HomePod HomePod Versus Bose Soundlink?

[AppleRobert]

Have really not come across any posts one versus the other regardless of which Bose you might already have. The Bose sounded pretty good in Best Buy whether it was the 10 or 20 or 30 when I listened today but no way to do a side by side and the Bose kiosk only has a few songs to try.

What say you one versus the other?

Edit:

Geez Louise, SoundTouch. Not Soundlink.

 

[mikemj23]

Not sure if this is what you are looking for but I've used a Soundlink Color for my primary bluetooth speaker for the last two years and there really is no comparison. Soundlink Color was a fine speaker for me, but the HP is just head and shoulders above. It's way louder and richer sounding.

 

[ItalianBoston]

I have both the HomePod and Bose Soundtouch 10. The HomePod sounds so much better than the Bose Soundtouch 10, no comparison.

 

[blaugrana69]

I have a Revolve Plus (had two for stereo linking but sold one to part cover the cost of purchasing the Homepod). I have done a side by side comparison of the remaining Revolve and the Homepod, felt the Revolve sounded almost “tinny” in comparison.
There was no comparison to be honest, I was a little surprised as I thought it would be closer.

 

[maflynn]

Does the Bose have any smart speaker abilities? Tbh, I've always considered them over-priced and under-delivering, that might not be fair, and I'm not audiophile. Just my personal opinion

 

[jyyz]

I have a Bose SoundLink Revolve - not the plus, but the regular version. It's a great portable little speaker: I use it outdoors, and when indoors it lives in the washroom - it's great for singing in the shower... While the Revolve is a great little speaker for the uses I've described, the HomePod is in a completely different league in my opinion.

 

[Endorphine88]

I have Mini Soundlink in my bathroom and a SoundTouch 30 in the living room. I think all are in very different categories compared to the HomePod, but what I will say is that the Mini is the only other speaker I've used that does not distort at max volume. HomePod performs beautifully and I have yet to encounter any issues with it. Bose products on the other hand are notorious for frequent bluetooth issues (drops, lag, skip etc.) and I can confirm that. It's not that common, but it does happen. Being that I haven't even spent a full week with the HomePod yet, I don't wanna jump the gun, but I don't foresee any issues with it - it's simple and a pleasure to use.
From a sound perspective - I find Bose products the most accurate compared to Beats or any other hyped brand. The only other worthy rival I would put them next to would be Sennheiser. The HomePod is similar in sound, but you can tell that there is more processing involved. It has a distinct crispness to every component of a song and it actively works to give it all a kick. If you want neutral sound you might be taken aback.

 

[jonnyb098]

I have Mini Soundlink in my bathroom and a SoundTouch 30 in the living room. I think all are in very different categories compared to the HomePod, but what I will say is that the Mini is the only other speaker I've used that does not distort at max volume. HomePod performs beautifully and I have yet to encounter any issues with it. Bose products on the other hand are notorious for frequent bluetooth issues (drops, lag, skip etc.) and I can confirm that. It's not that common, but it does happen. Being that I haven't even spent a full week with the HomePod yet, I don't wanna jump the gun, but I don't foresee any issues with it - it's simple and a pleasure to use.
From a sound perspective - I find Bose products the most accurate compared to Beats or any other hyped brand. The only other worthy rival I would put them next to would be Sennheiser. The HomePod is similar in sound, but you can tell that there is more processing involved. It has a distinct crispness to every component of a song and it actively works to give it all a kick. If you want neutral sound you might be taken aback.

Hmmmm I'm heavily considering the HomePod and I currently use the Soundlink Mini II around my apartment /pool. Which I'll keep for that purpose. But I would love one for the bedroom as I listen to music nightly before falling asleep on a lower volume. Curious as to the sound signature comparison at medium to low volumes. The Bose has little separation but heavy bass for a speaker its size and is very impressive. Anyone have insights?

 

[Endorphine88]

Hmmmm I'm heavily considering the HomePod and I currently use the Soundlink Mini II around my apartment /pool. Which I'll keep for that purpose. But I would love one for the bedroom as I listen to music nightly before falling asleep on a lower volume. Curious as to the sound signature comparison at medium to low volumes. The Bose has little separation but heavy bass for a speaker its size and is very impressive. Anyone have insights?

I wouldn't classify the HomePod's bass as "heavy". It's punchy and well-distributed. I also love that you're able to give it very precise volume ques (like 'Set volume to 66% or 12% etc.). I love my Bose Mini and after all these years it works perfectly, but pales in comparison to the HomePod. Both speakers amaze me with the amount of depth/bass they produce for their small size, but I think HomePod provides more clarity.

 

[AppleRobert]

Does the Bose have any smart speaker abilities? Tbh, I've always considered them over-priced and under-delivering, that might not be fair, and I'm not audiophile. Just my personal opinion

Thread was strictly for sound quality purposes, maybe I should have emphasized that more but I feel most knew where I was coming from.

 

[jonnyb098]

I wouldn't classify the HomePod's bass as "heavy". It's punchy and well-distributed. I also love that you're able to give it very precise volume ques (like 'Set volume to 66% or 12% etc.). I love my Bose Mini and after all these years it works perfectly, but pales in comparison to the HomePod. Both speakers amaze me with the amount of depth/bass they produce for their small size, but I think HomePod provides more clarity.

What about at lower volumes I read somewhere that the HomePod loses lots of mids and becomes more bass heavy when at low volume? I know placement plays a roll too obviously .

 

[Endorphine88]

What about at lower volumes I read somewhere that the HomePod loses lots of mids and becomes more bass heavy when at low volume? I know placement plays a roll too obviously .

I haven't noticed anything like that. Mine is in a corner on top of a shelf next to my entertainment center in the bedroom. It's significantly elevated off the floor but it also relatively close to both walls (maybe about 10 inches from each wall) and it projects really well. I do listen to it at night before bed at lower volumes (about 10 to 20% volume) and it sounds just as amazing as it does at louder decibels. I could be biased when it comes to bass since my Bose System downstairs and my Soundbar in the living room both produce very substantial and deep bass, so I might be desensitized lol

 

[jonnyb098]

I haven't noticed anything like that. Mine is in a corner on top of a shelf next to my entertainment center in the bedroom. It's significantly elevated off the floor but it also relatively close to both walls (maybe about 10 inches from each wall) and it projects really well. I do listen to it at night before bed at lower volumes (about 10 to 20% volume) and it sounds just as amazing as it does at louder decibels. I could be biased when it comes to bass since my Bose System downstairs and my Soundbar in the living room both produce very substantial and deep bass, so I might be desensitized lol

Very good. Thanks for the information. Besides my Bose Soundlink Mini I have a full 5.1 surround system for movies and TV. But I don't expect the HomePods to be as good as that.

 

[vipergts2207]

Well Bose is garbage so this is an easy one. HomePod.

 

[AppleRobert]

Well Bose is garbage so this is an easy one. HomePod.

We ain’t talking Beats here.

I picked a SoundTouch 20 this morning. The HP is in serious trouble I am afraid. And they are the same price so it is a fair comparison for music sound quality.

 

[vipergts2207]

We ain’t talking Beats here.

I picked a SoundTouch 20 this morning. The HP is in serious trouble I am afraid. And they are the same price so it is a fair comparison for music sound quality.

The HomePod is in no trouble. It's been highly praised by people who know about audio, which cannot be said for Bose products. Enjoy your purchase though.

 

[MiamiC70]

No highs, no lows must be Bose

 

[AppleRobert]

I asked for comparisons, you last two guys do any? If not, go thread crap elsewhere cause you ain’t doing any favors but showing your own .....

 

[vipergts2207]

I asked for comparisons, you last two guys do any? If not, go thread crap elsewhere cause you ain’t doing any favors but showing your own .....

Wasn’t trying to crap on your thread. I was trying to keep you from buying overpriced junk. At the time I posted you hadn’t updated the thread to say you already made a decision. Therefore after finding out you had, I closed my last post with, ‘enjoy your purchase’.

 

[Endorphine88]

I have yet to buy a Bose product I am disappointed with so I find it almost comical when people give them crap. It draws parallels to people who zealously hate on Apple products (but secretly want them).

 

[vipergts2207]

I have yet to buy a Bose product I am disappointed with so I find it almost comical when people give them crap. It draws parallels to people who zealously hate on Apple products (but secretly want them).

Gah, you’ve got it sussed! I do in fact secretly want a bunch of Bose products.

/s

 

[MiamiC70]

I have yet to buy a Bose product I am disappointed with so I find it almost comical when people give them crap. It draws parallels to people who zealously hate on Apple products (but secretly want them).

Admitting you have no clue is the first step to recovery. Step two is when you are ready to accept that Bose sucks and is nothing more than a marketing company fleecing the uninformed.

 

[DakotaGuy]

Wasn’t trying to crap on your thread. I was trying to keep you from buying overpriced junk. At the time I posted you hadn’t updated the thread to say you already made a decision. Therefore after finding out you had, I closed my last post with, ‘enjoy your purchase’.

I’ve enjoyed my QC35’s very much. I know you think they are complete junk, but I find them to be comfortable, well built, offer good sound and excellent noise cancelling. I also have enjoyed my little SoundLink Mini. It sounds good for it’s very small size and it’s well built. I’m sure you’ll claim it’s junk, but then again I own it and enjoy it.

If the HomePod didn’t have an Apple logo on it you would judge it much harsher as an audiophile? Have you thrown out your Klipsch speakers yet and replaced them with a HomePod? I’d think if your so sold on the product you’d own it and replace that outdated big stereo gear.

I own a Google Home right now and the sound isn’t great, but the voice assistant is pretty amazing and seems to get better all the time. If I was going to purchase a better home assistant speaker I’d go with the Google Home Max. It performs as good (if not better) then HomePod in sound quality, but gives you so many more options when it comes to music services. It also has a best in class voice assistant.

https://9to5google.com/2018/02/13/home-max-homepod-listening-test/

 

[vipergts2207]

I’ve enjoyed my QC35’s very much. I know you think they are complete junk, but I find them to be comfortable, well built, offer good sound and excellent noise cancelling. I also have enjoyed my little SoundLink Mini. It sounds good for it’s very small size and it’s well built. I’m sure you’ll claim it’s junk, but then again I own it and enjoy it.

If the HomePod didn’t have an Apple logo on it you would judge it much harsher as an audiophile? Have you thrown out your Klipsch speakers yet and replaced them with a HomePod? I’d think if your so sold on the product you’d own it and replace that outdated big stereo gear.

I own a Google Home right now and the sound isn’t great, but the voice assistant is pretty amazing and seems to get better all the time. If I was going to purchase a better home assistant speaker I’d go with the Google Home Max. It performs as good (if not better) then HomePod in sound quality, but gives you so many more options when it comes to music services. It also has a best in class voice assistant.

https://9to5google.com/2018/02/13/home-max-homepod-listening-test/

Admittedly, Bose’s Quiet Comfort headphones are actually their best and least overhyped product and somebody could do worse. Though, I still wouldn’t buy them myself and would go with some noise-cancelling Sennheisers if that were the type of product I was looking for.

Bose’s loudspeakers though, especially their ‘home theater’ stuff, is terribly overpriced for what you get. I don’t plan on buying a HomePod, nor replacing my Klipsch setup. The HomePod isn’t really meant for home theater use even though people are trying to shoehorn it into their setup as one. Even if it were designed for that though, it’s not capable of what four floorstanding speakers, a center, and a sub can do. Though I wouldn’t expect it be either at 1/10 the cost.

I don’t think the HomePod is the end all be all of speakers, just that it’s good for what it is. I’d consider one for the bathroom if it had come with a battery. The Bose unit, likely at best, uses similar quality drivers as the HomePod, but then doesn’t even have the benefit of Apple’s fancy DSP.

 

[AppleRobert]

I have yet to buy a Bose product I am disappointed with so I find it almost comical when people give them crap. It draws parallels to people who zealously hate on Apple products (but secretly want them).

The BoseSoundtouch 20 is loads better at this point. Doing a side by side reveals that. And all my friends agreed when I asked their opinions.

And it is the same cost and people can probably can get it on sale.

Glad I left my options open, I was going to keep the HP but it just not measure up against the Bose at this time.