Best AirPlay speakers & sound systems for iOS devices

The B&W Zeppelin Air was amongst the first Airplay speakers in the market, and whilst competition has improved it is in my opinion still amongst the best systems out there, delivering on both sound and design.

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Philips have joined the Apple Airplay speaker race with their brand new Fidelio SoundSphere speakers aimed at the audiophile who is looking for quality airplay solutions. Featuring two speaker units, both with free flowing tweeter protruding from the top…

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• Read more: Philips Fidelio Soundsphere DS9800W/10

Libratone Live is one of two AirPlay speakers announced by Danish high-end audio manufacturer Libratone, due to be released in September. Same design as the previous Beat but with several improvements. Find out more here.

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The Fidelio SoundCurve DS8800W was the second AirPlay system announced by Philips and unlike the soundsphere it has retained a more familiar Fidelio design, with the exclusion of the docking station. Find out more here.

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When it comes to speaker docks, Sony has been delivering some of the most popular and best iPod speaker docks for years now. With the Sony RDP-XA900iP they are looking to take over the Airplay speaker market as well.

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Altec Lansing has unveiled their first Apple AirPlay enabled speaker in the Altec Lansing inAir 5000 and first impression from the photos is that it looks really good, and the specs looks pretty good too. See more here.

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JBL On Air Wireless AirPlay speaker dock has now become official as JBL announces that it will be available to the public sometime this spring, as well as giving us a bit more insight into the features of the device itself. You can find out more here.

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Denon CEOL RCD-N7 is among the first mini Hi-Fi systems on the market combining the old with the new; CD player with network streaming, internet radio, and of course Apple AirPlay for easy streaming from your iOS device.

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Stylish and powerful are just two of the superlatives that can be used about the Marantz M-CR603 that with a simple (but not free) upgrade becomes AirPlay friendly, allowing you to stream your music freely from your iOS device.

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• Read more: Marantz Melody Media M-CR603

House of Marley One Foundation is the premium AirPlay enabled model in the coming range of speaker docks created in the image of the late great Bob Marley from the House of Marley. Can’t wait to give it a listen.

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The iHome iW1 might have taken nearly a year to arrive, but finally it is here joining a growing family of Apple AirPlay compatible speakers. Find out more information about the iHome iW1 AirPlay speaker here.

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With the BeoLit 12 Airplay speaker famous Danish audio manufacturer Bang & Olufsen have entered the AirPlay market, and they have done so with an impressive system that is splitting opinion when it comes to its design. Find out more here.

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Klipsch has released new details about their coming Klipsch Gallery G-17 Air soundbar AirPlay speaker that will be coming this fall, including technical specifications and possible new retail price. Find out more here.

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With the Libratone Lounge AirPlay soundbar the Danes have set out to change how we think about home sound systems and how we listen to our music or the sound from our television set. Find out more about Libratone Lounge here.

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German audio manufacturer Loewe launched their first Apple AirPlay; the stylish and powerful Loewe Air Speaker at IFA last year, but finally we are starting to see this unique and stylish AirPlay speaker become available for customers here in the UK.

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Philips Fidelio SoundRing DS3880W AirPlay speaker looks different, and in my book that is a good thing as we need diversity in the wireless speaker market, and will be in the market in the coming months. Find out more here.

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White is not for everyone so Denon has turned their popular CEOL RCD-N7 AirPlay sound system all black with the newly announced Denon Ceol Noir Mini HiFi, and first impression is that black suits it well. Find out more here.

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Pioneer X-SMC3-K is one of the more affordable AirPlay micro systems in the market that also offer DLNA streaming and a host of other connection options, both wired and unwired. Find out more here.

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Renowned audio manufacturer Audyssey are embracing AirPlay technology with their new Lower East Side Audio Dock Air, a square, slightly retro looking speaker that specification wise promises quality for money. Find out more.

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• Read more: Audyssey LES Audio Dock Air

Fidelio AD7000W is the latest in the Philips range of AirPlay speakers and the model that will likely have the smallest price tag. Philips have confirmed the system for an early November release. Find out more about the AD7000W here.

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Gear4 are set to launch their first ever Airplay speaker dock, the Gear4 AirZone Series 1 into the UK market in time for Christmas with a price tag at the lower end of the Airplay speaker spectrum, and with the inclusion of a docking station.

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Pioneer X-SMC5-K is the big brother in the Airplay enabled slimline micro systems, feature packed with DLNA, bluetooth, and CD/DVD combo. This is a true multi functional sound system for your home.

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Pure is at CES 2012 waving the flag for British audio and for Apple AirPlay with their first AirPlay enabled speaker dock in the Pure Contour 200i Air, joining the growing ranks of manufacturers embracing wireless streaming over Apple’s AirPlay technology.

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Nocs is showing that it is not only Danish audio brands that can deliver great Apple accessories, including with these AirPlay monitor speakers. The Nocs NS2 Air Monitors could well be replacing many PC speakers over the coming months.

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The Sony RDP-XA700IP might be the little brother amongst the latest Sony AirPlay speaker docks, but there is still plenty to be excited about as it comes packed with dual drivers with damperless magnetic fluid technology. Find out more inside.

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An AirPlay speaker dock has been on the cards for a while from Logitech and now their Logitech Air Speaker with built in AirPlay technology has made an appearance on Amazon UK with an expected release date of 4th November. Find out more here.

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JBL by Harman has announced the release of their second AirPlay speaker dock in the JBL On Beat Air, an AirPlay streaming version of the current and popular On Beat iPad speaker dock. Find out more here.

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Philips Fidelio DS3800W Soundring AirPlay speaker is the lowest priced among the two Soundring Airplay speakers, with the only difference between the two models being that the DS3800 does not include a rechargeable battery.

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iHome has announced the release of their latest AirPlay enabled speaker dock in the iHome iW4 alarm clock speaker dock for the bedroom, one of three new alarm dock models to be featured at their CES stand next week.

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iTeufel Air is the first Airplay speaker from one of the leading European direct sellers of audio equipment, delivering a powerful audio set up with a combined 100W total power output. Find out more about the iTeufel Air inside.

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Like so many other AirPlay speakers over the last year, it has taken Teac a few months to get their Teac NS-X1 slimline AirPlay speaker dock into the market, but now it is here, a mere 55mm at the thickest and with a low price tag for an Airplay speaker dock.

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UK based audio manufacturer AQ Audio has announced their first AirPlay speaker in the AQ Smart AirPlay speaker for release in November, targeting the more affordable end of the market with its sub £200 price point. Find out more here.

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With the Sony SA-NS500 Portable Homeshare speaker Sont have entered the growing Apple AirPlay market with an interesting device that is mid-priced compared to many of the other systems currently available. Find out more here.

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The LG ND8520 Airplay enabled speaker dock has made a first appearance in the CES 2012 Innovation Honorees list in the Audio Component category. Little is known about the system yet, but here is some information and an image (i like how it looks).

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Sharp has launched their first ever AirPlay speaker dock at CES 2012 in the Sharp DK-KP95P AirPlay speaker dock, a compact home sound system that in addition to AirPlay streaming features DLNA, docking station, and a CD player. Find out more about it here.

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