Expert review of the Google Nest Audio

When I take the Google Nest Audio out of the box, the size of the speaker catches my eye. It's definitely larger and wider than its predecessor, the Google Home. The speaker has a stylish design without physical buttons, and a sturdy bottom of white plastic. On the back, I find a switch to turn the Google Assistant on or off. On top of the speaker, there are touch controls to pause the music or adjust the volume.

The setup is very easy, even if you didn't set up a Google Nest speaker before. I connect the speaker to the socket and open the Google Home app. The app automatically finds new devices and guides you through the setup. I connect the speaker to my home network and go through a couple of steps to set my preferences. I link my Spotify account, so the assistent can start playing my favorite music right away.

When I play my playlist, I notice that the Nest Audio is quite the upgrade compared to the Google Home. They definitely worked on a richer and more powerful sound. This makes the Google Nest Audio much more suitable for playing music than the other Nest speakers. The sound of the speaker is quite balanced, with a bass that's a little less powerful at times. In large living rooms, one Nest Audio speaker might not be enough.

Thanks to stereo pairing, you can easily set up a speaker group with stereo sound in the Google Home app. I pair my 2 Nest Audio speakers to see how this works. Pairing is very easy with the app. Now that I have both speakers work together, my music gets just that little bit of extra power. You can't just pair multiple Nest Audio speakers, but also a Nest Hub or Mini. That way, you can create a music system throughout your entire house.

Even though Google clearly focuses on the improved listening experience with the Nest Audio, the voice assistant has been improved as well. I mainly notice this when I give standard voice commands. The assistent responds fast and without making mistakes when I want to pause the music or change the volume. Dimming my smart lights or starting a series on the Chromecast is also done without problems. This improved responsiveness is nice, even though it's just a matter of seconds.