since the space requirements for 7 tweeters remains, maybe the 5 tweeters are slightly larger and if not better quality and range?!
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Apple Announces New HomePod for $299 With Full-Size Design, S7 Chip, and More
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The new one is shorter and weighs less. However, I would be more worried about the less mics than the less tweeters. The OG HomePod can hear you easily over loud music. It is one big advantage over my echo devices. Hopefully, they are making up for this with some better technology, but having to scream at a speaker to get it to stop playing music is no fun.
I always felt like the OG HomePod listened too well. It will pick up Siri requests whispered to another device in another room.
Agreed, looking for some in-depth audio reviews of the HP2. How well do those mikes work? Was Apple able to get similar sound quality out of the revised speaker setup?
The video keynote about the HomePods, triggered said HomePods 😂 in an adjacent room
i have had that issue, but its worth it when compared to needing to scream every time you want to skip/stop music or play something else. I have an Echo and know what that is like. I don‘t have voice siri turned on on my phone, so I mainly only use Homepods/watch with vocal Siri. Small price to pay for the trade off.
I use HomePod Siri with music on the HomePod, but it also controls AirPlay2 devices with more powerful speakers in the same room. My HomePod Mini is in the back of the house, so they don’t get confused in that situation. I wish Apple would let you change the name of Siri like the option you have with Echo, but I think they made the right choice. A speaker not hearing you when you play music is extremely frustrating. Having Siri answer you in a separate room really isn’t nearly as frustrating as screaming at the top of your lungs to stop a track.
I definitely recall and noticed this as well. I actually loved Apple paying homage to Maxell here.
For years Maxell cassettes were THE best quality and most reliable against tape eating by cassette players!!
Epic commercial! Sony Walkman’s always performed best with Maxell.
Damn straight. Ordered one. Kijiji local pricing for the OG, which I still want hasn’t dropped enough, yet. Will be keeping an eye out for negotiable pricing.
This isn’t a car stereo custom speaker setup. Most top end brand speakers for the home also are not meant to be taken apart! Unless you know what you’re doing, or plan on building your own speaker box with MDF wood, you really shouldn’t be taking apart ANY home speaker.
Kinda a strange comment to make, or I’m just misunderstanding the point here?
I’m also glad as well. Hoping Apple in erases the home speaker product lineup!!
With HomePod OG, 2ND Gen, and HomePod mini, along with Apple Music I think expanding the home speaker ecosystem is a VERY missed opportunity here. I mean Apple has covered all aspects, just about, for wireless earphones and headphone range, so why not the home speaker system?!
Hmm. They really need to get an AUX/In:Out/Pre-Amp box with SPDIF!!
Just for fun, I will have to dig out all of my old mix tapes just to see what brand are used. Great memories.
I kind of think, those might have been the days! Handing a mixtape to a friend or loved one, was absolutely a great moment.
I really wish we could rename the Siri on specific devices so we could target the requests. Sometimes it is because of location and not wanting the homepod on the bedroom from responding to “play some dance music” while your significant other is sleeping. Other times it is because Siri on some devices can do things that Siri on other devices can’t. I’ve had to turn off “hey Siri“ on most devices to limit it to just a couple.
It’s not about plugging in an existing six cable from an existing Apple product. Aux cable I think is the wrong word used, maybe 3.5mm IN/SPDIF(optical) or Stereo Line IN is what most people are hoping for.
Such inputs would allow those with vinyl records or other music sources to add to a wireless speaker system. Then again direct into a HomePod is the wrong way to go. Having a hub/pre-amp like what Sonos has IS the way to do it right.
First I would never compare Echo to HomePod or any Apple product when it comes to microphones with AI, not EVER. The fact that numerous reports of human in-audible range frequencies can STILL be used to command an echo, not about that!
Next ... again just because something is 'LESS" doesn't mean it cannot be MORE.
example:
1990 a small block V8 is 4.9L (advertised as 5.0) gets a certain horsepower/torque and the gearing or weight of a car.
2003 a small 3.0L V6 gets the same acceleration, top speed and better fuel mileage in a car that comfortably seats 4 adults and same weight as the car above.
2000 3.0- L Flat-6 gets better mileage than the above on highway, slightly more no turbo's even faster accelleration, lower polution and better top end than above.
My point ... LESS doesn't always equal LESS>
As I stated, if Apple put better microphones in the Gen 2 HomePod than the OG, then it could be better. Tweeters, again the same. Also what each is made out of probably making them significantly better, we'll know soon enough with real world reviews soon enough.
IF we haven't yet learned anything with Apple and their products, its that their continually striving for efficiency!
I think we can all agree on one thing: Maxell > Memorex.
Crap I'm old.
Crap I'm old.
If you are referring to a “dolphin attack”, it has also been tested and has run Siri on several devices. The articles I read about it didn’t test a HomePod, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t run on one. If this is what you are referring to, it has to be run within 5 feet of the device which makes it much more dangerous for phones since most Echos and HomePods are inside people’s homes. Also, controlling an Echo or HomePod really doesn’t do much for anyone.
As you say, bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better, but we won’t know if Apple just cut costs here until we get some breakdown comparisons. I would argue that pulling out SD card slots, HDMI, etc from Macs or Headphone ports from iPhone and ipads, removing chargers from cases, etc… did not necessarily make things more efficient for the user. At least with the Mac, they figured that out and put ports back in on their MBP. On the 2016 MBP they put in the touch bar, but removed the physical ESC key… not more efficient for the user. We could also talk butterfly keyboards which were worse than their predecessor.
Yes, removing weight and size makes this cheaper to ship, which is more efficient on their end, but is it better for the consumer? We won’t know until we get some hands on tests and some “ifixit“ style breakdowns.
In any event, if you want the best sounding Homepod that Apple has on the market, this is the only game in town. It has sensors and other capabilities not in the original, so that is a bonus, as well.
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I would not take up that argument. However, I can and do take my HomePods into my other rooms, including the garage, and occasionally into the open space of my backyard/pergola area; you can’t do that with a pair of speakers like the A5+.
I have a decent, tuned Klipsch/Denon 5.1 system in the living room [augmented by a HomePod for podcasts/etc.] and a Boston Acoustics 2.1 system for my computer room w/ a dedicated sound card…I cannot afford to buy another amp for 4 rooms, and run pairs of speaker wire to multiple sets of A5+’s….
This is where the HomePod flourishes, and sound quite nice.
You have a set of good speakers For one room. A pair of HomePods (full size) could be used, but that use case can be bettered by dedicated speakers IF for that ONE room
Controlling the HomePod by voice is the big upside for us. The fact that it can also be used to control music on our main system ( by voice) is a nice bonus.
I haven’t heard the A5+, but I have seen enough reviews to know they sound good for a desktop setup. They also have inputs which makes them flexible if you want to feed them another source. They don’t play music in a 360 pattern or work great when you need a single speaker with a really small footprint, so I agree that they can serve different purposes.
Okay then I have another question. I assume a set of passive speakers with an amp will get the best sound of all. I mainly just want this for my desk right now when I'm working from home. But I want to play Apple Music from my iPad as the source. Can that even be done? I see USB-C to 3.5mm or USC-C to RCA cables but they all seem to have a built-in DAC--which I wouldn't want since I would want the amp's DAC to do the work.
what are the digital inputs on the amp? If it has HDMI or USB, there are iPad stands that feature both.
iPad —> HomePod via airplay any music source you choose 👍👍
Now, personal preference for what just suggested: Schiit amp/dac (Magnii+) / similar to a set of decent bookshelf speakers and enjoy ✌️
He could also connect a Wiim Mini to his DAC via digital optical which would get him AirPlay 2. The Wiim also has Amazon Casting, DLNA, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, etc. and can handle up to 24/192 with a compatible source.
The HomePod is king of convenience, though.
I’ll answer this, as I just sold around 4 OG HomePods in preparation for the 4 midnight HomePods on the way.
I trust that the sound quality will be as good or only slightly worse than the originals, any upgrade in any way is a nice bonus but not why I’m buying these.
I’m buying these for their up-to-date (relatively speaking of course…) chipset and functional parity with my 4 minis.
It was very annoying not having the U1 in my OG HomePods.
It was annoying that OG HomePods, while mine were all still functional, eventually conk out, and one that I had was starting to ‘maybe’ develop the popping/hissing issue once a week.
A renewal on the chance to add AppleCare to each of them is welcome too. In case these also have issues.
Any other questions? This only scratches the surface of why I’m upgrading all at once.
I made around $700 selling them. Pays for 2 out of my new 4.
Savvy.
The truth is I believe that even with reduced tweeters and mics, this HomePod is going to sound significantly better to this trained ear.
I don’t know about everyone else’s ear but not everybody is a music producer.
eBay, they are still selling for around $180-220 last I checked.