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First Impressions From New HomePod Owners: Siri's Voice Detection is 'Phenomenal,' Audio Quality is 'Immediately Evident'
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This page isn’t call Android Rumors for a reason. If you don’t own a single iOS device why are you here?
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/homepod-first-impressions.2105142/page-5
real hands on reviews in that thread
loving mine so far.
Yeah the Apple Watch has been such a failure because people can't use it with their Android devices.
To everyone saying “oh they’ll add Spotify support eventually” you need to understand how big and complicated a project that would be.
The HomePod uses data from Apple Analytics to tune the EQ for each individual song - this info comes directly from Apple Music.
Additionally, AirPlay 2 connects directly to Apple Music on every device when you ask it to play a song remotely. And, when they add multi room support every device will be pulling synchronization data from Apple Music while it is streaming songs.
AM is pretty deeply interwoven in how the HomePod functions when playing music, I’m not sure how interested Apple is in building such complex frameworks to support their competitors. It would likely need Spotify to implement some specific API’s for it to function as well as it does now.
I would be very surprised if 3rd party music support is on their radar at all right now, and any tighter integrations they add in the future will just push that goal farther out of reach.
The HomePod uses data from Apple Analytics to tune the EQ for each individual song - this info comes directly from Apple Music.
Additionally, AirPlay 2 connects directly to Apple Music on every device when you ask it to play a song remotely. And, when they add multi room support every device will be pulling synchronization data from Apple Music while it is streaming songs.
AM is pretty deeply interwoven in how the HomePod functions when playing music, I’m not sure how interested Apple is in building such complex frameworks to support their competitors. It would likely need Spotify to implement some specific API’s for it to function as well as it does now.
I would be very surprised if 3rd party music support is on their radar at all right now, and any tighter integrations they add in the future will just push that goal farther out of reach.
Exactly! There's quite a bit for HomeKit - and being able to use all of it with Home app is awesome. I'm waiting for some new devices coming with HomeKit (Arlo whole home security system), but what I have in place now all works together really, really well using automations.
My HomeKit setup: 4th gen Apple TV upstairs. 4K Apple TV basement. iPad Air (1st gen) on 1st floor. All acting as HomeKit bridges. Front and rear August door locks. Elgato door/window sensor for basement door. 30-ish Hue lights. 2 iHome outdoor plugs. 3 Koogeek wall outlets. Logi 2 Circle security cam. iDevices switch. Chamberlain HomeKit garage door opener. I also have 3 Echo Dots, which I uses exclusively for voice-control of Hue lights.
I'm undecided on the HomePod - for now. Once it's out there and have more first-person reviews, especially using Siri for HomeKit enabled device control, that will make or break it for me. I'm very excited about the reported audio quality. Hoping the Siri functionality will grow quickly and smartly.
I think they'd let us have access to an EQ, at the very least we could (perhaps, because without the ability to I have no idea how those tweeters will respond) EQ out the muffled top end in an attempt to balance the sound a bit more and make it acceptable as a casual listening device.
At the moment nothing would make me want to fire off the Homepod over my headphones or ear phones - and hell most of the time I think id rather preview something on my built in MacBook Pro speakers
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It sounds significantly identical...
Honeywell Lyric. Cost me $125. I have Lutron lights and Serena Window Shades. All can be controlled through Siri regardless of where I am. For example, when I am on the way home, I activate Siri using the Siri button in my truck. Thermostat goes up, shades get set, outside, hall and kitchen lights come on. When I leave, a simple Hey Siri, I am leaving does the opposite. I have no need for skills since it does exactly what I want regardless if I am using my Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad or Apple TV and soon to be HomePod.
I can see them adding the ability to control the bass in the future, I’m not sure about a full EQ
That's what I would expect, this individual EQ settings for every single song sounds a bit far fetched don't you think.
You will notice if you:
1. Configure the HomePod in your living room
2. Move the HomePod to your bathroom and play from Apple Music to calibrate its EQ to this high echoing ambient
3. Move the HomePod back to your living room and play from AirPlay.
Yep, the calibration won’t be done as it is just “streaming via AirPlay” and as of today, doesn’t seem Apple does EQ from music coming from the phone instead of Apple Music or Apple Music Match songs. But still, don’t expect to sound like 56Kbps vs 320Kbps MP3 difference. It is subtle but can be noticeable.
my first impressions sound wise I think 50% will be fine for most use cases for me. 70% the sound is booming 
Do you own one? Oh no... you're just talking out of your ass.
Good to finally be able to hear from folks that have actually purchased HP with their own money, and are using it in their own homes. What they’re saying is pretty much what I expected, but I wanted to tick that box before seriously considering one for me.
What I’ve read is consistent with my experience with Apple products. I don’t subscribe to AM, but to have iTunes Match, and am thinking AM might be a good way to broaden my musical horizon.
That said I’ll not buy one for a bit, as I’m in the process of moving and have put a personal moratorium on new purchases until I’ve fully arrived in my next abode. But my ancient Bose Soundock is well past its use-by date, and it looks like a HP would fill that niche and then some. It appears there’s one in my future.
What I’ve read is consistent with my experience with Apple products. I don’t subscribe to AM, but to have iTunes Match, and am thinking AM might be a good way to broaden my musical horizon.
That said I’ll not buy one for a bit, as I’m in the process of moving and have put a personal moratorium on new purchases until I’ve fully arrived in my next abode. But my ancient Bose Soundock is well past its use-by date, and it looks like a HP would fill that niche and then some. It appears there’s one in my future.
They sort of did with individual song EQ that is only compatible with HP
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The Verge compared it to a Sonos 5 - they said HomePod was better.
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That’s what Eddy Cue said. I doubt he’s lying, it may only be on certain popular songs or it might not be enabled yet - idk.
Also are you guys playing the same song from Apple Music? Try Spotify or YouTube or something. If it’s coming from Apple Music you aren’t technically AirPlaying, just remotely telling the HomePod to play a song (since that’s what AirPlay 2 does, and it is partially implemented right now). If in Control Center it shows you the song information on the HomePod then you aren't AirPlaying.
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I'm wondering if he didn't quite mean it the way we think it and interpret it.
Whatever it's doing the default sound signature Apple have deemed "good" is awful - and yet i'm convinced the hardware is capable of creating an "acceptable" if not mind blowing sound for everyone, if they just let us set our own sound preferences.
To me it currently sounds like a good speaker, that has had a blanket thrown over the top of it.
Were you using Apple Music to play the same song via AirPlay? Because that isn't really AirPlaying. Try YouTube or Spotify (if you have it).
I think people took what Eddy Cue said out of context. I think the HomePod itself analyzes the content of the music (how much bass, for example) and in conjunction with what it knows about the acoustics of the room it will modify the EQ settings to try and get the best sound possible.
