ReSpeaker XVF3800: a surprisingly solid local voice assistant for Home Assistant

Table of Contents

Hardware Overview
Real-world comparison: ReSpeaker XVF3800 vs Home Assistant Voice Assistant Preview Edition
Wake word detection range
The caveats (two things to be aware off)
1) Placing it near a TV is a bad idea
2) My custom case killed the Wi‑Fi signal
Pricing
ESPHome YAML Configuration
3D Model Print Files

I’ve been testing the Seeed Studio ReSpeaker XVF3800 with a XIAO ESP32-S3 programmed using ESPHome to use at as my voice assistant with Home Assistant.

After living with it day-to-day for a full month, I can finally say it feels like a polished Home Assistant voice assistant — but it didn’t start out that way. What made the real difference was the updated firmware and the ESPHome configuration that properly uses the audio features this hardware is built for.

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Hardware Overview

Component / Feature	Description
Main Audio Processor	XMOS XVF3800, handles audio processing including AEC, beamforming, noise suppression, etc.
Processor	XIAO ESP32-S3 8MB Flash 8 MB PSRAM
Microphone Array	Quad PDM MEMS microphones in circular pattern, supporting 360° far-field voice capture (5m).
RGB LEDs	12× WS2812 individually-addressable RGB LEDs
Mute Button	Press to mute/unmute the microphone input.
Mute Indicator LED	Lights up (typically red) to show that audio is muted.
Reset Button	Hardware reset for the board/system.
USB Type-C Port	Used for both power and data (USB Audio Class 2.0 compliant).
3.5mm AUX Headphone Jack	Audio output for headphones or active speakers.
Speaker Connector	JST speaker interface, supports 5W amplified speakers.

Real-world comparison: ReSpeaker XVF3800 vs Home Assistant Voice Assistant Preview Edition

A question I would get is: Why use this if you already have the official Home Assistant Voice Assistant Preview Edition?

I’ve been using both devices side by side for about a month, and here’s the difference that stood out immediately in my daily use:

Wake word detection range

With the ReSpeaker XVF3800 setup, wake word was detected from almost anywhere in the room — even around 3 meters away. I didn’t need to face it. I didn’t need to “aim” my voice.

It reminded me of how natural it felt using something like a Google Home Mini — just speak normally in the room and it reacts.

With the Home Assistant Preview device, I found I often had to speak more toward the device for wake word detection to be consistent.

For me, that difference matters a lot. It changes behavior: I stop thinking about the device and just talk naturally.

The caveats (two things to be aware off)

As good as it is, it’s not perfect — and two real-world issues showed up during my testing:

1) Placing it near a TV is a bad idea

If you put it right next to a TV while audio is playing, it struggles. My guess is the TV audio overwhelms it, and it has a much harder time picking out my voice cleanly.

So keep it away from speakers/TVs if possible, or at least don’t place it right beside them.

2) My custom case killed the Wi‑Fi signal

I built a custom case to hold the speaker and board, but once I added a top cover to make it more discreet, the Wi‑Fi signal got noticeably weaker and I started seeing connection issues.

In the end, I ran it with an open top so Wi‑Fi stayed stable.

I am currently using this device on a daily bassis. The main reason is simple: it reliably detects my voice from anywhere in the room and captures commands more accurately for my environment than the preview device.

That reliability makes it feel less like a “project” and more like something I can live with every day.