Apple Releases New 11.3 Software for the HomePod

[Christian_W]

Hey guys it’s me again. I have two hompods. In my bedroom and in the living room. The one in the bedroom still sounded great instead of the one in the other room. Maybe because it’s bigger. So I Took the one from living to the bedroom to check them next to each other. And... both sounded great! The bass is there! So I took both to the living room. I placed the bedroom HomePod where the living room HomePod used to stand and the living room hp in another corner. And... wtf?? The bedroom hp standing on the living room hp‘s place sounded crappy! The bedroom hp in the other corner sounded great!! Southey have changed how the hp scans the room, because every hp placed in the left edge (old living room hp place) has extremely less bass. On the other hand the right corner sounds perfect as before the update. The place where my hompod used to stand now reduces the bass rapidly in my opinion. Please check this!

 

[Squuiid]

The HomePod uses algorithms to equalize the sound in real time at any given moment in any given environment. It appears that Apple modified that analysis system to create an overall more accurate and cleaner sound. Saying that Apple decreased the “bass” is misleading at best.

Bass in general can be boomy(Some people may like the fact that it’s boomy but it’s far from accurate) in certain rooms because the sound system is not optimized for the room or the real-time audio optimizing algorithm is not functioning properly therefore causing much stronger and louder bass than should be present therefore overpowering the rest of the sound spectrum.

What Apple has done here should be appreciated for optimizing the Audio analyzing algorithms, not mocked.

Just because the average person likes “Boomy” inaccurate sound and bass doesn’t mean that that’s the sound profile Apple should set for the HomePod as the Signature Profile,

Now, I do agree that Apple should introduce an equalizer to OVERRIDE the built in audio analyzing system for these individuals that want inaccurate boomy sound regardless to avoid complaints.

Very well said, I agree 100%.
As an audiophile I was extremely disappointed with the sound quality of the HomePod. Sure, I wasn’t expecting miracles from a small pod but the sound was far too boomy and muffled. It definitely needed to be improved.
I look forward to putting the update through its paces.
Accurate sound is the ultimate goal here. If people want to tweak and add artificial bass then sure, Apple should provide a setting for those that like boomy sound.

 

[Z3man]

Very well said, I agree 100%.
As an audiophile I was extremely disappointed with the sound quality of the HomePod. Sure, I wasn’t expecting miracles from a small pod but the sound was far too boomy and muffled. It definitely needed to be improved.
I look forward to putting the update through its paces.
Accurate sound is the ultimate goal here. If people then want to tweak and add artificial bass then sure, Apple should provide a setting for those that like boomy sound.

Totally agree with this.

Please let us know your thoughts once you have tested it.

 

[Buerkletucson]

The Bass on my Homepods were NEVER ever "Boomy"............I own two of them and it was a nice solid bass.

Now with this firmware change, when streaming from iCloud music, it sounds like a cheap speaker that I can purchase for much less than what a Homepod costs. Not happy with this at all......the bass is almost non existent.

Why does Airplay now sound so much better than iCloud music streaming, when before it was the opposite? When streaming from iCloud music the bass does not exist.

Performing functional upgrades via firmware is fine.....but to change the music signature on a product after you've purchased it is just plain wrong and IMHO a ripoff.......this is not the speaker sound I purchased or want.

 

[mgauss7]

Well ,there goes that killer bass. Thanks a lot all your whiney bastards who thought it packed too much punch at low levels. Sounds like a low end speaker now!

Yes bass is changed. The scary part is the ineptitude of the programmers that they change the core of the product, all reviews now in the trash as we now have a new personality.
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Totally agree with this.

Please let us know your thoughts once you have tested it.

We need an equalizer, not a fix as if we were dealing with a $20 radio shack AM radio.

 

[Z3man]

Why does Airplay now sound so much better than iCloud music streaming, when before it was the opposite? When streaming from iCloud music the bass does not exist.

Mine always sounded a lot better when Airplaying to it, i put it down to the equaliser settings in iTunes.

 

[Christian_W]

People like me bought it for the sound it had. No boomy bass. But much better balanced than any competitor.

My homepods will be checked in a store next week. The sounds difference in one room between two corners is MASSIVE. And this should not happen. I want to Stereo pair them in the future. This shows on the one hand that the systems actually works by adapting to the room. But some kind of spacial awareness bug appeared! Two different sounding homepods in one room is wrong. I think everyone would agree to this. Please keep in mind that i am sitting in a triangle with both hompods. So this difference shouldn’t be there. I hope they fix this.

Other people are extremely confused by this as the HomePod I’d in the same position but with different sound after the update? They didn’t change the signature, but the recognition of the room. People who loved the sound now have to find another spot to get the old sound back is a bit ****** and shows that this system got a drawback. Maybe they want to avoid the rings on wooden tables with this . This automatic room calibration should be optional! Or at least controllable like bang&olufson do it with their products.

 

[Z3man]

We need an equalizer

Too right we do, then it will cater for all peoples tastes.

Think the new update will suit me though as i want less bass and more treble.

 

[Dave245]

The bass is still there but it's just not as prominent as before which i think is a good thing, now i can play songs without them shaking the walls. Love the HomePod so far, use it daily and plan on buying another one for the house.

 

[karnsculpture]

Well, it definitely doesn't sound as smooth as it did before - less bass for sure
[doublepost=1522411454][/doublepost]On a positive note the issue with playlists not always playing seems to have been resolved.

 

[penajmz]

I unplugged my two hp and they sounded better after they rebooted.

 

[RogerWilco]

Why isn't this thread front page news, i have been hoping for an update like this for weeks now, and only came across this thread by accident.

Because HP is the *best sounding speaker ever*, or so the experts, reviewers, and journalists said. How could anyone possibly improve the sound, and why would they try?

 

[gatearray]

WHAT THIS UPDATE REVEALS

1. HomePod shipped with X-treme Bass (TM) to boost initial reviews, just like TVs at Best Buy with tweaked color settings to compete on the showroom floor.

2. Audiophiles think unnatural booming bass is awesome, thus have no credibility.

So it was 5 years in development yet they changed the sound signature just a few weeks after shipping-- yep, that's plausible. /s

 

[RogerWilco]

We need an equalizer, not a fix as if we were dealing with a $20 radio shack AM radio.

Likely a feature in HP-late-2018. It will be accessed with a bent paperclip.

 

[Mike MA]

This seems to have fixed the volume disparity between Apple TV/AirPlay and music.

Others feel the same way? ATV out (via Airplay) was a pain in regards to its low volume in contrast to iCloud streaming.

 

[jonnyb098]

The Bass on my Homepods were NEVER ever "Boomy"............I own two of them and it was a nice solid bass.

Now with this firmware change, when streaming from iCloud music, it sounds like a cheap speaker that I can purchase for much less than what a Homepod costs. Not happy with this at all......the bass is almost non existent.

Why does Airplay now sound so much better than iCloud music streaming, when before it was the opposite? When streaming from iCloud music the bass does not exist.

Performing functional upgrades via firmware is fine.....but to change the music signature on a product after you've purchased it is just plain wrong and IMHO a ripoff.......this is not the speaker sound I purchased or want.

What exactly is streaming vs iCloud music that everyone is referring to????? They aren’t the same thing ? Do you mean your personal iCloud Music library vs Apple Music ?

 

[Buerkletucson]

What exactly is streaming vs iCloud music that everyone is referring to????? They aren’t the same thing ? Do you mean your personal iCloud Music library vs Apple Music ?

Streaming from iCloud music is just that......Homepod network connection to your Apple iCloud music library through either your iTunes match or Apple Music.......NO computer or Apple TV required.

Airplay is different, it is via your home network and is played from your own music library on iTunes or a connection to Apple TV.......there is no connection to your iCloud music library.

 

[jonnyb098]

Streaming from iCloud music is just that......Homepod network connection to your Apple iCloud music library through either your iTunes match or Apple Music.......NO computer or Apple TV required.

Airplay is different, it is via your home network and is played from your own music library on iTunes or a connection to Apple TV.......there is no connection to your iCloud music library.

Hmmm ok. I told Siri to Shuffle my favorites mix on Home Pod and also used airplay later to play music and I didnt hear any difference in sound quality other than whats already been discussed here....just overall clarity in mids and a slight reduction (not massive at all for me ) in bass.

 

[Christian_W]

Hmmm ok. I told Siri to Shuffle my favorites mix on Home Pod and also used airplay later to play music and I didnt hear any difference in sound quality other than whats already been discussed here....just overall clarity in mids and a slight reduction (not massive at all for me ) in bass.

The bass reduction is caused by a change in the spacial awareness thing. I have two homepods. Both in the same room but different corners. One sounds extremely great with full and warm bass. The other one seems flat in comparison. When I change both hps Positions with each other this effect carrys over. It’s bound to the position in the room. This is annoying! The old position (better next to the Couch Position) of my hp totally underperforms. :/

 

[canyonblue737]

Well it’s dramatic. I have 2 HomePods, one in a large bedroom and another in a large kitchen open to a cathedral ceiling great room.

1. The mids / vocals are much louder and more clear. To me this is a big, big improvement where I felt before they could be muddy. I really enjoy this.

2. Bass is way lower. Period. For 80% of what I listen to I think it’s an improvement and makes for more balanced sound but there were a few songs I found that it has hurt. For example Rita Ora’s “Your Song” was always a HomePod demo for me, crisp vocals and bells followed by a deep bass hit that always blew people (and me) away that a small speaker could even do that. Well the vocals and bells are still there but the bass drop is so much less impressive. The song remains nicely balanced and it’s fine but man, I knew what once was there.

I think all things considered it’s a solid improvement to the EQ but there were certain situations where a particular song benefited from the old EQ settings and the HomePod was allowed to flex its muscles in a way it no longer can.

 

[Applebot1]

I’m not updating until this has been clarified. Love my current HP sound.

 

[Dave245]

Well it’s dramatic. I have 2 HomePods, one in a large bedroom and another in a large kitchen open to a cathedral ceiling great room.

1. The mids / vocals are much louder and more clear. To me this is a big, big improvement where I felt before they could be muddy. I really enjoy this.

2. Bass is way lower. Period. For 80% of what I listen to I think it’s an improvement and makes for more balanced sound but there were a few songs I found that it has hurt. For example Rita Ora’s “Your Song” was always a HomePod demo for me, crisp vocals and bells followed by a deep bass hit that always blew people (and me) away that a small speaker could even do that. Well the vocals and bells are still there but the bass drop is so much less impressive. The song remains nicely balanced and it’s fine but man, I knew what once was there.

I think all things considered it’s a solid improvement to the EQ but there were certain situations where a particular song benefited from the old EQ settings and the HomePod was allowed to flex its muscles in a way it no longer can.
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It seems to me that Apple have tried to balance out with those who wanted less bass, the great thing about the HomePod is that I think it sounds great (and still does after this update) but also that we can get updates to make it even better as time goes on.

 

[jonnyb098]

The bass reduction is caused by a change in the spacial awareness thing. I have two homepods. Both in the same room but different corners. One sounds extremely great with full and warm bass. The other one seems flat in comparison. When I change both hps Positions with each other this effect carrys over. It’s bound to the position in the room. This is annoying! The old position (better next to the Couch Position) of my hp totally underperforms. :/

Yes that seems to be the case. My guess would be that being next to a couch (like a corner of a room) causes the new algorithm to tone the bass down since its detecting more close surfaces. And that makes sense. I put it near corners in my bedroom when it first launched and the bass was obnoxiously boomy (as it should be in a corner). But it wasnt pleasing to my ears so overall I think what they've done would be an improvement. The whole point of home pod is to sound consistant when placed in a room so bass doesn't get too boomy like a subwoofer would , and should as woofer placement is crucial.

Your setup is definitely not typical as Apple is not yet supporting Stereo setup. So theres a really good chance your situation with 2 will improve once fully supported. When 2 are paired properly in the future I would imagine Apple would set the bass to be equal on both sides as its a traditional stereo setup at that point.

So overall for now, when they've done to tweak the algorithm makes perfect sense. One home pod per room.

 

[daijholt]

oh no. It is very VERY Noticeable ! I have the volume at 100% and it sounds like its at 50% and the bass is gone.

Interesting that you word it like that, because after installing the update last night, My HomePod didn't sound any different, until moved it slightly and the volume dropped to what felt like half what it was before, and the EQ changed drastically.

Need to test some more tonight.

 

[canyonblue737]

It seems to me that Apple have tried to balance out with those who wanted less bass, the great thing about the HomePod is that I think it sounds great (and still does after this update) but also that we can get updates to make it even better as time goes on.

the concept of an updating speaker seems great but since audio is so subjective the reality is you are going to disappoint people if the sound changes and they perceive it to be worse. I think some things improved in audio in 11.3 but without question the bass now disappoints me and was previously one of the highlights of the HomePod for me. it's literally like without warning Apple stole $700 worth of speakers in the night and replaced them with different ones I don't like as much.

I am going to guess that to shut guys like me up it is inevitable Apple will allow some level of customization of audio in the future (even if not sliders, can't we at least have a "less bass" and "more bass" profile?) but they haven't said it, its only a guess, who knows if and when it will happen... and in the meanwhile my speakers still sound worse today then yesterday.