> disable smart assistants on your phone and the phone won't start recording you "accidentally". You don't have that option with a smart speaker.
In fact, you do. Amazon Echos have a physical button that disables the microphone. Apple HomePod has a setting to disable the "Hey Siri" feature. I haven't tested this, but I presume that both continue functioning perfectly fine as Bluetooth/AirPlay speakers.
I didn't know that they had an option to disable the mic at all. I'm glad that they do, but I'd question anyone who bought one just to use as a speaker. If you aren't going to use the mic, you're better off buying a regular speaker with better quality. Disabling the smart assistant on the phone still leaves you with a highly functional device.
I've heard it's okay, but not as good as google home max which is again impressive for a smart speaker but still can't compare to other wireless speakers. At a certain level though speaker reviews get to be a bit too much for me to take seriously. The farther they get into audiophile territory the more skeptical I tend to become. Probably because I've been pretty happy with shitty speakers at much lower price points, but I figure if you're going to drop that kind of money on a wireless speaker it'd better sound incredible.
In fact, you do. Amazon Echos have a physical button that disables the microphone. Apple HomePod has a setting to disable the "Hey Siri" feature. I haven't tested this, but I presume that both continue functioning perfectly fine as Bluetooth/AirPlay speakers.