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HomePod HomePod 2 Sound Quality.
- Thread starter Pewpewpew
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Well after listening to stereo HomePods for a few days and getting used to the sound (and maybe breaking in the drivers--not to start that ******** of a debate) I switched it out for my old desk speakers: the wired version of the Audioengine A5+'s.
So disclaimer here: I've never been in love with the AE's. Been using them pretty much daily for a year and a half or so. But I wanted to see how the sound compared.
Well, the AE's do sound maybe a little cleaner, less "noisy". I attribute that at least partially to the fact that they are wired. Airplay might be better than bluetooth but I don't think it quite matches a wired connection. I also thought the vocals were thicker and clearer.
That's where the compliments end. The HomePods have much more bass and much more lively highs. The AE's bass is recessed and the highs are rolled off, smoothed over. Creates a nice sound but it's wicked boring. The HomePod has a much more exciting sound.
HomePod wins. Damnit. I'm changing my vote. Thumbs up. I don't think they are quite the eargasmic sonic experience Apple's PR departments wants to make them out to be, but considering their form factor, they are a pretty great feat of engineering. Looks like I'm probably keeping them. Apple wins again! Why did I think I could even win a battle against them and return them? I know better by now.
Of course I still might stop messing around with powered speakers altogether and get an amp and passive speakers. I could probably fit the amp on the floor under my desk and might not even notice it after awhile! I'm eyeing some Klipsch bookshelves and an Onkyo amp but trying not to be dumb enough to blow even more money...
So disclaimer here: I've never been in love with the AE's. Been using them pretty much daily for a year and a half or so. But I wanted to see how the sound compared.
Well, the AE's do sound maybe a little cleaner, less "noisy". I attribute that at least partially to the fact that they are wired. Airplay might be better than bluetooth but I don't think it quite matches a wired connection. I also thought the vocals were thicker and clearer.
That's where the compliments end. The HomePods have much more bass and much more lively highs. The AE's bass is recessed and the highs are rolled off, smoothed over. Creates a nice sound but it's wicked boring. The HomePod has a much more exciting sound.
HomePod wins. Damnit. I'm changing my vote. Thumbs up. I don't think they are quite the eargasmic sonic experience Apple's PR departments wants to make them out to be, but considering their form factor, they are a pretty great feat of engineering. Looks like I'm probably keeping them. Apple wins again! Why did I think I could even win a battle against them and return them? I know better by now.
Of course I still might stop messing around with powered speakers altogether and get an amp and passive speakers. I could probably fit the amp on the floor under my desk and might not even notice it after awhile! I'm eyeing some Klipsch bookshelves and an Onkyo amp but trying not to be dumb enough to blow even more money...
Bout the HomePod today and I think it sounds great. Some recording sound difffent than others based on the music but sounds great iverall
I bought one of this fosi class d amp on amazon and a pair of Elac Debut 6.2's man they sound great
I think the only way to make the “correct” decision is with your own ears. Give them a shot, and if they’re not to your liking, there’s always the 14-day return window.
Despite what so many reviewers have said, I find my HP2s’ sound quality to be quite an improvement over my HP1s. So, it’s been a worthwhile upgrade for me right there.
But beyond that, I’d been having frequent problems with HomeKit for the last year or two whenever the OG HomePods were selected as the HomeKit hub. That’s the real reason I decided to buy a pair of HP2s; the improved sound quality (to my ear) was just icing on the cake.
16.3.2 unfortunately made the sound signature way bass heavier across the entire line up, even with "reduce bass" enabled: the original, the mini, the new one. All Homepods now have a recessed and boomy mid range, and vocals/dialogue suffers significantly because of it.
I returned my new stereo pair of HP2s. Yes, they did sound pretty good, but that sound was clearly not accurate or transparent. They are engineered to try to make everything sound good, according to Apple specs (perhaps flat eq). The lack of ability to modify this equalization is a dealbreaker for a speaker or sound product, especially at this price point.
To oversimplify, I am a musician, recording original tracks, and also create remixes with new instrumentation using original vocal stems. One such remix has known low-end distortion and muddiness issues - I mastered it without proper monitors, and over-emphasized the bass. While apparent on just about every other playback system, the mix sounded well-balanced on the HPs, but clearly not accurate. The bass was reined in, but I noticed the piano was also lost. Same went for a rough demo of an original song where the top end was shrill. Ironically, the HP processing evened-out the top end, but over-emphasized the bass, perhaps in an attempt to create a “flat” full-frequency result. Did it sound great? Yes, but it shouldn’t have. It is very reminiscent of the games Bose used to play to make their little cube speakers sound “good”.
Bottom line, I expect my audio products to reproduce sound as accurately as possible. The HPs are highly flawed in this respect. Many people will love them, but not those that relish transparency in their audio products.
To oversimplify, I am a musician, recording original tracks, and also create remixes with new instrumentation using original vocal stems. One such remix has known low-end distortion and muddiness issues - I mastered it without proper monitors, and over-emphasized the bass. While apparent on just about every other playback system, the mix sounded well-balanced on the HPs, but clearly not accurate. The bass was reined in, but I noticed the piano was also lost. Same went for a rough demo of an original song where the top end was shrill. Ironically, the HP processing evened-out the top end, but over-emphasized the bass, perhaps in an attempt to create a “flat” full-frequency result. Did it sound great? Yes, but it shouldn’t have. It is very reminiscent of the games Bose used to play to make their little cube speakers sound “good”.
Bottom line, I expect my audio products to reproduce sound as accurately as possible. The HPs are highly flawed in this respect. Many people will love them, but not those that relish transparency in their audio products.
Very good post. And yes, the Original HomePods sound slightly better in my opinion.
I mean I sort of get your point, but it's like asking a horse to be dog. Different animals. Obviously they aren't trying to mimic the sound of studio monitors. For musicians those can be useful, but for music listening, they can sound very boring and dry. Apple was never going to try to nail that sound.
Actually the HomePod is a pretty neutral speaker according to the tests I’ve seen.
The problem described above is that the DSP software is trying to maintain that neutrality and there’s no way to turn that off if you don’t want it, or if it isn’t working right in a particular room. Nor is there any way to adjust the EQ short of globally changing it in Music settings (which may be fine for some).
Right now the HomePod is a good speaker, ruined by bad software. The sad thing is that I think 90% of people’s complaints about the sound quality would be eliminated if Apple would just allow owners to do 2 things: turn off the DSP and set a custom EQ.
The problem described above is that the DSP software is trying to maintain that neutrality and there’s no way to turn that off if you don’t want it, or if it isn’t working right in a particular room. Nor is there any way to adjust the EQ short of globally changing it in Music settings (which may be fine for some).
Right now the HomePod is a good speaker, ruined by bad software. The sad thing is that I think 90% of people’s complaints about the sound quality would be eliminated if Apple would just allow owners to do 2 things: turn off the DSP and set a custom EQ.
No. My point is that these are 2 audio recordings that I am absolutely familiar with. The fact that they sound completely different on the HPs show that sound is being significantly altered. That is not desired in any decent speaker system.
16.3 was great sound wise (IMHO), but 16.3.2 turned all of them into a muddy mess where mid range is concerned, all of them. The mini, the original, the new one. Everytime anyone speaks or sings sound like a blanket have been thrown over the speaker.
"Reduce bass" does not fix this. The mids are way to boomy and the bass overpowering now.
16.3.3 is need ASAP. I have reported it to Apple, as it has many people already, according to reddit and other places.
"Reduce bass" does not fix this. The mids are way to boomy and the bass overpowering now.
16.3.3 is need ASAP. I have reported it to Apple, as it has many people already, according to reddit and other places.
Yes, it is V-shaped. Clearly so. Unfortunately so. Mids are muffled.
I really think the sound quality issues people have reported revolve around the automatic tuning that the HomePod does. Apart from the element of personal taste, that’s the only reason I can think that the complaints are all over the place - too much or too little this or that but no clear pattern that I can see.
I also think the ‘muddiness’ might be related to the tuning as well, since the speaker may be adding too much reflected audio thinking that it’s correcting for something.
Like I said above, I wish apple would give the option to turn off room correction - imo, it’s almost guaranteed not to work in some subset of environments.
I also think the ‘muddiness’ might be related to the tuning as well, since the speaker may be adding too much reflected audio thinking that it’s correcting for something.
Like I said above, I wish apple would give the option to turn off room correction - imo, it’s almost guaranteed not to work in some subset of environments.
Sorry to bring up an old thread, but I took delivery of a HomePod 2 today and within an hour arranged a return. The sound is awful. Distorted lows and piercing tinny highs. Really disappointed. I used to own an original HomePod and loved it.
As some posters said previously, the sound varies way too much between different songs. I've also owned a Sonos Era 100 and it completely out performed the HomePod 2 (shame about their app and connectivity reliability).
As some posters said previously, the sound varies way too much between different songs. I've also owned a Sonos Era 100 and it completely out performed the HomePod 2 (shame about their app and connectivity reliability).