HomePod HomePod first impressions

[ApeBot]

Hi All,

Just got my HomePod.

Beware, the box lid lifts off.. if you are like me, in your excitement you will hold the box up like Baby Simba in the Lion King and the HomePod will slide straight out the bottom and crash down to the floor.

Setup was incredibly fast and easy with my iPhone. Sound quality so far is impressive. Fills the room beautifully.

The top display is captivating. Control via control center on my phone is integrated nicely.

For me personally, it doesnt feel as familiar as Apple products usually do. Maybe thats because it doesn't have a familiar OS?

Is it worth the money - I will have to give it more time to get to know the features and functions. I wouldn't normally spend AUD$499 for a speaker. I will reserve my judgement until I have had it for a while.

 

[AppleRobert]

What did you listen to so far? Do you have any applicable speaker you will compare it to? What size is the room and where did you place it?

Thanks for your impression.

 

[ApeBot]

As part of the setup, it creates a personal radio station for you - in my case it selected a guilty pleasure of mine for the first song - Meatloaf. I am listening to Queen now.

I dont really have anything comparable, we do have a UE wonderboom and a small JBL but they are not in this class at all. 1/3 of the price and 1/5 of the sound.

 

[RecentlyConverted]

I would like to get one. I need a soundbar for my TV, but I am unsure how I can use HomePod as a soundbar. Obviously it will be fine for playing ATV4/4K sound, but not normal TV. Maybe someone will bring out an AirPlay transmitter that could be fitted to a TVs electrical or optical digital output.

 

[The Game 161]

As part of the setup, it creates a personal radio station for you - in my case it selected a guilty pleasure of mine for the first song - Meatloaf. I am listening to Queen now.

I dont really have anything comparable, we do have a UE wonderboom and a small JBL but they are not in this class at all. 1/3 of the price and 1/5 of the sound.

Does hey siri work ok with your other devices? does it listen to purely the homepod and not your phone?

 

[ApeBot]

Does hey siri work ok with your other devices? does it listen to purely the homepod and not your phone?

Just said "Hey Siri.." with my phone next to the HomePod - The phone flickered, but the HomePod took control.. so the HomePod was listening.

 

[The Game 161]

Just said "Hey Siri.." with my phone next to the HomePod - The phone flickered, but the HomePod took control.. so the HomePod was listening.

Thats good as i want to only use homepod for this when at home. Wasn't sure how it would be with my iphone, ipad and watch near by

 

[falainber]

Just said "Hey Siri.." with my phone next to the HomePod - The phone flickered, but the HomePod took control.. so the HomePod was listening.

Did you talk to the phone or to the HP?

 

[smirking]

I am listening to Queen now.

I like you already.

 

[sam2428]

...like Baby Simba in the Lion King and the HomePod will slide straight out the bottom and crash down to the floor.

Hope your HomePod was okay! Any chance some of the internal components would have gotten damaged or misaligned. Giving you less than optimal sound?

 

[8CoreWhore]

Just said "Hey Siri.." with my phone next to the HomePod - The phone flickered, but the HomePod took control.. so the HomePod was listening.

Pro-tip for those that don't know... this applies to iPhone, as well... Don't pause after "Hey, Siri." Just say, "Hey, Siri what is the temperature outside?" It will hear it all.
[doublepost=1518131851][/doublepost]

Thats good as i want to only use homepod for this when at home. Wasn't sure how it would be with my iphone, ipad and watch near by

If your wrist is down it won't use the Watch, if the iPhone is not in your hand, it won't use the iPhone - it'll default to Homepod. Slick.

 

[ApeBot]

Hope your HomePod was okay! Any chance some of the internal components would have gotten damaged or misaligned. Giving you less than optimal sound?

I managed to catch it before it slid out completely, but there was a moment where I am pretty sure my heart stopped beating. It was very close, probably looked like a comedy act as I was balancing it in one hand!!

 

[jsmith189]

Can anyone suggest some standards for testing out new speakers?

 

[swingerofbirch]

Can anyone suggest some standards for testing out new speakers?

I am not an audiophile and know very little about music.

However, whenever I get something new I like to play Jack Johnson's "Rodeo Clowns." It's not even a song I particularly like. But on good headphones/speakers, it sounds really good.

 

[AppleRobert]

Can anyone suggest some standards for testing out new speakers?

Listen to what you are familiar with and you like, if you enjoy the music even more using the HomePod then that is what is important more than actually doing testing.

 

[dotnet]

I managed to catch it before it slid out completely, but there was a moment where I am pretty sure my heart stopped beating.

Not to worry, in an ecosystem like this, your Apple Watch would have noticed your heart stopping and told the HomePod to stop sliding

 

[Rychiar]

everyone seems worried about which device Hey Siri will respond too. My watch has about a 50% chance of responding to hey Siri at all and the phone is hit or miss too. I'm really hoping HomePod works better cus I just outfitted my whole place with homekit lights and switches and it would be nice to not have to yell at my watch just to have it do nothing or take an age to respond

 

[otech]

everyone seems worried about which device Hey Siri will respond too.

Both my watch and iPhone are triggered when I say "Hey Siri" to the HomePod, but don't seem to listen to the actual request.

 

[Bradleyone]

Hi All,

Just got my HomePod.

Thought I heard loud music playing, was just about to call the police.

Posted at 9:15 am. Clearly you were at the start of the TNT driver's route. I'm at the very end. First day Apple Watch came 5:02 pm. Most releases I elect to pick up.

(Pretending for effect that there's only one courier driver for the whole of Sydney.)

Beware, the box lid lifts off.. if you are like me, in your excitement you will hold the box up like Baby Simba in the Lion King and the HomePod will slide straight out the bottom and crash down to the floor.

It's the circle of life. When HomePod dies its body becomes the grass and the antelope eat the grass and then we buy AppleCare+. I may have the quote slightly wrong.

Enjoy!

 

[Harmonious Zen]

everyone seems worried about which device Hey Siri will respond too. My watch has about a 50% chance of responding to hey Siri at all and the phone is hit or miss too. I'm really hoping HomePod works better cus I just outfitted my whole place with homekit lights and switches and it would be nice to not have to yell at my watch just to have it do nothing or take an age to respond

The watch is slow probably because of the processor and the location of the microphone. My phone works almost all the time so I'm not sure what the issue is there. And the HomePod, by all accounts, should have absolutely no problems picking up your voice
[doublepost=1518148466][/doublepost]

Both my watch and iPhone are triggered when I say "Hey Siri" to the HomePod, but don't seem to listen to the actual request.

yeah, that's called smart programming. They all go off, but the three are on the same WiFi network and coordinate with one another. If you're yelling Hey Siri when they're all in the same proximity, HomePod will almost definitely win out.

 

[ApeBot]

everyone seems worried about which device Hey Siri will respond too. My watch has about a 50% chance of responding to hey Siri at all and the phone is hit or miss too. I'm really hoping HomePod works better cus I just outfitted my whole place with homekit lights and switches and it would be nice to not have to yell at my watch just to have it do nothing or take an age to respond

I have to say, the HomePod has responded lightening fast to every query, even with music blaring. Much more accurate and responsive than my watch or phone.

 

[MacSE1987]

According to "Settings" on my watch "Hey Siri" will only work when the watch is awake. Also, I disabled "Allow Siri When Locked" on my iPhone. Otherwise with "Hey Siri" enabled on the locked screen, anyone with your phone can have Siri make a phone call, find contact info, send a text, etc.

My HomePod will be here tomorrow. So I don't expect any conflict with my watch, iPhone X, HomePod or Apple Watch.

 

[Bradleyone]

Update: just arrived ~3:00 pm.

first song: "hey siri play the circle of life" -- in honour of ApeBot's box opening warning.

This thing is quite good.

 

[ghsDUDE]

I have a tight space on my counter that I’d like to place it and it’s only about 1.5 feet away from the counter outlet...do you think it’s possible to kink up the power cord in the middle and zip tie it?

Or is the power cord not that flexible since it’s braided.

Thanks!

 

[smirking]

Just got my HomePod.

Can you play something streamed from Apple Music and then play the same song over AirPlay and see if there's any difference? I'm interested in a HomePod, but not in Apple Music and one of the Hi-Fi reviews gave me pause because they said the quality over AirPlay wasn't as good, but it was ambiguous what they meant by that.

Hey, since you're a Queen fan, I can call out what I want you to play. Play "Tear it Up" or "I Want it All" both ways.

Thanks!