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HomePod HomePod first impressions
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sounds really good at 50%Anyone try some Led Zeppelin? I’d be cranking Whole Lotta Love.
@dannys1
If the EQ point is the showstopper, I'd bet that you'll be able to tweak it with a future software release and/or 3rd party application. Only the average users will presumably not do better at EQ that the integrated algorithm and should not try to.
If the hardware is not good enough, that's another point.
If the EQ point is the showstopper, I'd bet that you'll be able to tweak it with a future software release and/or 3rd party application. Only the average users will presumably not do better at EQ that the integrated algorithm and should not try to.
If the hardware is not good enough, that's another point.
I’ve been using it a couple of hours, still amazed at how well the mics pick up my voice even when I’m far away in another room and the music is loud. Almost incredible.
Perfect! ThanksI think so: it's a little stiffer than pure plastic, but it'll bend over to the width of a thumb.
Edit: This what you mean?
This is what amazes me the most. I can be far away, not facing it, and speaking quietly, and it STILL hears me.
I've been a major Apple user for decades. However, first impressions for Homepod? Major let down. After 1 hour, its back in the box ready to return. Terribly integration with Apple TV...not easy to adjust sound correctly. Siri AI far lower than Echo Alexa. Far more functionality with Echo Dot and my connected Bose speaker. So disappointing. Yes, great sound, but terribly functionality.
Mine arrived about an hour and half ago, it took around a minute to set up and first impressions are WOW:
It looks great and is very sturdy
It sounds brilliant, now matter how high i turn up the volume it doesn't distort the sound
Siri is VERY fast and can hear me from across the room (i have mine set up in the bedroom)
I'm very impressed with the HomePod and WILL certainly be purchasing another one for the home office at some point.
It looks great and is very sturdy
It sounds brilliant, now matter how high i turn up the volume it doesn't distort the sound
Siri is VERY fast and can hear me from across the room (i have mine set up in the bedroom)
I'm very impressed with the HomePod and WILL certainly be purchasing another one for the home office at some point.
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the sound is even better than I was expecting. got it to 50% at the moment and for most things that will be enough I must say.
Yes it’s very surprising how loud it is even at 25% depending on the size of the room and song that’s playing, I’ve tested mine out at different levels and it’s amazing how Siri can still hear my voice even tho I’m talking at the same tone regardeless of whether the music is at 10% or 100% (100% is insanely loud and a volume I will not be having it at again).
Overall I’m very impressed!
Another disappointed user here. I also have Echo gen. 1, 2, and an Echo Show. I’d say the sound quality of the Echo Show is about on par with the Home Pod. The vocals sound mostly thin to hollow. I was going to use it in my office but I might return it for another Echo Show.
Build quality is, as usual, beautiful. However, I see this going the way of Apples previous HIFI offering.
I just returned from the Apple store, ready to buy one of these bad boys. I'm very glad I went and listened to it first. The sound is good, no doubt; but it isn't great. I'm no audiophile, by the way. While the bass sounded very clear and not muddy at all, it was the most prominent thing coming out of this speaker. I listened through a few tracks. Mids and highs also very clear, along with vocals, but they get lost very, very easily behind that bass. Considering where Siri is, the sound of this thing, and the cost, I'm a solid 'no' for the HomePod. Obviously, everyone's ears and use case is different, but if you can listen before you buy, it might be worth it. If bass is your thing, you will like it. It is impressive how much they are pumping out from such a small package.
That appears to be the consensus right now, which is a bit disappointing to me as I really prefer a flat frequency response curve...
It is bass heavy while the mid-range and highs can’t create any sense of a soundstage.
Finally got it working after several reboots. Initial impressions.
1. Disappointed with the audio quality at high volumes. This could be crap quality Audio through Apple Music, but playing something like The Greatest Show from the film (my girlfriend stuck it on and turned it up), it made me scrunch my face up it sounded so bad. Is there a setting somewhere that is causing my music to be streamed at a crap quality?
2. Whatever you do, don't press pause. I had to make a call (not on the phone streaming music) so paused the music. Hit play and it played on my phone rather than Homepod. So if you do this, you have to swap it again. Tad annoying.
3. The power lead is stuck to it. You can't take it off and put it through the wall. So, I've had to change the place of it. Moreover, I wanted to buy a could of other leads and leave them in the summer house and my office so I could just take the unit and plug it in somewhere else, but I guess I'll faff and move the whole thing. A minor inconvenience but still one.
Despite the few negatives, this thing does look good. It's very well built and feels quality. I don't know if it just needs to bed in to sound better, or if there's a setting on my phone I'm missing to get this thing sounding as good as it clearly is for all of you.
For now, it will live on top of my alcohol cabinet. Not where I wanted it, but because of the power cord I had to rethink where it went. it will do as a dinner party speaker or the like, but certainly not good enough for a garden party with the poor quality at high volumes*
*assuming I'm not doing something wrong to get poor sound.
1. Disappointed with the audio quality at high volumes. This could be crap quality Audio through Apple Music, but playing something like The Greatest Show from the film (my girlfriend stuck it on and turned it up), it made me scrunch my face up it sounded so bad. Is there a setting somewhere that is causing my music to be streamed at a crap quality?
2. Whatever you do, don't press pause. I had to make a call (not on the phone streaming music) so paused the music. Hit play and it played on my phone rather than Homepod. So if you do this, you have to swap it again. Tad annoying.
3. The power lead is stuck to it. You can't take it off and put it through the wall. So, I've had to change the place of it. Moreover, I wanted to buy a could of other leads and leave them in the summer house and my office so I could just take the unit and plug it in somewhere else, but I guess I'll faff and move the whole thing. A minor inconvenience but still one.
Despite the few negatives, this thing does look good. It's very well built and feels quality. I don't know if it just needs to bed in to sound better, or if there's a setting on my phone I'm missing to get this thing sounding as good as it clearly is for all of you.
For now, it will live on top of my alcohol cabinet. Not where I wanted it, but because of the power cord I had to rethink where it went. it will do as a dinner party speaker or the like, but certainly not good enough for a garden party with the poor quality at high volumes*
*assuming I'm not doing something wrong to get poor sound.
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This thread has me all confused now....
Originally had no plan to buy the HomePod. Then started reading all the reviews raving about audio quality and how its the best speaker in the sub $1000 range....got me all hyped and wanting to pull the trigger.
Now i'm having second thoughts again... lol
Originally had no plan to buy the HomePod. Then started reading all the reviews raving about audio quality and how its the best speaker in the sub $1000 range....got me all hyped and wanting to pull the trigger.
Now i'm having second thoughts again... lol
I'm thinking about ditching my Bose Soundtouch 20 for a HomePod - would love to hear some opinions on the sound quality comparison between the two if any of you have heard both of them.
Could be expectations... because of the praise this thing is getting for audio quality, some people may be expecting too much. I'll be getting mine tonight so it'll be interesting to see how it stacks up against my JBL L8, which is probably the best AirPlay speaker I've heard to date... but it's also about 8x bigger than the HomePod.
If HomePod comes close, though, and it sounds good no matter where I am in my living area, the lower price, smaller footprint, superior design and Siri should make it one of the best values for wireless home speakers.
I think it genuinely depends on your listening history and what you need. Sound while objective can be subjective based on user preferences and expectations what’s not great for me might sound wonderful for you. As with all audio the only way to two is to audition it yourself.
I think it's just level of prior experience/overall audio snobbishness.
(To give an update to my earlier negative impressions, it's better in a small room, but overall it's still a thumbs down from me.)
Odd as the sound I’m getting is incredible
Guessing the wires sticking out bothers you then?
This is where I have mine
I could just put it on the TV stand if I wanted to hide the wires though