My favorite speaker is so, so smart, but I wouldn’t call it a smart speaker

I love my Google Nest Mini. In fact, I have several of these devices scattered around my rather small apartment because I want to request a Spotify playlist, set a timer, or ask Google Assistant about the weather when I need it. It’s like I can ask a part of me to be smart smart home Yes, but I wouldn’t call it my favorite smart speaker — even if I play them to a symphony with my Nest Hub Max.

Instead, my favorite speaker is smart about music, but it leaves everything else behind. That’s why I still think “dumb” speakers like the Marshall Stanmore III are the smartest choice.

If you have ever used nest mini — or a Nest NewsAt this point, you know the setup is pretty simple. You can click on the left or right side to change the volume, ask Google to play a song or playlist from one of multiple streaming services, or cast audio from your phone to one or more Nest speakers via Bluetooth. Ultimately, though, that’s about as much interaction as they can get. They’re simple and effective, sort of like a well-crafted pop song.

When I was looking for a speaker that would work with Spotify Like my Audio Technica turntable, this limitation means I have a nest full of Nest products. Even though my turntable supports Bluetooth playback, there’s no guarantee that I’ll be able to pair the compact, convenient speaker with my record collection. So, this little question sent me down a rabbit hole of finding the best of both worlds.

Yes, I wanted something that would work perfectly with my turntable, but I also wanted something that could play for 20+ minutes before jumping up and flipping the record. With strict criteria, I chose Marshall’s Stanmore III, the middle of its line of home speakers, and haven’t looked back. It has Bluetooth, which is fine for my streaming needs, but it also has a 3.5mm auxiliary input (which I haven’t really used), and more importantly, it has RCA jacks so I can connect a turntable directly to The back of the speaker—no need to fiddle with copper wires.

It turns out that input flexibility is exactly what I’ve always wanted in a speaker. I don’t mind that I can’t give voice commands to the Stanmore III, because it means I can’t interrupt it, even accidentally. I’d much rather manually switch from one audio input to the next than issue a voice command to a smart speaker that’s always listening for that magic phrase. Even better, having my Stanmore III handle the music means I don’t have to worry about interrupting my playlist when I set the cooking alarm in the kitchen.

Of course, how your speakers sound is just as important—if not more so—than how they’re connected. Once again, the Stanmore III—a dedicated audio powerhouse—had more than enough power to propel my compact, handy Nest Mini. Look, with Google’s little smart speaker, sound is pretty much what you get out of the box. where you can adjust treble and bass Google Home Appbut there’s only so much wiggle room with a single 40mm driver.

My Stanmore III, on the other hand, pairs a large 50W woofer with two 15W tweeters, which is far more deep than my entire Nest range can handle. And when you have more musical muscle to work with, fine-tuning your audio output is much easier. Like the Nest Mini, you can modify the Stanmore III’s treble and bass through the Marshall app, but you can also change them by twisting a series of knobs on the top of the speaker (there’s a third knob for volume).

Yes, that means I’ve cranked up the volume and bass to max once or twice to see what my speakers can do. My teeth have been chattering ever since – the sound was so powerful it was uncomfortable to listen to. You should still do it for the experience, but be very, very aware of your neighbors when doing so.

However, there is one problem with fine-tuning the Stanmore III – I can’t seem to easily save my equalizer Settings. I wish there was an option in the Marshall app that would allow me to keep a few different profiles for easy access later, but instead I have to set and reset the balance every time I switch genres or inputs, which happens Up to several times a day. If you plan to use Bluetooth or RCA most of the time, a single EQ may be enough.

At the end of the day, when you look for a speaker who does one thing and does it well, you’ll find yourself being smart. Support will be added Google Assistant or Siri Making Marshall’s Stanmore III a smarter speaker? Of course, I think so. But does this make the Stanmore III a better speaker? Unless you live in a small studio apartment, I don’t think so.

To me, the Stanmore III’s size and power make it the perfect focal point for a home entertainment setup, which is where I live. It sits below my turntable (obviously, on a different surface to minimize vibration) and above my record box, keeping everything within easy reach. Such a speaker would feel out of place if placed in a kitchen where you would ask it to set a cooking timer. To me, it’s like buying a nice carbon fiber bike to ride to the grocery store – you can do it, but you can’t get the most out of it.

Instead, I couldn’t be happier with how my Marshall Stanmore III fits into my life. It does its job making music, and it does it so well that I don’t even mind if my music comes from a central location instead of echoing around my apartment. It’s easy to appreciate a jack-of-all-trades, but this time, I’m glad I went with the jack-of-all-trades.