HomePod Which is better: one HomePod or two HomePod Minis?

[profmjh]

With the current Black Friday offer, I could return my two HomePod Minis and replace them with one regular HomePod for the same price.

I use the Minis for listening to Apple Music in my sitting room. They’re not great for the TV: the built-in speakers seem at least as good. And they can’t be used as Apple TV default speakers, unlike the regular HomePod. But with one HomePod there’s no stereo, presumably.

Should I make the switch?

 

[Phil77354]

I have several regular HomePods and purchased one mini to give it a try.

It obviously depends on what you are using it for and how important the sound quality and volume capability difference will be for you.

You will not get stereo from just one HomePod. You need two to pair, either two minis or two regular HomePods.

If your main use is music listening, the larger HomePod is much higher quality. Frequency response is considerably greater and you'll notice substantial low frequency output for music that includes strong bass.

You can also add another regular HomePod later and get stereo.

 

[profmjh]

I have several regular HomePods and purchased one mini to give it a try.

It obviously depends on what you are using it for and how important the sound quality and volume capability difference will be for you.

You will not get stereo from just one HomePod. You need two to pair, either two minis or two regular HomePods.

If your main use is music listening, the larger HomePod is much higher quality. Frequency response is considerably greater and you'll notice substantial low frequency output for music that includes strong bass.

You can also add another regular HomePod later and get stereo.

One fun thing I enjoy about the Minis is the hand-off (and hand-back) feature. How good is the regular HomePod at doing this?

 

[bluraycinema]

I bought 2 HomePod Minis and they sound great!

Just right for the price i wanted to pay, space i have for them and Apple device intergration.

 

[ruslan120]

I tried swapping two HomePod Minis in for stereo HomePods for TV audio output (as an experiment) and quickly switched it back. The HomePod is substantially better IMO and I think the Mini was made to get more people to get into the Apple ecosystem and eventually upgrade to HomePods.

My vote is for HomePod, 100%. You can always eventually add one more to get even better sound but upgrade options are limited with the Minis.

My Minis are now de-paired and serve as independent “Hey Siri” points in parts of the house less-frequented.

(The only caveat is Minis support placing your phone on the Mini to pass the music or call off - I use AirPlay regardless but if that’s important to you it’s probably useful to know)

* richer, fuller sound. Better bass. Louder
** I have not spent more than $199+tax on a HomePod at any point, always Best Buy deals at $199

 

[Alfie]

(The only caveat is Minis support placing your phone on the Mini to pass the music or call off -

To be fair, the big Homepods do this too. In my experience, it doesn’t work as well as it should, but neither do my mini’s. I hope this continues to be improved through software updates because when it works, it’s one of my favorite features of both Homepods.

 

[Renho]

To be fair, the big Homepods do this too. In my experience, it doesn’t work as well as it should, but neither do my mini’s. I hope this continues to be improved through software updates because when it works, it’s one of my favorite features of both Homepods.

I thought the regular homepods don’t have U1 chip in them

 

[throAU]

I'd say get two minis, put them in different places, and siri will work a lot better.

I have two original HomePods - imho once you start using HomeKit, etc. if you've only got one at one end of the house, you'll be a lot more limited with it.

 

[Alfie]

I thought the regular homepods don’t have U1 chip in them

You are right. The original Homepod does not have the U1 chip. However, the basic functionality of handoff still works on the big Homepod. It’s just that the Homepod mini will supposedly work better and have additional functionality during the handoff because of the U1. I don’t think that extra functionality has been released yet. Assuming it might be coming in 14.3? Not sure about that though. It might come later.

 

[AL2TEACH]

One fun thing I enjoy about the Minis is the hand-off (and hand-back) feature. How good is the regular HomePod at doing this?

the few times I have use it was just dandy, no problems.

 

[Renho]

You are right. The original Homepod does not have the U1 chip. However, the basic functionality of handoff still works on the big Homepod. It’s just that the Homepod mini will supposedly work better and have additional functionality during the handoff because of the U1. I don’t think that extra functionality has been release yet. Assuming it might be coming in 14.3? Not sure about that though. It might come later.

Let me just get this straight, you can’t bump ur phone against the Orig HomePod but you can hand it off as in select the HomePod to take over music. (Like changing airplay devices)?
So it’s just using Bluetooth connection?

 

[Phil77354]

Let me just get this straight, you can’t bump ur phone against the Orig HomePod but you can hand it off as in select the HomePod to take over music. (Like changing airplay devices)?
So it’s just using Bluetooth connection?

I am regularly 'asked' (pop-up message appears on my iPhone) if I want to transfer my audio to the HomePod on my desk, whenever I'm using my phone while sitting at the desk working. No physical contact required. I assume it is sensing that the iPhone is nearby via Bluetooth, as you suggest, but I haven't looked into it.

 

[Alfie]

Let me just get this straight, you can’t bump ur phone against the Orig HomePod but you can hand it off as in select the HomePod to take over music. (Like changing airplay devices)?
So it’s just using Bluetooth connection?

You can do both with the original Homepod. You can hold your phone over the Homepod (no need to actually 'bump' it) and the song will transfer over. You can also select it from the Airplay menu manually and the music will switch that way too.

As I've said, my personal experience has been spotty and I'm hoping it gets better in 14.3, but the functionality is there. No U1 required. I just think the U1 will make the handoff even smoother as software improves over time.

 

[Damoh]

Did anyone try to play a movie over Apple TV 4k with one HomePod mini on the left and one big HomePod on the right? How does that sound?

 

[Phil77354]

Did anyone try to play a movie over Apple TV 4k with one HomePod mini on the left and one big HomePod on the right? How does that sound?

If you do that, you're not going to get true stereo since you can't create a stereo pair in that way. The two speakers need to be the same. And the responsiveness of the speakers is quite different so I am sure the volume and quality of sound will be quite different from the left and right. I can't imagine that it would sound 'right' although it would obviously work.

 

[Renho]

You can do both with the original Homepod. You can hold your phone over the Homepod (no need to actually 'bump' it) and the song will transfer over. You can also select it from the Airplay menu manually and the music will switch that way too.

As I've said, my personal experience has been spotty and I'm hoping it gets better in 14.3, but the functionality is there. No U1 required. I just think the U1 will make the handoff even smoother as software improves over time.

Gotcha.. so this works with all music platforms?

 

[Alfie]

Gotcha.. so this works with all music platforms?

Not 100% sure, but I think so. I use Apple Music mostly, but I've handed off Overcast podcasts and that works. Also, this article from 2019 says you can hand off all sorts of stuff.

Macworld Article

 

[KittyKatta]

I’m still curious about the 2 Mini vs 1 HomePod experience.

I have a central HomePod but also have several mid-range Amazon Echo speakers scattered around the house. While the HomePod is clearly a better speaker, the experience of “music everywhere” is pretty amazing and having sound from all directions seems to mask any speaker quality differences.

I’m considering scattering a bunch of Mini’s around the house to pair with a central HomePod but I’m just not sure how the price/performance/home-compatibility works out against what I already have.

 

[Renho]

I’m still curious about the 2 Mini vs 1 HomePod experience.

I have a central HomePod but also have several mid-range Amazon Echo speakers scattered around the house. While the HomePod is clearly a better speaker, the experience of “music everywhere” is pretty amazing and having sound from all directions seems to mask any speaker quality differences.

I’m considering scattering a bunch of Mini’s around the house to pair with a central HomePod but I’m just not sure how the price/performance/home-compatibility works out against what I already have.

Well with the mini’s you get a boarder router so when Thread accessories start to become more wide spread it will be definitely an advantage. The minis help my Nanoleaf bulbs in a huge way.