"Audio changes depending on where you stand in a room.?" How is that expert analysis? How about some analysis explaining how competitor systems control audio to balance the room effects or why Apple has been able to package the tech at this price point?
Actually, we don't yet know that Apple HAS been able to defeat the effects of room acoustics.
I'm skeptical that they can at all, much less at this price point. My expectation is that it'll turn out one of two ways:
1. The HomePod becomes invisible as a source and corrects for room acoustics, but in doing so introduces a bunch of weird phase artifacts because the tolerances are too fine and the requirements too daunting for a simple SOC to handle.
or
2. It will do a better job than a conventional box speaker of sounding "spacious" but won't live up to the directional-steering, ambience-recreating marvel some people seem to expect.
[...] 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.
Mr. Hines' language is a bit hyperbolic, but the essence of it is absolutely valid. While I may not be a "typical" listener (I'm an audio engineer), I can clearly hear the changes in sound caused by moving the speakers one inch closer to or further away from a nearby boundary (I doubt I'd hear a change of an inch if the speaker is not near any walls though).
Just about anyone should be able to hear how the timbre of the sound changes as you turn your head. And, if your living room is anything like mine, you'll notice that as you walk around there are areas that seem to have very little bass and others where it just BOOMS! Standing waves are very real and clearly audible. Most people just don't pay attention to them.
The problems are well known. What remains to be seen is how well the HomePod remedies them. I'm a little sceptical, but also both prepared and hoping to be surprised!
I think people forget that a lot people want to hear music, audio in non ideal settings. In fact, in small appartments and condos, non ideal settings and lack of space for an "audiophile"(sic) setup are the norm. You get really terrible acoustics in most of them, especially at higher volumes.
That's why people use those small single speakers in every room and plop in close to where they usually want to hear it.
These speakers are mostly played at lowish volume as background cause they are themselves pretty terrible when the volume is pushed up even a bit exacerbating the bad acoustic issue of the rooms.
From my own experience, sounds that have been heavily compressed (most music these days) sound really bad on those small sized speakers at more than moderate volume in any room and even on high fi speakers in small crowded rooms (also at moderate to high volume).
Classical Music and Instrumental Jazz with lots of dynamics sound terrible on small sized speakers or small inexpensive hifi system in small rooms. Better use the headphones cause it is not worth it!
Things like alt-pop, acoustic music with few instruments, folk, vocal jazz, anything where vocals are at the forefront, are decent in current speakers as long as you don't push up the volume too much (they you notice how little low end there is). Music where there is not 20 overlays, and 50 tracks sound the best on those small midrange speakers currently on the market.
Right now, because as soon as you crank up those small speakers they don't sound so good, you can't really fill the kitchen with sound with one speaker.
So, Apple tries to solve this bad acoustic, small listening area, hard to set up, better audio takes space, frequency response to room changes a lot with the volume and type of track, they will have improved the sound a lot.
Again, I don't disagree. I'll very likely get one myself, for the kitchen.
It's not the product I have trouble with, it's the exaggerated claims of what people expect it to do.
As much as I am convinced that I will buy a HomePod because 1) it's cost is a tiny fraction of what I have invested in my musical content and 2) adding another connection to my content is always a good thing, I am not going to preorder one before I get to hear it in person. This is simply a cardinal rule for all audio / hi-fi related purchases - for me at least. Opinions are all fine and good, but my ears are my ears and they're directly connected to my brain (in fact, hearing is more tightly hard wired into the brain than is sight) so I have to hear it before I will buy it. I do wish that Apple had put some of these into their stores for "ears-on previews" but lacking this option I'll simply wait for the production units to hit the Apple Stores and give it a whirl before I lay down the cash. Fully expecting to get one, but gotta follow a lifelong precedent.
As much as I am convinced that I will buy a HomePod because 1) it's cost is a tiny fraction of what I have invested in my musical content and 2) adding another connection to my content is always a good thing, I am not going to preorder one before I get to hear it in person. This is simply a cardinal rule for all audio / hi-fi related purchases - for me at least. Opinions are all fine and good, but my ears are my ears and they're directly connected to my brain (in fact, hearing is more tightly hard wired into the brain than is sight) so I have to hear it before I will buy it. I do wish that Apple had put some of these into their stores for "ears-on previews" but lacking this option I'll simply wait for the production units to hit the Apple Stores and give it a whirl before I lay down the cash. Fully expecting to get one, but gotta follow a lifelong precedent.
The nice thing about Apple is that you can order it online, try it out at home (which is where a speaker really needs to be evaluated anyway), and if you don't like it you can send it back on Apple's dime.
As much as I am convinced that I will buy a HomePod because 1) it's cost is a tiny fraction of what I have invested in my musical content and 2) adding another connection to my content is always a good thing, I am not going to preorder one before I get to hear it in person. This is simply a cardinal rule for all audio / hi-fi related purchases - for me at least. Opinions are all fine and good, but my ears are my ears and they're directly connected to my brain (in fact, hearing is more tightly hard wired into the brain than is sight) so I have to hear it before I will buy it. I do wish that Apple had put some of these into their stores for "ears-on previews" but lacking this option I'll simply wait for the production units to hit the Apple Stores and give it a whirl before I lay down the cash. Fully expecting to get one, but gotta follow a lifelong precedent.
The nice thing about Apple is that you can order it online, try it out at home (which is where a speaker really needs to be evaluated anyway), and if you don't like it you can send it back on Apple's dime.
Very good point considering Apple doesn't have a dedicated listening room. Since I have two Apple Stores in easy driving distance I'll still get one at the store and if it doesn't work out I'll bring it back in person. Thanks for the reminder.
Comments
I'm skeptical that they can at all, much less at this price point. My expectation is that it'll turn out one of two ways:
1. The HomePod becomes invisible as a source and corrects for room acoustics, but in doing so introduces a bunch of weird phase artifacts because the tolerances are too fine and the requirements too daunting for a simple SOC to handle.
or
2. It will do a better job than a conventional box speaker of sounding "spacious" but won't live up to the directional-steering, ambience-recreating marvel some people seem to expect.
I'm hoping it's #2.
Again, I don't disagree. I'll very likely get one myself, for the kitchen.
It's not the product I have trouble with, it's the exaggerated claims of what people expect it to do.