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Altec Lansing Inmotion Air IMW725

Streaming web radio from
any Bluetooth-enabled
device with apps such as
TuneIn radio (£1.19 on
iPhone, free on Android)
to this wireless, 2x40W
speaker is incredibly
simple. Both apt-X and
Maxx tech are built in,
upscaling compressed
MP3 files for better
sound quality - web radio
audio is not generally
noted for its high fi delity.
Streamed from up to
10m, results are bassy
and detailed.
A supplied USB
dongle lets the iMW725
pluck music from your
PC, with a 100m range,
while also playing it
through a hi-fi connected
to said PC. It's a useful
multi-room option.

Sonos Zoneplayer S5

Effortlessly simple to set
up, the Wi-Fi connected
S5 can steal content
from your PC, Mac or
Wi-Fi enabled iPhone. It's
the Sonos Controller app
that makes it really
useful, letting you queue
tracks or adjust volume
from anywhere in the
house. Download Spotify
Premium (£9.99 per
month) or a web radio
app - Deezer or Last.FM
for example - and you
instantly broaden your
music library.
The S5 has enough
bass and detailed treble
to impress, although
low-res MP3s can sound
muffl ed. Add extra S5s
and you can create a
simple, if expensive,
multi-room system.

Pure Sensia

The Sensia has an array
of apps, from Facebook
to Picasa, built into its
oversized pebble of
DAB+, FM and internet
radio. Also included is
Pure's excellent wireless
content hub Lounge,
also available on iPhone
for £2.99.
Navigating the apps
using the 5.7-inch
touchscreen is slow
going, but the side-firing
30W speakers amply fill
a room with sound. Sit
directly in front and it
can sound hollow. This is
a stylish, smart and well
connected, but who
really wants to check
Facebook on their radio?

Gear4 Houseparty Airwave

This compact, 20W
bedside DAB radio/
iDock sounds as limp as
a Starsailor B-side, but it
does gift instant access
to a plethora of internet
radio stations.
Download the free
AirWave app to your
iPhone or iPad and it can
be used as a remote,
skipping tracks and
picking stations. There's
no AirPlay, however, so
you'll need to keep one
iDevice docked. With
Wi-Fi meaning you can
stream tracks from
your computer, the
AirWave's connectivity is
impressive for its price,
but that can't excuse
such a non-party-starting
sonic performance.

Marantz MCR603 Melody Media

This is a fully featured
music hub much like the
Denon Ceol, with DAB,
FM and internet radio as
well as a CD deck, DLNA
streaming - via ethernet
only - and, after a £39
upgrade, Apple AirPlay
for one-touch whizzing
of content from
your Mac or iDevice.
Download the Wizz app
to your iPhone et voila:
a nifty remote is yours.
What you don't have,
however, is speakers.
We paired it with
Monitor Audio's BX2
100Ws (£225) and audio
was very impressive
across all sources. The
cost did reach a dizzying
£714 as a result, it must
be said.