CNET: Hey, Alexa! What are the best smart speakers of 2023?

While most phones allow you to control a basic smart home setup, adding a smart speaker is a great way to take things to the next level. Smart speakers are affordable and versatile. You'll not only be able to listen to your favorite tracks and podcasts, but you can also control your compatible devices with nothing but your voice. These devices allow you to give commands and ask questions via a smart assistant, without having to press a button. Before you get started though, you'll need to find the best smart speaker for you.

Folks looking for the right smart speaker might be intimidated by all the options. But here at CNET, we've been testing voice control devices and smart speakers since they first hit the scene. We've considered all the important smart device features, from sound quality to the ease of installing multiple speakers. There are lots of products to choose from, but these are three of the very best.

Best smart speaker overall

CNET TAKE: We give the smart-home edge in the best smart speaker category to Amazon, thanks to Alexa and the $100, fourth-generation Amazon Echo.

The latest Echo (not to be confused with the fifth-gen Echo Dot or Echo Pop) combines the usual Alexa smarts with a speaker that sounds great, and it has a built-in Zigbee radio too. That's a nice inclusion that'll let you connect Zigbee lights, locks, sensors and other devices to your setup without need for a separate hub device.

The Echo is even useful while you're away, as Alexa can send alerts if your smart speaker's microphones detect the sound of glass breaking or a smoke alarm.

But what really helps the Echo clinch first place is its sound quality -- this speaker offers loud, room-filling sound with plenty of clarity and bass control. While there are even better-sounding speakers, such as the Sonos Era 100 and the Echo Studio, neither can beat the price of the Echo.

Best smart speaker for sound quality

CNET TAKE: It was going to be a tough job replacing the Sonos One, but the company has managed to not only make the Era 100 sound better, but give it a bit more functionality as well.

In addition to Apple AirPlay 2 and Sonos' own multiroom system, the Era 100 now features Bluetooth, and this brings it in line with the Roam and Move portable speakers.

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The Era 100's only drawback is that the speaker no longer offers a choice between the Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. While adding a Nest Mini might seem to defeat the purpose of a speaker like this, it should solve this problem for people who are in the Google ecosystem. The issue is reportedly with a change to Google's rules, so maybe there's hope the Assistant can be added in the future?

Either way, the Era 100 sounds great and Alexa fans in particular should love it.

Best smart speaker for HomeKit

CNET TAKE: Apple's small, Siri-enabled smart speaker bridges a strange gap between its competitors with a $100 price tag like Google's Nest Audio and the Amazon Echo, and other, cheaper speakers that come in small packages like the Nest Mini and Echo Dot. Features like intercom, audio handoff and stereo pairing make this little smart speaker quite practical. It looks good and sounds great, too.

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When it comes to the smart home, Siri and the HomePod Mini are limited to devices that work with Apple's smart home platform, HomeKit.

There are fewer HomeKit-compatible devices like that than there are devices that work with Alexa or Google Assistant, but that could soon change once the universal smart home standard Matter arrives later this year. If you like Apple -- and if Siri is your smart assistant of choice, or if HomeKit is your preferred smart home platform -- you're going to love Apple's smart speaker.

For those who already use an iPhone, Apple TV or original HomePod, adding this smart speaker to the collection just makes sense.

The following CNET staff contributed to this story: Senior Writer David Anders, Editor Ty Pendlebury, former CNET staff member Molly Price and Copy Editor Jim Hoffman. For more reviews of personal technology products, visit www.cnet.com.