Its impossible for us to read and analyze every single one of these agreements. Select the speakers you want to group together. According to Google, this Nest speaker is 75% louder and has a 50% stronger bass response than the original Google Home. Lily also liked that the Nest Audio supports both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 and that Chromecast is integrated. Google Nest Audio firmware version 1.54.277099 softens the Casting sound. Google provides users with a basic equalizer, and I do mean basic. This means that even Amazon Music HD and non-Chomecast service subscribers can stream music with the Nest Audio speaker.
Prices may change over time, and vary by region. Start here: What is a smart speaker, and what makes it great? The main reason to get the HomePod mini is if you already own an Apple device and want something silly simple to set up and use. In my tests, this worked when moving the stream from the Nest Audio to a Nest Hub Max smart display, but not in the reverse direction. Additionally, the Nest Audio sounds good at lower volumes, which is nice when I just want some background music while Im working or during dinner. These will be made obvious in each new sample which begins with the phrase, This is a SoundGuys standardized microphone demonstration . A new feature called Ambient EQ will adjust the assistants voice response based on the background noise in the room. Its enjoyable to listen to, easy to fit into a variety of places in a home, and can be extended with stereo pairing or multiroom configurations with other Nest speakers and smart displays. I had the opportunity to test two Nest Audio speakers in a stereo configuration, and as expected, this provides an even louder, fuller sound than a single unit can. Compared to 2019s Google Nest Mini, this speaker is much bigger and delivers a much more capable sound. If youre considering the new Amazon Echo but arent beholden to Alexa, the Nest Audio is an attractive alternative that supports multi room and stereo playback. Click the button below to grab yours now. But the Nest Audio hits that sweet spot of an accessible price with good sound quality, enough volume for most, and few overall complaints. But we started counting exactly how many times you have to hit agree to use devices when we review them since these are agreements most people dont read and definitely cant negotiate. This two-pronged approach allocates bass and midrange reproduction to the woofer, while the tweeter is tasked with high-frequency output. Google dropped the old air freshener aesthetic for a cleaner, softer design that houses impressive hardware and is powered by even more impressive software. Neither smart assistant is the cut-and-dry winner in 2020, and many companies (e.g., Bosch, GE, LG, Samsung, Sony, Whirlpool, and more) support both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. As of December 7th, 2020 its even fully compatible with Apple Music assuming youre subscribed. You can call non-Duo affiliated numbers, though emergency calls cant be made from the Nest Audio speaker. If you want to measure out where it will go in your house, its 6.89 inches tall, 4.8 inches wide, and 3.07 inches thick. It will take a while to update our backlog of old test results, but we will update this article (and many others!) This clarity is attributed to the under-emphasized low frequencies. The Nest Audio also stumbled when asking for specific playlists from my Spotify account. There are plenty of other Assistant-powered smart speakers to choose from, the best of which you can check out here. If you own an iPhone and other Apple hardware, the Apple HomePod miniis a better purchase: it immediately integrates with your other Apple devices, so long as theyre affiliated with the same iCloud account. Of course, the Nest Audio isnt just a speaker, its also a smart speaker that leverages voice control and the Google Assistant to perform a variety of tasks. It takes just a few minutes to complete the setup: There is no limit to how many speakers may be grouped together. The company abandoned the Google Homes air freshener design in favor of a unibody build. But overall, the Nest Audio is a great smart speaker for average users. You may be offered a free trial with YouTube Music. Every call is free since its through Googles service and only requires aWi-Fi connection. Turn on Bluetooth in your phones settings. You can go that loud in larger rooms where youre not as close to the speaker without having to worry about distortion, though. Its almost like someone grabbed a Nest Mini and stretched it out like it was made of putty. Both Google and Amazon departed from their previous smart speaker designs: Google went with a vertical pillow look, while Amazon cut corners with its spherical Amazon Echo (4th Gen). You can pair two mini speakers together for stereo playback, or use the Homepod minis in your home as an intercom system to make dinner announcements and the like. YouTube Music, Deezer, Spotify, and Podcast Addict are all supported by Google Chromecast just to name a few. This limits your Nest Audios capacity to use Google Assistant, however, which may defeat the point of the product for some. If you want to learn about the sound quality of the Nest Audio, check out our review at the link that includes a few other bits of info. In the last four years, Google has learned that people arent likely to put a smart speaker in the middle of their room, so 360-degree sound isnt necessary. The tables surface and adjacent walls reflected soundwaves and created resonant distortion. Media EQ and Ambient IQ promise to enhance the sound quality of your Google Nest product. You may access, review, and delete your audio recordings from your Google account at any time. But if youre playing music on the speaker and want to use a voice command, you have to raise your voice above the level of the music to get it to work reliably. The HomePod mini is a bit smaller than the Nest Audio and emits 360 audio like the Amazon Echo (4th Gen). If youre looking to link your Apple Music account to your Google Nest Audio speaker all that you need to do is select it as the default music service in your Google Home app.
A dedicated machine learning chip with one TeraOPS of processing power sits in the belly of the beast. Both of these requests are handled by Alexa on an Echo speaker with no issue.
All prices listed in USD unless otherwise specified. This soft silhouette is approachable and comforting; in fact, the company took inspiration from an everyday item: the pillow for Nest Audio. You can adjust the bass and treble to be less and more. Yes, thats all you get. Even if you arent familiar with Google Assistant, the Nest Audio is a great way to dive into the world of smart speakers before investing too much time and money. Overall, Lily thinks the Nest Audio is a great product for general consumers, but those looking for something that will get the party started will have to go for a bigger and more expensive option. I also ran into some other frustrations trying to play music from my Spotify Premium account with voice commands. Follow the previous steps to independently connect both Nest Audio speakers to your Wi-Fi network. Its more reliable when responding to voice commands and better supports the newer features Google keeps adding to the Assistants repertoire. Playing music or other audio on the Nest Audio can be done a variety of ways: through voice commands to control services such as YouTube Music, Spotify, Pandora, and others; by casting audio from an app on your phone; or by pairing it to your phone directly over Bluetooth. The Sonos One (Gen 2) has an advanced microphone system that effectively picks up your speaking voice even if theres some background din. Google only receives audio data from your device when it detects interaction (e.g., Hey Google). Would a cat see it as an ideal scratching post? Under the tab Where is your pair? select a room for the speaker pair. Sit back, relax, and nestle in with Googles latest smart speaker. They work well, but I do wish they were more accessible youre going to have to show someone new how to use them because they wouldnt know that they even exist just by looking at the speaker. Instead, this speaker appeals to those who want an all-in-one solution with a little tinkering. The Google Nest Audio is the smart speaker for the minimalists among us. As with previous smart speakers from the company, this product exists as a way to bring Google Assistant access into your home whenever you need it. Nest Audio houses three far-field microphones to ensure that it registers your commands. As such, the Nest Audio should appeal to folks who want a smart speaker and a good-quality wireless audio speaker all-in-one. But the Audios compact size has limits: theres plenty of bass, but its the kind of bass you hear more than feel, and it lacks the thump of a larger speaker. Four years is an eternity in the modern tech product world, but thats exactly how long its been since Googles first smart speaker, the Google Home, was released. Ultimately, though, Googles biggest competition is its own offerings. So, its not really free if you think about it, because data is worth a lot of money. The smart speaker space is highly competitive. With the Sonos app, you can equalize the sound to a minimal degree, create a multi-room system, use it as your go-to media player, and more. A: Yes! Its mostly a fine, inoffensive design that will fit in most rooms with ease, and Google is selling it in five different colors to best match your personal dcor. Editors note: this Google Nest Audio review was updated on April 27, 2022, to add in-line FAQs, include a disclosure box regarding old test data, and add the Sonos One (Gen 2) as an alternative. Instead, Google says it tunes the speaker at the factory using a new proprietary tool that anticipates over 2,500 possible listening positions and then sets the speakers output accordingly. 
