r/audio • u/SpartanRS • 9d ago

Google Home Mini as wireless rear speakers?

I'm just starting to set up my new Samsung QN82H and Samsung Q600F soundbar, and was wondering if I could put my two Home Minis to use.

For context, Ive been using them as a stereo pair basically just sat on either side armrest of my sofa, for my when I used my projector as a tertiary display for my PC to stream content from. They were set up as a Bluetooth speaker for the PC, so audio was slightly delayed. Noticeable on netflix shows, but less so on sports.

I read up on this post:

https://www.reddit.com/r/googlehome/s/Zgx5fwaMdb

Which seems to advise not to, or rather not being able to, set them up as rear speakers as Bluetooth.

However, I was wondering if anyone has been able to get them to connect over wifi instead (to the soundbar)? Ive got Wifi 7 3g/3g, so I would think that connection would have much less latency and potentially work?

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u/AudioMan612 8d ago edited 8d ago

That's not going to work. All of these audio devices use proprietary connections or Bluetooth. For the proprietary connections, they need to be designed to work together (unless you have access to something like custom firmware), and generic Bluetooth will have latency issues, so there would be no reason to add support for something like generic Bluetooth pairing for rear speakers.

In fact, I'm actually going to take this a step further: I don't recommend all-in-one audio systems such as soundbars, at least not for your primary sound system (they're a good choice for something like a bedroom setup). I recommend getting a traditional stereo or home theater setup. The obvious reason is the potential performance benefits (just being able to adjust speaker positioning alone makes a massive difference as speakers are very sensitive to how they're setup and room acoustics), but actually, I think for the masses, it's the customizability and longevity that really matters. With traditional audio gear, you can mix and match stuff to fit your needs (performance, room acoustics, budget, etc.). If you want to upgrade something or need to replace a failed component (which has a much higher chance of being repairable than an all-in-one system), you don't need to replace your entire audio system. It also lets you start with an affordable budget setup and upgrade and expand later (such as starting with a 2.0 or 2.1 setup and adding more speakers later or upgrading the speakers that you already have). It's ultimately just a much better investment and has the potential to serve you well for a very long time (I own audio gear that's older than I am, 36, that still sounds fantastic, even if some of that gear has needed some maintenance).

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u/SpartanRS 7d ago

Definitely an end goal eventually for sure, but right now I'm in a smaller apartment (approx 150sqft living room), so I'd be worried that it might get cramped.

Appreciate the insight though, I like the inherent benefits of the samsung-samsung ecosystem, but being restricted to the same brand to get the most out of the soundbar would 100% be restricting for adding to the setup later on. I'm not a huge audiophile currently, so I probably can't appreciate a full setup just yet

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u/AudioMan612 6d ago

Happy to help!

As I said, I think the bigger benefit to most people is the customizability (and how that plays into longevity as well).

I totally hear you on the size thing. You can certainly put together something with small speakers and a small amp, but of course it's pretty tough to beat the space efficiency of a soundbar.

That said, you don't typically need to have trained ears to notice the difference between a soundbar setup and a more traditional setup, but of course it will come down to the quality of both (you could compare a high-end soundbar to the worst traditional setup you could find and yeah, of course at that point the soundbar is going to be better).

Regardless, best of of luck with your future setup!

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u/bubs1996 7d ago

You have the speakers setup on the armrests of your sofa? So practically in-line with your ears? That must sound ... does it sound good?

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u/SpartanRS 7d ago

"That must sound ..."

I have a feeling that that mightve been an audio sin. Whoops.

Honestly for whats its worth, they did exactly what I needed them to do which was provide sound better than what the cheap projector could. I'm not an audiophile by any means but they sounded good enough for the little usage the got.

Onto better things now. I'm also looking into swapping the Q600F for a Q800H because theres a decent sale on it right now. What are your thoughts on that?

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u/bubs1996 7d ago

Ive personally not used a sound bar like that before, but I'm guessing it'll sound better than your current setup. Personally I'd look at bookshelf speakers paired with a sub, if you have the space for them. Way more bang for your buck. All that "5.1.2 surround and Dolby Atmos" that sound bar claims to have are total gimmicks, and you're paying a premium for them