Nest Audio vs. Google Home - Does it Sound Better?

[@cscooper2000]

I am SO grateful you made this video (so I didn't have to. Lol). Seriously, I can't believe the number of folks who just throw up a consumer camera with no awareness of AGC and think that anyone on KZbin can make an informed decision from that. This is exactly the way I would go about testing. While I realize most KZbin listening environments, including mine, will make the perfect conditions you've setup highly inaccurate, the benefit of what you've created lies in it's extreme usefulness (not it's accuracy). The Google Audio will sound even better when you bring it home! (As a 25-year audio/video pro I've always prided myself on the ability to see pixel-level blemishes and hear the tiniest distinctions. So I'm a bit sad to say that, at just 45 years old, the tone dropped out for me around only 13k. I'll blame my entry-level Onkyo speakers. Lol) Great video. Huge effort! Thanks again!

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

Thanks so much for your kind comments, I'm glad you appreciated and enjoyed the video! I also recorded a comparison of the Nest Audio vs the Nest Mini whilst I had the setup built, so that'll hopefully hit the channel later this month. Thanks!

[@SenpaiZer0]

This video having only 300 views makes no sense at all. This is definitely the best comparison between these two speakers I have seen. I have been thinking about upgrading my Google Home for the past few weeks and now I am finally convinced that the new Nest Audio is worth it. Btw, I am 20yo and stopped hearing the sound at around 17kHZ although I don't think that this result is reliable since I watched the video on my phone's stereo speakers.

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

Thank you, that's very kind of you to say! Yes it's always a battle to get noticed by the algorithm so please feel free to share the video anywhere you think it'll be appreciated to help more people see it. Thanks! And you seem to be able to hear to about the same frequency as me... it may be down to (pro)consumer equipment!

[@nafishaider]

Definitely preferred B. It was much clearer, could distinguish the instruments and vocals a lot better than A. A sounded too bass heavy and everything sounded a bit more drowned out like it was under water. I stopped hearing frequencies around 15khz. I am 35 years old.

[@bjrnfrihagen5914]

Excellent video, really helped me to decide whether or not the Nest Audio would suit my needs. I'm 25, and the sound went silent at somewhere between 18-19 kHz. Using Steelseries Arctis Pro Wireless.

[@WillGallagher1]

Definitely preferred B... That said, I will say, I got the Google Home when it first came out and originally thought it sounded horrible but with a few software updates Google really made it sound much better. Still, Nest audio wins hands down.

[@user-ws5nt8zz4v]

Yes it Right

[@BenGartland]

Great video, the newer Nest Audio sounds better, the older Home sounds muffled in comparison. Time to upgrade! 14500hz age 46 - listening on ATH-M50x. My boy hears 18500Hz and he's 13.

[@jeremiah7722]

For the Frequency Analysis test, the sound ended around the same for me 20k-21k. I am currently 30 years of age!

[@thestingyham1188]

Excellent video. I own both of these units, now. I actually find the bass to be fuller with the older home, and with EQ I prefer it over the Nest so far, which is lacking in bass. But mids and highs are a bit clearer with the new nest. I understand placement can make a big difference. Can't seem to add a whole lot of bass to the Nest, and would argue it's not worth the money over a Nest Mini. I am deaf above 13k, anyway... old man listened to too much AC/DC!

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

Thanks, glad you liked it! If you're finding the bass on your Nest Audio to be *less* than on the Home - even after EQing it - then I'd suggest it's faulty. There should be a night and day difference in favour of the Nest Audio there!

[@CuratedBuysworldwide]

Which one is A and B?

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

It tells you in the video - keep watching!

[@sovietgamer6214]

B is much better. A actually sounds like B, but being played at the other side of a wall.

[@TheDwarfInvasion]

You need to display frequency response with the x axis on a log plot, not linear. That chart is focused on the top 20% of our hearing range. You can't see any detail in the mids and lows, so it's a bit useless. Most frequency response graphs show 1khz as the center frequency.

[@sp3associate]

I think the frequency response part was the best 💯, good work keep it up . pls also do an frequency response test of HARMAN KARDAN AURA STUDIO 3

[@xthexadvantagex]

The audio was definitely louder and had more mids and treble. In this test I feel like the home was a bit more balanced in the eq though that does contribute to it sounding like a blanket over the speakers. Now for what I use these speakers for the audio fits my needs better.

[@MrPercy78]

Great compare!!! Best on KZbin!! Like the sound better on A but it's strange muffled sound low but more clear to my ears. But B is "louder" but more "bathroom" sound.

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

Thanks for watching!

[@makdrumz]

B all the way! So much more room and clarity than A which sounds muffled and cheap in comparison!

[@Timzart7]

I don't know if this is true from the original Google Home and the Google Nest Audio, but me recently going from a Google Home Mini to Google Nest Audio (Nest on sale for $50), the reason I did it and the reason it is well worth it for me is the better microphones. You can say a command in a low voice, even from 20 feet away, and it picks it up accurately, even when the Google voice, alarm or music is playing. Makes it better for controlling smart lights etc, too. This is a good comparison for audio quality though. I'm spoiled there by $88/pair Bose desktop speakers I've used for years.

[@somewhatdiscrete]

thanks so much for using this test to promote an indie artist! found a new jam! 😊

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

Yeah they're great aren't they! 😀

[@gilt0301]

so detailed! can tell u put time in to get everything done right. respect

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

Thank you, I appreciate it!

[@chillzwinter]

54 - silent at 15.5KHz using WF-1000XM3 (with an over the top harmonic spike sounding like 8KHz at 25% volume at around the 15KHz mark). Edit: just did the same test directly on my phone using a function generator app and lost it at 15.6KHz with the same earphones - so at least youtube is reproducing the signal pretty accurately, and the 8K harmonic may have been a youtube audio compression artifact. Interesting I've lost the 15.5K to 18K range in the last 5 years when I last did this test - must be getting old.

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

How do you find the Sony earbuds in general? I've not yet tried any myself, but got an earbuds review from another brand coming up on the channel...

[@chillzwinter]

@@SwitchedOnNetwork I also have the WH-1000XM3, but prefer the WF in most situations (eg. public transport, etc) as they are so much more convenient, and I'm more likely to have them with me when needed. The WH cups your ears so the passive noise absorption is noticeably better than the WF earbuds, but the active noise cancellation does the trick if your earbuds fit snuggly. I use a larger right earbud than left earbud, as I have for years scratched that ear hole, and have made it bigger than the left - lol. Compared with the $25 cheap ebay earbuds I previously owned, the WF-1000XM3 is about 4 times louder, and generally about 4 times better, so the 10 times price difference (compared with the ebay cheapy's) is a hard pill to swallow, but that's the price of quality - take it or leave it.

[@simons.5442]

Thanks for this gem - subbed!

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

Thank you - and welcome!

[@abbeyrham4220]

Excellent comparison. Great Video :)

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

Thank you!

[@thomasbrady7191]

Great content! Thanks for the help.

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

Glad it was helpful!

[@malteglad8710]

I couldn't hear the tone when it hit 16k hz and I'm 16 years

[@JonathanHughesMusic]

Fabulous work - Thanks!

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

Many thanks!

[@hank2130]

I play a basic Thunderstorm sound on Google Home and so far it sound's better then the Nest speaker doing the same sound.

[@MuhammadKharismawan]

can you pair the home and Nest audio with the Nest to make a muoti room setup?

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

Yes 👍

[@indranilmunnu]

I am 55 and I could hear up to 45 Hz with my Logitech desktop speakers connected to HP laptop.

[@Nina-dh2ku]

So conclusion please ( B is Google home and A is Nest audio) isn't it? Because i like the B sounds so good.

[@CompetentSalesUSA]

Levels must be matched within 1db. When doing comparisons.

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

... unless the level difference is part of the comparison!

[@NvidiaShield-gl2gu]

What everyone seems to be missing and what completely invalidates all your efforts is the Nest Audio is a directional speaker wheras the Google Home has three speakers pointing in different directions. You havr the nest audio pointed directly at the mic, obviously the sound will be clearer.

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

How does that invalidate the result? It's a difference in design which makes up part of the overall difference between the two devices. The microphone represents a person standing listening to the device as they would in real life. If we start saying they need to stand or sit at different angles for the different devices that would invalidate the "which would sound better placed in the room I'll be placing it in, in the place it'll be, with me where I'll be" comparison.

[@AlexT1994]

​@SwitchedOnNetwork having listened to both of these devices extensively in person, the Google home with its omnidirectional speakers does create a better sounsscape and a more room filling sound depending on where you place it, it's not just purely the front facing speaker, the sound deadening you've created means the speakers facing away from the mic will not perform as well. You clearly know about acoustics, how can you overlook the fact that reflections from surrounding surfaces will 100% affect the listening experience of the google home. The nest audio has only front facing speakers, the ones you have pointed directly at the mic.

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

That's a fair point, but I think the key point is the "depending on where you place it" thing. It's very hard to do a completely, 100% fair side-by-side comparison test of two speakers which are as different as these are. It wasn't about which can perform best in an environment tailored to that speaker, it was a side-by-side test in the same environment. Any test, regardless of where you do it, could invite comments such as "ah but if you placed speaker A there, or speaker B there, it would sound better". The nature of a controlled environment I guess means that variations which would accommodate or enhance certain design or other features won't be included. Anecdotally, these days the Google Home is in our bedroom on top of a chest of drawers (carpeted room) and the Nest Audio is in our dining room, on top of the piano. The Nest Audio produces (in my opinion) by far the best sound for music, regardless of where I put it, and the Google Home is used mostly as an alarm clock in the mornings and for broadcasting down to tell the kids to hurry up and get ready for school 🤣

[@rexbalisalisa954]

What is the equaliser settings of the google nest audio during the test?

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

They were both set to 0 for both bass and treble

[@riyabadriya2094]

Awesome... Thank you for the video

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

Glad you liked it!

[@anthonymatar428]

Great Video! Subscribed!

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

Thank you! 🙏

[@PinkMoonisGonnaGetYou]

I'm penniless after buying two google home devices in 2016 for $130 each. It is crazy what Google was asking for that speaker when it first came out. They haven't kept their resale value and they don't work nearly as well as the Nest Audio that is selling for $59 at the time of his writing. Plus, the Home speakers are cheaply made. Drop one to the floor and they are a goner.

[@fewik8567]

I don't think people often drop them and nor were they intended to be in such an environmental so I don't think it's quite a fair argument, if you drop most speakers without portability in mind they won't fair too well

[@MadmanLink]

Totally B. I'm 52 and can't hear the sound around 12k, but I also work in industrial settings. I have a lot of hearing damage.

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

I feel for you - I'm a drummer and for the first few years (age ~12 onwards) I didn't use ear protection. 36 now and can't remember what complete silence sounds like 😭

[@BeardElk]

15,8k 32 years old🤘(listlistening through my mackie CR-3 with CR-10 sub, all speakers normalized ofcourse) I got tinnitus af tho......

[@mtrlb8866]

I’d like B which makes me feel that I’m immersed in the music as if I was there listening to live music 🎵

[@AaronFreemanPowell]

B sounds so much fuller and crisper. It's as if Google didn't really even try with A 😂

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

I know, right! It's funny how psychology works because the original doesn't sound too bad in isolation but then when you play them side by side it's like, "oh wow, yeah!" But then of course the original wasn't a music-focussed device, more of a jack-of-all-trades whereas the new one aims to have a speciality...

[@spokje]

@@SwitchedOnNetwork Doesn't sound too bad? It's horrible. I am so glad I got rid of it. People must stop saying the original Home is OK, because it's not. It's rubbish. Nest Audio sounds a lot better but please people go listen in a shop if you plan to buy one of these speakers. Because if you're used to good sound (decent receiver / speakerset), all these all-in-one speakers sound mediocre at best. Same for Sonos, etc.

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

@@spokje It's all down to personal preference... I wouldn't use either as my primary, main music listening speaker but with a bit of EQ by tweaking the bass/treble I think the original Home is "OK" (I'd not be much more generous than that). It's perfectly fine for listening to a bit of music or podcasts/the radio in my bedroom whilst getting ready in the mornings. Obviously for main music listening in the living room or something, then yes it would definitely be "rubbish"! But different scenarios call for different standards, IMHO :)

[@spokje]

@@SwitchedOnNetwork True that

[@simons.5442]

@@SwitchedOnNetwork still better then Amazon that fools people that they're trying with the Echo Studio while they "just threw speakers in a shell and made it big ass" so that it seems professional - they might as well just kept the Echo Sub. That thing is a shame ... but it fits their limited Audio Quality of Amazon Music (which gets reduced even further depending on the server load or your Wifi Signal, that flunctions greatly) and lack of a proper (Smart) Equalizer Solution (both Manually adjustable and Automatically with Presets) just perfectly.

[@jurgel]

Superb comparison! Nest Mini vs Nest Audio, please. I want to know if the audio quality difference is worth double the price? Or better, Nest Mini stereo pair vs Nest Audio stereo pair :) If another video is too much to ask, what do you think about them?

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

Thanks! Nest Mini vs Nest Audio is coming soon! Just need to finish editing it after New Year. Keep an eye on the UK news... If primary schools go back as planned after the holidays then I'll be able to finish it 🤣🤣

[@jurgel]

@@SwitchedOnNetwork Cool! Looking forward to it.

[@sergiollanosgarcia9945]

Amazing video! Can you make a comparison between Nest Audio/Nest mini and Alexa devices? Greetings from Spain!

[@scotte8315]

How is it on staying clean. I’m worried about it getting dirty pretty easy cuz it’s seems to be all cloth

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

No issues so far, same with all the minis. Dust doesn't seem to settle too much on it, wipes clean ok 👍

[@zodi02]

Coudnt hear the sound right before 22kHz and seeing other comments, I am proud but also I'm just 19 Using logitech Pro (X?) wireless Headset

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

Oh to be 19 again! :)

[@_purejosh]

Could you have any more ads and promotional plugs?

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

It's largely down to KZbin, and it's quite a long video so there's more chance you'll see an ad. But I'm sure you won't mind the creator of the video being able to make a living?

[@roninmagik1]

this video got you a subscriber! = )

[@xayroMS]

In my country Nest Audio 120 $ + Google Home 41 $ +

[@jeremiah7722]

B is Nest and A is Home 7:30

[@PDSOUNDS]

Same here, silent between 17 and 18 kHZ - 41 years old

[@TheDarkpio]

Starting 18KHZ -> 31 years old

[@wrnowown]

B seemed superior but both seemed to serve similar ends and I would say its barely any difference in the big picture

[@sahara2559]

Greta video. Thx

[@alterablebark54]

I'm going to assume A is the Home, it just sounds muffled and lacking in comparison to B

[@shadabrana]

not me watching all the comparisons when i'm getting the google home for 10 bucks. At this point does it even make sense to compare anything.

[@tommyvr82]

I like the sound of B better I can here the sound thil between 16 and 17khz I'm 38 whit my surround system

[@nathantylersturgill]

Why do it at 100% volume? in real world use it's not good on any kind of amp/speaker combo to be played at 100% typically 3/4 max volume should be the ceiling.

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

Fair question to ask. The reason is because before making the video, I listened to both on 100% and could confirm that none of the problems you'd usually associate with more manually-operated speakers/amps being cranked to 100% were there, so I made the decision that it was fair game to test at. So I'm 99.999% certain that "100%" on these isn't true 100% of what they're theoretically capable of, but rather it's at the top end of the range you'd actually ever use on another system. So it's more like "100% of the usable range". Like they overprovisioned the speakers...

[@nathantylersturgill]

@@SwitchedOnNetwork that stands to reason then I suppose, I could see Google basically making full volume not truly 100% output from the internal amp just to protect the speaker from the average user cranking it up, fair enough, nice test by the way.

[@rockrida317]

I was scared B was going to be the Google Home

[@RhetoricalMuse]

Good channel.

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

Thanks and welcome!

[@H_B_R]

how about nest mini vs OG google home?

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

That video's in the pipeline... 👍

[@pedrocamposnl]

thanks...i prefer B

[@realkk]

B for clarity

[@saul.m184]

B sounds better and richer!

[@bradcholewa4810]

A sounds muffled and b sounds way better, not I wish they would make the link setting where u can link 2 Google homes or nests to work like a surround sound stereo setting, availing on 2 different model Google homes. Like hang 1 Google Nest audio and a Google Nest Hub Max. U can only do it with 2 models in the same room

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

Yeah, you can group different types of speaker but to make a stereo pair they have to be the same - because otherwise the stereo effect wouldn't be properly achieved and it would sound "off". If the left and right channels are completely different volumes and tones because the speakers are very different in nature, it wouldn't sound like proper stereo at all!

[@bradc7254]

@@SwitchedOnNetwork I agree accept that I think itnsoild be better if you could link say a Google home max and 2 nest minis and have the max be the main speaker used like a speaker bar and have the 2 minis slightly behind you to the left and right and have a surround sound mode/setting so it uses the max for the main sound and the minis for the surround sound effect and have them do more of the highs and background sound or sounds that would be in that location. Kind of like a surround sound system but made with Google speakers and is wireless

[@markklimesh]

16K ish 41.75 years old

[@bisonnyla]

42. Can hear to 12.5

[@nyatoko8578]

Do you using same audio codec? 🤭 That is so important for sound quality 😂

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

Of course; kept everything the same otherwise it would've been a pointless test 🙂

[@gurumoji]

Thanksfortesting

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

noproblemimgladyoufoundituseful!

[@nchristensen3309]

12K 55y

[@bluefire87HN]

100% volume has no sense.

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

Why not?

[@bluefire87HN]

@@SwitchedOnNetwork Because at 100% of the volume all cheap devices have unbalanced audio and lower quality, some even have distorted audio.

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

Sometimes, true, but I decided on 100% for this test because after listening to both speakers I couldn't hear any distortion in the audio or any quality issues (that weren't apparent at lower volumes, anyway) at 100% volume. Which volume level would you have preferred me to test at?

[@bluefire87HN]

@@SwitchedOnNetwork My friend, you need a medical examination for your hearing. :-D I also have Google Home in my house and at high volume the sounds are not at all clean such as 50% for example. You are probably not very sensitive to the quality of the music. No offense, mind you! Sorry for the bad English.

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

Haha well, I'm an audiophile and a musician so I doubt that... I expect we were listening to different things. I'm not saying the Google Home *never* distorts or loses quality at 100%, but for these two pieces of music I listened on both devices at 100% and decided - for these 2 tracks specifically, in isolation - that 100% would work well. Which it did! 🤣 Can you hear distortion in any of this video, which wouldn't have existed at, say, 75% volume? I think not. But thank you for your input, it's always nice to have lively discussions! 😄😃🙂

[@SashaNEV]

Obviously B

[@seugenesio1]

A= junk sound B=OK

[@miguelemarcela]

Just equalize nest audio (A)

[@BigBadBalrog]

I lost it at 15.5k. I'm only 30, but I guess too many death metal concerts will do that to you

[@scotte8315]

At 6 mins & 23 secs the Google home was moved

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

👀 bonus points for you! 🤣

[@booooooooooooooooooooooo]

Age 22, WH1000XM4, silent at 18khz

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

Great headphones!

[@nickfreeman7285]

16-17khz is when I stop hearing it, I'm 23.

[@saul.m184]

17.2 kHz

[@dudefy33]

32 ~17K

[@dudefy33]

B preferred for sure

[@kaname804]

0.8513 24years

[@user-ws5nt8zz4v]

Its nest audio

[@Fayrbrant]

B is so much better wth XD

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

ha, I know! I honestly wasn't expecting so much of a difference until I got them side-by-side :) When the Nest Audio arrived and I first powered it up I could tell straight away it was superior, but just how superior quickly becomes apparent when you flip between them like this. Night and Day difference! How long can you hear the test tone for before it goes silent to your ears?

[@Fayrbrant]

Yeah, Google did great with the new Audio indeed. By test tone you mean the 18:47 segment? Using earphone it became silent for me on 19:14 mark (somewhere between 7.3-7.4 mark in the graph)

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

Yes that's the one - interesting, not too dissimilar from my ears then!

[@Colinmchapman]

36. 19k

[@yentl555]

My dog hate you xD

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

Sorry!! 🤣

[@WayneMcKenzie]

Cheese and chalk

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

Absolutely - I hadn't been expecting such a difference before putting them side by side! 👍

[@AmeliorScout]

B

[@otello647]

this guys want from us just commenting, so far no one likes A.

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

And thank you for your comment 🙂

[@sept007]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@filippiasec]

You shouldn't play it in a dumped environemnt, they havent been enginiered to play in such an environment, but to work with the room acoutstics.

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

Yes but this was a controlled test to compare them directly to each other, removing other variables. How they sound in my particular room with all my own variables isn't of much interest or relevance to the wider audience, hence they're removed by adopting a more scientific approach.

[@aniket2888]

218 likes?!! Are you kidding me??!!!!

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

You think it should have more or fewer? 😜

[@aniket2888]

@@SwitchedOnNetwork Lol! Great stuff, subscribed!!

[@SwitchedOnNetwork]

Thank you!

[@newsouls13]

B