Google Home ---> output to a real speaker? Voice controlled jukebox?

[moparfan]

Assuming you are ok with having a Google Home as the all-seeing eye...

Google Home comes with a free 6-month subscription to Google Play Music which gets you full albums etc. Sure it streams at 320bps mostly, but it sure is convenient.

iFixit tore it down today:
https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Google+Home+Teardown/72684

It has a Texas Instruments mono- Class-D amp in there strong enough to drive a quality speaker:
https://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/tas5720l.pdf

I know Ti used to make some small powerDACs for other applications. I don't think is a direct digital amp though?

Down at step 10 of the iFixit teardown, they show the tiny Peerless speaker it's connected to with some leads.
https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/igi/iCTeK2XyaaVpsceG.huge

Suitable candidate for a quality speaker swap? Sure it'll be mono (like the old days) but simpler is better, right?! It could be a modern boombox.

Waste of time?

[hsosdrum]

I can hear the difference between 320kbps MP3s and WAV (uncompressed 16 bit/44k) files in my car, even with all the road noise. At home? Fuggedaboudit — it's always uncompressed digital. For me sound quality beats convenience 100% of the time. (YMMV)

[moparfan]

I can hear the difference between 320kbps MP3s and WAV (uncompressed 16 bit/44k) files in my car, even with all the road noise. At home? Fuggedaboudit — it's always uncompressed digital. For me sound quality beats convenience 100% of the time. (YMMV)

I do care a lot about sound quality. My life is different these days and I have a lot less time for my interests. So, access to music beats not listening to music. And, please note, this is for background music not "serious" listening.

[hsosdrum]

If you do decide to buy a Google Home, I don't see why substituting a "real" speaker would be a problem, as long as your disassembly of the unit to disconnect the internal speaker doesn't preclude re-assembling it in working order. Making a speaker cable adapter that fits the blade connectors on the unit's speaker cable should be simple.

[audiomagnate]

Why not just buy a Chromecast Audio for $35?
https://www.engadget.com/2016/11/08/google-home-ifixit-chromecast-chips/

[Don C]

I would expect to find that the google device has a lot of EQ designed into it in order to sound good with it's tiny speaker. And perhaps some filtering to cut off the low end to prevent overdriving the same little speaker. Is there an option in the software to turn that stuff off?

[HCSGuy]

If you're not wed to the Google Universe, the Amazon Echo dot seems like it already has you covered - it has a 3.5mm headphone jack that you can feed to an audio amplifier and stereo speakers. However, you are then wed to Amazon's universe, though there are multiple music services available. Also, I think the Google Home will sync multiple speakers in a home on the same song, where the Echo will not (yet).
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