FWIW, for me echo studio is slightly better than google nest hub max but I don't enjoy listening to music on either one. Their signature is like Bose where they process to the moon and everything is muddy and muffled. They are acceptable for the family or quiet background music that you aren't paying attention too. For the family, giving up sound quality in exchange for voice control was the right path. I was contemplating Sonos one instead of the studio but the reviews seemed to mirror your opinion and it was a big price jump for minimal gain. Google home max was discontinued when I was looking. GNHM in the kitchen is awesome. It's the best kitchen timer I've used. It is versatile and used for lots of things (including kid dance parties) but imo doesn't sound great.