... accept the cost, latency and vendor lock-in associated with choosing a cloud service. Today, things look quite different: While the quality of speech these models are capable of generating has improved tremendously, open-source models like Coqui XTTS v2.0.3, Canopy Labs Orpheus and Hexgrad s Kokoro 82 M have developed in lockstep: in blind tests, most listeners can t reliably separate them from the incumbents. Broadly, today's models fall into two distinct categories that serve fundamentally different purposes ... ... conversational AI where low-latency makes the difference between natural dialogue and awkward pauses. These models are often architected for immediate response but may sacrifice some prosodic quality for speed. High fidelity models like Dia 1.6B and Coqui