First Impressions From New HomePod Owners: Siri's Voice Detection is 'Phenomenal,' Audio Quality is 'Immediately Evident'

[bruinsrme]

Happy to see a reviewer on the other side, although a bit surprising considering everyone says how good it sounds. I'd like to see how it compares to my current set up.
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That's fine by me then. Get the basics of it working right first, then add "skills" as you say. I think the potential here is great. Slowly, it will get better, as the Apple Watch and Apple TV has.

Sure, however what is the HomePod being compared to?
I have very little hope this small speaker is going to replace my towers and bookshelves or my huge sub.

I did hear one. It sounded very good. The bass was awful when compared to my SvS ultra sub. The high end was so muffled compared to my Klipsch reference 7, the mids were also lacking. Looks like the HomePod won’t replace my system costing well over 10x more.
Now compared to the echo plus, Sonos play 1, Bose sound touch, well the HomePod excels.

 

[Richard28]

it’s far more profitable to keep this group of users locked within their ecosystem and continue to monetise them over the long term than it is to simply sell a $350 speaker.

But through this strategy they also risk existing apple customers deciding that this higher cost/siri speaker is not for them and go for a rival service - and not only lose the sale of the speaker but also the apple music subscription... as I have done.

It is only profitable if what you keep is greater than what you lose... and I'm not at all convinced apple have got this right at the moment. They may in time, but not right now.

 

[Applebot1]

Glad to hear about the positive reviews especially around sound quality. Whilst I decided to go down the Sonos route I’m pretty sure all those soley in the Apple eco system and particularly Apple music, this is a good solid product imo. Enjoy!

 

[bruinsrme]

I like how everyone is audiophile these days.

Especially the ones judging from a picture.
Just what is everyone comparing this small speaker too?

 

[mattopotamus]

Sure, however what is the HomePod being compared to?
I have very little hope this small speaker is going to replace my towers and bookshelves or my huge sub.

I did hear one. It sounded very good. The bass was awful when compared to my SvS ultra sub. The high end was so muffled compared to my Klipsch reference 7, the mids were also lacking. Looks like the HomePod won’t replace my system costing well over 10x more.
Now compared to the echo plus, Sonos play 1, Bose sound touch, well the HomePod excels.

I don’t think anyone has the impression it’s going to replace a bookshelf/sub setup.

 

[cknibbs]

Absolutely incorrect, for anyone into serious home automation they've had to use advanced implementation on all voice assistants and Homekit with Homebridge kills everything. Google assistant is the worst smart home one as it has no scenes (except through IFTTT) You can't have groups within rooms. Alexa was terrible until recently you coudn't even say "open" as that was reserved for skills, no do colour lights - at least those are fixed now and it has copied Siri's scenes and regions but Alexa still gets stuff wrong for the most time - even though I've disabled a ton of stuff it still refuses to do even simple stuff like turn lights on and off as it gets confused by them. Alexa also has to be asked a very specific way to do things where as Siri and Google understand asking the same thing multiple ways.

There's basically nothing I can do Smarthome wise with Siri but there are limitations to both Alexa and especially Google Assistant at the moment which means I can't.

I found this too. Smart home control was a letdown on both competitors after using HomeKit. Really the Apple Home app and HomeKit app customization/automation/organization puts google and amazon to shame.

 

[DNichter]

Sure, however what is the HomePod being compared to?
I have very little hope this small speaker is going to replace my towers and bookshelves or my huge sub.

I did hear one. It sounded very good. The bass was awful when compared to my SvS ultra sub. The high end was so muffled compared to my Klipsch reference 7, the mids were also lacking. Looks like the HomePod won’t replace my system costing well over 10x more.
Now compared to the echo plus, Sonos play 1, Bose sound touch, well the HomePod excels.

Yea, I would compare it to other smart speakers on the market, as you mentioned. Of course it doesn't compare to high end receiver/speaker combos. I am sure it sounds great for what it is, a lot of people don't need what you or I might have.

 

[Abazigal]

But through this strategy they also risk existing apple customers deciding that this higher cost/siri speaker is not for them and go for a rival service - and not only lose the sale of the speaker but also the apple music subscription... as I have done.

It is only profitable if what you keep is greater than what you lose... and I'm not at all convinced apple have got this right at the moment. They may in time, but not right now.

Well, I suppose that if Apple ever turns out to have miscalculated in this regard, they can always just push a patch supporting Siri for Spotify. But right now, it seems that Apple is confident enough in the stickiness of their ecosystem and if the Apple Watch is any indication, this strategy is not without its merit, scummy a move as it may seem to some.

 

[bruinsrme]

I don’t think anyone has the impression it’s going to replace a bookshelf/sub setup.

I am just baffled at the expectations. What are people expecting.
I have heard one. And $350 isn’t crazy when compared to headphones or other speakers in the same category.

Yes I preordered and will pick it up today.
I’m excited. It will fit nicely in my home office or living room. With two being ordered probably both rooms.

 

[Amerrican]

All the hype about "delivery on February 9th". While my Apple order still says it will deliver today, UPS begs to differ - now saying MONDAY, the 12th.

I went to Apple Customer Service chat and all they would say is "Okay, so the order is still possible to arrive today still. But if it does not then it will arrive on Monday. We will do everything possible to get this to you today. As these dates are estimated"

Another indication of how Apple is a LESSER COMPANY than when Steve Jobs was running it.

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[Rogifan]

Of course it didn't because Siri has been getting laughed at for years for being just merely average (if not mediocre) - the spin on audio quality is intended to circumvent those critiques, otherwise why have Siri on it at all?

Let's be honest, Apple wants in on the smart speaker trend after Google Home and Amazon Echo opened hostilities, and that's fine by me, but Siri is definitely not the edge Apple is going to use to launch the HomePod into battle.

According to the VP of hardware engineering at Apple this product first started 6 years ago. My guess is Apple execs determined there was no way they could release a wireless speaker in 2017/18 that didn’t have voice capabilities. I absolutely think Siri needs to get a lot better and become a real platform. But I don’t think Apple was like oh crap Siri is garbage quick let’s pivot this to sound quality instead. Right or wrong I really do believe the thinking at Apple is voice as the primary interface is still in its infancy so being limited out of the box is OK so long as the limited things Siri does are done well. And that’s what I’m interested in hearing about as more people get this into their homes. I’d also be curious to know the most frequent requests for Alexa and Google Assistant. As they keep adding more skills are people actually using them? Honestly I think for HomePod’s longer term success Apple’s first priority has to be a music/podcast domain for Siri. Suck it up and let someone natively use Spotify on HomePod. Let Apple Music compete on being a better service, not customer lock in.

 

[Mydel]

I wish someone with Sonos 3, Sonos 5, Naim Mu so and Zeppelin give a comparison. In my private option Sonos1 sounds really bad and 3 is not much better. Sonos 5 is good, Zeppelin very good and Mu so Excellent. Where is HomePod on that list?

 

[bruinsrme]

Yea, I would compare it to other smart speakers on the market, as you mentioned. Of course it doesn't compare to high end receiver/speaker combos. I am sure it sounds great for what it is, a lot of people don't need what you or I might have.

exactly.
In all honesty I love my system but it’s too loud for casual background listening.
I purchased the Bose sound bar and sub.
I had to eat a lot of crow because for what it is it sounds decent, clean looking and projects more than enough audio to enjoy without cracking walls or shattering windows, perfect for watching tv or a movie. Surely not a movie that takes advantage of 5+ channels/.

I chatted with a Sonos engineer about the plays.
Said decent speaker for the price and high WAF.
Honestly, the HP blows them away.
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I wish someone with Sonos 3, Sonos 5, Naim Mu so and Zeppelin give a comparison. In my private option Sonos1 sounds really bad and 3 is not much better. Sonos 5 is good, Zeppelin very good and Mu so Excellent. Where is HomePod on that list?

I share your opinion.
The play 5 is nice however it’s rather on the large size though

 

[Morky]

Give me at least a line-in port? I know Spotify support is asking far too much, but sheesh.

Apple’s direction for everything is clearly wireless. I fully expect an iPhone with no lightning port within three years. Laptops will follow that after a few years. Pro desktops will be the only machines with physical ports.

 

[legacyb4]

For those of us that actually are invested in a smart home the differences are massive.

Ask Siri to control your thermostat
Ask Siri to turn on your home theater
Ask Siri to arm/disarm your alarm
Ask Siri to show you your front door, rear door

Those are a few things I use on a daily basis. I very much agree with you that most people who own Alexa/google home are using that basic functionality, but if you have smart home integration the HomePod is a big step down. Can you even add stuff to a shopping list with the HomePod?

So buy an Echo for your home automation stuff, and get a HomePod for better quality audio? Not sure why people are so stuck on "either or" instead of "both"? You've already crossed that line if you use an Echo and have an iPhone...

 

[Ted13]

I suspect Apple will add other music services support folks... they probably ran out of time to just get the darn thing out the door.

This is normal Apple procedure, Apple TV didnt have a lot of apps initially, heck iPod didnt have decent Windows support for a couple years (it was HORRIBLE before iTunes for Windows), iPhone didnt have copy/paste for how long?!

iPhone didn't have Copy/Paste for 2 full years, if I remember correctly. The one that drove me the craziest was how long it took until the keyboard worked in landscape mode instead of just portrait. I think there was one app that worked in landscape, so you knew just how much easier it was to type correctly that way but took many, many months (a year+???) for them to make it universal.

As always, people have completely forgotten history. I am fully confident HomePod will get all the software it needs, better Siri, etc.

 

[Rogifan]

My guess is that the HomePod is intended to be an iOS accessory first and foremost. Apple wants you to use (and keep using) an iPhone and Apple Music and to them, it’s far more profitable to keep this group of users locked within their ecosystem and continue to monetise them over the long term than it is to simply sell a $350 speaker.

Hence the lack of Bluetooth and an audio jack, leaving airplay as the sole means of streaming music.

It’s also possible that because Apple owns Apple Music, they are able to optimise it on their end in ways that they can’t with a third party service like Spotify. But I feel this is still more an ecosystem play.

And this is one reason Apple stock is valued the way it is. The company needs to stop treating everything as an iPhone accessory. And not every iOS user wants to use Apple Music. Creating a Siri domain for music/podcasts is a no brainer. If Apple is intentionally not doing it just to disadvantage Spotify that’s stupid. I’d be very surprised if Apple gets many Spotify converts because of HomePod. But I’ll bet they do lose some HomePod sales because the only native voice controls are for Apple Music.

 

[OllyW]

I wish someone with Sonos 3, Sonos 5, Naim Mu so and Zeppelin give a comparison. In my private option Sonos1 sounds really bad and 3 is not much better. Sonos 5 is good, Zeppelin very good and Mu so Excellent. Where is HomePod on that list?

Comparisons with a Sonos Play 5...

Impressions from a Sonos Play 5 (gen 2) owner

 

[Heineken]

Well, I suppose that if Apple ever turns out to have miscalculated in this regard, they can always just push a patch supporting Siri for Spotify. But right now, it seems that Apple is confident enough in the stickiness of their ecosystem and if the Apple Watch is any indication, this strategy is not without its merit, scummy a move as it may seem to some.

Apple made a speaker for Apple users. There is nothing scummy in that. Apple Music works great, especially for 69 EUR a year. I'd say a non-issue.
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Comparisons with a Sonos Play 5...

Impressions from a Sonos Play 5 (gen 2) owner

Play 5 is more expensive isn't it?

 

[Rogifan]

Well, I suppose that if Apple ever turns out to have miscalculated in this regard, they can always just push a patch supporting Siri for Spotify. But right now, it seems that Apple is confident enough in the stickiness of their ecosystem and if the Apple Watch is any indication, this strategy is not without its merit, scummy a move as it may seem to some.

Apple has no real competition in the smart watch category. On the Android side it seems like OEMs just made a smart watch because that was the next thing to do (just like voice controlled speakers are now). I don’t see any Android OEMs really pushing smart watches anymore. Won’t be hard for Apple to own this market at all. Not the same with streaming music. Spotify has a large customer base and we never really hear Apple talk about switchers. I don’t see HomePod getting many Spotify customers to conver to Apple Music. But I do think there are Spotify customers who would switch from Sonos to HomePod if it supported services outside of Apple Music natively.

 

[Heineken]

Apple has no real competition in the smart watch category. On the Android side it seems like OEMs just made a smart watch because that was the next thing to do (just like voice controlled speakers are now). I don’t see any Android OEMs really pushing smart watches anymore. Won’t be hard for Apple to own this market at all. Not the same with streaming music. Spotify has a large customer base and we never really hear Apple talk about switchers. I don’t see HomePod getting many Spotify customers to conver to Apple Music. But I do think there are Spotify customers who would switch from Sonos to HomePod if it supported services outside of Apple Music natively.

Apple Music is steadily getting more subscribers. It's only a matter of time. There was an article saying that Apple Music is growing at a faster pace than Spotify.

 

[Rogifan]

Apple made a speaker for Apple users. There is nothing scummy in that. Apple Music works great, especially for 69 EUR a year. I'd say a non-issue.

Except not all iOS users are Apple Music subscribers. Spotify has something like 70 million users. My guess is a lot of them own iOS devices. Apple could open up a music domain for Siri and make Apple Music a better service that competes with Spotify on features and smarts not defaults and lock-in.

 

[AppleScruff1]

I don’t think anyone has the impression it’s going to replace a bookshelf/sub setup.

I think a few here do.

 

[Rogifan]

Apple Music is steadily getting more subscribers. It's only a matter of time. There was an article saying that Apple Music is growing at a faster pace than Spotify.

So HomePod stays an Apple Music speaker until Apple overtakes Spotify in subscribers? Why not compete with Spotify on features and smarts not defaults and lock-in?

 

[Heineken]

Except not all iOS users are Apple Music subscribers. Spotify has something like 70 million users. My guess is a lot of them own iOS devices. Apple could open up a music domain for Siri and make Apple Music a better service that competes with Spotify on features and smarts not defaults and lock-in.

Even if Spotify had 100 000 000 it wouldn't help them.