HomePod Hands-On: Unboxing and Overview

[falainber]

You’re missing the point completely. I buy a HomePod. I test it out. I keep it or return it.

I get it. But do you also do it for all alternatives? Or you just test what Apple suggest you need to try? What if, say, Google Max is a much better fit for you? When buying electronics, I often compare dozens of models. I could not possibly try them all. This is where competent reviews come handy.
[doublepost=1518306914][/doublepost]

New info on the HomePod coming to light. Much of this info comes from this reddit thread.

https://www.reddit.com/r/audiophile...orning_raudiophile_measurements_are_underway/

Apple is using an equal-loudness compensating curve called Fletcher-Munson.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fletcher–Munson_curves

The "tweeters" are actually balanced mode radiators. I didn't know what these were so I looked them up.

https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/usa/en/blog/what-is-bmr

The crossover between the woofer and the BMRs is somewhere between 200 Hz and 500 Hz. This makes sense when you read up on BMRs. That low of a crossover would probably destroy most tweeters in short order.

HomePod takes 2 minutes to recalibrate once it's been moved.

Thanks for links, this was informative.

 

[0947347]

The bigger annoyance to me is that you have to say “Hey, Siri” then wait for it to wake up, THEN issue a command. With my echo, I can just say “Alexa, play music” with no pause. Far better solution.

As long as your wife’s name is not Alexa
Then the echo gets confused a lot
[doublepost=1518308047][/doublepost]

That certainly seems to be important for some people.

But how do you decide what is “best”. For some of you it seems to be a bizarre competition which involves mindless arguing on Internet forum in discussions that are basically “mines bigger than yours”, it’s magnificantly funny to read.

Meanwhile, what really matters is what is best for the individual. No reviewer can answer that. It is a decision for the individual.

This is precisely why I read this forum,
it’s like watching bunch of children arguing, who’s mom is better

My mom is better
Your mom smells like a poo
No, your mom smells like a poo

Rinse and repeat

 

[donpaluh]

I bought one. I love it, but I have to take it back. It requires 2-factor authentication to be turned on for your account. And there are just too many horror stories on the web about people getting permanently locked out of their accounts over making a mistake with 2-factor authentication. I turned it on just to set up the HomePod, so not I turned it back off, and my account is making me change my password on my iCloud account. However my iPad freezes when I try to do this. And I really don't want to change my password: I have hundreds to remember as it is.

 

[ersan191]

Your mention that video sounds distinctly mono, is a little disappointing. I can understand that being true for most network TV, but that shouldn't be true for a feature film. I wonder if it has anything to do with the audio codec being streamed to the HomePod, like a Dolby 5.1 matrix being reduced to a mono track?

Is it possible for the ATV to output both HDMI audio and wirelessly to the HomePod at the same time in sync? I've got a subwoofer attached to my TV to enhance the built-in speakers. I could optionally turn off the built-in speakers, and use the HomePod with my subwoofer.

Mono is true for Network TV, Movies, Recordings, everything - Dolby Atmos, Digital, DTS, all formats.

And unfortunately no, HDMI audio is muted once you select HomePod as the output.

 

[jlasoon]

This is awesome - Audiophile measurements are coming in folks.

“Take this with the appropriately-sized salt pitcher, as I'm located outside of Apple's release territory, and have no ability to make subjective evaluations:

• I've looked at ~100 dB-in-room measurements. The bass distortion is beyond spectacular, and I honestly don't think there is any bookshelf-sized speaker that doesn't employ computational audio that will come close
• They are for all intents and purposes constant-directivity, after they've had time to "settle" - the response takes a few minutes of playing music to settle before measurements are stable - indicative of machine learning being employed
• They use Fletcher-Munson-like loudness compensation, meaning that they measure differently at 75 and 95 dB. Whether you like this or not is an entirely subjective matter, but it cannot be turned off.
• Their response is to ~40 Hz, even at extremely high (~95-100 dB) volumes, and the bottom-end cutoff doesn't seem to be a moving target.
• I had a look at distortion measurements, and while I can't be completely definite, they appear to be better than those of the Kii Three. I'll have to get a pair of both to actually verify, but that one has me flabbergasted.

Not saying everything is rosy: At extremely high volumes (measured 95-100 dB), there is a distortion peak at 500 Hz, which is likely where the "tweeters" have their maximum excursion, about 0.5-2 octaves above their -3 dB point.

But the short answer is: If you can live with not being able to use it with a TV, it's something you should seriously audition, because I'm not entirely sure that there is a bookshelf speaker with a driver less than 6.5" that sounds better on the bottom end”

And then there’s this little gem.

Well, to be fair, I told OP to audition, not return. I won't be burning my Emotiva, B&W or Mirage setups anytime soon, but I'm not blind to what a measurement means, and I can with some confidence say that the HomePod is going to be the best speaker most of the population has ever heard, and it makes some "high-end" offerings laughable.

https://www.reddit.com/r/audiophile...udiophile_measurements_are_underway/?sort=new

 

[0947347]

It's not mono. It's not stereo (and won't ever be even with two of them). It's not mono plus. It's not Stereo plus. It's Apples idea of how music should be played back, no mater how it was recorded, no mater how the people who made it or recorded it felt it should be played back. No mater what they wanted you to hear.

The Verge has it right. The HomePod is the point of no return. Apple has fully drunk their own Kool Aid. Now they get to decide how music should be heard, even though we have had industry standards about that for decades?
Not in my house.

What?
Do you understand that, what you have just wrote, is an utter nonsense? If you are that picky of a perfectionist, I would love to see your set up.

The stereo sound works “as intended by the musicians” ONLY if you don’t move whatsoever, have speakers fixed in the correct level, EQ set perfectly (and I mean, it literally) have an exact acoustic room properties as the room the album recorded in.

EQ
Do you change EQ all the time you change a genre or even artist or even artist’s CD?
Do you change the walls for acoustic purposes while you change the record? You cannot have the same EQ or acoustic setting for Jazz, classical music and rock and dance music. They are mastered differently. The orchestra with 100 musicians does not have the same properties with 4 blokes rock band. The sound as artist truly intended is almost impossible to set up perfectly and makes music more of a work than relax.

You can only have a true “artist intended” experience by sitting on your ass on that one precise spot. Once you turn around or walk, it is already not as it was intended by musician. Same as 5.1 or 7.1 is useless if you are not exactly at that one “perfect spot”. Other place than that one spot are already the musically blind spots. For example, if you turn around, the panning reverses, bass comes from back, ... (naturally already all wrong) same thing standing sideways.

The fact that the sound of HomePod feels like it is following you is a huge thing. You are always in the spot. It may not be a stereo, but for that, surprisingly you would need 2 speakers, which, again, if not fixed to “sweet spot” are “not as artist intended”

One speaker will not give you an impressive “artist intended” stereo sound all over the room anyway, at least not evenly.

 

[mrderik]

Their response is to ~40 Hz, even at extremely high (~95-100 dB) volumes,

This is pretty misleading. I've measured and posted a number of waveforms, and the HP doesn't reach anywhere near 100db at 40hz, at any reasonable listening distance. The closest i could get is Lady Gaga holding the mike right to the speaker. (below) I guess if you were wearing two of them like a helmet, mabey inside your skull would get there.... While I'd love to try that, the reality is, the HP just isn't THAT loud. It's sound is fantastic for a countertop personal assistant / music player. But I have half a room full of decent stereo equipment as well, and subjective as music is, I feel comfortable stating, a single HP just isn't very "loud". So any comparison based on db alone is useless for most people.

 

[ErikGrim]

The fact that the sound of HomePod feels like it is following you is a huge thing. You are always in the spot. It may not be a stereo, but for that, surprisingly you would need 2 speakers, which, again, if not fixed to “sweet spot” are “not as artist intended”

Hate to bring this up again on an otherwise excellent spot, but stereo does not mean two. It means multi-dimensional, which the HP clearly is.

 

[vipergts2207]

The stereo sound works “as intended by the musicians” ONLY if you don’t move whatsoever, have speakers fixed in the correct level, EQ set perfectly (and I mean, it literally) have an exact acoustic room properties as the room the album recorded in.

EQ
Do you change EQ all the time you change a genre or even artist or even artist’s CD?
Do you change the walls for acoustic purposes while you change the record? You cannot have the same EQ or acoustic setting for Jazz, classical music and rock and dance music. They are mastered differently. The orchestra with 100 musicians does not have the same properties with 4 blokes rock band. The sound as artist truly intended is almost impossible to set up perfectly and makes music more of a work than relax.

The music should be ready to go when it’s produced and mixed on neutral studio monitors. There’s no need to EQ for different genres to ‘hear it as intended.’ The EQ that needs to be done is to compensate for your specific equipment and the room. That only needs to be done once, not every time you switch from jazz to rock to pop. The artist’s desires have already been taken into account in the source material. My iPhone and MBP have the EQ turned off because my audio setup has already been EQ’d to account for my equipment and room.

 

[kkamann]

Does HP work with WiFi hotspots? Like the AppleTV, for instance, I cannot connect to public WiFi. For example, I get all my internet via Comcast/Xfinity hotspot. But I can’t connect to it AppleTV because it uses active portal (is that the correct term?) for login, which uses a browser type area to type in user name/pw which AppleTV doesn’t have.

Is the HomePod similar ?

 

[deanthedev]

This is awesome - Audiophile measurements are coming in folks.

“Take this with the appropriately-sized salt pitcher, as I'm located outside of Apple's release territory, and have no ability to make subjective evaluations:

• I've looked at ~100 dB-in-room measurements. The bass distortion is beyond spectacular, and I honestly don't think there is any bookshelf-sized speaker that doesn't employ computational audio that will come close
• They are for all intents and purposes constant-directivity, after they've had time to "settle" - the response takes a few minutes of playing music to settle before measurements are stable - indicative of machine learning being employed
• They use Fletcher-Munson-like loudness compensation, meaning that they measure differently at 75 and 95 dB. Whether you like this or not is an entirely subjective matter, but it cannot be turned off.
• Their response is to ~40 Hz, even at extremely high (~95-100 dB) volumes, and the bottom-end cutoff doesn't seem to be a moving target.
• I had a look at distortion measurements, and while I can't be completely definite, they appear to be better than those of the Kii Three. I'll have to get a pair of both to actually verify, but that one has me flabbergasted.

Not saying everything is rosy: At extremely high volumes (measured 95-100 dB), there is a distortion peak at 500 Hz, which is likely where the "tweeters" have their maximum excursion, about 0.5-2 octaves above their -3 dB point.

But the short answer is: If you can live with not being able to use it with a TV, it's something you should seriously audition, because I'm not entirely sure that there is a bookshelf speaker with a driver less than 6.5" that sounds better on the bottom end”

And then there’s this little gem.

Well, to be fair, I told OP to audition, not return. I won't be burning my Emotiva, B&W or Mirage setups anytime soon, but I'm not blind to what a measurement means, and I can with some confidence say that the HomePod is going to be the best speaker most of the population has ever heard, and it makes some "high-end" offerings laughable.

https://www.reddit.com/r/audiophile...udiophile_measurements_are_underway/?sort=new

Uh-oh. I seem to remember a very lengthy discussion a couple months ago with someone who claimed the HomePod wouldn’t be able to reproduce anything for bass, and that terms like “bass modeling” were just marketing terms Apple is using. And that Apple having a dedicated microphone to measure the bass driver output to allow for real-time correction of the bass driver movement to reduce distortion and increase sound quality was also marketing and nothing more than simple EQ (which lots of companies have been doing for years now).

 

[Boatboy24]

I did, that was annoying, lol. Tried enunciating it, etc., smh.

Didn't work until I said "How many teams are there in the NHL?" It seems 'there' is the key - I have no idea why. Same results when I used NFL or NBA instead of NHL.

 

[0947347]

Hate to bring this up again on an otherwise excellent spot, but stereo does not mean two. It means multi-dimensional, which the HP clearly is.

Good point. HomePod is indeed multi directional


for fun, just looked it up on Wikipedia right now, this is the definition

for me, the magical word was “illusion”

Stereophonic sound or, more commonly, stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that creates an illusion of multi-directional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two or more independent audio channels through a configuration of two or more loudspeakers (or stereo headphones)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereophonic_sound

 

[ABiteaDay]

Ok folks. Just got my Home Pod, set it up and it is pure delight. The sound is off the chart, Siri works just fine, although it cannot do everything. But, then again, that is not what Apple intended. Those folks writing what they consider good reviews, are comparing the Home Pod to the Amazon Echo or Google home. If you want an inferiro sounding device that will answer all your questions, and even sell you stuff, get an Echo or Google. On the other hand, if you want a superior listening device, that also performs basic functions get a Home Pod NOW. Waiting for the next version of the Home Pod is like waiting for the next version the airpods. These products are off the charts. Those reviewers who told you to wait until the Home Pod becomes an Echo are just plain off base. And lets not forget that Siri already does virtually everything on the iphone, whether you pick it up or just leave it sitting there. I

 

[nexesnex]

One of the things I like most about this product is that fact it can act as a sounds bar (or sound circular thingy) . I do find that there are things I miss, and wish they would add... one example is letting this thing interact directly with TuneIn radio. I do miss that feature on the HomePod.....

 

[Ronafios]

I've had mine for 24 hours now, and I'm returning it. It does have great sound for the size, and isn't bassy for the sake of bass. It simply doesn't work well in the room I had set it up in (slightly larger living area - maybe only 25m2 though). Certain 'demo' tracks sound great (spacious/acoustic - e.g. Laura Marling). Add some more solid midrange and it's OK but struggles (e.g. Nirvana). The sound definitely beats anything I've had even close to that size in the past - although my Bose Soundtouch 30 I think I prefer.

Adding to the problems is that my room is quite bright (hard floors/walls and cabinet has glass top). This enhances the already enhanced treble, and can sound shrill standing in certain places in the room. The sound coming from a single location is also obvious. I was originally intending to get 2 x and run as a stereo pair, but I'm now positive this would double the shrill sound in my bright room and would just sound bad. I moved the speaker to a smaller bedroom and it sounded much better. My view is that it suits a smaller room (bedroom) or small living area that was maybe carpeted or cabinet with a less reflective top. I really did spend hours moving it around trying to find the right spot in my room (different substrates, heights etc) and couldn't get it to work well.

Also, Siri is significantly less useful than Google Assistant. I use Google with Home Assistant to control pretty much everything (lights/equipment) and Siri was pretty limited to queueing tracks and asking about the weather. As I was pretty much just using it as a speaker, I've instead decided to buy a Chromecast Audio and use my Bose Lifestyle system under Google Home control instead.

 

[Macman123456]

"Music is crisp and clear, with the HomePod highlighting and separating every element of a song."

Huh? Am I missing something here? Mine shipped to me yesterday and I think it sounds muddy and lacks the clarity that my Sonos play 1 has. The bass if definitely amazing but he highs and mids are not very clear. Maybe if I didn't own Sonos speakers I might agree with you. It's funny in many of the reviews I've read across the net today that it appears Sonos is on trial against the Homepod. Will someone that also owns Sonos weigh in here with me and give me their comparison. I want to like this homepod being an Apple fan. Why aren't there any tone controls like on the Sonos using the Sonos app?

 

[0947347]

The music should be ready to go when it’s produced and mixed on neutral studio monitors. There’s no need to EQ for different genres to ‘hear it as intended.’ The EQ that needs to be done is to compensate for your specific equipment and the room. That only needs to be done once, not every time you switch from jazz to rock to pop. The artist’s desires have already been taken into account in the source material. My iPhone and MBP have the EQ turned off because my audio setup has already been EQ’d to account for my equipment and room.

Let’s clarify this first. I am not really talking about an iPhone, iTunes, ... (name your software EQ app) I am talking about hardware amp. The gentleman or lady, I commented on, was talking about “as musician intended” so, naturally assuming this person is into a hardware.

The Studios
Of course the whole point of studio is to mix down as flat and clear as possible. If not flat, it will not sound good on many speakers and headphones. Also, peaks can damage speakers or ears. The studios do great jobs with that. Not all of the studios care for the acoustics though. Of course, depends on money the artist, maybe even just starting artist, is willing to pay. Quite a lots of smaller studios are universal (I have used a few)

Anyway
the EQ is still essential to the musical style. With a, let’s say, classical music you cannot have a pounding bass set up, it distorts other dozens of frequencies of the other instruments. You cannot have, let’s say, Dubstep and symphonic orchestra on the same EQ. The composition of frequencies are completely different.

At home, do as you please, but the whole argument was “as the artist intended”
and surely you would agree that an upright bass solo cannot be EQed like piccolo or a triangle

 

[Will.O.Bie]

Oh Grasshopper! You made a huge mistake in turning off Siri because you have been missing out on so much. Despite the Internet myths about Siri, the facts are that she is by far the most used personal assistant in the world. No one else even comes close. Over 500 MILLION people use Siri REGULARLY. I am one of them. Siri knows more languages than any other speaker. Siri does terrific with sending/reading messages, directions, setting timers/alarms, making calls, playing music, getting an Uber, fantastic with Apple TV, no one better with sports info, math, etc.

Oh 700 year old Sensei! Personal experience is what I'm basing my opinion on, not some internet myth. You listed quite a few things on here that Siri does but that doesn't prove to me that what you ask of it gives you an accurate return of information. Also, just because Apple says over 500 MILLION people use Siri, that I should believe everything they say. Maybe they did for the first few times but then gave up coz it's not that "smart."

Some people have complained about how Siri misunderstands the local dialect in a country of a billion people. Cortana, Alexa, Hey Google all have done very well in terms of what you "say" Siri does well based on your experience.

Believe me, I want Siri to be developed into a full blown AI, knowing what I need and want before I even think of it. I want it to be the ultimate smart assistant that blows all the other competitions off the face of the planet. As it stands, it's not even close in my opinion and based on my experiences.

I do respect and value your opinion. It's just I am ranting about Siri based on my experiences.

 

[Coffee50]

So does anyone know what happens with returned HomePods or how long it would take for a product like that to hit the refurbished section?

I know with a new product category there’s probably a specific time period before they start selling those.

 

[panangi]

The bigger annoyance to me is that you have to say “Hey, Siri” then wait for it to wake up, THEN issue a command. With my echo, I can just say “Alexa, play music” with no pause. Far better solution.

Doesn't Google Assistant work on Google Home / Home Mini work the same way you say SIRI works? I think Alexa is the only one that works seamlessly like you mentioned. No contest on that front!

 

[Macman123456]

I love mind especially compared to .y sonos. Sounds so much better. I know people complain that it can't play this or play that. Well I played couple things today that I never could on Sonos.

Airplay is the game changer yes you have to use your phone or iPad or computer but I also need to play my Sonos with them

That's interesting that you like it better than your Sonos. Which Sonos product do you have? I have Sonos play 1's and Play 5's but for comparison sake I will just compare the play 1. I think my play 1's have better clarity. Are your Sonos set "flat" in the EQ setting? Why do you like your Homepod better? Help me love my new Homepod.

 

[jbattan]

I like mine so far. I did get an email from Apple saying:

Your Apple ID (jim@b****.com) was used to sign in to iCloud on .

So I guess it doesn't have a name yet.

The sound is good. Siri can hear me speak normally when the music is blaring, when I can almost not even hear myself say the words. She hasn't picked up a couple times, but for the most part does hear her prompt and command.

 

[Texas26257]

That's interesting that you like it better than your Sonos. Which Sonos product do you have? I have Sonos play 1's and Play 5's but for comparison sake I will just compare the play 1. I think my play 1's have better clarity. Are your Sonos set "flat" in the EQ setting? Why do you like your Homepod better? Help me love my new Homepod.

I have play 1 and through multiple styles I found HomePod sounds much better

 

[IG88]

I've read at least a few reports that claimed that "matched" music wouldn't be accessible by Siri. That is not true.

I just had the HomePod using Siri play "Without a Leg to Stand On" by Buckingham Nicks.

Not only am I 100% sure that I didn't purchase that song from Apple, that song / album it isn't even available to purchase through iTunes period.