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Having second thoughts about the HomePod.

Newtons Apple

Newtons Apple

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Original poster
Mar 12, 2014
22,757
15,254
Jacksonville, Florida
Cranked up the 5 speaker Sonos system this morning and forgot how good it really sounds. Do not think the two HomePods will even come close to beating the Sonos.

Got caught up in the “Apple” excitement but good sense is getting me to cancle both of the HomePods. I have a house full of Amazon echos. The HomePod does not even cover my Nexia thermostats used by my zones ac system.

Maybe I will try later.
 
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Newtons Apple said:
Cranked up the 5 speaker Sonos system this morning and forgot how good it really sounds. Do not think the two HomePods will even come close to beating the Sonos.

Got caught up in the “Apple” excitement but good sense is getting me to cancle both of the HomePods. I have a house full of Amazon echos. The HomePod does not even cover my Nexia thermostats used by my zones ac system.

Maybe I will try later.
Click to expand...
Depends.

The price of HomePod is pretty jarring. I don't need to pay $350 for a speaker in my bathroom. It's great to be able to spend just over $100 for an after-market Play:1 on ebay.

Also, HomePods can't be used as worthwhile TV speakers (no center channel, insufficient bass, etc). So many people on here are trying to figure out ways to hack two HomePods to create a soundbar. However, there are so many problems with this and no room for real expansion.
 
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Newtons Apple said:
Cranked up the 5 speaker Sonos system this morning and forgot how good it really sounds. Do not think the two HomePods will even come close to beating the Sonos.

Got caught up in the “Apple” excitement but good sense is getting me to cancle both of the HomePods. I have a house full of Amazon echos. The HomePod does not even cover my Nexia thermostats used by my zones ac system.

Maybe I will try later.
Click to expand...

There WILL BE a homepod knockoff for Google Home and Alexa in 3, 2, 1... That's the beauty of non proprietary!
 
I have two Sonos One's and ordered a Homepod. Guessing I will probably be disappointed as the price ratio compared to the Sonos One's is a huge difference and not sure the Homepod will do that much more. Sonos One's are extremely versatile, while not sure the Homepod will be. Being the Apple fanboy I am, just had to try the Homepod though. :)
 
The sound is what I look forward to most, which undoubtedly I believe will deliver . I gather some Will utilize other capabilities. The HomePod does have its limitations, but I think the majority know exactly how they intend on using theirs and what for. HomeKit and the sound are major selling points for me. And of course IF I don't like it, I have 14 days. But I'm optimistic at this junction.
 
Newtons Apple said:
Cranked up the 5 speaker Sonos system this morning and forgot how good it really sounds. Do not think the two HomePods will even come close to beating the Sonos.

Got caught up in the “Apple” excitement but good sense is getting me to cancle both of the HomePods. I have a house full of Amazon echos. The HomePod does not even cover my Nexia thermostats used by my zones ac system.

Maybe I will try later.
Click to expand...
Why don’t you just test them out and if you don’t like it just return them..you have 14 days after all
 
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Newtons Apple said:
Cranked up the 5 speaker Sonos system this morning and forgot how good it really sounds. Do not think the two HomePods will even come close to beating the Sonos.

Got caught up in the “Apple” excitement but good sense is getting me to cancle both of the HomePods. I have a house full of Amazon echos. The HomePod does not even cover my Nexia thermostats used by my zones ac system.

Maybe I will try later.
Click to expand...
Same

I just went and picked up a pair of Sonos ones for the price of one HomePod. My household is a mixed platform house, with best, etc, and with my wife is android user. I only keep Apple Music around for my watch and running.

I just can’t see how one HomePod will sound better than a pair of Sonos in stereo mode. Alexa and google assistant (soon) is just a plus.

I’ll cancel the HomePod preorder once I get to the Sonos up and running.
 
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AustinIllini said:
Because if he likes them, he's going to have to spend a crapload to replace 5 Sonos speakers with HomePods.
Click to expand...

Plus there is no possible way the two HomePods will beat the 5 Sonos. Just the base module in the Sonos is awesome.

I will bet than in less than a year, Apple will release a cheaper unit that has all the functionality of the HomePod without the deluxe speakers.
 
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GDF said:
I have two Sonos One's and ordered a Homepod. Guessing I will probably be disappointed as the price ratio compared to the Sonos One's is a huge difference and not sure the Homepod will do that much more. Sonos One's are extremely versatile, while not sure the Homepod will be. Being the Apple fanboy I am, just had to try the Homepod though. :)
Click to expand...

Appreciate your honesty. Report back on what you think after you have been able to do an A-B comparison between the two.
 
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Newtons Apple said:
Plus there is no possible way the two HomePods will beat the 5 Sonos. Just the base module in the Sonos is awesome.

I will bet than in less than a year, Apple will release a cheaper unit that has all the functionality of the HomePod without the deluxe speakers.
Click to expand...
I'm shocked one of the big players hasn't bought Sonos yet.
 
Q-Dog said:
Can the Sonos work with homekit? That's all I'm intersted in.
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If by voice commands, which would mean Siri, then no. Nothing but Apple devices will have Siri access.

Airplay 2 will be available, but not siri.
 
AlliFlowers said:
I think Apple missed the bus on this one. Every home already had Alexa and even Google was late to this party, but they covered anything without Alexa.


The price of the Homepod is just silly.
Click to expand...

There’s a major difference between them, and the major reason for a 200 price difference. Amazon and Google had about as much experience designing and making actual speakers to put in these smart “speakers” as John Deer. Sound quality, true sound quality, is crazy expensive. Polk, Klipsh, Definitive Technogies, all make truly superior sound. Apple isn’t quite there, but they do already have Beats, which produce superior sound. If you want to play music and you want to play it so it sounds good, real good, like a stereo should, this is you speaker. If you just want another smart device with built in speaker that does the same thing as any of the other assistants, and probably the same as devices you carry around with everywhere anyway, then stick to the Echo or whatever.


Question to ask yourself is what to you want to do with it, what to you in vision yourself using something like that as? Music entertainment? or chores, and shopping lists, and traffic? The HomePod is too good for shopping , traffic, reminders, and requesting that Scotty “Beam you up” it’s meant for fun, entertainment, and enjoyment. You’ve got an iPhone for the boring stuff that’ll do a better job than Alexa anyway.
 
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If all you want is a really good speaker - why not just get a really good speaker?

JCM86 said:
There’s a major difference between them, and the major reason for a 200 price difference. Amazon and Google had about as much experience designing and making actual speakers to put in these smart “speakers” as John Deer. Sound quality, true sound quality, is crazy expensive. Polk, Klipsh, Definitive Technogies, all make truly superior sound. Apple isn’t quite there, but they do already have Beats, which produce superior sound. If you want to play music and you want to play it so it sounds good, real good, like a stereo should, this is you speaker. If you just want another smart device with built in speaker that does the same thing as any of the other assistants, and probably the same as devices you carry around with everywhere anyway, then stick to the Echo or whatever.


Question to ask yourself is what to you want to do with it, what to you in vision yourself using something like that as? Music entertainment? or chores, and shopping lists, and traffic? The HomePod is too good for shopping , traffic, reminders, and requesting that Scotty “Beam you up” it’s meant for fun, entertainment, and enjoyment. You’ve got an iPhone for the boring stuff that’ll do a better job than Alexa anyway.
Click to expand...
 
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JCM86 said:
A really good speaker does no good without a good source- Apple Music
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Apple Music is compressed audio in AAC.

While definitely serviceable for most people (myself included), a good source for someone who really and truly cares about audio isn't going to be something that's compressed that much and/or streamed. Most people who claim to be "serious" about audio have a dedicated listening room and use Vinyl, CDs that aren't a victim of the loudness wars, or Tidal if they are on the go.

I think HomePod is fine for what it is, but Apple Music is an OK source; it's not something that is out of this world compared to other similar streaming services when it comes to sound quality.
 
JCM86 said:
There’s a major difference between them, and the major reason for a 200 price difference. Amazon and Google had about as much experience designing and making actual speakers to put in these smart “speakers” as John Deer. Sound quality, true sound quality, is crazy expensive. Polk, Klipsh, Definitive Technogies, all make truly superior sound. Apple isn’t quite there, but they do already have Beats, which produce superior sound. If you want to play music and you want to play it so it sounds good, real good, like a stereo should, this is you speaker. If you just want another smart device with built in speaker that does the same thing as any of the other assistants, and probably the same as devices you carry around with everywhere anyway, then stick to the Echo or whatever.


Question to ask yourself is what to you want to do with it, what to you in vision yourself using something like that as? Music entertainment? or chores, and shopping lists, and traffic? The HomePod is too good for shopping , traffic, reminders, and requesting that Scotty “Beam you up” it’s meant for fun, entertainment, and enjoyment. You’ve got an iPhone for the boring stuff that’ll do a better job than Alexa anyway.
Click to expand...

No offense....but you could work for their marketing team.

You already seem to know that the HomePod is the best smart speaker available, and you refer to the iPhone as a better alternative to Alexa.

A smart speaker is suppose to combine smarts and sound...that is the simple equation.

The Homepod looks to emphaize sound, because it is far behind in smarts.

Again, you already seem to know without having the device, but I have little doubt it will sound better than anything Amazon makes, and marginally better than the Google Max in a much more compact package (though it may not get as loud, that extra power/weight will amount to something).

For someone who isn't completely ingrained in the Apple ecosystem, like myself (I own an Apple tv 4k, apple watch 3, iphone x, ipad pro...but I also have a nest, nest cam, fire tv, roku, windows pc and laptop, a wife who uses android, etc)...if you want really good sound and equally good smarts, I would recommend the Sonos One bundle. From what I have read, a single Sonos one keeps pace with the Homepod (keeps pace, meaning it sounds marginally worse), but a pair in stereo mode is likely to far outclase the homepod. I am testing out a pair as we speak, and the stereo pairing really adds to the sound scene, making my google home seem pedistrian. On top of that, I can use Alexa to do anything I need a smart speaker to do (including control my home), and the Sonos app supports Apple music, etc (I have apple music, google play music, and amazon music unlimited). Airplay 2 is coming to the sonos as well.

For someone 100% ingrain into Apple, who will pay whatever appls wants and not consider the competition/possibily of merging ecosystems...the homepod is your best bet.

Also, Sonos will soon support Google Assitant as well.
 
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phr0z3n said:
Apple Music is compressed audio in AAC.

While definitely serviceable for most people (myself included), a good source for someone who really and truly cares about audio isn't going to be something that's compressed that much and/or streamed. Most people who claim to be "serious" about audio have a dedicated listening room and use Vinyl, CDs that aren't a victim of the loudness wars, or Tidal if they are on the go
.

I think HomePod is fine for what it is, but Apple Music is an OK source; it's not something that is out of this world compared to other similar streaming services when it comes to sound quality.
Click to expand...
When I say Apple Music, I’m referring to both the subscription service and iTunes. I also use iTunes Match, backed up my entire audio library to the cloud for 25 bucks, and integrates it directly into iTunes. From what I’ve read, and I did just brush up on this, unless some is super sensitive to sound on a nearly medical level, they will almost certainly not be able to tell the difference between a CD and anything downloaded from Apple or as long as the bitrate wasn’t lowered . I think I have a pretty good system with a Harmon Kardon amp, technics graphic eq, two klipsh towers up front along with Polk center speaker and surrounds and an MTX sub. I couldnt tell the difference. I don’t go to the lengths of using old tube amps, no resistors, no digital processing. But I do care highly about having excellent audio.
 
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BlueGoldAce said:
No offense....but you could work for their marketing team.


You already seem to know that the HomePod is the best smart speaker available, and you refer to the iPhone as a better alternative to Alexa.


A smart speaker is suppose to combine smarts and sound...that is the simple equation.


The Homepod looks to emphaize sound, because it is far behind in smarts.


Again, you already seem to know without having the device, but I have little doubt it will sound better than anything Amazon makes, and marginally better than the Google Max in a much more compact package (though it may not get as loud, that extra power/weight will amount to something).


For someone who isn't completely ingrained in the Apple ecosystem, like myself (I own an Apple tv 4k, apple watch 3, iphone x, ipad pro...but I also have a nest, nest cam, fire tv, roku, windows pc and laptop, a wife who uses android, etc)...if you want really good sound and equally good smarts, I would recommend the Sonos One bundle. From what I have read, a single Sonos one keeps pace with the Homepod (keeps pace, meaning it sounds marginally worse), but a pair in stereo mode is likely to far outclase the homepod. I am testing out a pair as we speak, and the stereo pairing really adds to the sound scene, making my google home seem pedistrian. On top of that, I can use Alexa to do anything I need a smart speaker to do (including control my home), and the Sonos app supports Apple music, etc (I have apple music, google play music, and amazon music unlimited). Airplay 2 is coming to the sonos as well.


For someone 100% ingrain into Apple, who will pay whatever appls wants and not consider the competition/possibily of merging ecosystems...the homepod is your best bet.


Also, Sonos will soon support Google Assitant as well.
Click to expand...

I also have Alexa in another room of the house. It serves two purposes, turning on a lamp and turning on and off Harmony activities. With all the compatibility issues and little standardization and knowing Apple was very strict with who is allowed to touch HomeKit, I decided to setup Homebridge. Siri is now able to do a lot more now. Apple also lowered their gates a little by allowing software encryption instead of requiring hardware encryption. I think there’s a lot more to this HomePod than initially meets the eye. It’s a Smart Home Hub too. And when you combine a great speaker, good source Apple Music, Siri, and automatic integration into your already existing Apple Ecosystem, which is so deeply embedded in many peoples lives. Alexa isn’t that close to her users, she’s a little shy. Whereas Siri wants to know what you want to tell her. Siri on everything else, so I have no reason to think it would be any different on this speaker other than some commands being disabled.
 
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I have to admit after thinking this over as great as I think the homepod is going to be I’m trying to fiqure out if I truly need it or not. I live in a small house where walls I imagine are pretty thin and as somebody who likes to play music through headphones I’m trying to fiqure out if I really need the homepod. As I would more than likely play more podcasts than music. I wanted it as well for the homekit but that still works fine saying it via siri on my phone or ipad anyway. So I’m trying to think if I should just keep that £319 in my savings for when I might need it personally.


That’s not to say the homepod won’t have amazing sound but thinking with the house I have I won’t make good enough use out of it.
 
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