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You mean “in your opinion” the HomePod is much better. There is scant evidence to support that. The blind tests don’t support it, neither does the amount of services available to each support the assertion that the HomePod is “much better”.
Correct. In my opinion. Isn’t that what this whole board is? Even the blind tests can change depending on the pool of candidates used for the experiment.
 
Can you plug these in the wall all the time so there always available to use or are they battery charged? I have a JBL that is Bluetooth but it s battery charged and every time I want to use it the battery has run out.
 
I have a couple of these, and they’re really fantastic. Siri + HomeKit is way better than Amazon + Alexa (far better speech comprehension and higher successful command rate), so I switched my whole smart house setup over to Siri. The sound quality is pretty amazing too, so I am using one instead of a sound bar with my Apple TV. That said there are still some bizarre nagging bugs and I wish there was an audio in/audio out jack.

Hi Tim. Thanks for stopping by :)
 
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Can someone who has owned the UE Megaboom 3 give an ojective comparison to HomePod? I don't use Siri enough for that to be of any benefit to me.

Additionally, how does the HomePod know which iphone user is speaking to play music from that persons collection?
 
Can someone who has owned the UE Megaboom 3 give an ojective comparison to HomePod? I don't use Siri enough for that to be of any benefit to me.

Additionally, how does the HomePod know which iphone user is speaking to play music from that persons collection?

They're entirely different devices. The HomePod is, as the name suggests, a home speaker that heavily relies on you having a heavily Apple ecosystem already. You plug it into the wall and ideally never move it. The MegaBoom is a portable bluetooth speaker that plays for ~20ish hours on battery and works equally well with basically any device.

What exactly do you want to compare? If you need a home sound system, get a HomePod or a decent 2.1 setup (definitely go for the 2.1 if you don't need Siri). If you need a portable speaker, the HomePod doens't do that, so look at the MegaBoom or other bluetooth alternatives.
 
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The homepod only ever wins on average


They're entirely different devices. The HomePod is, as the name suggests, a home speaker that heavily relies on you having a heavily Apple ecosystem already. You plug it into the wall and ideally never move it. The MegaBoom is a portable bluetooth speaker that plays for ~20ish hours on battery and works equally well with basically any device.

What exactly do you want to compare? If you need a home sound system, get a HomePod or a decent 2.1 setup (definitely go for the 2.1 if you don't need Siri). If you need a portable speaker, the HomePod doens't do that, so look at the MegaBoom or other bluetooth alternatives.

Thank you. I'm sorry for not qualifying a bit better what I am curious to know. I am more curious of the sound quality and the functional differences. For instance, I own two of the UE MB3's and the "Party Up" mode where more than one MB3 has constant skips in the music - single speaker use is great. I would like to ideally use the HomePod as a multiroom speaker system rather than a stereo setup - I would purchase 3 of them to start. Currently, we use the MB3 speakers when we go camping for their portability. We own only Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, MacBook Air, iMac) so no issue with the compatibility with HomePod.
 
I got the first at $199 and then the second one 6 months later at $199 too, I love the stereo sound!
 
I bought 2 during the last sale. I love them! But they are not easy to use. Often only one speaker works even though they are paired. Can pause sound from AirPlay such as a movie on iPad with Siri but cannot resume (it will start to play music). Not disappointed at all though they are the best speakers I’ve ever owned. Beautiful looking and they sound great to me as a lay person, not an audiophile. I hope to keep them for a decade or more.
 
Thank you. I'm sorry for not qualifying a bit better what I am curious to know. I am more curious of the sound quality and the functional differences. For instance, I own two of the UE MB3's and the "Party Up" mode where more than one MB3 has constant skips in the music - single speaker use is great. I would like to ideally use the HomePod as a multiroom speaker system rather than a stereo setup - I would purchase 3 of them to start. Currently, we use the MB3 speakers when we go camping for their portability. We own only Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, MacBook Air, iMac) so no issue with the compatibility with HomePod.

As a multi-room home system, the HomePod is probably fine especially given your all-Apple setup. The bass can be a little lacking depending on the size of your rooms, but playback should be way better than on the MegaBooms (caveat: my HomePod experience is more limited than my UE Megaboom experience).
 
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Wouldn't pay $50 for this. Really poorly thought out product by Apple. They need to make a sound bar with an integrated Apple TV and smart speaker. Would be a killer product.
 
Wouldn't pay $50 for this. Really poorly thought out product by Apple. They need to make a sound bar with an integrated Apple TV and smart speaker. Would be a killer product.

Soundbars are far worse and less versatile than speakers. The HomePod definitely has plenty room for improvement, but this isn't the right direction.
 
I currently have a Harmon Kardon Onyx Studio 4. A $350 dumb speaker that sounds fantastic to me. I was thinking of getting another so to pair them. But now, I think instead and for a bit more $$ step up to smart speakers and get two HomPods. One advantage of the onyx is portability / with hours of use on its internal battery... great for BBQ and pool parties and etc. Any idea how the sound would compare, two Onyx 4 vs two HomePods?
 
Honest question, I have a JBL bluetooth speaker that sounds great and doesn't have to be plugged in. What does the HomePod offer over that?
Read about the internals. All premium quality and the engineering is both innovative and untouchable at this price. Or even at $400
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$500 have you been drinking, its not worth $50.
You must work for google. Or have ear blockage
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True, but the Sonos One can play just about any streaming source independently.
So can the HomePod. I stream whatever I want. I don’t use Siri. Just select the Home source for sound on your phone. Has to be an iPhone tho. It’s that easy.
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Honest question, I have a JBL bluetooth speaker that sounds great and doesn't have to be plugged in. What does the HomePod offer over that?
Room filling unsurpassed sound for a tabletop speak. The bass alone is incredible.
 
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I'll buy a HomePod if it goes one sale for $99 or if the new version includes Bluetooth. Lack of Bluetooth is killing the sales of this device, hence why it just sits on the shelf (From a former Apple vendor).
 
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I'll buy a HomePod if it goes one sale for $99 or if the new version includes Bluetooth. Lack of Bluetooth is killing the sales of this device, hence why it just sits on the shelf (From a former Apple vendor).
How does the current HomePod connect if it’s not Bluetooth?
 
I picked 1 up on the last sale out of boredom and my "f it" mood at the time. Thought I'd mess with it and return it, blew my mind. I just ordered a 2nd to make a stereo pair. I would not pay $299 for 1 of these but at $199 it's a good buy. I stopped using my sound bar/surround sound for music and am using HomePod exclusively. Blows my expensive sound system out of the water.
 
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I picked 1 up on the last sale out of boredom and my "f it" mood at the time. Thought I'd mess with it and return it, blew my mind. I just ordered a 2nd to make a stereo pair. I would not pay $299 for 1 of these but at $199 it's a good buy. I stopped using my sound bar/surround sound for music and am using HomePod exclusively. Blows my expensive sound system out of the water.

Curious to read your stereo pair assessment when you get your 2nd one. For me, the difference was quite dramatic.
 
Yes, I have Siri and HomeKit on the phone, watch, and now computer as well. You don’t need to use Siri on the HomePod - you can also just use it as an awesome airplay speaker to play ANY audio from your phone or Mac. I do this all the time. The sound quality really is awesome.
I already have a 7.4.4 setup in my main room and a 5.2.2 in my bedroom. I guess it’s pointless for me with a home stereo.
 
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