Comparison Google Home Max vs Apple HomePod

The maximum number of audio channels that the audio system can reproduce through its own acoustics.

— 1.0. One channel of audio allows only monophonic sound — enough to hear the sound, but not providing a surround effect. The advantage of this option is compactness, because For normal operation, it is enough to equip the device with one speaker. The single-channel format is found mainly in inexpensive models, as well as in the most compact audio systems, where small size is more important than "fancy" sound.

— 2.0. Two channels is the minimum required to play stereo sound. This format already allows you to achieve a sense of spaciousness without requiring too many speakers and complicating the entire system. Therefore, he is very popular.

— 2.1. Modification of the 2.0 format described above, supplemented by a subwoofer — a specialized speaker for low frequencies. The use of a subwoofer improves sound quality by delivering rich bass sound.

— 2.2. A further extension of the 2.1 format described above, providing for the presence of two subwoofers — this improves the reliability of the transmission of low frequencies.

— 3.1. An extended version of the 2.1 standard, in which two classic stereo speakers are complemented not only by a subwoofer, bu...t also by a third, centre speaker. This allows you to improve the sound quality — in particular, due to a richer surround sound.

Note that 2.0 models that do not have their own subwoofer may be equipped with a subwoofer output (see below).

The phase inverter is a tube installed in the column housing and having an outlet to the surrounding space. The length of the tube is chosen so that a signal comes out of the outlet, inverted in phase relative to the signal from the front of the diffuser. This enhances the sound pressure and improves the sound of the speakers, including at low frequencies. Note that such audio systems should be placed at a certain distance from walls, furniture, etc. — otherwise, a hum may occur due to the movement of air through the phase inverter tube.

A similar function in some models is performed by a passive radiator (see below).

— Airplay. AirPlay technology was developed by Apple. It is based on Wi-Fi and is used to wirelessly broadcast content from Apple devices to external audio systems. Thus, this function is useful for those who want to connect an iPhone or iPod touch to the audio system, but do not want to fiddle with wires; however, it is possible to connect via AirPlay and other devices - for example, a PC with iTunes and a Wi-Fi module installed.

— Airplay 2. The second generation of the AirPlay technology described above, introduced in 2018. Among the main innovations of this version is support for the "multi-room" format, that is, the simultaneous transmission of several audio signals to different compatible devices installed in different places. In this way, you can, for example, turn on the radio broadcast of a news programme in the living room, relaxing music in the bedroom, etc. In addition, AirPlay 2 received a number of other improvements - improved buffering, the ability to stream to stereo speakers, as well as support for voice control through Siri.

— Chromecast. The original name is Google Cast. A technology for broadcasting content to external devices developed by Google. Allows you to transmit an audio signal from a PC or mobile device to the audio system, broadcasting is standardly carried out via Wi-Fi, while the receiver and signal source must be...in the same Wi-Fi network (Chromecast media players are an exception). Note that in signal sources (smartphones, tablets, PCs, etc.), Chromecast is implemented at the level of individual applications. For example, at the time of its creation, this feature was available, among others, in the YouTube and Netflix apps for Android and iOS, as well as in the web versions of these apps for Chrome. Thanks to this format, this technology is extremely widespread in our time, and the ability to connect a particular gadget to an audio system with a Chromecast is usually limited to the ability to install appropriate applications on this gadget.

— DLNA. DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) is a standard that allows you to combine various types of home electronics and home appliances into a single network for content sharing and management. In the case of audio systems, DLNA can be used, for example, to play music from a computer disk connected to such a network, broadcast sound to a device installed in another room (for example, an amplifier), etc. Connection to DLNA can be carried out both wired and wirelessly (according to the Wi-Fi standard), and the compatibility of devices does not depend on their manufacturers - the only condition is compliance with the DLNA standard.

-LAN. Standard interface for wired communication to local computer networks based on RJ-45 connector. Its presence allows you to use various network features such as Internet radio (see "Advanced") or DLNA (see above). Compared to another network interface - Wi-Fi - LAN is less convenient due to the presence of wires, but it is more reliable and provides a higher actual data transfer rate.

- WiFi. The presence of a Wi-Fi wireless module in the design of the audio system. This technology is used both in computer networks and for direct communication of various devices with each other; its "range" is enough to work within residential premises, even through walls. In this case, Wi-Fi can be used to work with network features such as Internet radio or DLNA(see above). At the same time, this option is more convenient than wired LAN, due to the absence of actual wires. In addition, support for this technology is a prerequisite for using the AirPlay and Chromecast features (see above); and in some devices, Wi-Fi even allows you to connect smartphones, tablets and other gadgets as remote controls.

One of the most modern and fastest standards of this wireless communication technology is Wi-Fi 5. The 802.11ac version uses the 5 GHz band (less crowded and more less noise-resistant than 2.4 GHz), providing speeds of up to 1.69 Gbps per antenna and up to 6.77 Gbps with multiple antennas.

— Bluetooth. Direct wireless communication technology between different devices. One of the most popular ways to use Bluetooth in audio systems is to work with an audio signal, primarily broadcasting sound to wireless headphones or speakers; and some models also provide the ability to connect a smartphone, tablet or other device and use the audio system as an external Bluetooth speaker. True, it should be borne in mind that initially Bluetooth is noticeably inferior to a wired communication in terms of sound quality; however, in our time, this shortcoming is often compensated by the use of one or another version of the aptX codec(see below).
In addition, other options for using Bluetooth may be provided - for example, file sharing between the built-in memory and the same smartphone, or remote control via an application. They are not mandatory for modern audio systems, but with the development of technology they are becoming more common.

In modern audio systems, the Bluetooth v 5 standard is most often used. Its important innovation is the expansion of the capabilities of the BLE (“Bluetooth Low Energy”) mode: if necessary, the device can increase the range by reducing the speed, or speed up transmission at the cost of reducing the range. In addition, a number of improvements have been introduced regarding the simultaneous operation of several connected devices.

- Support for aptX. Support for audio system aptX - a codec designed to improve the quality of sound transmitted via Bluetooth. Accordingly, this function automatically means the presence of a built-in Bluetooth module (see above). The need to use special technologies is due to the fact that in the original Bluetooth format compresses the audio signal very strongly, which significantly affects the final sound quality. aptX technology is designed to remedy the situation: according to the creators, it provides sound purity, "comparable to Audio CD (16-bit / 44.1kHz)" and almost as good as a wired communication. This is often enough even for comfortable listening to lossless formats, not to mention MP3 and other popular compressed formats. Of course, in order to use aptX, the signal source must also support it.

- Support for aptX HD. Support for the aptX HD codec by the audio system, an improved and updated version of the aptX described above. This version claims sound clarity comparable to Hi-Res (24-bit/48kHz) audio material; this allows you to comfortably listen not only to MP3, but also to lossless formats and even uncompressed audio materials. On the other hand, aptX HD support is quite expensive, and its advantages over the original aptX become noticeable only on very high-quality audio materials, for which consumer audio systems are rarely used. Therefore, this function has not received much distribution.

— AAC. A codec used primarily in Apple portable devices to improve sound transmitted via Bluetooth. In this sense, it is similar to aptX (see the corresponding paragraphs), but is noticeably inferior to it in terms of capabilities: if the sound of aptX is compared with Audio CD, then AAC is at the level of an average quality MP3 file. However, for listening to the same MP3s, this is quite enough; the difference becomes noticeable only on more advanced formats.

— LDAC. Sony's proprietary Bluetooth codec. It surpasses even aptX HD in terms of bandwidth and potential sound quality, providing performance at the Hi-Res level of 24-bit/96kHz audio; there is even an opinion that this is the maximum quality that it makes sense to provide in wireless headphones - further improvement will simply be imperceptible to the human ear.

- Network audio streaming. The ability of the audio system to work with network streaming (streaming) audio services like Deezer, Spotify, Tidal, etc. Such services are designed to broadcast content (in this case, mostly music) over the Internet; in this case, the files being played are not stored in the audio system, but are played directly from the corresponding resource on the World Wide Web. Nowadays, there are many streaming services that differ in the range of music and access conditions; a specific list of supported services should be specified separately. However, in any case, the main advantages of online streaming can be called an extensive selection of content and almost instant access to the desired composition; some services can also act as a radio, automatically selecting music according to the manufacturer's preferences.

- Speakerphone. Ability to use the device as a hands-free system for a mobile phone. In this mode, the audio system is connected to the device, most often via Bluetooth (see above), and the voice of the subscriber at the other end of the line is output not to the phone, but to the speakers of the audio system. This is often more comfortable than holding the phone to your ear; in addition, the speakerphone is useful if several people need to participate in a conversation.

- NFC chip. NFC is a short-range wireless technology (about 10 cm). In audio systems, NFC is mainly used to facilitate communication using the Wi-Fi or Bluetooth standard (see above). With this chip, you can simply bring an external NFC-compatible device to the audio system and confirm the communication - it's easier than manually configuring settings.

- Docking station for Android. The presence of a docking station for connecting portable electronics (primarily smartphones) based on the Android operating system. In fact, the dock is a socket-stand, supplemented with a special plug; thanks to this, it not only provides a communication, but also allows you to install an external device directly on the audio system, which is quite convenient. We also note that such a communication often provides additional features - for example, controlling the player on a smartphone from the audio system remote control. However, when choosing a model with this function, it should be borne in mind that Android devices are very numerous and diverse; in practice, this means that before buying it makes sense to make sure that your gadget is compatible with the audio system.

— Omnidirectional sound. As the name implies, audio systems with this feature radiate sound evenly in all directions, covering a space of 360°. Thus, the device can be installed in the centre of the room and evenly “fill” it with sound, which will be clearly perceived at any point. On the other hand, an omnidirectional system usually sounds 1.0 (mono); the design may include various tricks to ensure surround sound, but these still in most cases do not reach full stereo.

— Voice assistant. Audio support for voice assistant. The most popular nowadays are such assistants:

• Google Assistant
• Apple Siri
• Amazon Alexa

However, other solutions are also possible. Anyway, it is worth noting that this is not about the function of the audio system itself, but about compatibility with smartphones, tablets and other gadgets that have their own voice assistants. Thus, to use the voice assistant, you will have to connect the audio system to an external device. On the other hand, the capabilities of such assistants are usually more extensive than those of built-in voice control systems(see below); advanced features are often supported, such as natural speech recognition with complex queries (“Play the last album of the band … that I listened...to”), weather forecast, sports scores, etc. Of course, the specific set of supported commands and languages \u200b\u200bcan be different — depending on the voice assistant and its version.

— Voice control. A feature that is virtually mandatory for smart speakers (see "Intended Use") and hardly found in other types of audio systems. As the name implies, this control allows you to control the device using voice commands. It differs from the voice assistant (see the relevant paragraph) in that in this case we are talking about the simplest commands related to the main functionality of the audio system — for example, "Stop", "Continue", "Next track", etc. It is worth having in mind that voice control is almost guaranteed to support English, but the ability to recognize other languages should be specified separately.

— Smartphone control. The ability to control the audio system from a smartphone, tablet or other gadget with a special application installed on it. Usually, the connection is made via Wi-Fi (see "Interfaces"). The convenience of this function lies not only in the fact that you can control the system from a distance — the application is often more convenient and provides more options than the controls on the radio itself.

— Multiroom support. Device support for Multiroom technology. This technology allows you to create a single wireless network in the house from several speakers located in different rooms, and simultaneously play music in all these rooms. The specific features of such networks in different models may be different, they should be specified separately. So, some devices use a Bluetooth connection, others use Wi-Fi (directly or via a local network). In some cases, the control speaker broadcasts sound to all the others, and the same music plays throughout the house, in others, the speakers are “equal”, and different tracks can be turned on simultaneously in different rooms. Some audio systems require an external sound source (smartphone, tablet, etc.), others are capable of playing the role of a player themselves, including for streaming Internet services.

— Synchronization of speakers. The model supports the ability to synchronize the operation of several speakers connected to one signal source. This solution allows you to realize truly stereo sound, improve the quality and power of sound reproduction, as well as expand the stereo panorama. The only thing is that both speakers must support the appropriate connection type. Different brands may have their own speaker interconnection technologies (JBL Connect, JBL PartyBoost, Sony Party Chain), or maybe a universal TWS.

— Karaoke. A popular entertainment that allows users to sing their favorite songs to the backing track (musical accompaniment with the original vocals cut out) — in such a way that the vocals superimposed on the backing track are played through the acoustics of the audio system. This feature requires at least one microphone input.

— Karaoke Mix. An extended version of karaoke (see above), which provides various additional features — for example, performance evaluation in points, singing competitions, etc. Usually, it allows you to connect two microphones already.

— Internet radio. Ability to listen to Internet radio stations on the audio system. In general, such broadcasting is similar to conventional broadcasting, however, it is carried out not through the radio, but through the World Wide Web, which provides some additional features. So, Internet broadcasting has no restrictions on the range and ranges, allows you to listen to programs from any country and in any language; and the list of broadcasters is extremely extensive, among them there are both traditional radio stations duplicating their programs on the Internet, and specific, purely network projects. The presence of this function assumes support for at least one network interface — Wi-Fi or LAN (see "Interfaces").

— Recording to a USB drive. The ability of the audio system to record to an external USB device — for example, a USB flash drive. In this way, you can record your favorite radio programs from a conventional tuner or Internet station (see above), copy music from optical discs, etc.; Specific USB recording capabilities vary by audio system model.

— Clock. Ordinary clock — a device for displaying time, most often in the form of numbers on the display. Sometimes these hours are the most convenient. In addition, this function is necessary for some other features — primarily the alarm clock (see below).

— Alarm. A classic alarm clock that sounds at a set time. It can be useful not only for wake-up calls, but also in other cases when you need to warn the user about the arrival of a certain time. A feature of this function in audio systems is that the inclusion of a specific radio station or musical composition can be used as a signal.

— Shutdown timer. A feature that allows the audio system to turn off automatically after a user-defined time. Thanks to the timer, you can, for example, turn on relaxing music to fall asleep and fall asleep peacefully — the audio system will turn off on its own.

— Nightlight. The presence in the audio system of its own built-in lamp of low power, which allows it to be used as a night lamp. A night light can be useful for both young children and adults who are uncomfortable falling asleep in complete darkness; in addition, it can come in handy in situations where you have to get up in the middle of the night or early in the morning, before sunrise — at least with the light from the nightlight, it's easier to get to the main switch.

— RCA. The RCA interface uses coaxial cables, with characteristic "tulip" plugs, and the corresponding connectors. It can be used to transfer different types of data, however, in this case, it means outputting an audio signal in analogue format, one channel of audio per connector. RCA is widely used in modern audio technology, but its resistance to interference is very limited.

— Mini-Jack (3.5 mm). One of the standard connectors in modern audio equipment, it is widely used in portable devices, as well as for connecting headphones. However, we note that in this case we mean the jack responsible for the line output — an interface for transmitting an audio signal in analogue format to an external device, such as an amplifier. The headphone jack is listed separately in our catalog, even if it belongs to the 3.5 mm mini-Jack standard; See below for details on headphone output.

— Coaxial S / P-DIF. An electrical version of the S / P-DIF standard, using a coaxial cable with a “tulip” connector for signal transmission. Do not confuse this interface with the analogue RCA described above — despite the identity of the connectors, these standards are fundamentally different: "coaxial" works in digital format and even multi-channel audio can be transmitted over a single cable. Compared to optical S/P-DIF, this interface is less resistant to interference, but...more reliable because electrical cables are not as delicate.

— Optical. One of the varieties of the S / P-DIF standard is, along with the coaxial one described above. In this case, the signal is transmitted via a TOSLINK fiber optic cable. The main advantage of this interface is its complete insensitivity to electrical interference, while its capabilities are sufficient even to work with multi-channel audio. Among the shortcomings, it is worth noting the high price of connecting cables, as well as the need for careful handling of them.

— Subwoofer. A separate output for connecting an external subwoofer — a specialized low-frequency speaker. The use of such a speaker allows you to significantly improve the sound of low frequencies, make the bass powerful and rich, which general-purpose speakers are not capable of. Note that such an output can also be useful in systems with a built-in subwoofer — external "subwoofers" are in most cases more powerful and provide more options for adjusting the sound.

— Headphones. Separate headphone output. Most often, a standard 3.5 mm mini-Jack or 6.35 Jack is used for this purpose, but there may be other options — for example, a manufacturer's proprietary connector. Anyway, headphones can come in handy in situations where you need to keep quiet — for example, if you want to listen to music at a late time when others are already sleeping — or vice versa, in noisy environments when ambient sounds drown out the speakers of the audio system.

— Composite. The full-size composite interface includes three connectors — one for video transmission and two for left and right stereo channels. However, in this case, a composite output usually means only a video connector (the standard acoustics of the audio system are responsible for the sound, it usually makes no sense to broadcast it to a TV). Anyway, this output allows you to connect the audio system not only to the latest, but also to frankly outdated TVs. Its disadvantages are poor image quality and incompatibility with HD.

— Component. Output for transmitting video signal in analogue format. Outwardly similar to the composite interface described above, because also uses three RCA cables; however, in this case, these cables carry three components of the video signal (hence the name). The component interface is considered the most advanced among the popular analogue video standards, it provides the highest image quality among them and is even capable of working with HD resolutions. Among the shortcomings, it is worth noting the impossibility of transmitting sound — this will require a separate connection.

— S video. Analogue interface for video transmission. In some way similar to the component described above, since it also provides separate wires for transmitting video signal components; however, in this case there are only two of these wires. This, on the one hand, allowed us to limit ourselves to one connector instead of several, on the other hand, it slightly reduced the quality of the “picture” and limited the bandwidth, so HD is out of the question with such a connection.

— SCART. Universal audio/video interface using a characteristic large 21-pin connector (20 pins plus a rim around the connector). For a long time it was the standard for European video equipment, but today it is considered obsolete due to its low bandwidth and significant dimensions. Note that SCART can work with signals of different formats, which allows the use of adapters — in particular, for connecting external devices via composite and component interfaces.

— HDMI. Universal digital interface that allows you to transfer HD-video and multi-channel audio over a single cable. It is practically a standard for modern video equipment, in particular, it is present in most TVs. In audio systems, this type of output is used in the same way as the coaxial S / P-DIF described above — that is, to output the audio signal in digital form.

The presence in the audio system of the function of light effects. Usually, this is the backlight of the speakers and/or the front panel, which can change brightness and colour, blink, etc.; the rhythm of work can be independent or synchronized with the track being played in the light music mode. This function practically does not affect the main functionality of the device, its purpose is purely decorative.

The presence of touch control in the audio system.

Sensors are considered more advanced controls than buttons, rotary knobs, etc. Firstly, they give the device a stylish and technological appearance. Secondly, touch panels do not have unnecessary protruding parts, so they resist dirt well and are easy to clean. Thirdly, such control is purely "to the touch" pleasant for many users: the sensor is triggered by a light touch, you do not need to press it like a button. On the other hand, this feature significantly affects the cost of the audio system.