Earlier today, Reddit user Hwheeler96 claimed that they visited someone with a test unit of Apple’s HomePod in their apartment and said: “the sound quality is spectacular.”
The user went as far as to say that it sounded better than a Sonos speaker (presumably the Play:3). The Redditor also claimed that the microphones are very sensitive, being able to pick up a normal speaking voice over music that was really loud.
You should take this report with a grain of salt, as there is no way to prove the Redditor’s claim. However, that being said, the user claims the device is so good that it is worth the wait.
Will you be picking up a HomePod when Apple starts selling them in stores? Let us know in the comments below!
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I’ll probably get one. I listen to a lot of music and podcasts around the apartment, and right now it’s ususlly coming off either my computer or iPhone. I’m willing to give Homepod a try and see if it improves the situation.
Is this Reddit user some omnipotent being where he’s getting attention?
Yes, this is again very interesting.
I wonder what Aaron Swartz would have thought of how Reddit is being used to plant industry related topics disguised as grassroots discoveries.
Maybe if Apple came to the market earlier with better offerings akin to Amazon I would have, but I decided to jump into the Alexa ecosystem and couldn’t be happier.
I can control everything I need via the devices, all my HomeKit stuff is cross compatible including Hue, and I can afford to buy dots for the bedrooms, I can’t afford ONE HomePod let alone 4 of them, which would be insane.
I’m sure the sound is better than my echo plus, and I do feel a sadness in the loss of Apple Music natively but I’ll survive for the time being.
Even having to pay for Spotify on top of Apple Music, which I’m now starting to really reconsider that decision, it would take me 4 years to justify the cost of the HomePod.
I have an Apple Music subscription, so I certainly won’t pay for Spotify, BUT, I have an Apple TV with Prime Video…and I buy stuff on amazon, so naturally, I subscribed to Prime. Oh, it also happens to have Prime Music! So, maybe Prime Music is your solution to having music on the dots? I will admit though, I haven’t explored the amazon music library yet. Just a thought.
The sound isn’t even in stereo – how good could it sound? I guess some of the older mono Beatles tunes will sound fine.
Pretty sure it’s beyond stereo. A speaker array?
Maybe you’re thinking of Google’s Home Max – it has stereo built in. For HomePod you need to buy another one to get stereo.
I think you can buy another one for further separation, but I’m confident one pod is stereo. It’s some sort of vodo I’m sure. I just can’t imagine Apple making it mono. I know it has multiple speakers facing different directions. Maybe it uses reflection to create the stereo field.
I Googled around and the best I could find is the following. “Over the course of a few songs, Apple explained the the HomePod isn’t trying to do anything cheap like create artificial stereo by bouncing the left and right channels in different directions. Rather it’s trying to separate out different aspects of the music. Apple referred to the “ambient” parts like background piano music as distinct from the more central parts like the vocals.” So I think, in a sense, we’re both right. I’m right in that it isn’t producing true stereo as in playing what the sound engineers intended i.e. sending right channel sound to your right ear and left channel sound to your left ear like traditional stereos and the Google Home Max. But you’re right in that they WILL actually use directional sound via 7 tweeters, but it will be based on what Apple considers ambient vs. what it deems central. Very interesting – can’t wait to hear it.
Wow, that’s very interesting. Well, I just hope it sounds as good as they say.
I’m my main living area, having two with true stereo would be nice. Maybe once they come down in price.
Thanks for looking into it. That’s helpful!
The sound quality will ultimately be assessed by the person(s) listening to the source and the context. There are a few manufacturers that make speakers that are meant to be used as a single unit. Sometimes they sound good for what they do. But of course, they’re not going to be able to out-perform a decent-quality stereo setup.
I’m hoping that the HomePod sounds better than competing products (NOT the home assistant products that have been released thus far) as a single unit and is a sold option for mid-market people looking for wireless true stereo with two speakers. It’s possible to get a true stereo system nowadays that really sounds pretty decent (good music reproduction, no distortion) for not a ton of money.
In reading comments on other Mac-centric sites, it’s baffled me how many people (I’m not saying a huge number, but a few nonetheless) have already decided that the product can’t be good enough to warrant the high price and that, regardless of the quality, it’s too late to the game. So, for them, the product is already a failure.
I’ve been super-excited to hear how it sounds ever since it was unveiled last year. The fact that Apple put so much emphasis on how it sounds tells me there might be something special to it (even figuring a bit of marketing into the pitch). Even in mono, it could sound very good for a mono speaker. But the fact that it can play in mono or stereo while taking advantage of what looks like advanced digital signal processing (DSP) is really intriguing.
So, contrary to those who decided to stake out a negative stance on a product that hasn’t even shipped yet, I decided to be open to being happily surprised. If it sounds as good as I’m hoping, the HomePod, especially in stereo, could really be a hit within the segment of the population that wants the best quality sound at that price point. And there is a market out there; players like Audioengine, Peachtree Audio, Emotiva, etc. have shown there is.
I think it’s stereo out of the box, even with just one pod. Some sort of speaker array. Right?
I admit I’m using mono in the “traditional” sense, that is, if there’s just one speaking playing, then it’s mono (even if the single unit is trying to create stereo sound). But with the technology Apple seems to have built into the HomePod, maybe the distinction isn’t valid.
Regardless, I am excited to hear how it works solo and in pairs.
The HomePod uses (for the high to mid frequencies that we humans use for spacial awareness) a relatively new tech called beam forming. While it has one, fairly uniquely designed, woofer the seven tweeter array alters the timing and phase of the sound to compensate for the room and placement of the speaker. This Is potentially huge for sound quality but most people haven’t listened to the same speakers in a tuned and untuned room to appreciate the difference. Apple is really cutting edge here. I’m hopeful they’ve gotten it figured out. Less so that the market will recognize the value.
Remember, many people thought the iPhone was gonna be a failure from the start. Generally, it seems people aren’t so bright until they are educated about something.
Nobody thought the iPhone would be a failure from the start. Everyone’s mind was basically blown out the gate. Maybe you meant iPad, more people were skeptical about that. Apple was basically first to market on a lot of that stuff though, less so with smart speakers, where there are two dominant players with a similar product already out there.
I expect the sound quality to be amazing, but sound quality, while important, is not the only consideration when buying a smart speaker. I won’t be buying because; Siri. Compared to Google assistant, or even Alexa, it’s just a no-go. The price is just the clincher.
At $350 USD, it better be!
Hot deal 😉
If apple had the mind set to try to have a speaker in every room at a really affordable price. I’m sure they would dominate but they apparently just want to empty your pockets and buy one speaker! I really wish they wanted to be in every room. Apple needs to figure out that no one can afford to have more then one or two let alone every room. This deeply makes me sad and envious of googles way of thinking. You make money by making it cheaper and the useablity would be the same as the expensive higher up model. Love you apple! Hate you Apple relationship.
I think the problem is that these smart speakers are based around online services. Apple doesn’t do services well, they do hardware. Unfortunately for them this is a market and a product people are buying for the services they provide not the quality of the hardware.
If I wanted a quality speaker there are already many options out there. Pair that with Bluetooth to my iPhone and I’m basically there already.