How to Set Up Multi-Room Music Playback on Google Home Devices
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Also think about where the voice-activated smart speakers will sit for controlling the music if you have a mix of Assistant and Chromecast built-in speakers. On the next screen, you'll see a list of all the audio devices you have connected to your account. You can create any number of groups with any arrangement of speakers you want. Once all your devices are set up, it's time to start adding them to groups. Multiple speakers in one room will be automatically grouped together. However, say you want to add all speakers on a floor to a "Downstairs" group.
You can transfer your session at any time to a speaker group you’ve already created (for example, you can create a group for all the speakers in your home called "All Speakers"). On your Nest display, tap the active media card to bring up the media player. There may be some exceptions to this, depending on the manufacturer.
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Unfortunately, if your system consists of a mix of newer and older models, the new models also won’t receive updates because updating the new models would remove compatibility with the older ones. The solution to this problem amounts to creating two separate Sonos systems, with older devices controlled by the original Sonos app and newer devices controlled by the new S2 app. With such a split system, only devices within the S1 system can be grouped together, and likewise only S2 devices can be grouped together. In other words, grouping S1 devices and S2 devices together to create a truly whole-home wireless music system is no longer possible. Because some people prefer to use native streaming service apps, such as those for Spotify and Apple Music, Sonos is starting to make its speakers compatible with those.
You'll need at least two devices for a group and you also need to link the group to your Google account to use voice controls and access your personal preferences. In the Google Home app, you can have many different devices placed in different rooms. This goes for individual Google Home compatible speakers as well. Similarly, this also applies to speaker groups, found at the bottom of the app.
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The Google Home has continued to expand beyond the all-in-one smart speaker we initially tested. It’s similar to the Echo Dot, although it lacks an auxiliary audio output to plug it into another speaker. It can be paired to a better speaker over Bluetooth, however, and still has complete Google Assistant functionality. You'll need a subwoofer cable to connect your powered subwoofer to your receiver's subwoofer output. Weather-resistant speakers help you bring the joy of music to your outdoor living spaces.
To do that, open the Google Home app and tap Add and choose "Create Speaker Group." Out of the box, the Google Home app for Android and iOS makes it relatively easy to set up an individual smart speaker, but dig a little deeper and you can connect them to fill entire floors of your home with music. The Home’s SmartThings integration allows you to control in-wall and plug-in smart switches wirelessly connected to your SmartThings hub. As with the Hue bulbs, you can group these devices for easier control. Perfect for stereo music systems, they're also good for the front or rear channels of a home theater system.
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WiSA is an alliance that is licensing its technology to different speaker manufacturers. It operates in a different wireless band than conventional 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz Wi-Fi, making it less prone to interference. It is mostly aimed at building wireless surround-sound systems, where it can support lossless 24/96 audio with 7.1 channels, but it is starting to add multiple zones for multiroom wireless speakers. Unfortunately, it’s not a complete system approach and thus not a true competitor in this arena. Sonos speakers with Alexa built in also have some other voice-control shortcomings when compared with proper Echo devices. For example, Sonos doesn’t support Alexa Routines that include audio actions .
We’ve tested the new Sonos Voice Control function and added our thoughts. We also added the new Sonos Ray as a more affordable soundbar option. Dave's made his daily life so much more convenient by installing Smart Home devices. But performance in the real world is affected by the acoustics of your car or home, your choice of amplification, and your source material.
Once you've made your choice, you can move onto the next step. On your Nest display, when media is playing, tap the active media card to bring up the media player. Google representatives replied that while no third-party software is allowed to run on the Home, all software is validated through a cryptographically verified secure-boot process before it runs on the device. If any software is tampered with, the cryptographic signature verification will prevent the software from loading and stop the Home from operating. Google also cryptographically protects all communications between the Home and Google cloud services.
The Nest team is launching what it calls "multi-room control." This works with the most popular audio apps, specifically YouTube Music, Spotify and Pandora. If you have multiple Google-Assistant speakers in your home, you'll see a casting icon at the bottom of your music player. There you can select individual speakers to add to playback in real time. Google rebranded the setup 'Audio Entertainment from Google' last year. Bland brand name aside, the tech giant also now sells multipacks of smart speakers and devices to set up your multi-room system from the Google Store. You have several options to listen to audio on multi-room groups.
When you shop through retailer links on our site, we may earn affiliate commissions. 100% of the fees we collect are used to support our nonprofit mission. You can disable notifications at any time in your settings menu. Google is rolling out updates that change speaker selection across your smart home. Sign up for Tips & Tricks newsletter for expert advice to get the most out of your technology.
He has tested multiroom wireless speaker systems—from retail versions to custom-installed ones—for many years. To help you choose the right speakers, we recommend using Crutchfield’s SpeakerCompare Listening Kit. It includes a pair of studio-quality headphones, and a guide to getting the most out of your session, and a few other necessary items. We’ve carefully chosen the components of this kit to ensure a crystal-clear listening experience. It’s available for a nominal rental fee, and includes a $25 Crutchfield merchandise credit.
The competition is catching up, but Sonos is still the most complete and reliable package overall. Chromecast is Google’s wireless streaming technology for multi-room audio. It’s grown rapidly in popularity with the introduction of the Google's smart speakers, like the current Nest Audio . All speakers with Chromecast built-in can be integrated into a multi-room system. Some of them, if integrated with Google Assistant, respond to voice commands. Featuring a deep and powerful bass, a clean midrange, and smooth treble, the Studio is in fact one of the very best-sounding smart speakers to pass through our labs.
Dennis Burger has been reviewing headphones, speakers, AV receivers, home automation systems, home theater gear, and high-end audio gear for nearly two decades. He served as East Coast contributing editor for Home Entertainment magazine and is now senior editor at SoundStage! In the past he has written for Residential Systems, Home Theater Review, Electronic House, Big Picture Big Sound, Digital TV & Sound, Home Smart Home, and Home Theater magazine, just to name a few. Just say, "Okay Google," or "Hey Google," and the Google Home Max's six far-field mics are ready for your next music request.
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