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HomePod For those who think HomePod sounds like it's got a low pass filter on it...
- Thread starter dannys1
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I think you guys are over complicating matters. The pictures can make it look deceiving but the wheel wasnt reinvented here.
This is a view of the top of the HomePod looking down in after everything else has been removed....
The tweeters horns (horned tweeters) are extended via the case on the bottom. The ports (2 each) for each tweeter are sealed with the bottom cap to isolate them from either other.
They are then firing through the ports which are directed out of the side intentionally across or ever so slightly above the surface it sits on. Here is a closer look where it goes into the mesh.
But they are very much directional with some audiophiles (not myself of course) claiming to be able to hear the frequency dips moving between them at range.
I get it, the sound may not be to everyones liking but most of the testing I see (sorry I skimmed the thread) are reporting a flat response.
But I think when we are saying EQ here we are just looking for EQ presets that work with Apples DSP. How would you EQ for a device that is omnidirectional, different EQ for each tweeter based on directional room acoustics and not intended for a stationary listener?
So I personally doubt Apple will ever have an actually EQ in the HomePod. I would actually be surprised if they added much more than a "reduce bass" toggle if anything at all.
Personally if the HomePod doesn't sound right to you I would experiment with room placement keeping in mind the middle of the room may not be best either. If the bass is too heavy, pick it up and put it down and then crank something with very heavy bass to force it to calibrate for it. If nothing works I would high recommend getting a product that works better for you and not waiting for Apple to add features.
This is a view of the top of the HomePod looking down in after everything else has been removed....
The tweeters horns (horned tweeters) are extended via the case on the bottom. The ports (2 each) for each tweeter are sealed with the bottom cap to isolate them from either other.
They are then firing through the ports which are directed out of the side intentionally across or ever so slightly above the surface it sits on. Here is a closer look where it goes into the mesh.
But they are very much directional with some audiophiles (not myself of course) claiming to be able to hear the frequency dips moving between them at range.
I get it, the sound may not be to everyones liking but most of the testing I see (sorry I skimmed the thread) are reporting a flat response.
But I think when we are saying EQ here we are just looking for EQ presets that work with Apples DSP. How would you EQ for a device that is omnidirectional, different EQ for each tweeter based on directional room acoustics and not intended for a stationary listener?
So I personally doubt Apple will ever have an actually EQ in the HomePod. I would actually be surprised if they added much more than a "reduce bass" toggle if anything at all.
Personally if the HomePod doesn't sound right to you I would experiment with room placement keeping in mind the middle of the room may not be best either. If the bass is too heavy, pick it up and put it down and then crank something with very heavy bass to force it to calibrate for it. If nothing works I would high recommend getting a product that works better for you and not waiting for Apple to add features.
Gotcha, now I see what they’re doing. The tweeters are essentially pointing into the device, and the little horn directs the sound downwards towards the vents.
Excellent explanation. At first glance it did look like the tweeters were firing into the plastic enclosure. Some fans even claimed that Apple uses "acoustically transparent" plastic which, given the thickness of the enclosure is ridiculous.
As explained, this design obviously should allow the speaker to control sound directionality in the frequencies that the tweeters deliver. Like dannys1, I suspect that the tweeters probably do not go very low (just going by the conventional speaker design and their small size). Apple decision to put the tweeter outlets at the very bottom of the speakers interesting. This may make HomePod very sensitive to the placement (depending on the size and properties of the surface it is placed on). So, very unconventional speaker, to say the least. It would be interesting to learn why it was designed the way it was.
After getting a HomePod this weekend I can definitely say the bass is waaaaay too overpowering. And I’m a fan of bass. It’s definitely controlled, tight and very impressive how this thing can achieve rumbling bass. However at lower volumes in the evening or when falling asleep to music , having the volume at 5 percent still produces room rumbling bass. To me it’s uncomfortably unbalanced. Yes yes I know it can be moved away from walls but guess what?! Most people’s furniture is up against walls! Being in an apartment I could see this being a “wanna piss off your neighbors?” Device. Also Siri is way too loud in comparison to music. (There is a lot of false info on here and the web saying you can tell Siri to turn her voice down but ITS NOT independent of the music, turning her down turns everything down )
This thing badly needs even a simple EQ to adjust bass and the volume of siris voice independently of the music. Apple can come up with whatever fancy slider they want just let us control it.
This thing badly needs even a simple EQ to adjust bass and the volume of siris voice independently of the music. Apple can come up with whatever fancy slider they want just let us control it.
Totally agree, these are the two things that need sorting by Apple.
I filled in the feedback form on Apples communities website toady telling them exactly this.
The more people that do the same the better, they are going to listen if enough people complain.
Have you tried changing the material under the HomePod? I have mine on a little cork trivet from Ikea, and I’m not noticing too much bass.
Agree about Siri volume. I wish she was half as loud.
I have not. I’m debating returning it soon. I love the quality of the bass it’s just too loud. That’s what makes it hard. It’s amazing how low and rumbling it gets. I just don’t want it rumbling my whole place at low volumes.
That description of the bass performance doesn't match mine. Bass is solid, for sure, but not that 'low and rumbling'. Which isn't to say you are not accurately describing your experience, but that perhaps you might resolve some of that issue by moving it, even if only a few inches. Try that - pick it up, then put it back down - while it is playing, and see if it modifies the sound.
I’ve done that many many times all over. The only thing it affects are the tweeters. Booming bass seems to be what they’re going for and many reviewers have made remarks about how good the bass is , which it is. It’s just too much. It’s like a sub woofer turned all the way up. For example on classic rock it is very well balanced. But on tracks like electronic music or modern pop that already have more bass it just overpowers it to the point of almost drowning out everything else. I know it’s doing real time adjustments but if anything it should be toning down the bass heavy tracks and amping up the lower bass songs.
I'm sorry that placement and trying to move the HomePod hasn't produced the desired result, and I certainly don't doubt that you are hearing what you are hearing, but it isn't how my HomePod sounds. I know that doesn't help in your situation, but perhaps swapping yours for a different one might give you more of the commonly reviewed sound quality.
Otherwise, at least you've given it a go, and perhaps might try another one when it is updated.
I’ve been listening to it in my kitchen/dining area all day and sound is definitely more balanced. But the reality there isn’t much engineering that can get around phsysics. I highly doubt mine is defective because I can tell when it’s slighlty altering it’s acoustics when I move it around. I just don’t think it’s adjusting bass but only the way the tweeters fire directionally. Going to experiment some more before I make a final decision.
Physics is the reason you should try moving the speaker around. Mine isn't too bass heavy at all.
I'm kind of surprised to see the comments concerning overly heavy bass......
I can't say I've experienced that at all.......I consider it nice to have a good tight bass on such a small speaker.
Pretty impressive feat by Apple IMHO.
Most small speakers are dead in the bass area and I was expecting the same with the Homepod, but was very surprised on how well it does.
All I can say is be careful what you ask for.......I surely don't want Apple to release a firmware update that reduces the nice tight bass output of this speaker.
I can't say I've experienced that at all.......I consider it nice to have a good tight bass on such a small speaker.
Pretty impressive feat by Apple IMHO.
Most small speakers are dead in the bass area and I was expecting the same with the Homepod, but was very surprised on how well it does.
All I can say is be careful what you ask for.......I surely don't want Apple to release a firmware update that reduces the nice tight bass output of this speaker.
Don't really get this logic. That's like saying a 2.5 inch woofer is big because it's in a 3 inch diameter speaker.
I am suspect of anyone who calls themselves an audiophile and compares a smart speaker to any high end equipment. Apparently there are several who think the HomePod sounds better than a pair of KEFs. But in the audiophile world KEF is nowhere near a benchmark. That article you reference seems like manufactured hype. There is a bottle of wine next to the HomePod. Please... Any Buffoon with a mic can take measurements. Look at the room, look at the placement of the pair of speakers compared to the location of the HomePod. Look at all the clutter, lots of objects for deflection. They have a bunch of crap on top of the speakers! Any audiophile worth anything would know speaker placement and room treatment is a huge part of reproducing sound. What a bunch of garbage.
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Curious that you are only hearing adjustments in the upper frequencies because I can definitely hear changes in bass in mine as well. In some cases it is very distinct, when the HomePod is placed in the middle of the room, or away from walls, in some cases a little more subtle when there is a structure nearby, but certainly audible performance changes across the frequency range.
It's the fact that your experience is so different from mine that is the reason I suggested yours might be defective.
Well I should correct to say that when moving it I don't hear it change (maybe because bass in omnidirectional and hard to pinpoint). I'll also note that all my furniture is near walls as aside from my coffee table in the living room. So all my movements are only adjusting the position 1-3 feet from walls, which is why I'm not hearing as big of a difference in bass as you are. But I do notice that when at lower volumes like 5-10 percent the rumbling of the bass is a bit higher that I'd like. Maybe its compensating by upping the bass at low volumes because at 50 percent the bass is still strong but not overpowering. I understand the logic of them doing the adjustments on demand but it would be nice to have a "late night" mode that cuts down most of the bass since when going to bed I set the volume to about 5 percent. Yes theres even a bit of bass rumbling at that low of a volume, I'm talking the real low end rumbling.
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Ah, that makes a lot of sense. I admit that I don't really use mine at low volumes, so I don't know how it sounds in the circumstances you are describing. I'll try when I get home. I've been using mine at mid-volume for background music while I read, and it is really excellent then.
If one reviewer is correct in that the HomePod has some kind of Fletcher-Munson type curve applied to the audio, this would make sense. The Fletcher-Munson curve boosts bass and treble more as the volume goes down, and it's what the "loudness" button did on old receivers. This is a good read: http://www.nytimes.com/1988/03/20/arts/sound-loudness-isn-t-volume.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/1988/03/20/arts/sound-loudness-isn-t-volume.html
Ahhh. Yes I read about that somewhere regarding the HomePod but didn’t make the connection. That’s exactly what’s going on. I still think that it should simply be a night mode setting that turns it off. Makes sense when wanting the music low and undistrubing during the day but when falling asleep it’s a bit distracting. I’ll probably get used to it over time. Thanks for the info!
But then, when you actually look at the curves they're calling flat, they're anything but flat.
My favorite is from the FastCompany review ("HomePod’s Frequency Response Is 'Flat,' And That’s Not A Bad Thing"), which shows swings of 6-8dB between 300-2kHz and an 8dB dropoff beyond 6kHz. At minimum, that dropoff would seem to confirm the frequent criticism of highs being somewhat veiled, like someone threw their coat over the speaker.
Given that the HomePod self-adjusts, it would make the test methodology and environment very critical to the results - more so than with a traditional speaker, but no, that frequency response plot would not be what I would call flat, and I used to work in that exact field.
But then, when you actually look at the curves they're calling flat, they're anything but flat.
My favorite is from the FastCompany review ("HomePod’s Frequency Response Is 'Flat,' And That’s Not A Bad Thing"), which shows swings of 6-8dB between 300-2kHz and an 8dB dropoff beyond 6kHz. At minimum, that dropoff would seem to confirm the frequent criticism of highs being somewhat veiled, like someone threw their coat over the speaker.
They're still "flat'ish." The more impressive thing from their review is the spatial consistency. They recorded 4 different areas and got less than 1db variance across the spectrum, and it shows that the great thing about the HomePod is an overall good sound in a room, rather than needing to sit in the sweetspot like most speakers.
But then, when you actually look at the curves they're calling flat, they're anything but flat.
My favorite is from the FastCompany review ("HomePod’s Frequency Response Is 'Flat,' And That’s Not A Bad Thing"), which shows swings of 6-8dB between 300-2kHz and an 8dB dropoff beyond 6kHz. At minimum, that dropoff would seem to confirm the frequent criticism of highs being somewhat veiled, like someone threw their coat over the speaker.
Wouldn’t that be flat when referencing this particular product?
It’s funny you mention “coat being thrown over it” because when I first turned it on I felt that way to some degree however I notice I only felt that way because my points of comparison were overly treble-ly. Even looking at my past EQ settings on other devices I was pushing the highs up to my preferences. And again preferences are fine I have no problem with that however that seems to go against what Apple is trying to do. Certainly the 7 horned tweeters are capable of ear piercing highs (when adjusted from iTunes on a Mac).
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