We have since purchased a Bruel & Kjaer 5128 test fixture (and the appropriate support equipment) to update our testing and data collection. That said, Googles tuning software is mighty advanced and may outperform the Echo, even though the two speakers share similar hardware. You can, however, limit Google ad settings and even opt-out of ad personalization altogether. Google provides a proprietary power adapter (30W, 24V) to keep Nest Audio chugging along. To give you the best overview of the Google Nest Audio, we looked at what reviewers from other publications had to say about the smart speaker. Overall, theres very little to complain about with the Nest Audios sound quality, and most people will be very happy with it for everything from casual background music to more dedicated listening. Alternatively, music often serves as a tool to passively entertain or set a certain mood. If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. The Nest Audio sounds quite good for its size and performs well with a wide variety of media from spoken word to music. You can now use your voice to begin music playback by saying, Hey Google, play music on the kitchen group.. If you have multiple Nest speakers or Nest displays in your home, you can broadcast to certain ones or to the entire house. It would be annoying if Nest Audio increased the volume every time you spoke at a dinner party. Google isnt carelessly sharing audio data, but it will share information with an affiliated home security provider if appropriate. Much like Apple, Google wants its products to be accessible to all, so you dont have to be a whiz kid to set up the Google Nest Audio. At $99.99, its less expensive than the original Google Home was in 2016, but its not exactly the impulse purchase that the Nest Mini can be. You can go that loud in larger rooms where youre not as close to the speaker without having to worry about distortion, though. One of the biggest improvements to the latest Amazon Echo is the integrated ZigBee Hub, which consolidates all of your smart home devices. 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. We tested this out and it worked like a charm. In other words, Nest Audio uses a different tuning for music relative to the one used for Google Assistant responses. You can choose from an assortment of colorways: Charcoal, Chalk, Sage, Sand, and Sky. Though, we wont know until it begins on June 21 for the US. From your phone, you can also connect the way you would any other Bluetooth audio device.

Weve also made a big improvement to how we demonstrate the microphone performance of products we review. Google says it is looking into this issue but didnt have a resolution available in time for publication. As with multi-room audio, youll set up the pairing within the Google Home app. These will be made obvious with our new chart aesthetic (black background instead of white). However, some may be better off steering clear of the device. Chromecast integration makes it easy to cast from your smartphone, tablet, or computer directly to the Nest Audio. A: Neither. During my five-day testing period, I was unable to notice a marked increase in response time but will update the review as the speaker grows privy to my habits. Its available in a few different colors including Charcoal, Chalk, Sage, Sand, and Sky. I also ran into some other frustrations trying to play music from my Spotify Premium account with voice commands. As all Google commands work, you need to start with, Okay, Google and then say, connect to Bluetooth. Learn more. When you use affiliated services with your Google Nest Audio, youre subjected to each services privacy policy along with Googles privacy policy. Open the Google Home app, and select create speaker group.. Way back in 2016, Google unveiled its very first smart speaker, the Google Home. The Google Nest Audio comes in five pastel colors: blue, green, pink, white, and charcoal. Its easy to move the speaker from room to room as long as an outlet is within 1.5 meters. If youre very budget conscious and dont really care about sound quality that much, something like the Nest Mini will be more up your alley. For this, you will need two speakers that are the same exact model and for them to be in the same room. The smart speaker also has a couple of new features that improve the listening experience. The top of the speaker is invisibly segmented into three touch-sensitive panels. You can read all about how the Google Nest Audio compares tot the Amazon Echo (4th Gen) but well dive into the basics here. It will only be good for wireless audio. 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. Googles paperwork lays the directions out clearly. 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. Its a neat trick when it works, but in the many years Ive used wireless multiroom speaker systems in my home, its not something Ive ever really asked for. She tested out the microphones of the device by making a call, and although the call quality isnt exactly groundbreaking, its still okay. Ambient IQ differs from Media EQ, because it changes the volume according to your environment. Below these invisible panels are four centered LEDs that alight to indicate Google Assistant activation, Bluetooth pairing mode, when youre in a call, and more. Nota bene:this review was originally written using cast firmware version 1.49.227185. To connect with a PC or Mac proceed the way you would any other Bluetooth device. To get the most out of the HomePod mini, youll need an iPhone and Apple hardware sprinkled in your life. 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. You can adjust the bass and treble to be less and more. Yes, thats all you get. It really depends on what youre after. Google claims it allows the Nest Audio to respond twice as quickly as the Google Home for things like track skipping and volume adjustments. Start here: What is a smart speaker, and what makes it great?

You have more ways to connect and stream media with the Amazon Echo, and the woofer and tweeters are nearly identical in size. Just like the Amazon Echo (4th gen) and Nest Audio, the HomePod mini connects over your Wi-Fi network, and its Bluetooth utility is limited to Apple AirPlay and Handoff functionality. Id also love to see more reliability when playing music via voice controls. Under the tab Where is your pair? select a room for the speaker pair. Integrated into the fabric at the top of the speaker are three capacitive touch zones for volume up and down and play / pause. It also weighs just over 1kg, making it heavier than the 180g Nest Mini, but lighter than the 4kg Google Home Max. All prices listed in USD unless otherwise specified. A dedicated machine learning chip with one TeraOPS of processing power sits in the belly of the beast. During our review period, the sound was pleasant but a bit abrupt, and now its a softer combination of tones. If you really want to limit Googles access to your voice, the Nest Audio has a physical mute button. Once you download the Google Home app, Google prompts take care of the rest. 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. Those capabilities have expanded over the years since the Google Home debuted, but the basics are the same. It also cant match the output or presence of the Sonos One, which is about the same height as the Audio but is twice as deep. Just dont expect the bass to get your blood pumping, since the device is very small. It comes with the speaker when you buy it. Midrange and treble responses are fantastic with Nest Audio, so long as its properly positioned away from corners. A: Yes! Most of the controls come from your voice, commanding Siri, but you can also tap the touchpad for basic playback and volume controls. You cant connect a phone over Bluetooth to the HomePod mini, so if thats important to you, stick to Googles smart speaker. Unlike newer Sonos speakers, the Apple HomePod, or even Googles own Home Max, the Nest Audio does not do continuous room tuning to adjust its sound output to the environment. The Sonos is also twice as expensive, though, so to get better sound than the Audio, youre going to have to open your wallet more. Related:Google Nest Mini review (Android Authority). Other than the power connector, there are no I/O ports on the Nest Audio. Tap. That product is more expensive, larger, and more appealing to those looking for the highest-quality sound they can get from Google. This is limited to spoken word content like podcasts and audiobooks: such content is typically the center of attention when you play it. Lets see how it performs, and what the differences are between the Nest Audio and Amazon Echo (4th Gen). But in my testing, that difference was hard to determine, and the Nest Audio feels slower to respond than Amazons Echo speakers. 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. 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. From there, you can configure things like Voice Match or Personal results. 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. Choose the two devices you want to pair, and tap, One of the speakers LEDs will flash white. You may be offered a free trial with YouTube Music. If youre embedded in the Assistant ecosystem, its the speaker to get this year.