There is no such thing as "true stereo sound". Stereo sound is not "true". Stereo sound is an attempt to approximate the correct listening experience by producing sound from two different positions. HomePod approximates the correct listening experience in a different way. It will not be equal to stereo sound, and it won't try to make it equal. The questions isn't whether it's the same, but whether it is as good as stereo.
Very much this. The original goal is to create a sound indistinguishable from what was heard at the original concert or in the studio (a modified goal would be to produce a sound that is perhaps less accurate, but somehow more pleasing - many arguments can be had about how wise this is). Stereo recording and playback are just
one tool for attempting to create a more accurate (or more pleasing) listening experience. In the video realm, by comparison, the arrival of HDTV and 16:9 flat panel screens was a clear win over previous tech - getting you closer to movie theater experience - as was BluRay. 3D TV was definitely not a clear win. Stereo is a means to an end (more lifelike sound, where you can more clearly place the location of each instrument in your mind), but it's not the only way to achieve that. And when you get outside of classical music, most source material, most recordings have each person/instrument close-miked with the "stereo" image "created" by a sound engineer deciding how much of each track to direct to each each channel, so the "stereo imaging" is pretty artificial at that point.
One of the most amazing sound experiences I ever had was listening to a beautifully set up and properly driven pair of
Apogee Duetta full-range ribbon speakers, playing parts of Dire Straits' then-new Brothers in Arms album - say what you want about the music, but it's fantastically recorded - and the sound was unbelievable in terms of just how believable it was: you could easily point to where each musician was in the room, individual notes had weight and presence... as close to having the band actually in the room as you could get. It's stuck with me for a very long time. Anyway, that was stereo imaging and sound reproduction at its finest. But the goal isn't stereo, the goal is having the result sound
real (or
pleasing, if you prefer that), by whatever means. Apple says they've put remarkable sound reproduction into the HomePod; I'm inclined to go listen and see if I think it's remarkable. In the meantime, it's been amusing watching folks debate (not just in this thread) about whether or not it sounds good - without having ever heard it themselves.
