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HomePod HomePod first impressions

AdamA9 said:
25 minutes into this is pretty cool.

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After watching this and his review, Nilay Patel seems to go out of his way to be critical. I'm trying not to be an a closed minded fan, that is rabid about anything with a fruit logo, but I think some of his knocks are a bit petty. He does mention its the best speaker of the ones show in that video.
 
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Well after 24 hours I think mines going back. Im not convinced on the sound of it, it just seems a bit flat. For me personally I don't think its worth £319.

I totally get the reviews saying it sounds a bit muddy, for me I'd be inclined to agree.

I might give the Sonos One a go (or even 2 for a similar price!). The father in law has one so might see if I can borrow it for a few days to give it a try.

I know sound is very subjective and Im not overly interested in technical data, audiophile reviews etc, I just want to listen to music on a speaker that sounds good to me!

Cheers.
 
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MrJM said:
Well after 24 hours I think mines going back. Im not convinced on the sound of it, it just seems a bit flat. For me personally I don't think its worth £319.

I totally get the reviews saying it sounds a bit muddy, for me I'd be inclined to agree.

I might give the Sonos One a go (or even 2 for a similar price!). The father in law has one so might see if I can borrow it for a few days to give it a try.

I know sound is very subjective and Im not overly interested in technical data, audiophile reviews etc, I just want to listen to music on a speaker that sounds good to me!

Cheers.
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I haven't heard the homepod so cant comment. however i got the Sonos one at the weekend, sent it back and got 2 instead.

Stereo is VASTLY superior and sounds amazing.
 
In its current form I don’t think it’s worth it for everyone at its price point (I have one).

It feels like there is not only a ton of potential but it’s going to be implemented.

It’s an iCloud device so not only does it have the capacity to take and receive calls but it could do so without your phone being nearby and/or on.

Multi user support. Siri has the capacity to tell your voice and I find it very good at it.

Things like that. And with enough features it should be able to set itself apart and justify the price to many.
 
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AidenL said:
No radio stations?

I missed that too.
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AidenL said:
I listen to local stations also.

That’s a bummer. Big negative for me then.
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cyb3rdud3 said:
For now I simply airplay my radio stations 🙂
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“Hey Siri, play Capital radio” plays Capital FM for me...

Can’t get others to work though. E.g. “Play Radio 1” plays an Apple Music playlist by Radio 1.

A133B9DF-2B78-4400-91BB-49C77F556134.jpeg
 
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Just purchased mine - went for white.

Even though I knew it was going to be small, I was still surprised by just how small it actually is! Sound quality is good, although I do find it a bit bass heavy.

Will be having a good play this evening!
 
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Brookzy said:
“Hey Siri, play Capital radio” plays Capital FM for me...

Can’t get others to work though. E.g. “Play Radio 1” plays an Apple Music playlist by Radio 1.
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That’s so weird! I just assumed that the HomePod couldn’t stream radio stations (yet). So, how come it can do Capital Radio (not my thing, unfortunately) and not the main BBC stations?

Can anyone in the US or Australia stream live radio?
 
Received mine today after initially vowing to stick with my Sonos Play: 1 speakers and I like it.

Maybe it’s just me (edit: it probably is!) but I actually think it sounds slightly clearer than my Play:1 and I can hear the music better at lower volumes; I think my next door neighbour, as polite as she is, wouldn’t be too happy with my having the sound turned up on the Sonos!

Do find the bass is on the heavier side and I also feel Siri (Female, UK) feels slightly more stunted compared to her American counterpart.
 
Ooh, the play Capital Radio thing is new information. How odd. I’m totally trying that when I get home! It’s decades since I listened to Capital though; I’d want it to work for Radio 4 and maybe 6 Music.
 
Smooth radio also working. Not my thing but been testing a few
Edit: Radio X and Heart FM working too
 
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MrJM said:
Well after 24 hours I think mines going back. Im not convinced on the sound of it, it just seems a bit flat. For me personally I don't think its worth £319.

I totally get the reviews saying it sounds a bit muddy, for me I'd be inclined to agree.

I might give the Sonos One a go (or even 2 for a similar price!). The father in law has one so might see if I can borrow it for a few days to give it a try.

I know sound is very subjective and Im not overly interested in technical data, audiophile reviews etc, I just want to listen to music on a speaker that sounds good to me!

Cheers.
Click to expand...

Personally I would consider a Sonos 3 if you are going to go that route (unless the directional nature of the 3 doesn’t work for you). Stand alone they Sonos 1 leaves something to be desired, I feel they can be a bit tinny/piercing. I’m not an audiophile or a bass enthusiast however for me the Sonos 1 play alone can be “tiring” especially at loud volumes.

I have some other accessories so they are fine... 🙂

DF7559E0-F2BD-4304-9579-091EC997BCCE.jpeg
0119FED2-EE75-400D-831E-9AFBCB9CEF2B.jpeg
CBAE5309-7924-4EB0-B918-D8E0E158CB7C.jpeg
 
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johnyslats said:
Smooth radio also working. Not my thing but been testing a few
Edit: Radio X and Heart FM working too
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Gold Radio also works; looks like it might be limited to the Global Radio group so far as I tried GEM 106 (my local radio station) and it came up with some random classical piano track!
 
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I just honestly love shouting at this chick to play any song, control my lights, and update me on weather/news/facts. I never purchased an Alexa or Google Home, so having a dedicated base station in my home for all this is pretty phenomenal.

Just hoping it somehow integrates with my Sonos down the line.
 
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cynics said:
Personally I would consider a Sonos 3 if you are going to go that route (unless the directional nature of the 3 doesn’t work for you). Stand alone they Sonos 1 leaves something to be desired, I feel they can be a bit tinny/piercing. I’m not an audiophile or a bass enthusiast however for me the Sonos 1 play alone can be “tiring” especially at loud volumes.

I have some other accessories so they are fine... 🙂
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They look good!

My only concern with the play 3 is that I have heard its being discontinued. You very rarely see them on display anywhere. I only ever see the the play one, the play five and the sub!

I had the HomePod on full volume earlier and thought that sounded a little harsh too and was a bit uncomfortable to listen to. I sometimes wonder if Im listening to the same speaker as everyone else!

Im hoping to borrow the father in laws play one for a couple of days to test it out. I was in a pub the other day and they had a Play one in each of the rooms and I thought it sounded great!
 
iGeek2014 said:
Gold Radio also works; looks like it might be limited to the Global Radio group so far as I tried GEM 106 (my local radio station) and it came up with some random classical piano track!
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Thinking about it, LBC (part of the Global group) is one of Apple's chosen news suppliers (along with the BBC and Sky News) so that might explain it. I assume there is a way to make BBC radio stations play, I've just got to figure out the correct verbiage for dumb Siri to play it.
 
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MrJM said:
They look good!

My only concern with the play 3 is that I have heard its being discontinued. You very rarely see them on display anywhere. I only ever see the the play one, the play five and the sub!

I had the HomePod on full volume earlier and thought that sounded a little harsh too and was a bit uncomfortable to listen to. I sometimes wonder if Im listening to the same speaker as everyone else!

Im hoping to borrow the father in laws play one for a couple of days to test it out. I was in a pub the other day and they had a Play one in each of the rooms and I thought it sounded great!
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PLAY:3 came out in 2011. There’s no way I would recommend anybody buy that today.
 
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Brookzy said:
Thinking about it, LBC (part of the Global group) is one of Apple's chosen news suppliers (along with the BBC and Sky News) so that might explain it. I assume there is a way to make BBC radio stations play, I've just got to figure out the correct verbiage for dumb Siri to play it.
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I hadn’t realised you can also play these radio stations in the Music app on your iPhone and iPad. So, maybe it has to be both a Global group station AND one that plays music, hence no BBC Radio 4.
 
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jonnyb said:
I hadn’t realised you can also play these radio stations in the Music app on your iPhone and iPad. So, maybe it has to be both a Global group station AND one that plays music, hence no BBC Radio 4.
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Thanks for the heads up. Don’t mind Capital FM now & again but had no idea you could access them via Apple Music; never seen it advertised anywhere!
 
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