The Audio Pro G10 has to be one of the best smart speakers you can buy thanks to a winning combination of beautiful Scandi design and a professionally-balanced sound performance.
If you're already an Audio Pro fan and think you've seen that design before, you're not wrong. The G10 is the follow-up to the aesthetically near identical A10, only this model uses Google Assistant instead of Alexa. It also throws in Google Cast and Apple AirPlay 2 features. All of that was added in this model as a response to customer demands, according to the brand.
It's also worth noting that while the hardware for audio performance is the same as the predecessor, this has been tuned to offer a noticeably better audio performance.
So is this updated model, with better streaming features, better audio and a slight button arrangement change, worth the price tag? We put it through its paces to give you the answer.
Audio Pro G10: Design
- Attractive material
- Minimal yet button-rich enough
- Can be wall mounted
The Audio Pro G10 is undeniably attractive, with a minimal Scandi design influence apparent from the packaging through to the speaker itself. When you lift it out of the box, it is reassuringly weighty (it weighs 3.3 lbs) with a solid feel thanks to that tight knit outer surface and metallic top complete with metal buttons. It screams premium without being too showy about it.
Despite having a minimal finish, you still have plenty of features in this speaker including an aux line in port, the ability to wall mount it using the screw hole at the back, plus controls for volume, Bluetooth, mute, and more.
These controls are changed from the A10 and you now don't have preset buttons, but with voice control this didn't prove to be an issue. In fact, the lack of remote on this speaker was barely noticed as everything can be controlled using your phone or your voice.
There are useful LED lights on the speaker which show when Google Assistant is in action but also to help you see how WiFi, Bluetooth and aux connections are working. The four main LED lights also act as a helpful at-a-glance volume indicator.
Available in a lighter gray color as well as a darker version, the choices are pretty basic but both look professional in their finishes and feel tough to the touch so you know this will last and resist damage or staining.
Audio Pro G10: Features
- Google Assistant works well
- Apple AirPlay 2 supported
- Chromecast supported
The Audio Pro G10 is a very well connected device as it runs Google Assistant. In fact, you'll need to set this up using Google Home rather than the native Audio Pro app – something we frustratingly took a while to figure out in setup.
This means that you can voice control the speaker but also that you can adjust equalizer settings from within the Google Home app. Don't get your hopes up too high though, as there are only bass and treble sliders that you have to play with – not that you need to do much with the audio performance the speaker packs, but more on that later.
You can also stream content using AirPlay 2, meaning your Apple devices are easily able to transmit music to this speaker. This also means you can have the G10 as part of an array of speakers, allowing you to have a multi-room setup with your Apple device controlling it all.
If you're on Android, you can take advantage of the Chromecast feature which, again, allows you to play music through the G10 and other speakers about your home all at the same time.
Failing all that, you can use the Bluetooth 4.2 connection or even plug into the 3.5mm aux port on the rear of the speaker for a high resolution wired connection. This last option is ideal for high-quality music, but this device also supports streaming of files like FLAC, Apple Lossless, AAC, WMA and MP3.
On the rear of the speaker, there is now a Reset button which proves useful if you run into any issues where there is no response from the app or voice controls.
It's worth noting that this is built to work as part of Google multi-room, so if you have an older speaker like the A10 which uses the Audio Pro app, it won't integrate with this updated Google-friendly setup.
Audio Pro G10: Performance
- Excellent voice control pick up
- 52W Class D amp
- Updated processing
The Audio Pro G10 might be relatively small, but when it comes to audio punch, it packs a serious blow. That's largely thanks to the hardware setup, with a 52W Class D amp running the show. This powers a 1.25-inch balanced mode radiator tweeter, 3-inch long-throw woofer and two 4.5-inch passive radiators.
While that's all the same hardware as the A10 – and impressive enough – the G10 has had a software update which means the processing works differently to offer a performance that's bigger, louder and weightier.
The audio is balanced with plenty of bass and rich treble that is able to create a wide soundstage. Importantly, the Audio Pro G10 also offers power. The top end is plenty loud enough for larger rooms, even with a party going on, and crucially, it manages to achieve this without distortion even at maximum volume.
The microphones pick up voice commands excellently, getting it right nearly every time. At maximum volume it can struggle to perceive commands, but then most powerful speakers have this issue when playing at full blast. The speaker remains balanced and even keeps excess vibrations to a minimum, allowing you to place this anywhere, including on a wall, without worry of vibration bleed.
It's worth noting that despite the cylindrical shape of this speaker, it does need to be forward-facing to offer the best performance as it's not a 360-degree model. That said, even with this speaker surrounded by shelves, books and other devices, it still pushed out sound clearly right across the room.
Audio Pro G10: Price
- £225
The Audio Pro G10 is currently unavailable in the US, but the standard price in the UK is £225.
The A10 is available both in the US and UK and is considerably cheaper at around the $130 mark, but then you lose some sound quality and all that smart connectivity. If these aren't issues though, it could be a cheaper way to get that Audio Pro quality sound.
Should you buy the Audio Pro G10?
The Audio Pro G10 is a superbly well-connected speaker compatible with Google Assistant, Chromecast and AirPlay 2. It is compact, beautifully-designed, very easy to use and picks up voice commands with great accuracy.
If you want a plug-and-play style speaker that works as part of a multi-room setup with the ease of auto equalizing and a simple setup, then the G10 works admirably. This will do well enough to give a great sound stage even and very intricately built music, but also offers enough balanced power to fill a party. A real all-rounder that's difficult to fault that this price.
While it's not available in the US, its predecessor the A10 is available to buy for just $129 on Amazon.
If this product isn't for you
If you want an Amazon Alexa assistant, then you'll want to look elsewhere. Also, if more intricate equalizer controls are your thing, then you may be found wanting with the G10. Something like the Sonos One is a good alternative with wide connectivity and great sound quality while keeping the price relatively low for what you get.
Or if you want to just fill your home with smart speakers for cheap then the Amazon Echo Dot is a great option where sound quality won't be the best but you'll be able to control multi room setups with ease wherever you are.
