HomePod Who else finally gave up with their HomePod?

[subjonas]

There seems to be pretty widely varying user experiences with HomePods. Some very bad, some very good. Not sure why, maybe it’s all in the way they are used. I don’t use my HomePods for real-time video/audio, so I don’t run into the lag frustrations. Although I believe I tested Apple TV FaceTime app once and I don’t recall much lag, but maybe I just didn’t notice. In any case, high fidelity wireless audio seems to always have to have lag, so that’s something I just accept as a trade off due to technological limitations for now.

For all my uses, my OG HomePods have been pretty much perfect—those being stereo pair for music and Apple TV, smart home control, info queries, adding reminders, etc. I think I’ve had issues but they’ve been so infrequent and minor that I really can’t remember what they were, other than Siri misunderstanding me sometimes. But that’s pretty rare too because now I know Siri’s limitations.

It’s interesting because while some people are aggravated by their HomePods, my HomePods are one of my favorite Apple products, maybe tied with Apple TV for my favorite as far as how much enjoyment they bring me vs. how little frustration. Most of my other Apple products are more just for utility rather than enjoyment, and I have more frustrations with them. But to be fair it’s because they have to do a lot more. My HomePods have less responsibility, and for me they’re really good at them. I was really bummed when the HomePod looked like it was going to be discontinued, and super happy when it was brought back. I’ll definitely replace my OGs when they finally die, but so far there are no signs of that nor of Apple dropping support.

 

[kagharaht]

Well let’s see if this new 18.6 version is any better.

 

[Allyance]

My only problem is my cat like to play music too,

 

[beanbaguk]

I started this thread back in February, and now we’re in August. I’ve got no regrets.

The Sonos app has improved a lot since then, and I’ve managed to grab some great deals through second-hand and sale items.

The biggest downside for me is the Era 100’s microphones. They often fail to pick up commands, and my wife now falls out with Alexa just as much as she did with Siri.

I still think the original HomePods have the edge when it comes to fuller bass. But after adding Sub Minis to two of my Era 100 stereo pairs, the sound is genuinely impressive for speakers their size.

I’ve also added a Sonos Port, connected to my Yamaha RX-V1900 amp and B&W 683 home theatre setup. That blows the Era 100s away, which is no surprise given the hardware. But it gives me Sonos integration and easy streaming without sacrificing quality.

As for the HomePods, I wouldn’t go back. The sound was great when they worked, but the constant software issues, random disconnections, and reliance on Apple’s ecosystem made the experience frustrating. AirPlay was unreliable, there was no Bluetooth or line-in, and using them with a MacBook was a laggy mess. Even stereo pairing would break for no reason.

The HomePods had potential, but they were held back by Apple’s closed approach. Unless that changes, they will always feel limited.

No regrets. I’m much happier with my Sonos setup now.

 

[TimeOrMoney]

I just bought one after throwing out a cheap Alexa device. Alexa does not work better, IMHO. Yes, more device compatability, but matter devices expose more functionality and reliability.

I absolutely hate how Alexa simplifies some devices and does not do two way communication. For example, my mini split with wifi will get out of sync with Alexa comands to turn it on and off. So i can be gone and think I turn it off with the app, but it actually turns it on, wasting energy while out of town. Doesn’t match the remote features at all.

 

[SalisburySam]

As for the HomePods, I wouldn’t go back. The sound was great when they worked, but the constant software issues, random disconnections, and reliance on Apple’s ecosystem made the experience frustrating. AirPlay was unreliable, there was no Bluetooth or line-in, and using them with a MacBook was a laggy mess. Even stereo pairing would break for no reason.

Yeah, but, but, but…Siri! She adds significant laughs to the downsides.

 

[beanbaguk]

Yeah, but, but, but…Siri! She adds significant laughs to the downsides.

True....very true....

 

[kagharaht]

Version 18.6 and still Apple Can’t figure it out. I rebooted everything. All 10HP Updated and rebooted, Router, Mesh Network. iPhone 14PM updated also. Asked Siri shuffle playlist everywhere. It started to work on all 10. Ask turn up volume, turn down volume skip a track so far so good. On the 15th song, synch started to go off. Got worse as each track loaded. To the point of. 5 second delay in some rooms. It’s quite funny to hear all 10 go out of synch. LOL. Back to the drawing board Apple.

 

[erihp]

Version 18.6 and still Apple Can’t figure it out. I rebooted everything. All 10HP Updated and rebooted, Router, Mesh Network. iPhone 14PM updated also. Asked Siri shuffle playlist everywhere. It started to work on all 10. Ask turn up volume, turn down volume skip a track so far so good. On the 15th song, synch started to go off. Got worse as each track loaded. To the point of. 5 second delay in some rooms. It’s quite funny to hear all 10 go out of synch. LOL. Back to the drawing board Apple.

dont get me wrong, siri is mostly awful.
but, its your network, clearly.

having a wireless mesh network is not a 'flex' (solution).

youve got who knows how many wifi devices in your airspace talking to wifi clients (HPs) strewn all over, talking wifi-mesh backhaul with various signal strength and latencies over to your router and you dont know why they're going out of sync? you're convinced the performance of your network is apples fault? this is a wifi and packet routing/prioritization problem.

you probably wont, but you could test this by simplifying your network and airspace. creating a test network with a single access point/router. spin it up brand new, nothing else connected to it, outside, where there is no other wifi. add 5 homepods and your phone phone all at a similar range to the AP, then play synced audio. it should work as expected provided your equipment and its configuration is sane.

anecdote, but i have no problem with multi room audio synicng to HPs and Airport express airplay devices at the same time. wired APs, non-mesh.

you have to consider the amount of back and forth, latency-demanding chatter that has to occur for all of your devices to stay in sync, and support the other devices on your network. when the HPs are all segmented across different mesh radios and devices, (Especially when relying on routing over wifi and then -over wifi- mesh and back again) youre gonna have a bad time.

that said, it would have been nice for apple to have added ethernet support to HomePods.

 

[JulianL]

…

The biggest downside for me is the Era 100’s microphones. They often fail to pick up commands, and my wife now falls out with Alexa just as much as she did with Siri.

…

Interesting. Years ago well before the Eras were launched I bought a pair of Sonos Ones as a stereo pair for my home office. The Ones were appealing to me because not only could they give me decent quality music when working but they could also avoid the need for another device (smart speaker) because I could enable either Alexa or Google Assistant on them. At the time I was using Google Assistant. I now use Alexa.

I’m still happy with the audio quality but from the very outset I found that the microphones in the Sonos One (only my right one is the variant that has microphones) didn’t hear me as well as a Google Mini or full sized Google smart speaker and any Amazon Echo device beat the Google devices let alone the Sonos One when it came to recognising the wake word and hearing me properly even when talking softly and/or with background noise. It was such a bad experience that I ended up putting a smart speaker on my desk anyway.

It’s really disappointing to hear that Sonos is still under-delivering on the microphone front. I worry that in general not enough importance is given to that aspect of smart speakers. Didn’t Apple actually reduce the number of microphones in the microphone array in HomePod 2 vs the original HomePod?

Waking up the device and having it at least accurately hear the words in your sentences is the very first thing that needs to be got right to give a good experience so I hate it when companies seem to be cheaping-out on the microphone arrays in their smart speakers. I really hope that when Apple does its HomePod refreshes this is a hardware area that gets better not just stays the same.

 

[kagharaht]

that said, it would have been nice for apple to have added ethernet support to HomePods.

So perhaps you already know? After extensive testing and experimenting, the HP is very susceptible to RF Noise, EMF Noise. Easily tested, run a cheap low shielded Cable from the cable TV outlet and place the cable line near the HP. The HP will exhibit odd behaviors. Like Playing on its own or starting to play music, stop, random changes or confused Siri commands. Even if you unplug all your HP and switch your WiFi to just one said channel it will not solve the issues. If you use a Quad Shielded cable line and put it next to the HP, it works perfectly fine. No interference. HP are not properly shielded for strong RF or EM interference or software is not compensating for it. I suspect new homes, where Cable Services pre-wire each room, they are using cheap cable and not quad shielded ones. Who knows for sure. Could be the Military Base firing off signals causing Garage Doors to open on their own or remote controlled ceiling fans suddenly running full speed on its own... I've seen that happen a few times in homes...Maybe the movie Johnny Mnemonic where all this stuff in the ether will eventually fry our brains...

 

[ScrumpyDaniel]

I've not given up on mine, but I have had one of my two OG's finally die on me. It's currently off to be repaired but yeah, Knew it would happen! Just gotta play a waiting game now for when the other one dies....

 

[SalisburySam]

I've not given up on mine, but I have had one of my two OG's finally die on me. It's currently off to be repaired but yeah, Knew it would happen! Just gotta play a waiting game now for when the other one dies....

Although I have the Gen2, I’ve seen and heard several of the OG HomePods in friends homes. Frankly, they seemed bulletproof. What failed on yours? And how is the repair going (assuming well out of warranty)?

 

[ScrumpyDaniel]

Although I have the Gen2, I’ve seen and heard several of the OG HomePods in friends homes. Frankly, they seemed bulletproof. What failed on yours? And how is the repair going (assuming well out of warranty)?

I paused Netflix on my Apple TV, went away to make a drink, came back and it had completely died. No power or anything.

As for the repair, yeah it's out of warranty. I've sent it off to Howard Conrad here in the UK who seem to be one of the leading repair centres for them here. £99. Hoping to get it back towards the end of the week, it only arrived with them yesterday.

 

[beanbaguk]

I paused Netflix on my Apple TV, went away to make a drink, came back and it had completely died. No power or anything.

As for the repair, yeah it's out of warranty. I've sent it off to Howard Conrad here in the UK who seem to be one of the leading repair centres for them here. £99. Hoping to get it back towards the end of the week, it only arrived with them yesterday.

I hear the capacitors have a habit of conking out so it kills the power supply. Hopefully, they'll bring it back to life again. That was also a constant fear with the OG's I owned. I bought them both second hand, but unfortunately in Spain, I'm not aware of any reputable repair places. I've heard of Howard Conrad before so you should be good. They'll hopefully replace the capacitors with higher grade ones that last.

 

[SalisburySam]

I paused Netflix on my Apple TV, went away to make a drink, came back and it had completely died. No power or anything.

As for the repair, yeah it's out of warranty. I've sent it off to Howard Conrad here in the UK who seem to be one of the leading repair centres for them here. £99. Hoping to get it back towards the end of the week, it only arrived with them yesterday.

I think the lesson here is quite clear: have someone else refresh your drink and bring it back to you. Correlation absolutely equals causation right? Poor HomePod gettting a bit of separation anxiety in its elder years no doubt.

More seriously, I regret this happened to you. Please share what the actual repair was if you would be so kind.

 

[ScrumpyDaniel]

I think the lesson here is quite clear: have someone else refresh your drink and bring it back to you. Correlation absolutely equals causation right? Poor HomePod gettting a bit of separation anxiety in its elder years no doubt.

More seriously, I regret this happened to you. Please share what the actual repair was if you would be so kind.

Just had word back from Howard Conrad. HomePod is all repaired. They've replaced the SB Diode which always fails they say, it has a 3 week manufacture date on so are prone to failure They've also replaced the DC offset capacitors as well to help extend its life.

 

[SalisburySam]

Just had word back from Howard Conrad. HomePod is all repaired. They've replaced the SB Diode which always fails they say, it has a 3 week manufacture date on so are prone to failure They've also replaced the DC offset capacitors as well to help extend its life.

Interesting, and thanks for the follow-up. I wonder how these components are different in the 2nd Gen, the HomePods I own.

What do you mean by “3 week manufacture date on” as being failure prone?

 

[ScrumpyDaniel]

Interesting, and thanks for the follow-up. I wonder how these components are different in the 2nd Gen, the HomePods I own.

What do you mean by “3 week manufacture date on” as being failure prone?

There was a batch of diodes manufactured in 2017 which were prone to failure and could be recognised by a date code on them. Seems mine was one of them so it was always going to happen at some point. NicsFix mentions it here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/HomePod/comments/18sxazx/1st_generation_apple_homepod_a_look_back_at_2

 

[beanbaguk]

Really pleased you got that sorted. Hopefully, they last a very long while!! When they work, they are incredible from a sonic perspective. No doubt about that.

 

[ScrumpyDaniel]

Really pleased you got that sorted. Hopefully, they last a very long while!! When they work, they are incredible from a sonic perspective. No doubt about that.

Cheers! Glad it's all repaired. Looking forward to having it back with me tomorrow. Missed my stereo pair! The company gave me a £10 voucher for another repair if my second one dies at any point. Which knowing how common of a fault it is, I am expecting to happen at some point!

 

[Lioness~]

I totally gave up on the HomePods - traded them in a store here in Sweden.
They are not popular here. I got ~$8 each 😂
I had 2 x (2nd version) HomePods & 2 x HomePod Minis
Honestly I just wanted to get rid of them. It was just a very bad purchase for me.
Just casued me irritation and the sound was pretty bad too.

I got a good price for my old iPad mini 5 with hardly any battery left, but very well taken care of ~ $110

Now I will enjoy my new Pioneer Speakers instead - with at least 3-4 times better sound!
No Siri anywhere to be heard is worth a LOT too.

 

[erihp]

I totally gave up on the HomePods - traded them in a store here in Sweden.
They are not popular here. I got ~$8 each 😂
I had 2 x (2nd version) HomePods & 2 x HomePod Minis
Honestly I just wanted to get rid of them. It was just a very bad purchase for me.
Just casued me irritation and the sound was pretty bad too.

I got a good price for my old iPad mini 5 with hardly any battery left, but very well taken care of ~ $110

Now I will enjoy my new Pioneer Speakers instead - with at least 3-4 times better sound!
No Siri anywhere to be heard is worth a LOT too.

you didnt trade them in you gave them away.

2nd Gen Homepods go for 200+ all day on eBay (in the US). Minis, $50 each.

With that money plus whatever you paid for the Pioneers you could have purchased some actually good speakers! But hey whatever makes ya feel better

 

[Lioness~]

you didnt trade them in you gave them away.

2nd Gen Homepods go for 200+ all day on eBay (in the US). Minis, $50 each.

With that money plus whatever you paid for the Pioneers you could have purchased some actually good speakers! But hey whatever makes ya feel better

Ah well, it's a question about the definition about the value and quality of things.
It's not always the same all over the world, you know.
The Homepods-story made me realize that Apple isn't the 'great quality' when it comes to everything, that I had assumed about Apple earlier.
To me it isn't only about the HomePods actually today, for me.

But this is of course both a personal, and or a geograghically observation.
Honestly I wouldn't sell them myself to anyone for anything. I even considered leaving them to the service of Scrap-Tech we have where we can leave all tech that we're done with, instead of poisining the usual garbage with it, so it gets a proper treatment for the environment.
The Pioneer speakers are as I said earlier are way better than the HomePod's in my oppinion, and good enough for me for its purpose today - end of story.