I’m trying to figure out a good way to wire my apartment for sound. I don’t really care for the virtual assistant (whether that’s Alexa or Siri). The Nest Mini’s are quite a bit cheaper but I’m not sure what the downsides would be since I’m otherwise all Apple. Sonos looked appealing but in a much higher price range…
Wondering if anyone has had experiences with both? I’m thinking kitchen, living room, bedroom x2, bathroom x2.
I have found that Nest mini’s do not have the same sound quality as the HomePod Mini’s. The SONOS speakers are much better than the HomePod Mini’s. Have you looked the IKEA Symfonisk line? They are made in partnership with SONOS.
Since you are not looking for a smart assistant… they might be a better option. I have listened to the “shelf” model and the “lamp” model and was pleased with the sound quality. I really want to check out the “picture frame” version soon.
All good points 
I’m not too picky about the audio quality–I’m quite happy with my JBL speakers when I need something portable; but I feel like having a more permanent system in place in my home would be appropriate.
Airplay sounds like a distinct advantage to take since I’m already in the Apple ecosystem; and HomeKit is also appealing. I don’t really use any of the cloud/streaming services other than Spotify occasionally. My boyfriend sometimes uses Youtube (don’t get me started) as a music source. I would like something fairly unobtrusive. A friend of mine has the Nest mini’s and had the plug adapter/holders which looked visually very appealing (they’re just kind of in the background); and I would probably consider something like a Homepod mini holder (saw some on Etsy) for a similar effect.
I really appreciate your perspectives on this as it help me see my own priorities to make the decision It might be that I gather up Homepod minis over time as opposed to going for a cheaper option that would allow me to have sound everywhere right away.
I have Nest minis and all the other Google Home sizes. I also have a HomePod Mini. The HomePod mini does not really compare to the Nest mini but the Nest Audio. Similar price point.
If you use Apple Music and all apple devices and Apple TV, the HomePod is better.
The Nest products are much more versatile and can integrate with more things including my ChromeCast TV dongle and Nest thermostats. However, using Apple Music on them is a truly annoying experience.
I think it also depends how much Assistance service one wants to rely on. Definitely “assistant” from Google is a lot more intelligent than what Siri can offer.
Also I think at this point in time, at least, Google can connect to more IOT than HomeKit
I know this is an old topic but … I do suggest to evaluate Libratone speakers. I got a couple of “Used, like new” Zipp 2 speakers, from A***n, each at half the retail price and they sound good and are very versatile.