My speakers are 30 years and still sound great, router lasted 11 years now replaced (out of necessity). And yes, I am referring the A8 and other components that make up the 'smart' features.
My iSub still works well, and it's a little older that 3-4 years.
Your 30yro speakers may sound great but there have been many improvments in speaker technology over that span. So aren't your speakers a 'waste'?
Same thing applies to your router. Besides necessary security improvements, general router performance has also improved over the last 11 years.
All you've really said is 'good enough is good enough'. And there's nothing wrong with that, if it works for you. A HomePod, will be 'good enough' for a great many owners past 3-4yrs, and there will be improvements via software/firmware, something not really possible with traditional speakers. Replacing rubber surrounds doesn't count.
You should go back and include discussion of the accelerometer that Apple included to detect if the speaker has been moved and how that initiates recalibration It's a wonderful high tech feature as this is a very portable speaker and it will be great to be able to move it from a room that you are in to another one without having to worry about resetting it.
As a single device the HomePod comes across as overpriced.
Actually no you’re wrong, for a high quality speaker 350 is cheap. A few years back I bought an iHome iW2 for 300 and it sounds like shit and has no smart features. Try again.
What a load of rubbish! Sure, Apple does a great job of engineering audio devices that work well in difficult circumstances, and the HomePod devotes impressive technology to the task of providing a voice-controlled interface to internet-connected devices. Good quality music reproduction is a welcome by-product, but it's not automatically "an audiophile's ideal speaker".
Matt Hines is correct to say that speaker location can affect performance. But "causing some resonant frequencies to become inconsistently louder", "sudden, violent variations in frequency levels" and "bass might disappear"? Really, Mr. Hines? I challenge you to prove in a blind listening test that "adjusting the listening position even an inch will have a very material impact on the arrival time of the audio to your ear"?
If your ear can hear that difference, I will gladly eat it.
I’ve perosnally sat in a small sound recording studio with calibrated monitors. There is a small sweet spot in the room, and if you move out of its space you can definitely hear it.
From ears-on reviews posted today the HomePod also has an audio sweet spot according to one: But like all speakers, it has its limitations and the HomePod left me wanting for true stereo sound. Which is probably why the only time I got truly jazzed during the demo was when they paired the two HomePods together and delivered some real separation.
And all that fancy spatial awareness and room optimization? I still found the sweet spot was sitting in the middle of the couch 8 to 10 feet away, the speakers at close to ear level -- just like regular stereo speakers.
or also described as a sweet zone by another reviewer invited by Apple "With most speakers, there's a sweet spot where everything sounds just right. The HomePod, however, endeavors to build a sweet zone. There are some exceptions, like when you're standing near a wall the HomePod has its back to, but the sound in those cases is still well worth listening to.."
Another high profile review brings up something I've not seen mentioned until now, tho perhaps with the size limitations it might not be surprising: "It's not all good news, however. There is a distinct lack of mid-range, leaving you feeling that something is missing in the mix... The result is that the sound reproduction is not as powerful as it should be - Let It Goin particular is a big song. A speaker such as this should really punch it out, but not in this admittedly brief demonstration." One other note: "Three times in our short demo Siri failed to understand what was being asked of it."
while another equally high-profile invittee commented on the soon-to-come stereo update syncing two HomePods: "We also got an early look at stereo mode, which involves pairing together two Apple HomePod speakers to create a bigger sound in a room. They sounded just as good, except just a bit louder – using two speakers didn't seem to add any extra smarts, they just created a wider sound that filled the room more comprehensively. They obviously sync together, meaning pausing or changing the volume on one unit has the same effect on the other"
Still one thing (almost) everyone agrees on is the sound is wonderful, more nuanced and rich than the competing Google Home Max (whose sound reviews range from "great" to "needs work" to even "awful, muddy and bass-y") or the Sonos 1 which can't quite get the same level of bass as Apple achieved. So the HomePod has great sound but not quite "following you around the room" as marketing might imply but more "filling the room no matter where you're standing" according to the invited guests and that's in Apple's controlled listening room where it's assets should have been heard at their best.
I have no idea what your long winded reply was about with regards to my post. As I clearly quoted, I was replying to the fool who claimed moving position doesn’t affect audio:
”I challenge you to prove in a blind listening test that ‘adjusting the listening position even an inch will have a very material impact on the arrival time of the audio to your ear’?”
...but congrats on your FUD dissemination. Keep up the solid work!
Sonos speakers are able to stream over 60 different music services worldwide. speaker is limited to one, correct?
I don't see why you can use it as an AirPlay speaker too...therefore, you can use it with any service. Apple Music is only required for Siri to work properly with music type requests.
If being able to be used like any run of the mill BT speaker is the bar then that's a damn low bar.
Nonsense. First of all AirPlay is wireless but not BT. Second, so many FUD machines keep saying “But but it only supports Apple Music!” and citing using any source for other competing devices, completely ignoring the fact that HP performs this exact same use case. Now you attempt to discredit that and for unknown reasons bring up BT.
Classic goalpost games. Keep me moving! Don’t hold still now!
As a single device the HomePod comes across as overpriced.
The question is: How does 4 of them (after the software is updated) compare to a $2000 sound system?
How about 2 vs. $1000 system? It’s hard to imagine the HomePod is superior...
Apple has to be counting on more than audio quality to sell these.
I have Siri disabled on my IPhone & IPad... I don’t see a HomePad in my future.
I agree... I can see a HomePod in my kitchen where I can listen to music while chopping veges. But not in my living room replacing my 9 speaker, double amped audio/home theater system....
My feeling is that anybody who compares a single speaker (or even a paired) HomePod to a high end audio system simply doesn't understand high end audio. That's not to trash the HomePod. Not at all. But, as good as it may be, as a man once said: "A speaker's got to know its limitations" (My apologies to Dirty Harry).
No, the real fools are the ones trying to compare it to a hifi system and then knocking it down for not being that which it isn’t and never claimed to be. It’s a cheap shelf speaker. Nobody except those looking to attack straw men say otherwise. Certainly not Apple.
The first few times I saw the term HP on this website I thought it meant the computer company. I recommend not using the term HP and use HomePod. Or if you must, use HPod.
Or, just use some common sense and understand context. ex: MP in context here usually means Mac Pro and not Military Police.
I have all Apple products - MacBook, iPad, iPhone, iMac, Airport. I also have several speakers connected to Airports and a Wren Portable that has integrated AirPlay. For years I have used iTunes with AirPlay to connect multiple speakers. It is good. Now, I want to add a HomePod into the mix, but I don't believe HomePod supports Airplay, according to Apple's wireless specs on the website. So, it appears that the first launch of HomePod will not integrate into an existing Airplay network. The only wireless protocol shown on Apple's page is Bluetooth. That is a single speaker solution. So, is Apple seriously going to roll this out and not enable a HomePod to connect to existing Apple AirPlay networks?
I don’t want to downgrade from a cinematic surround sound listening setting to a promise-to-be-stereo only HomePod imaginative fantasy.
While I realize your posts are designed to hate on Apple, tell me — why are you pretending their shelf speaker is supposed to replace a home theater system? What an absurdly stupid misunderstanding of the product. Or FUD.
Sonos speakers are able to stream over 60 different music services worldwide. speaker is limited to one, correct?
I don't see why you can use it as an AirPlay speaker too...therefore, you can use it with any service. Apple Music is only required for Siri to work properly with music type requests.
If being able to be used like any run of the mill BT speaker is the bar then that's a damn low bar.
Nonsense. First of all AirPlay is wireless but not BT. Second, so many FUD machines keep saying “But but it only supports Apple Music!” and citing using any source for other competing devices, completely ignoring the fact that HP performs this exact same use case. Now you attempt to discredit that and for unknown reasons bring up BT.
Classic goalpost games. Keep me moving! Don’t hold still now!
You're the one spreading the FUD—and on extra thick, I might add—and moving the goalposts to claim that manually using a second device to choose music sources is the same as simply making a single verbal request to change the audio source… which is at the foundation for using "smart" with the term speaker because it includes a digital personal assistant, as opposed to using it as just a wireless dumb speaker that you're arguing is "just as good" because you can pair an iPhone, open up Sirius XM, then tap buttons all day long to play what you wish.
You'd be much better off arguing that other services will come, just as the iPhone didn't have an App Store or the Watch didn't have local apps at their launch; unless, of course, you have so little faith in Apple and the HomePod that you don't want to admit to yourself that you think it's not going to evolve into a better product over time. I think it will, but that's just me.
Tell all that to Brian Tong at CNET. Man that dude is an Apple hater disguised as a self proclaimed fan. His shtick is saying he loved the Apple of the past and everything today is dog shit, while praising and loving all things google and Alexa and amazon. Hahah he’s entertaining but not very well versed in tech. Not like the guys on the Apple Insider podcast, for example.
Agreed. I stopped visiting C|Net several years ago, since they LOVE to feed the trolls, and Brian Tong is exactly as you describe. C|Net is the Fox News of the tech world. Sadly, MacWorld is heading in that direction, too.
What a load of rubbish! Sure, Apple does a great job of engineering audio devices that work well in difficult circumstances, and the HomePod devotes impressive technology to the task of providing a voice-controlled interface to internet-connected devices. Good quality music reproduction is a welcome by-product, but it's not automatically "an audiophile's ideal speaker".
Matt Hines is correct to say that speaker location can affect performance. But "causing some resonant frequencies to become inconsistently louder", "sudden, violent variations in frequency levels" and "bass might disappear"? Really, Mr. Hines? I challenge you to prove in a blind listening test that "adjusting the listening position even an inch will have a very material impact on the arrival time of the audio to your ear"?
If your ear can hear that difference, I will gladly eat it.
I’ve perosnally sat in a small sound recording studio with calibrated monitors. There is a small sweet spot in the room, and if you move out of its space you can definitely hear it.
From ears-on reviews posted today the HomePod also has an audio sweet spot according to one: But like all speakers, it has its limitations and the HomePod left me wanting for true stereo sound. Which is probably why the only time I got truly jazzed during the demo was when they paired the two HomePods together and delivered some real separation.
And all that fancy spatial awareness and room optimization? I still found the sweet spot was sitting in the middle of the couch 8 to 10 feet away, the speakers at close to ear level -- just like regular stereo speakers.
or also described as a sweet zone by another reviewer invited by Apple "With most speakers, there's a sweet spot where everything sounds just right. The HomePod, however, endeavors to build a sweet zone. There are some exceptions, like when you're standing near a wall the HomePod has its back to, but the sound in those cases is still well worth listening to.."
Another high profile review brings up something I've not seen mentioned until now, tho perhaps with the size limitations it might not be surprising: "It's not all good news, however. There is a distinct lack of mid-range, leaving you feeling that something is missing in the mix... The result is that the sound reproduction is not as powerful as it should be - Let It Goin particular is a big song. A speaker such as this should really punch it out, but not in this admittedly brief demonstration." One other note: "Three times in our short demo Siri failed to understand what was being asked of it."
while another equally high-profile invittee commented on the soon-to-come stereo update syncing two HomePods: "We also got an early look at stereo mode, which involves pairing together two Apple HomePod speakers to create a bigger sound in a room. They sounded just as good, except just a bit louder – using two speakers didn't seem to add any extra smarts, they just created a wider sound that filled the room more comprehensively. They obviously sync together, meaning pausing or changing the volume on one unit has the same effect on the other"
Still one thing (almost) everyone agrees on is the sound is wonderful, more nuanced and rich than the competing Google Home Max (whose sound reviews range from "great" to "needs work" to even "awful, muddy and bass-y") or the Sonos 1 which can't quite get the same level of bass as Apple achieved. So the HomePod has great sound but not quite "following you around the room" as marketing might imply but more "filling the room no matter where you're standing" according to the invited guests and that's in Apple's controlled listening room where it's assets should have been heard at their best.
I have no idea what your long winded reply was about with regards to my post. As I clearly quoted, I was replying to the fool who claimed moving position doesn’t affect audio:
”I challenge you to prove in a blind listening test that ‘adjusting the listening position even an inch will have a very material impact on the arrival time of the audio to your ear’?”
...but congrats on your FUD dissemination. Keep up the solid work!
Do you even know what FUD is? It's not "I don't like what you posted".
I have all Apple products - MacBook, iPad, iPhone, iMac, Airport. I also have several speakers connected to Airports and a Wren Portable that has integrated AirPlay. For years I have used iTunes with AirPlay to connect multiple speakers. It is good. Now, I want to add a HomePod into the mix, but I don't believe HomePod supports Airplay, according to Apple's wireless specs on the website. So, it appears that the first launch of HomePod will not integrate into an existing Airplay network. The only wireless protocol shown on Apple's page is Bluetooth. That is a single speaker solution. So, is Apple seriously going to roll this out and not enable a HomePod to connect to existing Apple AirPlay networks?
No, you just have it all completely wrong.
You are wrong. You don't indicate a single thing I have wrong. From the Apple website on the HomePod
I have all Apple products - MacBook, iPad, iPhone, iMac, Airport. I also have several speakers connected to Airports and a Wren Portable that has integrated AirPlay. For years I have used iTunes with AirPlay to connect multiple speakers. It is good. Now, I want to add a HomePod into the mix, but I don't believe HomePod supports Airplay, according to Apple's wireless specs on the website. So, it appears that the first launch of HomePod will not integrate into an existing Airplay network. The only wireless protocol shown on Apple's page is Bluetooth. That is a single speaker solution. So, is Apple seriously going to roll this out and not enable a HomePod to connect to existing Apple AirPlay networks?
No, you just have it all completely wrong.
You are wrong. You don't indicate a single thing I have wrong. From the Apple website on the HomePod
I would like to see waste reduced. The speakers in this seems very good and it will probably last many years as speakers usually do. The electronics in this will get dated and will likely not be supported by Apple in 3 - 4 years or even sooner. I would like see the electronics in a module that can be user replaced. Apple has talented engineers and funds that could design such methods. These techniques can also be done for the iMac.
That’s what software upgrades are for; to ensure you get the most out of the underlying hatdware. Swapping out sub components and maintaining the requisite huge parts inventory for years is the old way of car manufacturers and such.
There are two aspects hardware I care about:
Will it remain reliable in providing the utility it was designed to provide. My 2010 MacBook still performs like it did when new; none of the degradation you get with simply running Windows and having your system slow down over time. Sure, my 2010 Air won’t run the latest software as fast as a newer system, but I can still do my taxes or write documents with it, etc.
Can it be recycled at the end of its useful lifespan? This speak to human consumption of resources.
The rest is just economics. You might get more bang for your buck over the lifespan if hardware was built to be upgradable. ‘Might.’ But I think the burden on design, form factor and inventory management on the part of the manufacturer isn’t worth it for some fast evolving products in the modern era.
For years I have used iTunes with AirPlay to connect multiple speakers. It is good. Now, I want to add a HomePod into the mix, but I don't believe HomePod supports Airplay, according to Apple's wireless specs on the website.
Was it too hard to read to the bottom of the page?
Peer-to-peer AirPlay requires a Mac (2012 or later) with OS X Yosemite or later, or an iOS device (late 2012 or later) with iOS 8 or later.
Comments
Your 30yro speakers may sound great but there have been many improvments in speaker technology over that span. So aren't your speakers a 'waste'?
Same thing applies to your router. Besides necessary security improvements, general router performance has also improved over the last 11 years.
All you've really said is 'good enough is good enough'. And there's nothing wrong with that, if it works for you. A HomePod, will be 'good enough' for a great many owners past 3-4yrs, and there will be improvements via software/firmware, something not really possible with traditional speakers. Replacing rubber surrounds doesn't count.
You should go back and include discussion of the accelerometer that Apple included to detect if the speaker has been moved and how that initiates recalibration It's a wonderful high tech feature as this is a very portable speaker and it will be great to be able to move it from a room that you are in to another one without having to worry about resetting it.
Sonos has an app for managing your audio sources. So does HP, use any app you like and beam to it wirelessly just like my sonos friends do.
”I challenge you to prove in a blind listening test that ‘adjusting the listening position even an inch will have a very material impact on the arrival time of the audio to your ear’?”
...but congrats on your FUD dissemination. Keep up the solid work!
Nonsense. First of all AirPlay is wireless but not BT. Second, so many FUD machines keep saying “But but it only supports Apple Music!” and citing using any source for other competing devices, completely ignoring the fact that HP performs this exact same use case. Now you attempt to discredit that and for unknown reasons bring up BT.
Classic goalpost games. Keep me moving! Don’t hold still now!
No, the real fools are the ones trying to compare it to a hifi system and then knocking it down for not being that which it isn’t and never claimed to be. It’s a cheap shelf speaker. Nobody except those looking to attack straw men say otherwise. Certainly not Apple.
Or, just use some common sense and understand context. ex: MP in context here usually means Mac Pro and not Military Police.
While I realize your posts are designed to hate on Apple, tell me — why are you pretending their shelf speaker is supposed to replace a home theater system? What an absurdly stupid misunderstanding of the product. Or FUD.
You'd be much better off arguing that other services will come, just as the iPhone didn't have an App Store or the Watch didn't have local apps at their launch; unless, of course, you have so little faith in Apple and the HomePod that you don't want to admit to yourself that you think it's not going to evolve into a better product over time. I think it will, but that's just me.
"Wireless
There are two aspects hardware I care about:
Will it remain reliable in providing the utility it was designed to provide. My 2010 MacBook still performs like it did when new; none of the degradation you get with simply running Windows and having your system slow down over time. Sure, my 2010 Air won’t run the latest software as fast as a newer system, but I can still do my taxes or write documents with it, etc.
Can it be recycled at the end of its useful lifespan? This speak to human consumption of resources.
The rest is just economics. You might get more bang for your buck over the lifespan if hardware was built to be upgradable. ‘Might.’ But I think the burden on design, form factor and inventory management on the part of the manufacturer isn’t worth it for some fast evolving products in the modern era.
Was it too hard to read to the bottom of the page?