The Google Nest Audio has plenty of tricks up its sleeve, making it a great smart speaker. A cleaner, softer design replaces the old air freshener look with impressive hardware and even better software. The Nest Audio is a great alternative to the Amazon Echo if you don’t want to be reliant on Alexa.

Google Nest Audio: what is it?

Although the cloth-wrapped Nest Audio has one seam, otherwise it’s a seamless device free of angles and branding. Google Nest Audio is a speaker and a DC power adapter that Google provides, so there really isn’t much to it. It’s that simple. Google built in a hardware mute button so users can feel more confident that Google isn’t listening when they’re using Nest Audio. You get a voice prompt from Google Assistant every time you mute.

Inside the beast is a TeraOPS machine learning chip. Using this chip, you’ll get faster Google Assistant response times (only in the US). After five days of testing, I didn’t notice a noticeable increase in response time, but I’ll update it once the speaker knows what I’m doing.

The Google Nest Audio can only be placed vertically on a flat surface, unlike the mountable Google Nest Mini. My coffee table is cornered toward the back of the room, so I put the speaker there. There was resonant distortion created by the table’s surface and adjacent walls reflecting sound waves. It sounded better once I moved it to an open shelf.

What’s the difference between Media EQ and Ambient IQ?

Your Nest product will sound better with Media EQ and Ambient IQ. This isn’t the same as Google’s Room EQ. It changes the sound signature of your speaker depending on what you’re listening to. Basically, Nest Audio tunes music differently than Google Assistant.

It’s always possible to adjust the sound signature of the speaker from the Google Home app if you’re not a fan of automatic EQs. There’s a basic equalizer on Google, and I mean basic. There’s only one way to adjust bass and treble.

What’s the best way to connect Nest Audio?

Google wants its products to be accessible to everyone, so setting up the Google Nest Audio doesn’t take a whiz kid. There are clear directions in Google’s paperwork. The rest is handled by Google prompts once you download the Google Home app.

You can broadcast to one or all of your Nest speakers or Nest displays. The great thing about this is that you can let your kids know dinner’s ready without yelling at them.

Follow these steps to get it set up:

1. You’ll need the Google Home app to do this.
2. Set up devices by tapping Set up devices.
3. Choose Get started, then Set up new devices, then create a new household, then next.
4. Adding more devices is as easy as tapping the “+” sign, and then selecting Set up device > Set up new devices.
5. There’s stuff like Voice Match and Personal Results you can customize. The first one makes sure that only specific voices (e.g., homeowners) are recognized by the Google Assistant.

Are Nest Audio Wi-Fi and Bluetooth compatible?

With Nest Audio, you get Bluetooth and Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz/5 GHz) connectivity for high-quality playback. MP3, Opus Vorbis, WAV, FLAC, HE-AAC, LC-AAC, FLAC Source, and WebM Source.

Nest Audio supports Chromecast so you can cast from your phone, tablet, or computer. From your favorite music streaming app, just tap the Cast button and select the speaker you want. There are a bunch of apps that support Google Chromecast, like YouTube Music, Spotify, and Deezer. You can even use it with Apple Music if you’re a subscriber. In the Google Home app, select Apple Music as the default music service if you want to connect your Apple Music account to your Google Nest Audio speaker.

What’s the sound like on the Google Nest Audio?

From spoken word to music, Nest Audio sounds pretty good for its size. With a neutral frequency response extending from 90Hz, music sounds as it should—although some might not like the lack of subbass emphasis.

Google Nest Audio: Should you buy it?

You’ll love the Google Nest Audio if you’re a minimalist. Playful, quiet design makes it approachable, and it’s affordable. Nest Mini (2nd Generation) is a smaller version of the original Nest.

Various colorways are available: Charcoal, Chalk, Sage, Sand, and Sky. You don’t have to be familiar with Google Assistant to get your hands on Nest Audio, which is a great way to get started with smart speakers. The Google Nest Audio is a great smart home starter kit for newbies and experts alike. Our favorite Sonos alternative and sure to be a hit with all kinds of listeners.