LISTEN LOUD AND LISTEN SMART WITH GOOGLE’S SPEAKER

This high-end device is a whole lot smarter than your average grey box

Big isn’t always best, but it’s a prevailing trend in the smart speaker market right now. Amazon’s pushing hard on its Echo Plus; Apple’s Homepod is certainly not insignificant in terms of its output potential; Sonos is well and truly in the game; and even Ultimate Ears proffers enormous sound with smart assistant chops. Google’s entry into the party-powerful audio game doesn’t disappoint: it’s a big, brash speaker that scales up the skills of the existing Home and Home Mini exactly as you’d expect.

It’s well equipped in terms of drivers, with six class D amplifiers driving a pair of dual voice-coil woofers and two custom tweeters. That’s big enough, but the Home Max works with Chromecast Audio, so you can broadcast to it from a host of different apps, and create simple multi-room effects with multiple Chromecast Audio devices. It also supports dual speaker pairing, so with a couple you can create a huge stereo sound.

While there are a number of options for playback, which don’t even need any particular smarts, like Bluetooth streaming and a 3.5mm jack socket around the back, the Home Max thrives thanks to its integration with Google Assistant. This isn’t just a case of being able to ask it inane questions (though it does know the square root of 236) but one of a more personal connection. Set it up properly and you’ll be able to have the Home Max recognise the “Okay Google” of each of your family members.

Why is this important? Well, perhaps you’re managing different calendars, and want the Google Assistant to add a new date to your diary. Rather than going through the verbal gymnastics of convincing it to add the right thing in the right place, the act of identifying you – and your in dividual account – happens at the very start of the process. It’s not just applicable to your calendar, either: if you’re a user of part of the Google ecosystem in some way (and most of us are) then you’ll get access from the moment you wake up Assistant.

If you don’t want Google’s ears listening in, that’s fine. Reach behind the Max and flick the switch to deactivate its six environmental mics. You can control the Home Max through your phone, but when the light glows orange you can do so with paranoia pushed to the side.