What to Look for When Buying Smart Speakers
If you haven’t already jumped on the smart speaker bandwagon, then listen up. These devices work just fine as a way to play music from your smartphone or the cloud. But that’s not all. When you talk to a smart speaker, it will respond to your commands. It can do things like look up the weather and sports scores, turn on your coffee maker, read you a book or even change the channel on your TV.
Before you purchase smart speakers, decide how you plan to use them. If they’re going to be the only device in your living room that will play music, then you’ll want one that has good audio quality. But while sound is important, it shouldn’t necessarily be the deciding factor in which smart speaker you choose. Here’s how the newest smart speakers from the big guys compare:
Apple
The HomePod combines fine form with superior function. A powerful speaker, the HomePod sounds amazing and adapts to wherever it’s playing. It’s the ultimate music authority, bringing together Apple Music and Siri to learn your taste in music. It’s also an intelligent home assistant, capable of handling everyday tasks — and controlling your smart home. HomePod takes the listening experience to a whole new level. And that’s just the beginning. HomePod combines Apple-engineered audio technology and advanced software to deliver the highest-fidelity sound throughout the room, anywhere it’s placed. This elegantly designed, compact speaker totally rocks the entire house.
Amazon
The Echo Spot looks to liberate your alarm clock from your smartphone and return it to its own dedicated device—dedicated, but with a host of other features too. Equipped with a 2.5-inch circular video display and a second generation far-field microphone array, the Spot will not only awaken you but allow you to control your home—or catch up on the latest news—from the comfort of your bed. The semi-spherical device can also be paired with external speakers via Bluetooth or cable.
Google
Not one to be left out of the high-quality audio equipment-meets-smart speaker game, Google recently launched the Google Home Max. The pill-shaped speakers, which can be aligned horizontally or vertically thanks to a magnetic base, The Max features “Smart Sound” spatial awareness software that allows the speaker to automatically adjust to provide optimal audio regardless of where it is placed in your home. In addition to the multi-faceted smart speaker capabilities built into all Home devices and high-quality hardware (dual 4.5-inch woofers, two 18mm custom tweeters), the Max comes with streaming services YouTube Music, Google Play Music, Pandora and Spotify baked inside.
If you’ve been on the fence about adding smart speakers to your home in Montecito, Hope Ranch or any of Santa Barbara’s upscale communities, I say go for it! If you’re considering buying a new home for your new smart speaker, I say go for that too! Please call me at 805.886.9378 or email me at Cristal@montecito-estate.com and I’ll happily find you the perfect home sweet home.