect it to, but it won't disrupt your decor at home either because it looks genuinely cool.

The verdict: Audio Pro Addon C5A speaker

This includes a clever process where the speaker uses in-built sensors to optimise its sound settings for its position in the room. Testing the feature by moving it closer to a wall in our listening room, our reviewers could hear the HomePod 2 adjusting its sound in real-time. Very impressive. It’s difficult to imagine a less stressful set-up procedure. The Audio Pro app seeks out all available products connected to the home network (with the option of adding those not already tethered manually), and they are then all there to manipulate as you wish.

Audio Pro C5-A, more lengthily titled ‘Audio Pro AddOn C5-A Wireless Voice-Controlled Speaker’, is a versatile take on the original Addon C5 model, with an increasingly wider universe of connectivity and convenience – combining modern ‘Alexa’ virtual assistant technology with an already-high spec domestic speaker for the trendy home user. 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. 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.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. 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. 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???? Sized and shaped like an ashtray, the Link 1’s duties are to collect song selections from the app, connecting to your home network via either wi-fi or its ethernet input, and dispense via whichever output you have selected. 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.