![]() The Home Max's far-field microphones are tuned to pick up your voice even when the Max is playing at top volume, something Amazon's Echo Dot isn't particularly good at. That said, not a lot of people can hear the difference between the default SBC codec and AptX, but if you're one of them, stick with Chromecast. You'll want to use Chromecast over Wi-Fi, if possible, for the best audio quality, as the speaker doesn't list native support for AptX over Bluetooth. Supported audio streaming file formats include HE-AAC, LC-AAC+, MP3, Vorbis, WAV, FLAC, and Opus. You can't trigger locally stored music, or your own music library, by voice, but the Max lets you send music via a Wi-Fi Chromecast link, Bluetooth, or an audio cable. ![]() If you want to ask for specific songs, you have to be a paid subscriber to whatever service you choose. Google Assistant will play music from Google Play Music, YouTube Red, Spotify, or Pandora. It can recognize up to six different voices for different Google accounts, synchronize music between rooms, and even broadcast messages to all of the Google Home devices in your home. Amazon still has an edge over Google in terms of smart home brands supported, and weirdly, it's still better at handling calendar information for people with G Suite accounts.īut Google Assistant is terrific as a whole-home system. We pit the Amazon Echo against the Google Home a few months ago, and listed 200 things you can ask your Google Home. You set it up using the Google Home app on your Android or iOS phone (yes, you need a phone), and then can say, "Hey, Google," to play music, control smart home devices, or answer internet-based queries. If you're using only a single Home Max speaker, you should use it horizontally. When placed this way, the orientation sensor shifts the LED display behind the grille so that it stills reads out horizontally, and it also adjusts the audio into mono-if you are using two speakers as a stereo pair, they are supposed to be used vertically. The same base, which resembles a gray pancake with a Google G at its center, can be placed on the right side panel, and the speaker can be flipped vertically. You can't attach external storage or an audio source to the USB-C port.Ī silicone rubber base ships with the Home Max, and can be placed beneath it to keep it from dancing across tabletops. These drivers are powered by Class D amplifiers.Īt the bottom of the back panel, there's a connection for the included power cable, a USB-C port (which passes through power to charge your phone, and also surprisingly acts as an Ethernet port with an adapter), and a 3.5mm jack for wired audio input. Beneath the grille, dual 0.7-inch tweeters and dual 4.5-inch woofers deliver the audio. An ambient light sensor adjusts the brightness of the LEDs. The cloth has a slight sheen to it, and white LEDs glow behind its surface to display volume levels. Its smooth contour has rounded edges and a lovely cloth speaker grille that is so seamlessly installed, it looks like it and the surrounding matte plastic are one piece. While the original, smaller Google Home speaker looks like an air freshener or scented candle, the Home Max is simple and beautiful. That makes it our Editor's Choice for high-end smart speakers. While Amazon's Alexa has our favorite smart assistant ecosystem, if you're focused on music and home control, rather than Alexa's huge grab bag of random third-party skills, the Max makes a terrific core of a smart home. How to Set Up Two-Factor Authenticationįinally, there's a smart speaker where the "speaker" part is as important as the "smart." If you're interested in big, room-filling sound with voice control, the Google Home Max ($399) is your best bet right now.How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac.How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 Files.How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill.How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad.How to Block Robotexts and Spam Messages.
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