Google Nest Audio Speaker Review

[Mr. Widget]

If they want to use me for their research, they should pay me for being used.

One could make the argument that in fact they are paying you by selling you a loudspeaker at below the true cost of production.

But yeah, I'm with you. So far at least we are free to make our own choices and I'll pass on this remarkable bit of tech.

 

[id.ray]

It would be great if it had a subwoofer or enabled one.

if you find a Chromecast audio, you can hook it up it to a subwoofer and make it part of the "group" works great

 

[Jimbob54]

if you find a Chromecast audio, you can hook it up it to a subwoofer and make it part of the "group" works great

Great idea !

 

[Inertiaman]

They get plenty loud enough for my 500 cubic meter room unless I really want to crank them up.

500m3 room? Are you sure you've got your math correct?

That's equivalent to an entire 2200 sq ft house w 8 ft ceilings.

 

[Inertiaman]

This speaker would fit my sister's rather tight aesthetic boundaries. But she's an Apple person.

How well could an Apple-oriented person use this speaker? ie, would it be more limited in use than an Android household?
Do the iOS versions of apps even have Chromecast icons? For example can the Spotify app for iOS do Chromecast?
Worst case, this speaker can be used as a "high performance" Bluetooth speaker by simply pairing it w/ your phone or laptop?

 

[ahofer]

This speaker would fit my sister's rather tight aesthetic boundaries. But she's an Apple person.

How well could an Apple-oriented person use this speaker? ie, would it be more limited in use than an Android household?
Do the iOS versions of apps even have Chromecast icons? For example can the Spotify app for iOS do Chromecast?
Worst case, this speaker can be used as a "high performance" Bluetooth speaker by simply pairing it w/ your phone or laptop?

For Apple you might be better off with Sonos. These show up in some streaming apps and the Chrome browser.

 

[Oso Polar]

If this was the case, I'd get worried about cell phones first.

Nope - on a cell phone constant listening will drain the battery. These speakers by definition are listening constantly - they must to in order to be able to respond to "Hey, Google" Google Assistant requests. Unless microphone is turned off. I use Google Assistant often, so I don't turn mic off. So, ads related to conversations show up. I don't care but others might care.

 

[Atanasi]

Do the iOS versions of apps even have Chromecast icons?

Google provides the Chromecast library for iOS, 14 or later. Each app vendor decides if they want to integrate it.

 

[Robbo99999]

I'm a day late to the party here, such is life! I'm impressed by what they've done with this speaker & especially for the money & within that kind of "lifestyle speaker" environment. Not sure I'm sold on the very jagged frequency response from 2-5.5kHz. I know they're sharp & narrow variations but my experience with a planar headphone (HE4XX) that has some sharp variations in places in the treble vs a planar headphone that doesn't have those sharp variations (HE400SE) (both EQ'd to Harman) makes me think that those sharp variations in this speaker could decrease overall detail/clarity within the music. I do really like the attention to detail & the scientific approach that Google had towards the design of this speaker though, they've obviously got quite a lot of the areas right with this speaker & for the money & surprisingly so for a lifestyle speaker.

 

[Alegretti]

Vertical directivity is astonishingly smooth for a 2-way, non coax design.

Where did the usual crossover dip go?!
View attachment 402887 View attachment 402888 View attachment 402889

48 dB/octave active. I suppose.

 

[staticV3]

48 dB/octave active. I suppose.

My next question would then be: Why are Neumann and Genelec not following suit?

 

[Soniclife]

My next question would then be: Why are Neumann and Genelec not following suit?

Genelec use a coaxial so it's not relevant, but it's a question I've wondered about for the others.

 

[staticV3]

Genelec use a coaxial so it's not relevant, but it's a question I've wondered about for the others.

Genelec use regular 2-way as well so very much relevant:

 

[Soniclife]

Genelec use regular 2-way as well so very much relevant:
View attachment 403257

Is that a DSP crossover or analogue?

 

[Walter]

I bought two of these thinking I'd just measure the latency and adjust the video player on my Linux desktop to delay the video by the same amount. Installing the software I needed to cast music on Linux was a massive pain and I lost connection on a regular basis, but I got it set up. Used them for just music for awhile and was not thrilled. They sounded great but were just too much trouble to bother with. The latency was around 4 seconds so no way to quickly mute, and when they lost connection I got white noise at full volume in some cases. Then I tried them with video and was shocked to discover that the latency varied. They were completely unsuitable for my intended application.

I planned to sell them but got busy and they just sat on my desk. Then my Internet provider came out with a plan that included free Spotify. I had never had any interest in streaming before but one day I was bored so decided to sign up. Suddenly, I no longer constantly lost connection to one or both speakers and Google Home stopped "losing" my stereo configuration.

I now use them for music for around ten hours a day on average. I hear very little difference no matter where I sit in the room, as long as I'm between the speakers. My teenage son can't get over how "big" they sound. They get plenty loud enough for my 500 cubic meter room unless I really want to crank them up. I paid $85 for the pair. I consider that one of the best deals I have gotten in my life. (Weirdly, one of the boxes was a full pound heavier than the other but the sound and looks are identical to my ears.)

Video sound is now handled by my good quality wireless earbuds that I bought for online meetings.0000000

500m3 room? Are you sure you've got your math correct?

That's equivalent to an entire 2200 sq ft house w 8 ft ceilings.

Good point. Late night, tired, and I mixed feet and meters in the same mental equation. It is a bit under 40 cubic meters.

 

[Walter]

Maybe one speaker came with some illicit cargo inside..?

Well, I did describe the guy that brought it to me here in Southeast Asia as my "mule."

 

[Walter]

if you find a Chromecast audio, you can hook it up it to a subwoofer and make it part of the "group" works great

I wish this was possible for stereo. You cannot combine a stereo pair with other speakers in a group. You can have either a group or a pair, but one cannot be a subset of the other.

 

[staticV3]

Is that a DSP crossover or analogue?

It's a, quote: "Active crossover operating at low signal levels." - which I think means DSP.

 

[Chrispy]

LOL

 

[BillH]

I just saw that these are buy one get one free at Best Buy in USA
I decided to grab a pair