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Between the Pioneer XW-SMA3's battery power, and the breadth of relatively easy configuration options make this the best cordless AirPlay speaker we've heard yet. The objections are pretty minor. On the price, well, I wish it was cheaper, but that's what these things cost!

The A3 is a very good portable AirPlay speaker. But it’s not so portable that you’d want to lug it from room to room or out back on a regular basis: It’s big and it weighs nearly eight pounds. Its audio quality falls just short of great, and the needlessly complicated interface shortchanges...

The Pioneer A3 (XW-SMA3-K) is probably the most versatile wireless streaming speaker we've seen—it's even portable, rechargeable, and water resistant—but it doesn't sound like a $400 system.

Unfortunately, in a head-to-head comparison between the A3 and some competing devices, the audio quality is sub-par.

Visually the SMA3 is dull, its build materials aren't overly inspiring, it is bass heavy at the expense of detail and it isn't particularly loud.

We can’t totally recommend the SMA3. We love its ease of use – and its portability – but it needs more excitement and punch to really seal the deal.

Great for bass-heavy music and has fantastic connectivity and great built-in battery, but high-frequency sound quality could be better.