Amazon Echo Studio and Harman Kardon Citation 200 top DxOMark's new speaker evaluation charts

DxOMark has started reviewing the quality of wireless smart speakers and has already posted charts containing numerous devices with their respective scores. The speakers have been divided into two tables, with the Essential chart containing speakers with an RRP costing no more than €199 and the Advanced chart for speakers that cost between €200 and €499. There are plans to incorporate a third chart for Premium devices that cost over €499 in the near future.

Heading the Essential list of speakers is the Amazon Echo Studio speaker on 124 points, with the Xiaomi Mi Smart Speaker HD as the current runner-up on 109 points. The Amazon Echo Studio was put through a battery of tests that checked it for sound quality in timbre, spatial, dynamics, volume, and artifacts. DxOMark has put together a special anechoic chamber and utilizes a bespoke testing playlist to make sure all the speakers are evaluated fairly and without external or subjective influences. The Amazon Echo Studio performed especially well in the timbre section.

As for the pricier speakers, it was the Harman Kardon Citation 200 that came out on top of the Advanced chart with 147 points, just edging the Google Home Max into second position on 145 points. However, although the Harman Kardon Citation was rated the better speaker, the Google Home Max demonstrated its qualities in the volume and spatial tests, marking it as an ideal speaker for a party situation or in a particularly large space.