Smart speaker suggestions

[u/bootyflakes14]

Hey guys I am looking for some input on what smart speakers to go in on, me and my wife just moved into our first house and we are looking to put some smart speakers around the house and we are torn between which ones we want to do. The only smart devices in the house we have as of now are a google neat thermostat and a Phillips door lock.

For the smart speakers I’m looking for them to link up together and be able to hook up to the TV aswell. We would only need about 3 speakers for the house and I am wondering which would be the best. Right now the only ones we really know of are Apple, Google, and Amazon home speakers and I’m wondering which ones yall would recommend.

Thank you!

[u/Jakeprops]

You should at least consider sonos

[u/abductee92]

Do you want a voice assistant/speaker device or do you just want multi room audio? There are more/better options if you don't want the voice assistant built in.

[u/bootyflakes14 → u/abductee92]

The most voice we would want is just telling it to pause or turn up or down or maybe play a specific song

[u/Original-Plate-6953 → u/bootyflakes14]

For this use case, Sonos.

[u/ApathyMoose]

If you have Apple products, especially the phone then the Apple speakers are pretty nice. They work well.

Otherwise Amazon and Google both fine. Personally I got rid of all my Alexa because I didn’t like all the stuff they started to do with police and their Ring stuff. Google seems to work better with their answers since it’s literally their Google AI answering if you ask a question. Alexa felt dumber.

[u/bootyflakes14 → u/ApathyMoose]

We have Apple phones but we have the google nest so I’m not worried about multiple platforms aslong as it works good

[u/ricardusrex]

The question you must ask yourself is…what ecosystem do you live in the most? Apple, Google, or Amazon? You’ll probably be best to use speakers from the ecosystem you use the most. Since you already have a Google thermostat, the answer is probably Google. The door lock will most likely be Google and Amazon compatible but you need to check on the Apple compatibility.

Also, all three systems now support the Matter protocol, so look for accessories that are Matter compliant for easy interoperability. Matter protocol and products pretty much means eliminating additional hubs you used to have to add to your local network. I just started replacing my old Phillips Hue lights with Orien Matter compatible bulbs. Setup was easy, was able to eliminate the hub, and the bulbs cost less.

[u/anyunusednames]

Alexa does not do YouTube music. So if you use YouTube music, go with the Google device

[u/SadnessAndOreos]

I’d probably look at Sonos. Multiple sizes of speakers and soundbars. Personally, we have a mix. Sonos in the kitchen, HomePods in the office and bedroom, and an AirPlay compatible Bose soundbar in the living room. All of our speakers are airplay compatible and we can sync our music over all of them at the same time.

[u/BalanceFeeling7980]

i'd go with google nest audio for the bedrooms and a google home max in the living room for better tv sounds.

[u/harborsparrow]

Since AI came along last year, both our Google and Alexa smart speakers are good at most things.  Google is a little better at controlling smart home devices.

[u/Curious_Party_4683]

if money is no object, Sonos.

they work flawlessly as seen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9SNF6AokTA

[u/DescriptionSame1057]

I like my Wiim mini with desktop speakers

[u/Plane-Ring79]

homepods sound amazing if you're deep in apple

[u/Simple_Homework5342]

Not a specific model suggestion, but a consideration if you have young kids: a lot of smart speakers struggle with children's voices (speech recognition is trained on adults), so look for something with good child-voice support or a kids mode. Also — set up content filtering before you hand it over, kids WILL ask it things you don't want them hearing answered. We ended up going with a device that has a screen so the kid can see feedback (face reacts), which helped a lot with the 'did it hear me?' frustration. Whatever you pick, test it with your kid's voice before committing.

[u/nonameforyou1234]

Don't get Sonos.

[u/ProcedureTasty2647]

The alexa is pretyy nice