Hi- I got a Home Assistant Voice (Home Assistant Voice - Preview Edition) about 15 months ago in Jan 2025. I like the device a lot and think the pipeline is ready to replace my google homes. My only issue is the microphone in the device. It has a lot of issues unless I’m close and speak loud. I was wondering 2 things
1- The model on sale now is also labeled “Home Assistant Voice - Preview Edition”, with no version numbers. Is this the same hardware as the one I got 15 months ago (any chance they upgraded the mic and didnt change the version?)
2- Are there any better devices on the market that work with HA in the same way? I would happily pay a bit more for a better microphone.
3- Are there any hacks to upgrade the mic on the existing devices? I have a medium comfort level with a soldering iron and don’t mind working for the ability to replace the google homes.
Thanks for any help!!
You might consider looking into the FutureProofHomes Satelite1 and the enclosure. I don’t have either, but they have some impressive demo videos and I’ve been paying attention to the project.
Thanks for the reply @tykeal . I also found ReSpeaker Lite Kit while googling the Satellite1 Dev Kit you mentioned. Both look very interesting, and I may buy one of each to test.
The ReSpeaker seems really in-expensive, but the hardware looks way less robust and it has the same exact mic as the voice-pe, so it doesn’t solve my issue (but it’s so cheap). It seems to support wake words on device which is cool for the price and hardware.
I like that the FutureProofHomes one is based off the same firmware as the voice-pe, so it should stay up to date with HA I guess and it does include a nicer mic. Some googling is telling me that while there are 4 mics in the Satellite1, it only uses 2 of them (drawback of using the voice-pe’s firware??) All 3 devices use the same model DSP.
if anyone has hands-on experience with these, I would really appreciate any feedback specifically on the microphone quality in rooms with ambient background noise.
I have. I don’t like.
HA voice PE is best but pricey.
I like the waveshare at link below.
Cheap. Sound equal to HAVPE. Single i2s so currently can’t have audio and voice simultaneously
https://www.waveshare.com/esp32-s3-maudio-board.htm
Personally I think best option is to seperate the
Voice and mic mostly because of available products in market. If you’re building a device that’s difference.
Decent audio requires a 3.5” - 4” speaker. Below that they sound tinny. I commected speaker out of m3 atom echo to a usb speaker modified and it sounds amazing. If you can 3d print the options are limitless. If you want off the shelf get an asparagus for main audio out and cheap voice device like the waveshare for mic in and small room. Install real full home audio for music and announcements. The price and result would be better than the $80 full build options currently in market.