The Google Home Max enjoys a rather unique spot in the market in that it incorporates the benefits of a smart speaker with sound qualities – including a big sound – that are close enough to more dedicated devices like Sonos speakers. As good as that sound is, the Home Max has fallen short for people who hope to buy one for double-duty as their sound bar with the TV system. The problem has to do with the high latency that causes sync issues between the audio and video streams. Sources say that problem will be address in an upcoming update.
During Google I/O 2018, Google discussed the situation with TNW and revealed an update that cuts line-in delay from 550 milliseconds down to only 39 milliseconds will roll-out before the end of the month. This will help people who want to use their Home Max as a speaker connected to an external source like TVs, phones via a physical cable, or record players.
Google is not really trying to turn the Home Max into a product that competes with dedicated sound bars or speakers. However, they are trying to respond to common user feedback according to Chris Chan, Google Home Max Product Manager:
“In launching Max, we knew that a vast majority of users would love using the Google Assistant to stream their favorite artist or album. We also learned that many users enjoyed using line-in to bring their personal collections to life. This performance improvement makes Max an even more frictionless experience for those plugging in their record player, smartphone or other audio source.”
Have you tried using the Home Max in place of a premium sound system?
source: TNW
