Could you please update us later, in case they self-adjust over time as postulated in a recent post above mine ? Thanks!
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Hands-On With Apple's Second-Generation HomePod
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Not supposed to be necessary with HomePod 2 as the microphones and new chip are constantly monitors echoes to map the room with sound and optimizing output several hundred to 1000 times per second. I think the accelerometer was removed from HomePod 2.
From youtube review of Brian Tong that had good sound recording a tinniness could be noted. My take is it’s from sound processing. This could be lessened by Apple in a software update. The one that have to like the sound from the speaker is you, sometime it is not right, for now.
but I must listen myself to pass real review and not from recording. I am also a possible customer for the HomePod 2. Good and fun sounds is needed in life.
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Can these be connected via Bluetooth to play from Android devices?
The original HomePod has issues with lag. Has that been fixed?
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/airplay-is-still-the-biggest-load-of-crap.2346008/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/homepod-airplay-lag-from-mac-anyone-experiencing-it.2105589/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/homepod-sound-delay-using-bluetooth-watching-apple-tv.2289019/
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...out-of-audio-sync-with-homepod-minis.2308325/
802.11n Wi-Fi? Bluetooth 5.0?
The original HomePod has issues with lag. Has that been fixed?
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/airplay-is-still-the-biggest-load-of-crap.2346008/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/homepod-airplay-lag-from-mac-anyone-experiencing-it.2105589/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/homepod-sound-delay-using-bluetooth-watching-apple-tv.2289019/
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...out-of-audio-sync-with-homepod-minis.2308325/
802.11n Wi-Fi? Bluetooth 5.0?
The HomePod is an AirPlay speaker so no, no bluetooth from android sadly. For music from android and Apple iOS I would look for a bluetooth speaker they are good and don’t cost much. For more money you could look at sonos 1.
I don't want to cheapen out but I do want everyone in the household to be able to use them.
I'm looking at the following:
https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/speakers/smart_home/bose-home-speaker-500.html
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/bowers...ireless-speaker-black/6371559.p?skuId=6371559
Completely agree, bought 2 of these and they sound horrible next to my soundbar or stereo. Even Apple’s spatial audio for music sounds much Better on my soundbar. Bringing mine back to Apple tomorrow.
Some comparisons show the 4th Gen Echo (not Echo dot) sound better than these and they’re only $99. Plus you can set them up for surround with a subwoofer.
It was mentioned in a couple of reviews I saw that Siri was more responsive. It has also been noted that the HomePod Mini does Siri faster and processes more commands locally instead of on the server, so I would expect a new HomePod non-Mini to do so as well.
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…so far still the same i found the right word on my observation “tinniness”. That’s how it sound, i prefer the well rounded sound of OG, it’s more on point and just right amount of sound levels - low, mid, high. Gen 2 is like a noisy empty can with too much echo . I have APP2 and APM, which have better sounding or audio processing. Also, Gen 2 i have to set the volume higher 50% on OG is like 60% o mn Gen 2.
I wonder how it compares to the Amazon Echo studio, since the upgrade? They also have an addition sub speaker that can be 'blutoothed' to a pair of them (as three is more than a pair), to make a great sound system, especially since the upgraded software update.
Yes, I think it's a missed opportunity. In comparison to the upgrade of the AirPods Pro from 1 to 2, this could have been so much better, and could have knocked other Smart Speakers out of the park (except for the fact that Siri is still way behind Amazon's Alexa).
Happy with mine, sound basically on par with OG but fills a need for what I need it to do.
Have a Samsung q990b as well and it is awesome...
And sometimes it just comes down to the audio engineer making bad choices when mixing.
Seems we still have a long way to go with getting Atmos to sound encompassing.
It can be done. There are some awesome example files and some movies do it.
And while files say they are Atmos you need to check the soundbar to see if they really are.
YouTube examples for Atmos dont show up as true Atmos even if they sound good.
Find a website and download the files there and check the soundbar info status.
Having said that, it is truly amazing how much audio has improved in the last few decades.
Even relatively cheap bluetooth speakers sound good usually. The bass they create from small devices defies their size.
I can listen to Spotify and wonder where all the hiss and crackles went on old tracks. Cleaning processing has come a long way. Not all tracks but most sound fresh and alive again. And I know CDs I had with those tracks used to sound flat and noisy.
So maybe Apple will drop the HomePod 2 to $249? Maybe Best Buy and other retailers will drop it sooner, at least for Black Friday but maybe sooner. I may bite for $249 which would be $50 more than I paid for my second generation Sonos One in 2019. I might have gotten a discount because I purchased two, but I forgot if I did.
Boy @Dan Barbera, getting a little curt with Siri these day? Don't you know she's trying her best?
Today is the official launch day for the second-generation HomePod that was introduced in January, and we picked one up to compare it to the original HomePod that Apple discontinued in 2021.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Design wise, the second-generation HomePod looks a lot like the first-generation model, featuring the same rounded design and acoustic mesh fabric. It's ever so slightly shorter, and the main external change is the swap to a new recessed edge-to-edge touch display.
The display makes a notable aesthetic difference as it feels more integrated into the speaker, but it has the same general function as the display on the original HomePod. It lights up and changes with Siri requests, and various tap gestures can be used for play/pause, volume adjustments, and swapping songs.
With the S7 chip (which is an Apple Watch SoC), Siri activates quicker on the new HomePod model, but you probably won't notice much else in terms of performance differences. As for sound quality, it's remarkably similar to the original HomePod even though Apple has cut down on the number of tweeters. There are five beamforming tweeters inside, down from seven tweeters, and there are also just four microphones instead of six. Despite that, the new HomePod seems to respond just as quickly to Siri commands.
Apple says that it remade the HomePod after discontinuing the first model because it started seeing customer interest for the "acoustics of a richer larger speaker" and because the HomePod team loves the shape and form factor of the original.
For those who want something that outperforms the HomePod mini, the second-generation HomePod is worth picking up, and Apple has priced it at $299, the same price as the former HomePod before it was discontinued.
Article Link: Hands-On With Apple's Second-Generation HomePod
About Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos in Apple Music – Apple Support (AU)
If you subscribe to Apple Music, you can listen to select songs in Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos. Find out which devices support Dolby Atmos, how to change settings for Dolby Atmos and find answers to common questions so you can start listening.
Check on this Apple support link
I was kind of expecting that as the new woofer has a longer 3/4" throw, which is greater than the original HomePod.
Dr Nic did in his unboxing and teardown last night and it fit perfectly
They've added a heat sink this time round so this will help with a lot of issues. The no power issue was only a faulty diode batch, not a problem caused by the HomePod.
Funny thing is, his partner works for google so wonder of they have couple arguments of over what smart home to have/devices 😂
If you can turn off Spatial Audio I'd try that when comparing V1 vs V2. Some Atmos audio mixes are absolutely trash and if the OG is playing a non-Spatial Audio version of the song it will be significantly louder, Atmos for music leaves a lot of headroom when it folds down to Stereo - you can see this in action using AirPods Max and turning on and off Spatial Audio.
Apple has their own algorithm that is slightly tweaked but it still operates on the same principles and uses the same dolby rendered files and then renders it through their own algorithm, on the AirPods Max they use some HRTF voodoo that works pretty well if the Music is mixed properly but God knows what they're doing for Spatial Audio on the homepods. Most newer Atmos mixes are quite a lot better than they were 2 years ago, but music released then is very hit or miss. This unfortunately includes rushed mixes of many classic albums that were pretty much pushed through an automated system because publishers wanted to hit the Apple Music Spatial Audio launch date - it's a shame and they really should be updated but I doubt ever will be.
Edit to add: Apple Music only allows submission of 2 versions of tracks when publishing to the catalog, Atmos / Spatial Audio and Stereo. There is a third option - Binaural Audio that Atmos supports but nobody releases on Apple Music because then they can't support Spatial Audio. It's a very stupid limitation of an otherwise great service.
Apple has their own algorithm that is slightly tweaked but it still operates on the same principles and uses the same dolby rendered files and then renders it through their own algorithm, on the AirPods Max they use some HRTF voodoo that works pretty well if the Music is mixed properly but God knows what they're doing for Spatial Audio on the homepods. Most newer Atmos mixes are quite a lot better than they were 2 years ago, but music released then is very hit or miss. This unfortunately includes rushed mixes of many classic albums that were pretty much pushed through an automated system because publishers wanted to hit the Apple Music Spatial Audio launch date - it's a shame and they really should be updated but I doubt ever will be.
Edit to add: Apple Music only allows submission of 2 versions of tracks when publishing to the catalog, Atmos / Spatial Audio and Stereo. There is a third option - Binaural Audio that Atmos supports but nobody releases on Apple Music because then they can't support Spatial Audio. It's a very stupid limitation of an otherwise great service.
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