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Consumer Reports: Google Home Max and Sonos One Sound Better Than HomePod
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The microphones Apple uses are probably within the screen and placed around the circumference of the speaker. How else could it tell if it's against a wall?
The whole point of those rooms is to get clear readings of the frequencies the speakers are putting out. It's less about the ear (which is subjective) and more about judging the physical, measurable output of the speaker. I think you have to assume that the HomePod was capable of measuring itself in that environment.
And more will buy because that prefer Apple to do their thinking for them. And a few will think, can I buy two and play Spotify in stereo for less than the price of a small sheep?
This is the chamber Apple used to "develop the beam-forming speaker array." Good enough for development and testing but not for review?
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Why would CR chase hits? They sell no advertising. They can't monetize hits unless visitors subscribe.
They gave away this article for free. Anyone hitting their site for this information gets it for free.
What are they trying to get from hits?
I know conspiracy is always a good one to sling, but what's the prize here for CR? They aren't like any of the others.
These "pros" test the HomePod, which is specially designed to be spacial aware and bounce the sound off the walls, in an anechoic chamber. Find the mistake!
Sure, but then test it in the home and not in a chamber that won't let it calibrate. I agree with your point that everyone has varying opinions about sound, but the test subject is hamstrung if it can't calibrate.
How do they still have credibility when literally everyone has talked about how good the audio quality on the HomePod is? Consumers, youtube reviewers, and even tech review sites have all said positive things, they are all wrong?
Yet if they tested in the home, you'd be arguing that everyones home is different so it could be the room they were in... There's no winning.
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Prove that they're biased? Do you then not trust a review posted on Macrumors or any other Apple-centric website? Or do you just say that for anything that doesn't fit your narrative?
But Consumer Reports didn’t, as far as I know, take measurements.
And if HomePods uses reflected sound in its measurements (and output of ambient sounds) it doesn’t seem safe to assume it can do a good job in a room designed to absorb reflections.
Maybe it can, though?
This is so true. Many review sites are afraid to death of getting on Apple's bad side or pissing off their reader base. No more invites for you! At least CR is not biased by this same concern. Not saying CR is perfect, but it's funny that Apple fans are so used to hearing glowing praise for Apple products at biased fan sites (they hand out blue pills), that when an unbiased site goes even a little critical, it shatters their universe and the site must be anti-Apple.
I have not heard the HomePod so I cannot speak to sound quality, but when I saw it at Best Buy my immediate impression was that it was pretty ugly. Did not look like an Apple product. Steve would have kicked the team out of his office and fired them all.
Take the red pill people! Apple is heading for mediocrity.
Fair enough they are not chasing hits but I can’t help but feel they are anti apple. A non profit group giving unbiased reviews for consumers doesn’t seem to apply to Apple. I’ve a feeling they’re more against apples business plan to have their customers tied into their eco system.
Apple developed it and tested the beams in a chamber with the same intentions as the CR review. I posted a picture of Apple's testing chamber above. If they tested and tweaked the beams based on the HomePod's performance in a similar chamber, I don't see why testing the HomePod for performance in a similar chamber is an issue.
And really, who cares what CR says? Even if the Google speaker was marginally better, nobody here wants a Google speaker anyway. Doesn't make the HomePod any less valuable to people in the Apple ecosystem.
yes yes.. we are ok to let other think for us as long as they come out with positive feedback
Way to read things into my post that I did not state.yes yes.. we are ok to let other think for us as long as they come out with positive feedback
Taken directly from the CR website:"Please note that Consumer Reports collects fees from both eBay Commerce Network and Amazon for referring users. We use 100% of these fees to support our nonprofit mission."
Apparently if you use CR's links to ebay and Amazon, it generates revenue for CR
I’ll have to go back and look, but one thing I think they did with the chamber was for testing the enclosure and electronics for noise—to ensure that it’s silent.
Also, Apple could have been using external microphones in there.
Expected that the homepod is nothing but a hype product. Most reviews from knowledgeable people say that there is way too much bass which is what i was already expecting. Bass is always the best way to make inferior products seem like they sound good. People that think beats headphones are good will say this is the best speaker ever lol