But the Max is going to be less inconspicuous. That sort of color scheme works fine for the smaller Google Home, especially since you can just tuck it into a corner somewhere. OK, Google calls it 'chalk.' I call it bland. On the other hand, that'd just give me two institutional gray speakers to deal with. And while $800 is hardly chump change, it's really not out of line for good stereo equipment. You can make a stereo pair out of a couple Maxes. Two speakers, though, would be even better. (Like Sonos, Google doesn't give the exact wattage.) And it fills a room pretty well.

Google Home Max can get pretty damn loud. But newer, louder stuff? It fills the room as it should.Įver wish your Google Home had a really good speaker? This is it.Ī single speaker is fine. Older, more compressed music still sounds like older, more compressed music. And Kendrick Lamar's 'DAMN.' hits with all the urgency and punctuation that it's supposed to. It does, however, make the Ed Sheeran/Beyonce duet of 'Perfect' sound gorgeous. And Justice For All,' which famously gave the shaft to the low end. Google Home Max doesn't magically add bass to Metallica's '. Some of that, of course, has to do with the source material. Point is, the more I listened, the better things started to sound.

Sonos has this sort of thing, too, called 'Trueplay tuning.' But you set it by waving your iPhone (and only your iPhone) around in the air for a minute while it listens in. But the Max has a cool feature called 'Smart Sound,' which uses the built-in microphones and a bit of 'artificial intelligence' (because what doesn't these days, right?) to listen to your environment and how the sound is bouncing around, and it'll adjust accordingly. I found it to be a bit light on the low end at first. And, in fact, it'll get better over time. You now have a Google Home speaker that sounds really good. (Again, Google's gotten really good at the onboarding process.) That takes just a minute or so, and you're done.Īnd that's it. In fact, your phone should recognize that there's a new speaker waiting to be paired with your Google Account. You'll set up the Max like you do any of the other Google Home devices - in the Google Home app. (Hint: you'll always want it on the edge closest to the power port.) I actually missed seeing the base as I unboxed the Max, and it took me a couple minutes to find it. It helps dampen vibrations and keep the speaker in place, and you'll need to remove it - it peels right off, held in place by a slight magnetic bond - and move it to the left face of the speaker if you're going to use the Max vertically. A couple quick-start sheets, and the power cord (I love that there's no wart and that it doesn't take up any outlet space), and that's it.ĭo take care to note the little rubber base that's attached to the bottom of the Max, though. There's very little in the box to get in your way. Once you get the Max out of the box (again, what's up with the handles on the lower edge of the box?), you're back to what Google's become really good at - the first-run experience. It absolutely surpasses any of the Amazon Echo speakers in terms of sound quality. Yes, Google Home Mini was the answer to the prolific Amazon Echo Dot.īut what to do about the high end? With Amazon squarely in its sights, it was time to turn to another competitor, one that's secured its place in the pantheon of wireless music. But does exactly the same things as its big brother. Then there's the newish Google Home Mini. Yes, Google Home was the answer to the Amazon Echo. That's since fallen to under $100, though. And at first, it was pricey, closing in on $200. Now it's thrown communications into the mix, with the ability to make legitimate phone calls to anyone, anywhere. Services - music, for one, and the ability to control other connected devices, for another. The 'knowledge graph' - all the answers and information Google can throw back at you. It's roughly the size of a large travel mug, smartly flashes lights at you while it's listening and speaking, and connects a bunch of the major parts of Google in one place. Google Home - the product - was Google's first real leap into the smart home category. Two 4.5-inch woofers, two 0.7-inch tweetersīut let's go back to the beginning.

Google home max