Home Choosing smart speaker

[skaertus]

I am setting up my new apartment and I am willing to include a few smart speakers. I would like some help in choosing a set, as Google Nest, Amazon Echo, and Apple HomePod seem to be incompatible with each other.

What I need/want:

• compatibility with my smartphone and tablet (whether it runs iOS or Android);
• compatibility with the subscription services I use (YouTube, YouTube Music, Amazon Prime, Spotify, Netflix, Disney+, Star+, HBO Max);
• some variety of devices to choose from (smart display, smart speaker) at a decent price;
• good sound quality; and
• easy to synchronize so music can be easily spread over several devices (with the least number of synching problems).

What I do not need:

• smart home integration (devices are either unavailable or extremely expensive here in Brazil);
• talk to a smart assistant; and
• a smart assistant that can answer questions, book restaurants, or make phone calls.

So, I am thinking which set to buy. Apple HomePod seems to be a poor choice, as it is mostly compatible with Apple devices, is kind of expensive, and comes only in one variety.

Google seems to be a good option as it is the only one compatible with YouTube Music (although I think the YouTube Music app on Chromecast TV to be really poor). Amazon Echo devices only support YouTube via a web browser (which may be annoying as I do not want to keep logging in every time), but it appears to have noticeably better sound.

As for which one is easier to sync, I really do not know. Which is the best and easiest to pair as stereo devices, or to make them play music together without issues?

I currently have a Google Nest Hub and two Google Home Minis. The sound is OK (not great), and sometimes they do not seem to work very well together (i.e., one of the Minis plays a song on YouTube Music while the other is playing another on Spotify); will Echo have similar issues?

Any recommendation will be welcome. Thanks.

 

[pup]

If you don’t need an assistant or smart home features, then you should broaden your search beyond Apple, Google, and Amazon offerings. It sounds like you’re really just looking for an airplay speaker; or something that will support music services directly, rather than via your phone or a DAC.

IMO, your best value is Sonos. They have the broadest range of speakers, are much better sounding than anything you mentioned, are the most reliable via wifi, can be hardwired with Ethernet if you prefer, work directly with the most music services (including YouTube), and work equally well via airplay.

 

[lostPod]

I cannot live without my Homepods (4 in the house). I also have a few Alexa devices as well. Sonos is pretty awesome too. My homepods + homebridge pretty much run the house LOL

 

[waw74]

with sonos, you can add google or Alexa. You can use either, but each speaker can only run one. So you could have Alexa in the kitchen, and google in the living room if you want.
They also just added their own voice assitant that will let you control music, and is handled entirely on the speaker, so less privacy concerns. You can run the sonos assistant in addition to google/Alexa on the same speaker.

Sonos will tie into most streaming services, check their site for availability in your country. the music will play directly on the speaker. You can also add multiple of some services like Spotify, So if you and someone else in the house have different music tastes, you can both add your own accounts, and have access to your playlists, and don't have to worry about the other person messing up your music selections.

Sonos has apps for iPhone, Android, windows, and Mac. So you'll be able to start music on any device you have, and then change it from any other on your network.

Most of those streaming services you listed you want compatibility with are video services, so sonos won't connect to them directly, nor will most speakers
BUT... if you're using an Apple TV to play back video, you can airplay to all of their latest speakers. I would highly recommend one of their sound bars over using airplay though. Airplay can take a second or 2 to buffer, and can lead to lag when starting video (either starting a new video, or from paused) And some apps don't handle it well at all, but all the major ones should work as long as you don't mind the lag when starting.
For their sound bars, you TV will need an HDMI-ARC port (should be labelled on the TV) or an optical out. The ARC port will give you more seamless control of volume

also once any speaker in the system is playing something (either through it's internal player, airplay, or HDMI) it's available on any other speaker in your system. Big football match... you can have the game on in the living room, and the audio coming out of all the other speakers around your house in sync.
If you were to buy some older used sonos speakers that do not support airplay, as long as you have one speaker in the system that does have airplay, you can airplay to that one, and use sonos to get the audio to all the other speakers.

all of the sonos speakers sound really good. The ones from Ikea are also decent, but maybe for a secondary room, like a bathroom or kitchen, where you might not need as much bass. They don't have one with a screen though.

**all of this is based on what's available in the USA, do your research to make sure it's also available in your country.

 

[skaertus]

If you don’t need an assistant or smart home features, then you should broaden your search beyond Apple, Google, and Amazon offerings. It sounds like you’re really just looking for an airplay speaker; or something that will support music services directly, rather than via your phone or a DAC.

IMO, your best value is Sonos. They have the broadest range of speakers, are much better sounding than anything you mentioned, are the most reliable via wifi, can be hardwired with Ethernet if you prefer, work directly with the most music services (including YouTube), and work equally well via airplay.

I cannot live without my Homepods (4 in the house). I also have a few Alexa devices as well. Sonos is pretty awesome too. My homepods + homebridge pretty much run the house LOL

with sonos, you can add google or Alexa. You can use either, but each speaker can only run one. So you could have Alexa in the kitchen, and google in the living room if you want.
They also just added their own voice assitant that will let you control music, and is handled entirely on the speaker, so less privacy concerns. You can run the sonos assistant in addition to google/Alexa on the same speaker.

Sonos will tie into most streaming services, check their site for availability in your country. the music will play directly on the speaker. You can also add multiple of some services like Spotify, So if you and someone else in the house have different music tastes, you can both add your own accounts, and have access to your playlists, and don't have to worry about the other person messing up your music selections.

Sonos has apps for iPhone, Android, windows, and Mac. So you'll be able to start music on any device you have, and then change it from any other on your network.

Most of those streaming services you listed you want compatibility with are video services, so sonos won't connect to them directly, nor will most speakers
BUT... if you're using an Apple TV to play back video, you can airplay to all of their latest speakers. I would highly recommend one of their sound bars over using airplay though. Airplay can take a second or 2 to buffer, and can lead to lag when starting video (either starting a new video, or from paused) And some apps don't handle it well at all, but all the major ones should work as long as you don't mind the lag when starting.
For their sound bars, you TV will need an HDMI-ARC port (should be labelled on the TV) or an optical out. The ARC port will give you more seamless control of volume

also once any speaker in the system is playing something (either through it's internal player, airplay, or HDMI) it's available on any other speaker in your system. Big football match... you can have the game on in the living room, and the audio coming out of all the other speakers around your house in sync.
If you were to buy some older used sonos speakers that do not support airplay, as long as you have one speaker in the system that does have airplay, you can airplay to that one, and use sonos to get the audio to all the other speakers.

all of the sonos speakers sound really good. The ones from Ikea are also decent, but maybe for a secondary room, like a bathroom or kitchen, where you might not need as much bass. They don't have one with a screen though.

**all of this is based on what's available in the USA, do your research to make sure it's also available in your country.

Thanks. Actually, while I do not need all smart speaker functions, I appreciate the fact that they can stream music directly and there is no lag, so I can sync several of them.

Sonos seems to be good, but it is expensive here in Brazil. I did some research and my options would be as follows:

Google Nest mini: $47
Google Nest Audio: $107
Amazon Echo Dot (3rd gen): $44
Amazon Echo Dot (4th gen): $70
Amazon Echo (4th gen): $135
Amazon Echo Studio: $318
Apple HomePad mini: $220
Sonos One: $600
Harman Kardon Citation One: $270
Harman Kardon Citation 300: $400
JBL Music Link: $150
JBL Music Portable: $160

From what I have seen, these smart speakers all support an assistant. It seems that Google Assistant is more affordable and may be worth it. The Nest Audio is cheaper than the Echo (4th gen), although it may not have the same sound quality.

Harman Kardon/JBL speakers are very popular here in Brazil. I have noticed that the Citation 300, for instance, has 100W RMS and supports Google Assistant. I wonder how it compares to Echo Studio in terms of sound quality. I also wonder whether it would be better to have one Citation 300, two Citation One paired, or two Nest Audio paired.

I also wonder whether Sonos One is worth that price difference.

 

[lostPod]

One awesome little feature with the homepod mini is that you can just hold your phone near the speaker and it will ask if you want to transfer whatever music you are playing to the speaker from the phone.