Google is returning its attention to the midrange. The new Nest Audio sits between the Nest Mini and Home Max in price, size, and output. At $99.99, it is less costly than the original Google Home was in 2016, but it is not precisely the impulse buy that the Nest Mini can be.
Despite this lower cost, the Nest Audio is an improvement over the Google Home in nearly every way. It is bigger but easy to fit into many different places in your home. It is faster to respond to voice commands, and above all, it seems a whole lot better compared to Google Home actually could.
But in recent years since the Google Home, Amazon has published several generations of fresh Echo versions and leap-frogged the Home in audio quality, design, and features. In the same way, Sonos is currently in the smart speaker sport, bringing its rock-solid wireless streaming and class-leading sound quality to the table. Even Ikea is making connected speakers today, combining Sonos’ technology with its layout sensibilities and aggressive pricing.
Together with the Nest Audio, Google has gone to get an easy, soft design that doesn’t call much attention to itself. It is a more conventional approach than the organization took a few years ago, along with the Nest Audio looks more like a speaker than the Google Home’s air freshener aesthetic did.
However, the Nest Audio’s shape is hard to describe without accidentally sounding pejorative. It is a vaguely upright rectangle with soft corners and curved sides. The thing that I can liken it to all is that a loaf of ciabatta bread status on its ending, but making it seem uglier than it is actually in person. It’s largely a nice, inoffensive layout that will fit in most rooms easily, and Google is selling it in five different colors to best match your own personal décor.
The internal casing consists of partly recycled aluminum and magnesium, but that’s wrapped with a plastic mesh fabric material that greatly softens the overall look of the speaker. When Google first debuted this fabric on the Home Mini speaker a couple of decades ago, there was considerable hand-wringing over how durable it would be — could it amass an inordinate amount of dust? Would a cat watch it as a perfect scratching post? In the years because it appears those concerns were mostly unfounded; the fabric doesn’t seem to get too dusty or gross, in spite of regular use.
GOOD STUFF
- Much improved audio quality compared to the predecessor
- Google Assistant can do a lot of things
- Attractive price
- Can pair just two in stereo for a better music experience
BAD STUFF
- Compact size limits the punch of bass and volume output
- Playing specific music via voice commands can be hit or miss
- Multiroom voice controls are undependable
Aluminum and magnesium aren’t common speakers enclosure materials at this price point, and Google tells me they were chosen due to their sustainability and sturdiness to take care of the energy pushing to the drivers. Needless to say, I haven’t observed any buzz or rattling while studying the Nest Audio, even at full volume. It is a dense, hardy little thing that weighs more than you anticipate.
Integrated into the cloth at the top of the speaker are three-legged signature zones for volume up and down and play/pause. They function well, but I do wish they were more accessible — you’re going to get to show someone new how to use them since they wouldn’t understand that they even exist just by looking at the speaker.
Underneath the middle front of the fabric, the cover is four LED lights to indicate volume levels, once the speaker is still listening, and when its pellets are muted. They match what’s on the Home Max and Nest Mini, but I miss the complex multicolored animated dots of the first Home.
Perhaps the most significant thing about the Nest Audio’s design in contrast to its predecessor is that it’s now a traditional, directional speaker rather than a cylinder that intends to throw sound in all directions. In the previous four decades, Google has learned that individuals aren’t very likely to place a wise speaker at the center of their room, therefore 360-degree sound is not vital. It’s likely to go on a shelf, a ring, in a corner, or some other place in which it” points” the sound in a particular direction. It appears that Amazon has made a similar observation: its coming fourth-generation Echo features a more vertical design as well.
These combine to provide a lot thinner, clearer sound that’s more pleasant to listen to at higher volumes. Interestingly, the first House is able to get about as loud as the Nest Audio, but the Nest Audio sounds much better in any given quantity.
Design is important, but when it has to do with a speaker, sound quality matters more.
The dual-driver system allows vocals and greater pitches to shine through on bass-heavier paths in ways the older speaker could not handle. Moreover, the Nest Audio sounds good at lower amounts, which is fine when I just want some background music while I’m working or during dinner.
In my home office, the loudest the Nest Audio sounded comfortable at was approximately 80% — 100 percent volume was too harsh in this space. You are able to go that loud in larger rooms where you’re not as near the speaker without needing to worry about distortion, though. Evidently, the Nest Audio is more rapid and sounds better than the Nest Mini and is the better option for frequently listening to music.
However, the Audio’s compact size has limitations: there’s lots of bass, but it is the kind of bass you hear more than texture, and it lacks the thump of a larger speaker. It also can’t match the output or existence of the Sonos One, that will be about the same elevation as the Audio, however, is twice as deep. The Sonos can be twice as expensive, though, in order to get better sound compared to Audio, you’re likely to have to start your wallet more.
The Nest Audio is a simple recommendation for a Google Assistant intelligent speaker. It’s enjoyable to hear, easy to fit into an assortment of places in a home, and can be extended with stereo pairing or multiroom configurations with other Nest speakers along with smart displays.
You can certainly pay more for better sound quality, and there are limitations to what the Nest Audio can perform in terms of volume and existence. I would also love to see more reliability when playing audio via voice controls. But the Nest Audio hits that sweet spot of an available price with great sound quality, enough volume for many, and few overall complaints. If you are embedded in the Assistant ecosystem, it’s the speaker to get this season.
His year, Google is returning its focus to the midrange. The brand new Nest Audio sits between the Nest Mini and Home Max in price, size, and output. At $99.99, it’s less expensive than the first Google Home was in 2016, but it’s not exactly the impulse purchase the Nest Mini can be.
Despite this lower price, the Nest Audio is an improvement
within the Google Home in nearly every way. It’s bigger but simple to fit into many different areas in your property. It is quicker to react to voice commands, and above all, it sounds a lot better than the Google Home actually could.
However, in recent years since the Google Home, Amazon has released multiple generations of new Echo models and leap-frogged the Home in audio quality, design, and features. In the same way, Sonos is now from the wise speaker game, bringing its rock-solid wireless streaming and class-leading sound quality into the table. Even Ikea is creating connected speakers today, combining Sonos’ tech with its design sensibilities and aggressive pricing.
With the Nest Audio, Google has gone for a simple, soft layout that doesn’t call much attention to itself. It’s a more traditional approach compared to the organization took a few decades ago, along with the Nest Audio appears more like a speaker compared to the Google Home’s air freshener aesthetic ever did.
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However, the Nest Audio’s shape is hard to describe without accidentally sounding pejorative. It’s a vaguely upright rectangle with soft corners and curved sides. The thing I can liken it to most is that a loaf of ciabatta bread standing on its ending, but that makes it seem uglier than it really is in person. It is mostly a nice, inoffensive layout that will fit in most rooms easily, and Google is selling it in five distinct colors to best fit your own personal décor.
The inner housing consists of partly recycled aluminum and magnesium, but that is wrapped with a recycled plastic mesh fabric material that greatly softens the overall look of the speaker. When Google first debuted this fabric on the Home Mini speaker a few decades ago, there was considerable hand-wringing over how durable it would be — would it collect an inordinate quantity of dust? Would a cat see it as a perfect scratching post? In the years since it appears those concerns were largely unfounded; the cloth does not seem to get overly disgusting or gross, in spite of regular use.
Aluminum and magnesium are not common speaker materials at the price point, and Google informs me they were selected due to their sustainability and sturdiness to take care of the power pushing to the drivers. They also act as thermal dissipators to help keep the internal components cool. Needless to say, I have not seen any buzz or rattling while testing the Nest Audio, even at full volume. It’s a compact, hardy little thing that weighs more than you expect.
They function well, but I really do wish they had been more accessible — you are going to get to reveal someone new how to use them because they would not understand they exist only by taking a look at the speaker.
Underneath the middle front of the fabric cover are four LED lights to indicate quantity levels when the speaker is still listening, and if its pellets are muted.
Perhaps the most significant thing about the Nest Audio’s layout compared to its predecessor is that it is currently a conventional, directional speaker instead of a cylinder that aims to throw audio in all directions. In the previous four decades, Google has learned that people are not likely to place a smart speaker in the middle of their room, therefore 360-degree sound isn’t vital. It’s likely to go on a shelf, a ring, in a corner, or even some other area where it” points” the noise in a specific direction. It appears that Amazon has made a similar observation: its forthcoming fourth-generation Echo features a more vertical design as well.
The layout is important, but if it has to do with a speaker, audio quality matters more.
The Nest Audio has a 75mm (three-inch) woofer and a 19mm (0.75-inch) tweeter, which is significantly more compared to a lone 50mm (two-inch) driver to the initial Home. These combine to present a lot thinner, clearer sound that’s more pleasant to listen to at higher volumes. Interestingly, the first Home can get about as loudly as the Nest Audio, but the Nest Audio sounds better in any given quantity.
The dual-driver system allows vocals and greater pitches to glow through on bass-heavier tracks in a way the elderly speaker could not handle. Moreover, the Nest Audio sounds good at lower amounts, which can be fine when I just need some background music while I’m working or during dinner.
In my home office, the loudest the Nest Audio seemed comfy at was around 80% — 100 percent quantity was overly harsh in this space. You are able to go that loud in larger rooms where you are not as close to the speaker without needing to worry about distortion, though. Evidently, the Nest Audio is more rapid and sounds better than the Nest Mini and is the better choice for listening to audio.
In comparison to last year’s Amazon Echo, the Nest Audio can be clearer and less muddy, with more bass and fullness to the sound. But the Audio’s compact size has limitations: there is plenty of basses, but it’s the type of bass you hear over texture, and it lacks the thump of a larger speaker. Additionally, it can’t fit the output or existence of this Sonos One, which is about the same elevation as the Audio but is twice as deep. The Sonos is also twice as expensive, however, in order to get better sound than the Audio, you’re likely to have to start your wallet longer. (If you are eager to skip voice controls and an integrated digital assistant, the Sonos One SL is $179.)
The Nest Audio is an easy recommendation to get a Google Assistant intelligent speaker, then. It’s pleasurable to hear, easy to fit into a variety of areas in a home, and maybe extended with stereo pairing or multiroom configurations with other Nest speakers and smart displays.
You can certainly pay more for better audio quality, and there are limitations to what the Nest Audio can perform in terms of volume and presence. I’d also love to find out more reliability when playing audio through voice controls. But the Nest Audio hits that sweet spot of an accessible price with great sound quality, enough quantity for most, and few overall complaints. If you’re embedded at the Assistant ecosystem, then it is the speaker to get this year
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