If you want to buy one great speaker, Google’s Nest Mini smart speaker is not a good choice. It lacks stereo separation, doesn’t get loud, distorts at higher volumes, has basic equalizer controls, and has no line-out or 3.5mm port for physical connection to other speaker systems. Most importantly, it doesn’t sound great.

The second generation improved on this, but even so, the sound is relatively weak, without much energy in the highs and no real bass. Tested back to back with similarly priced Bluetooth speakers, it’s probably going to come up short; and you can take those with you. The Nest remains firmly plugged into the wall.

The long and short of it is that you should not buy a single Google Nest Mini. But buying several of them gives you the best value-for-money smart-home audio system that you can get.

For one, many of the flaws of a single unit can be overcome with the sheer volume of speakers. The speakers all attach to Google’s easy-to-use Google Home app, and multiple can be set up as a speaker group, letting you play to all of them with a simple button press or a mid-room ask of “Hey Google.” Set as a group in the app, with volume tweaked per unit, several of them working together can provide room-filling background jazz or classical, only distorting well beyond a comfortable volume; and obviously solving the stereo problem. Simply putting space between units also adds more dynamics to the sound quality.

It doesn’t solve the lack of highs and bass, but when playing music at medium volumes, as you walk around or chat to friends, you probably aren’t paying that much attention to those element, and it sounds pretty good. The one strong point of these speakers — the great mid-range clarity — is the most important part for this, and they deliver. This also makes them excellent for podcast or radio listening while doing housework.

I do suggest however that you adjust the EQ of the speakers by bumping up both the bass and highs by a single notch. It’s not a big change, but it’s an improvement nonetheless.

Along with controlling the speakers through the Google Home app or Chromecasting audio to them from your app of choice, they are also controllable with Google Assistant, letting you play music from Spotify or YouTube Music with just a voice command, along with answering any random question you might have. Plus, with their circular design, fabric top, and range of pleasant colors, they don’t disappear into your surroundings.

You can place Google Meet calls on them, but please do not — whoever you are talking to will hate you. Also, don’t be mistaken into thinking these are a replacement for a TV audio system, let alone a surround sound system; they won’t provide the dynamic range, clarity, or impact you’re looking for, even if you can connect them. They’re just for background listening.

At the $49 retail price per unit, that’s an okay deal; but you should never, ever buy a Nest Mini directly from Google because they are constantly available for low prices. Spotify has repeatedly done deals where a Nest Mini comes free with a new subscription, leading eBay to be flooded with them, and supply and demand has its effect. I now own ten Nest Mini speakers, spreading them throughout my apartment, and each cost me between $12 and $20.

No, the sound quality is not even close to Apple’s HomePod or the more expensive Google speakers, not to mention hi-fi speaker solutions. But for this little money, if you’re looking to ask Google what the weather is, and play some light background music, there is no better choice.