What is Google's Nest Audio speaker worth?

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20 minutes

  • Appeared in France in 2017, Google Home speakers launched the trend of audio equipment incorporating a personal assistant.

  • After various products with perfectible audio quality, Google is convincing this time with its new Nest Audio speaker.

  • Sold for 99 euros, the device offers well-controlled listening quality for small spaces, but risks being confronted with its own limits at high volume.

“OK Google, make good sound!

“Buried the old Google Home speaker launched in mid-2017 in France.

Make way for Nest Audio!

With its new speaker launched on October 5, Google evokes an "incredible" sound.

Given the passable sound quality of the manufacturer's previous smart speakers, we were entitled to remain skeptical of Google's promises.

But we still wanted to check ...

Google's new Nest Audio speaker launched at 99 euros.

- GOOGLE

The good grades of the step by step

Small reminder: Nest was the brand of connected products (thermostats, surveillance cameras) bought by Google in January 2014. Its name now serves as a standard bearer for the smart devices of the Mountain View firm.

After a first Nest Mini speaker, it's now time for Nest Audio.

The perfect Nest Audio speaker for small spaces.

- GOOGLE

On the surface, the Nest Audio almost blends in with the crowd.

Very contemporary with its covering in Scandinavian-inspired fabrics, the speaker which measures 17.5 cm high, 12.4 cm wide and 7.8 cm thick goes everywhere.

Google claims it would be made with 70% recycled plastics.

If so, hats off.

But the information is obviously impossible to verify.

Available in black and gray in France (while other colors exist elsewhere), Nest Audio is a sedentary speaker.

To be connected to the mains, it is very easy to configure using the Google Home application.

This is a strong point of the brand: the proposed step by step (like those from Amazon for its Echo speakers) is childishly simple.

Allow five minutes to send your first sounds.

The Nest Audio speaker in its gray finish version.

- GOOGLE

The speaker has only one button.

At the back, this allows the microphone to be deactivated and will reassure people fearing to see their conversations watched by large American ears.

However, Nest Audio still loses 50% of its interest without its assistant functions ... Other keys, they touch, are hidden on the top of the speaker, under the fabric: in the center to pause the reading ;

on the left to decrease the volume;

right to increase it.

They turn out to be very responsive.

However, we fear that over time, the fabric will show fingerprints that would be very difficult to clean.

Invisible, four LED lights on the front light up under the coating as soon as the famous “OK Google” is pronounced.

There remains the sound.

Rainy weekend, happy audio test

Nest Audio has two speakers: a 19mm tweeter, as well as a 75mm woofer.

Its manufacturer claims a power 75% greater than that of the Google Home, but also 50% more bass.

It is impossible to measure these differences.

We nevertheless increased the number of tunes during a rainy weekend conducive to an in-depth test.

Nest Audio shows what it's got under the hood.

- GOOGLE

The first impression was very good.

With this immediate feeling: “That's it, finally good sound on a small Google speaker!

»Thus, the Nest Audio that has found a place in our kitchen delivers warm, clear sound, with precise and well-emphasized voices.

Some male voices also get a nice "shine".

Soon, however, certain shortcomings emerge.

The device's lack of bass can be disabling for certain musical registers, such as hip-hop or rap.

Disabling yes, but only at high volume.

At moderate volume, or for traditional listening, the speaker is largely sufficient on its own.

To listen to jazz, variety, even not too bassy rock, and classic, Nest Audio fulfills its mission perfectly.

We also tested the speaker with the radio (“OK Google, play Radio Nova”).

Other tests with podcasts and here too, the Nest Audio convinced us.

It is obviously possible to turn Nest Audio into a classic Bluetooth speaker.

To do this, all you have to do is ask him nicely: "OK Google, activate Bluetooth".

It remains to pair it with a smartphone.

It is even possible to combine two speakers to create a stereo pair.

Even using Nest Audio in multiroom, all Google speakers already on the market are compatible with each other.

The Nest Audio is said to be made from recycled plastics and aluminum.

- GOOGLE

At 99 euros, the Nest Audio is undoubtedly a good deal, even if this speaker will not necessarily be the one that will surround an evening under a surge of decibels.

On the other hand, it will be a good companion in a living room, a bedroom, a kitchen and will replace without any difficulty (and with intelligence) a classic radio or a small chain.

Sound first, then the assistant

Observation: yesterday, Google sold us personal assistants which could act as audio speakers.

They were called Google Home, Google Home Max or Google Home Mini.

With Nest Audio, the discourse of the Californian giant changes score.

We checked it during the virtual press presentation to which Google invited us: the firm evokes in length, width and across the acoustic qualities of its new product.

The presence on board of the in-house voice assistant is only mentioned last.

No doubt the concept of personal assistant is now well established in people's minds (Amazon's Alexa and Apple's Siri have also been there).

However, with Nest Audio, Google also intends to place itself as a plausible competitor to other speakers with assistants such as those from JBL or Bose.

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  • Music

  • Artificial intelligence

  • 20 minutes video

  • Google

  • High-Tech