Reddit user WinterCharm, an audio engineer who got an hour to play with a HomePod:
Fucking hell this thing is TINY. It’s really surprising to see it in person. Hefting it is odd, too. The fabric is soft but firm. It was also lighter than I was expecting. It’s also very pretty. Aside from the single cord coming out the back, there is no idication that it has a particular side/front. It’s built to blend into whatever space it’s in, rather than stand out.
And:
Having heard it side by side with The Sonos Play One and Google Home Max, A single HomePod is already much better than both in terms of sound quality.
And:
The first impression was the neutrality of the speaker. The HomePods are tuned for an as-true-to-recording sound. When the song calls for it, there is bass. When the song turns to crystal clear highs, they are reproduced faithfully. What really was interesting is the instrument separation in the room. At about 45% volume, the HomePod FILLED the room I was in with some great sound. When you walked away from it, the sound gets quieter, but not as quickly as you’d expect. All the details were still there, just softer. there was no feeling of walking out of the sweet spot that you get with a normal speaker. And that’s when it hit me… Apple really has done it.
Looking forward to technical reviews once people get their own HomePods and can spend some real quality time, along with access to their home environments.
Read the rest of the Reddit thread. If you can avoid the comparison trap, consider HomePod on its own, strictly as an Apple Music audio machine. Apple has really achieved something special here.
Ugh. If all you have to compare it to is Sonos or Home Max, yeah, maybe its good. But to really fill the room with sound, you’ve got to move a LOT of air. That amount of air can only be moved by speakers designed to do so. There simply is NO WAY for this device to move the amount of air needed to really fill a room with sound. Period.
Isn’t it wise to put a review of any given product within context? ~$350 smart/ish speakers in this case.
The praise for HomePod so far clearly suggests that Apple’s created an unusually good $350 speaker.
its a shelf speaker man. its not going to replace some giant home theater.
The reviewer’s first play on HomePod was “Hotel California” by The Eagles. Excellent choice (although Life in the Fastlane would be great too =-)
What’ll be your first play? I’m still trying to work mine out.
There’s so many people whining on the internet about how there’s no justification for the HomePod. If sound really matters to you and you’re an Apple Music subscriber, I think this might be justification enough. I’m an audiobooks listener who trashed his ears playing rock and roll when he was a kid, so I doubt I’ll be buying one. But it doesn’t outrage me to imagine that someone else will.
You should read the article.
White Hot by Tom Cochrane, from The Symphony Sessions.
Wait. You know, better idea: I’ll just queue up the start of The Symphony Sessions and listen through the album. There’s nothing on that album I don’t like. 🙂
(If you don’t have this album, you owe yourself to put it in your consideration.)
Styx’s Pieces of Eight on my dad’s Koss headphones beat my ears up pretty good. I couldn’t get it loud enough.
Pink Floyd. Dark Side Of The Moon.
As I am now listening to Dark Side Of The Moon of course! ; )
If you read the thread his comments later do a better job of providing context. Whereas his post does sound a bit over the top, in the comments he’s pretty solid – he things that it’s amazing sound for what it is and that a pair would be as good as almost any bookshelf speakers under $1000.
I’m not even vaguely interested in HomePod since they don’t fill any need I have but I can absolutely see a market for them. Imagine you have a smaller apartment and can’t fit or don’t want to have a dedicated stereo system. Imagine you’re NOT someone who’s ripped hundreds of CDs but you stream almost everything. Imagine you want good sound but for whatever reason aren’t into the whole audiophile thing (no interest, no cash for it, whatever.). I mean, I would have jumped on this things in most of my apartments or condo. Now? I have a house with a nice sound system. In my home office, I use nice headphones. So for me it’s not interesting. But anyone who doubts there’s a market for this is insane. Look at the category of wireless speakers.
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Mine’s going into the kitchen to replace a JBL OnStage. What are you using in there?
First play. Too many choices I’d think about these:
Four Seasons by Europa Galante
Bitches Brew by Miles Davis
Kid A by Radiohead
London Calling by the Clash
Oh Inverted World by the Shins
Funeral by Arcade Fire
Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd
Ramones by the Ramones
Nice list. Davis’ Kind of Blue will be contending for my first play.
I don’t do music in the kitchen. Tiny kitchen and I usually do prep, cook and get done pretty fast. But yeah, that’s definitely another use.
I’m single and have a 3BR house with one bedroom set aside for media (TV/Movies/Music). I could get a HomePod for the living room but I honestly don’t hang out there all that much unless I have company.
But like I said, even though I have little interest in a HomePod at the moment, I still totally get the possible market for it. I also assume they have a strategy here and aren’t just thinking “Hey, might be cool to have a great sounding speaker in the product line!” which means that in a few years we’ll see how this pans out
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As I remember, there was no justification for the iPad, either.
My ideal first test would be from a source I believe I’d have to Airplay; a Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab CD of Bernard Herrmann’s fantasy film soundtracks. Unusually good dynamic range, IIRC.
Psycho choice.
Funny thing about the Psycho soundtrack: most of the tracks sound almost identical.
But “Journey to the Center of the Earth”? Dang.
Why on earth do so many of today’s tech writers and podcasters seem to feel a need to use “bad” language. Makes sharing info with kids and grandkids a challenge.