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Consumer Reports: Google Home Max and Sonos One Sound Better Than HomePod
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How is this news? Apple's always been JUNK with respect to sound quality.
I generally like Consumer Reports but I've never understood what they have against Apple. They consistently say that Macs are great computers, yet rank them below cheap PCs (probably because of the price). Same with iPhones and iPads.
Because they cost twice as much as their PC counterparts. You'd think that paying SO MUCH you get double of everything (performance, particularly) except that you don't.
Like Bob's Big Boy they have never really gone away. Still offering the same good quality for the same good price.
So enjoying the comments! The best part of the video is where they says it may not be better than the Sonos One or Max, but it’s definitely better than the cheaper counterparts.
Might as well say you’re not better than the varsity team, but you can definitely beat those 5th graders.
Might as well say you’re not better than the varsity team, but you can definitely beat those 5th graders.
They used to do the same to Honda in the mid 90s. They were saying the Corolla was the best car ever made in their 1995 review. Then the next year they copy and pasted, “literally” replacing the Toyota with the new Mazda. It was clear someone got something for that review. Lol
If you were solely after heavy bass with the HomePod like with the beats range you would be sorely disappointed. While it can be a bit bass heavy at low volumes it actually gets more balanced at higher volumes.
What computer are you paying twice for in terms of category?
I thought that part was funny too. Then they showed the dinky-looking echo and google home
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Something tells me you haven’t been here very long. MacRumors has been infested with Apple Haters since 2012
They have been anti-Apple for a min. They have actually had to go and take things they wrote back because their methods were found to be unnatural and outside the scope of the products use.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Sometimes they come out very favorable to Apple products. In such scenarios, you won't see overwhelming claims of how wrong they are, conspiracy spin, etc. Sometimes, "we" will even quote CR rankings when they are very favorable to Apple.
Sometimes they come out with less-than-stellar ratings for Apple competitor products. Then, they are very right too.
Any given entity could certainly have a bias against any other entity, so it's possible. However, their entire business revolves around the objective review of consumer products. To pick one "enemy" against which to compromise their opinions doesn't seem to serve them well. If it came out that they play favorites, their credibility would be destroyed.
Consider this: here's a very favorable overall review (also freely accessible) by CR on the Apple Watch. Here's an article with CR ranking Apple service against many other competitors and it topping that list AGAIN. I would think that if CR has some big issue against Apple it would consistently be against Apple in all things. That's not how it is though. In general, CR tends to be pretty positive on Apple products. I've always presumed that's because Apple does make great products, so I would expect them to test well in CR tests myself.
In some scenarios CR crowns an Apple offering BEST of all. In others, it doesn't win such contests but still rates very highly. I don't know of any Apple product that gets terrible, very poor, or even "fair" ratings from CR. In other words, their scale is like a school report card scale- the equivalent of A (Best) to F (worst). Apple generally gets an A or a B on about everything. That doesn't look overly biased against Apple to me, even if they opt to not rate something A++.
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OK, but they didn't rank Amazon's Echo the better speaker. And Ebay doesn't even have a smart speaker by Ebay. CR does make money, mostly on subscriptions. Linking to sites where something they recommend could be purchased could allow some to argue "conflict of interest" but then you probably need to see them crowning Amazon's product's best to really give that some legs.
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And those reviewers, being Apple fans, have a bias for Apple so they are going to give a glowing review and say it's the "best".
It's interesting to watch. I regularly listen to Mac Power Users. Katie and Dave are huge apple fans. She's gotten a couple dud Macbooks and struggles to like it. But remains overall positive. Really? You don't like it, it's broken just like other computers, and Apple's service leaves a lot to be desired and yet you can't call it out for the POS it is?
I don’t believe them. I’ve personally seen them fake the funk and use the same review word for word in back to back years on two different cars. That does not add up at all. Just because they don’t let them advertise doesn’t mean the writer is not getting taken care of.
Can’t argue with you here. Do you work for CR haha. Just after reading that Bose sued them in the 70’s about a negative review on one of their speakers. I’m doubting Apple would do the same as CR has never lost a case
This sounds like it's probably true WRT the midrange, because while almost every review I've read of the HomePod praises the highs and lows, not a single one of them mention the midrange at all, implying that it's perhaps not so bad to be noticeable, but not outstanding enough to be noticed. And considering it has an array of tweeters and a woofer and not dedicated drivers for the midrange, it makes sense. Which does not mean it sounds bad, but the fact that something is missing from such a small package shouldn't be surprising.
Would be interesting if in the future there was a slightly taller version with a beam-forming midrange driver array like the tweeters. This would open up even more opportunity to create a soundstage with discrete targeted areas where mids and highs could be independently aimed.
Would be interesting if in the future there was a slightly taller version with a beam-forming midrange driver array like the tweeters. This would open up even more opportunity to create a soundstage with discrete targeted areas where mids and highs could be independently aimed.
Right. So whose right, everyone else, every other single review. Or Consumer Reports that has a track record of being needlessly critical of Apple? - Uh I know who I'll believe thanks.
No. Wrong. The reviewers I watch are highly highly critical of Apple.
I have no bias. Hell, while I'm not in the Apple ecosystem anymore, I'm still a shareholder. I want them to succeed for my own financial gain.
But ask yourself this: When was the last time a reviewer gave a top tier manufacturer's product a failing grade or even discussed its significant shortcoming in a review. Happens all across reviews and publications.
I was just reading Motor Trend Online and they tested the large SUVs. The #2 pick was some Dodge. You know what one of the most unreliable vehicles are? Dodge. Yet it got #2 and no mention of crap reliability. Why? Cause they don't want to upset FCA by calling them out and lose either access to cars to test or advertising funds. CR has no such problem.
Per my earlier response to the same reply, of course Apple used anechoic chambers to develop the HomePod, but they didn't design it to be listened to be
I would hazard a guess that Apple developed and tested the device in an anechoic chamber in order to test frequency response and perfect the beam forming etc... During the development they are controlling the calibration/output so they can surround the unit with microphones and check that the recorded outputs are matching the design specs etc... But to extrapolate that because very sensitive design and calibration was conducted in such an environment that the speaker should perform at its optimum in the same environment is quite a leap.