Inferior is a very subjective word when it comes to sound. Some people don't care enough to appreciate the details in sound. I think Harman and BOSE are inferior to most speakers in the market, but they both have a great marketing team. B&O's higher end speakers can't be comparable to either of those on the same level. If anything is compared to a Harman/BOSE at that level, then it's not a great comparison.
I think the Home Pod sounds decent as a speaker for a small room, but that's about it. If Apple rids Siri, allows Bluetooth, and cuts the price, I may consider buying one.
I'm thinking that the wifi data (music) transmission enables better quality sound in the speaker vs the data limitations of Bluetooth (and strength/weakness of signal).
I use Bluetooth headphones, but I understand that what I'll be hearing using this technology will be slightly compressed in the best of situations. I have several different BT headphones (from over ear type to in-ear/buds types), and the sound is really quite good (for Bluetooth). I'm not claiming 'audiophile' quality, but very nice for general enjoyment. Both of my over-ear headphones also have jacks so that I can plug them into a music source if I want a line-connection (which I almost never do).
Yeah, I listened to AirPods several times at my local Apple Store, and personally I think they sound like mud. Reminds me of AM radio. But I get the convenience. My go-to Bluetooth earbuds are the B&O Play e8 (Bang & Olufsen)...which sound fabulous and have an App where you can set various equalizer profiles that are applied to all sound. A really nice touch. They got trashed in reviews due to initial software problems. I bought them after they'd been on market six months and I have not had one problem.
Anyway - back to the HomePod. I'm just waiting for a significant price drop or a new model (so that this model's price drops). I don't care about Siri really at all. I just want to stream Apple Music, and if I decide to get an Apple TV, stream audio through the HomePod while watching TV or on my computer.
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No product is for every single person out there. Siri is amazing on this device if you use it for music or for controlling Hue lights...which are the main things I use it for. If you have some reasoning for not wanting to use Siri, then it isn't for you.
You aren't paying for only Siri. Even if you never used Siri one time, you would get a good sounding speaker with a very small footprint and you can control it from iOS/MacOS. I have mine on a half wall between kitchen, dining, and living room areas. A normal system would not fit there and I would typically only get sound in one direction rather than feeding 3 rooms. There isn't a $200 speaker with this footprint that has beam forming, an array of seven horn-loaded tweeters, each with its own custom amplifier, and 360 degree audio that I am aware of. Therefore, this is a unique speaker that is priced accordingly. Even if it was only used for Airplay, I don't know a $200 speaker on the market that has the same unique capabilities with this footprint.
One question I have is where I would put the speaker for optimal sound. I've read several user reviews where they've mentioned that placing the HomePod too close to a wall or other large objects results in a muffled and muddy sound. One guy mentioned that he tested it in several places in his apt, and found it sounds excellent when basically at least a few feet from any walls or large furniture. I worry that I'll buy one and not have anywhere to put it and still get great sound!
And, as for Siri, maybe I would use it with a speaker. On my phone and computer, I don't see the point - I have a keyboard or surface on which to type. But with something out of reach like a speaker AND when using to play audio/tv audio, this could be a nice thing. But my primary interest is the sound quality and compatibility with my computers, phone, apple music, and (maybe) Apple TV if I do decide to change from Roku to ATV.