Are we still buying smart speakers for the sound?

[ethanmiller]

Looking at the latest Echo Dot Max, Google Home Speaker and HomePod, it feels like the real battle has shifted from audio quality to which ***istant and Matter/Thread setup you already trust.

• When you last bought (or upgraded) a smart speaker, what actually decided it for you — sound, price, or the ecosystem you were already in?
• Has the move to Matter and Thread made multi-brand setups feel more reliable, or are you still dealing with the same old headaches?
• Would you pay monthly for Alexa+ or Google Home Premium features, or does the free version still do enough?

Would love to hear what’s working in real homes right now.