HomePod How does the Homepod compared to a TV soundbar like Samsung HW-K850, LG SK9Y, Sony HT-ST5500etc.

[Starfyre]

As the topic states, how does the HomePod compare to a soundbar without any rear speakers listed in the topic? If just for music, does the Homepod stand up against any of the following soundbars WITHOUT rear speakers:

Samsung HW-K850, K950
LG SK8Y, SK9Y
Sony HT-ST5500

I've heard a soundbar is always better for TV and Homepod is not meant to be that TV speaker for movies, atmos, or anything like that. I am purely interested in if just looking at Music and Music alone, if a TV soundbar would beat the Homepod based solely on clarity and quality of music playback. I would care less about how loud you can turn it up to annoy the neighbors. I just want plain good music.

 

[HDFan]

I've heard a soundbar is always better for TV

Not necessarily. The ideal setup is a 5.1.4(6) (if you want Dolby Atmos), using separate speakers. That way you can relatively easily tune your system by moving individual speakers to their ideal location. A few inches difference in placement can make a real difference if you have any sonic holes in your listening room.

A soundbar is a compromise. Having all the speakers in one enclosure means that you can't position your front left and right speakers with the ideal separation. Without rear speakers surround sound isn't optimal. They typically have small woofers, so bass may be compromised. [Subwoofers on 5.1 systems alone can weight 50 pounds, which is the total weight of some soundbars]. Given that they are more for the value driven market, the speaker quality may be less, particularly in the less expensive units. But with their lower price, convenience (no need for a receiver, running all of those wires) for a lot of people they make a lot of sense.

In an initial search I didn't find any reviews of the soundbars you listed. Here's some reviews from my favorite website that generally does in house lab testing:

https://www.soundandvision.com/category/soundbar-reviews