"...Our favorite command, though, has to be the hush feature. Too many times am I at my desk listening to music when my girlfriend asks me a question. My usual recourse is to tap the speaker to pause, or scramble for my iPhone to pause it there..."
If I'm at my desk and listening to music that would mean I'm at my computer doing stuff. In which case if the gf comes in I'll just hit the spacebar, keeping my speaker within arms reach and putting my hand on top of it, just so that while the gf is talking I can still have some softer mood music in the background, seems to defeat the purpose. Plus I don't get to miss any of the song. I just find it hard to believe that you'd really pine for this feature on a HomePod.
I kind of chuckled at this being the favorite command. As if it’s too hard to say “Hey Siri, volume 10 (or whatever)” instead of getting up and walking to your speaker, and then saying “Hey Siri, volume 50” when you’re ready to resume.
My speaker is just sitting on my desk. Thing is, if you are streaming certain things over AirPlay and you try to play/pause, it doesn't always pick up where it left off on the HomePod. That is one reason I like being able to "hush" instead. Secondly, if I am listening to something live, which I do a lot, I don't want to pause. I want it in real time. "Hush" again solves that problem. I also think it is kind of rude when my girlfriend is talking me I say in a loud and clear voice "Hey Siri volume 50%".
I don't think the "hush" feature adds or subtracts anything at all from the value of the speaker, but if we're talking about rudeness it only adds to the rudeness factor - immensely.
Is the intent to reduce the volume to the level where you are only "half listening" to the music while also "half listening" to the person you are interacting with? This seems rather rude to me, like you're not willing to give the person you're interacting with your full attention and don't want to be interrupted. If I was the person trying to gain the attention of the listener I would be very pleased and even flattered if the person I'm trying to talk with commanded their smart speaker to pause at zero volume (shut up) so they can devote their full attention to me. Wow, that would be very anti-rude indeed. The reality is that humans are incredibly poor at multitasking and at some point you'll realize that in the "hush" scenarios you're actually missing out on parts of the human to human interaction if you don't give it your full and undivided attention. This will become very apparent if/when GF becomes wife.
Why did I have to read all the way to end to find out that this speaker doesn’t even listen for commands? There is some mention of Alexa integration but this speaker should not be conpared to any smart speakers because I don’t see how it’s even smart. It is simply another airplay speaker that borrows a few features from HomePod but not the good ones. Even the greatest sound in the world doesn’t appeal to me if I have to use a dedicated app instead of my voice.
1) This is a speaker review which states it's an AirPlay speaker in the title, but if you want to compare intelligence and capabilities then HomePod can't really be compared to smart speakers when it's only reasonable voice activation option is music playback. On top of that, being a BT capable speaker as well as having an audio-in port it can easily be connected to any Echo, Google Home, or other full service smart speakers.
2) It's hard to take any comment that starts with "why did I have to read all the way to end" seriously when you quote the entire article in your reply.
The comments about bass and Apple/Beats products is such an overused cliche. In this instance, the fact that HomePod has far more power and response for bass is being treated like it's a negative rather than a positive. The user has the ability on HomePod to manually adjust equalization if they want less bass response. But if you do like bass, there's no compromise. How does that turn into a "win" for the Zipp? Likewise, it doesn't appear that the Zipp has any auto adjustment of the sound for the space like the HomePod. It doesn't have a controller like the A8 and it doesn't have the sophisticated microphone array. And yet the review treats the Zipp like it's directing sound around the room in the same way. It's not. It's not even remotely similar for that.
For Apple Music streaming, how would you control equalization on the HP?
Doesn't have an A8. Doesn't have 7 tweeters. Galaxy phones have bigger batteries. Galaxy phones have more RAM. I thought we all agreed the experience mattered more than the specs.
The comments about bass and Apple/Beats products is such an overused cliche. In this instance, the fact that HomePod has far more power and response for bass is being treated like it's a negative rather than a positive. The user has the ability on HomePod to manually adjust equalization if they want less bass response. But if you do like bass, there's no compromise. How does that turn into a "win" for the Zipp? Likewise, it doesn't appear that the Zipp has any auto adjustment of the sound for the space like the HomePod. It doesn't have a controller like the A8 and it doesn't have the sophisticated microphone array. And yet the review treats the Zipp like it's directing sound around the room in the same way. It's not. It's not even remotely similar for that.
The HomePod does not have an adjustable EQ. You are stuck with how it is out of the box. The Zipp actually does have adjustments not only for its placement but for how much bass you want in the audio. I've been very frustrated by the bass on the HomePod. I actually had to return one because of it. I am up early in the morning and late at night. I started using the HomePod with my Apple TV to watch news/TV in the morning and at night and the bass is substantial enough, even at low volumes, the girlfriend gets woken by it (she is a late sleeper admittedly). This doesn't happen with the Zipp or my huge surround sound system. I can put the Zipp on the spoken word audio profile (or the movies one) and watch TV/Movies without the bass muddying up all the dialogue or waking the GF. For me, it is too heavy for audiobooks and even my constant stream of classic rock. The Zipp can have more or less bass anytime. That is for sure a win for me.
larrya said: For Apple Music streaming, how would you control equalization on the HP?
Doesn't have an A8. Doesn't have 7 tweeters. Galaxy phones have bigger batteries. Galaxy phones have more RAM. I thought we all agreed the experience mattered more than the specs.
• You can control equalization for Apple Music streaming by using AirPlay. • My comment regarding the A8 and the microphone array was specific to the room sensing and audio adjustment function. HomePod has it. Zipp does not. If you go to the Zipp product site, they only claim that the Zipp sends sound "in every direction". That isn't really the same as dynamically adjusting the sound for placement within space. HomePod is actively monitoring and manipulating sound wave reflections to improve sound quality. That's the main reason that stereo pairing didn't immediately roll out with the system. Getting the sound wave control to work in unison between the two units is far more complex than with a single unit.
Why did I have to read all the way to end to find out that this speaker doesn’t even listen for commands? There is some mention of Alexa integration but this speaker should not be conpared to any smart speakers because I don’t see how it’s even smart. It is simply another airplay speaker that borrows a few features from HomePod but not the good ones. Even the greatest sound in the world doesn’t appeal to me if I have to use a dedicated app instead of my voice.
1) This is a speaker review which states it's an AirPlay speaker in the title, but if you want to compare intelligence and capabilities then HomePod can't really be compared to smart speakers when it's only reasonable voice activation option is music playback. On top of that, being a BT capable speaker as well as having an audio-in port it can easily be connected to any Echo, Google Home, or other full service smart speakers.
2) It's hard to take any comment that starts with "why did I have to read all the way to end" seriously when you quote the entire article in your reply.
Good question!
1) You're totally right that something like an Echo DOT can be connected to the Aux port. Know what is even better? Full on Amazon Alexa built in. And that is coming in a future update. I just delve into it into the article. I got to briefly test this out and it worked really well. Alexa and Google Home are both far smarter speakers than Siri is at this point. So if you are looking to compare smarts, Libratone will have Alexa built in, just like an Echo, and HomePod still has Siri.
We can't compare things based on what they "will have" in the future, only on the functionality it has today. There's no guarantee that Zipp will gain the ability to use Alexa via the wake word.
I agree with this, but I'd like to note that the article mentions Alexa just once, and all I've heard since the HomePod was first rumored was how it will be better than everyone else, then after it was out how it will have AirPlay 2, multichannel audio across speakers, and better Siri support. The "soon" comments are very reminiscent of a decade of Android users saying how the next version will beat Apple in every way.
Andrew_OSU said: The HomePod does not have an adjustable EQ. You are stuck with how it is out of the box.
If you really want to be technical, it doesn't have a manually adjustable EQ built-in. The HomePod itself does automatically adjust the EQ based on what is playing. There is no monolithic "heavy bass" setting for every type of music played. It's always being dynamically changed by the system itself. However, if you do want manually adjustable EQ, then you can get that through AirPlay.
Why did I have to read all the way to end to find out that this speaker doesn’t even listen for commands? There is some mention of Alexa integration but this speaker should not be conpared to any smart speakers because I don’t see how it’s even smart. It is simply another airplay speaker that borrows a few features from HomePod but not the good ones. Even the greatest sound in the world doesn’t appeal to me if I have to use a dedicated app instead of my voice.
1) This is a speaker review which states it's an AirPlay speaker in the title, but if you want to compare intelligence and capabilities then HomePod can't really be compared to smart speakers when it's only reasonable voice activation option is music playback. On top of that, being a BT capable speaker as well as having an audio-in port it can easily be connected to any Echo, Google Home, or other full service smart speakers.
2) It's hard to take any comment that starts with "why did I have to read all the way to end" seriously when you quote the entire article in your reply.
Good question!
1) You're totally right that something like an Echo DOT can be connected to the Aux port. Know what is even better? Full on Amazon Alexa built in. And that is coming in a future update. I just delve into it into the article. I got to briefly test this out and it worked really well. Alexa and Google Home are both far smarter speakers than Siri is at this point. So if you are looking to compare smarts, Libratone will have Alexa built in, just like an Echo, and HomePod still has Siri.
We can't compare things based on what they "will have" in the future, only on the functionality it has today. There's no guarantee that Zipp will gain the ability to use Alexa via the wake word.
I agree with this, but I'd like to note that the article mentions Alexa just once, and all I've heard since the HomePod was first rumored was how it will be better than everyone else, then after it was out how it will have AirPlay 2, multichannel audio across speakers, and better Siri support. The "soon" comments are very reminiscent of a decade of Android users saying how the next version will beat Apple in every way
I agree. Apple makes promises, and they don't always deliver. I still miss the promised-future of Facetime as an open source protocol. I think with Google's complete failure to commit in the messaging space (Allo, Duo, gChat, Hangouts, Chat, Messages, and more I can't remember) leaves Apple a great time to make iMessage available on Android, end-to-end encrypted. But they aren't talking about such an idea, and haven't delivered on AirPlay 2, much-needed Siri improvements, multi-channel, or any of the other things we talk about. It's important to mention the things that Apple says it will have, but until they exist, those features don't matter much. If those are the features we're judging the thing on, then we should be telling everyone to wait to buy one until those features are present.
Great review. Curious if you've played with the Audio Pro Addon C5. I'm particularly interested how all three of these speakers compare in audio quality. It's a Swedish company and while their app didn't look as slick as the Libratone, it seems to do everything the Libratone does. I think the Addon sounds GREAT. Like you, I don't want things too bassy but the Libratone sounded a little harsh and boxy in your recording (obviously hard to tell from your recording though). Anyway, I know the Addon C5 sounds great so I'm curious if you've listened to that one. (They also make the link 1 for $99, which is genius - it recieves Airplay and has an aux out that you can plug into ANY speaker). Very excited for Airplay 2 to finally come out and get a few new speakers. Anyway, interested if you've heard the Addon C5. Thanks!
Why did I have to read all the way to end to find out that this speaker doesn’t even listen for commands? There is some mention of Alexa integration but this speaker should not be conpared to any smart speakers because I don’t see how it’s even smart. It is simply another airplay speaker that borrows a few features from HomePod but not the good ones. Even the greatest sound in the world doesn’t appeal to me if I have to use a dedicated app instead of my voice.
1) This is a speaker review which states it's an AirPlay speaker in the title, but if you want to compare intelligence and capabilities then HomePod can't really be compared to smart speakers when it's only reasonable voice activation option is music playback. On top of that, being a BT capable speaker as well as having an audio-in port it can easily be connected to any Echo, Google Home, or other full service smart speakers.
2) It's hard to take any comment that starts with "why did I have to read all the way to end" seriously when you quote the entire article in your reply.
Good question!
1) You're totally right that something like an Echo DOT can be connected to the Aux port. Know what is even better? Full on Amazon Alexa built in. And that is coming in a future update. I just delve into it into the article. I got to briefly test this out and it worked really well. Alexa and Google Home are both far smarter speakers than Siri is at this point. So if you are looking to compare smarts, Libratone will have Alexa built in, just like an Echo, and HomePod still has Siri.
We can't compare things based on what they "will have" in the future, only on the functionality it has today. There's no guarantee that Zipp will gain the ability to use Alexa via the wake word.
I agree with this, but I'd like to note that the article mentions Alexa just once, and all I've heard since the HomePod was first rumored was how it will be better than everyone else, then after it was out how it will have AirPlay 2, multichannel audio across speakers, and better Siri support. The "soon" comments are very reminiscent of a decade of Android users saying how the next version will beat Apple in every way
I agree. Apple makes promises, and they don't always deliver. I still miss the promised-future of Facetime as an open source protocol. I think with Google's complete failure to commit in the messaging space (Allo, Duo, gChat, Hangouts, Chat, Messages, and more I can't remember) leaves Apple a great time to make iMessage available on Android, end-to-end encrypted. But they aren't talking about such an idea, and haven't delivered on AirPlay 2, much-needed Siri improvements, multi-channel, or any of the other things we talk about. It's important to mention the things that Apple says it will have, but until they exist, those features don't matter much. If those are the features we're judging the thing on, then we should be telling everyone to wait to buy one until those features are present.
It sucks to get silence from Apple, but it's worse to get promises that are delayed or canceled altogether. I thin it was macOS 10.4 that was going to be resolution independent before silently slipping away from their webpage during the beta testing.
I know a lot of people holding out for AirPower without having bought any inductive charging pad despite having a 2017 iPhone. I don't understand why when that inexpensive, induction charger will be great for another room or work for a quick top off. I'm not even sure that those with AirPods realize they'll also have to buy a new case for it (also not out) and probably can't use their Watch with it since they use a looped, metal watch band.
Perhaps someone will make a passthru for the plug in the back of AirPower to put the Watch on an inductive charging stand or use an inductive passthru adapter that sits on the center of the pad and secures to the cord for stability.
Great review. Curious if you've played with the Audio Pro Addon C5. I'm particularly interested how all three of these speakers compare in audio quality. It's a Swedish company and while their app didn't look as slick as the Libratone, it seems to do everything the Libratone does. I think the Addon sounds GREAT. Like you, I don't want things too bassy but the Libratone sounded a little harsh and boxy in your recording (obviously hard to tell from your recording though). Anyway, I know the Addon C5 sounds great so I'm curious if you've listened to that one. (They also make the link 1 for $99, which is genius - it recieves Airplay and has an aux out that you can plug into ANY speaker). Very excited for Airplay 2 to finally come out and get a few new speakers. Anyway, interested if you've heard the Addon C5. Thanks!
I have not! But I will certainly look into it! Always excited to find new speakers! Thanks for the recommendation!
Great review. Curious if you've played with the Audio Pro Addon C5. I'm particularly interested how all three of these speakers compare in audio quality. It's a Swedish company and while their app didn't look as slick as the Libratone, it seems to do everything the Libratone does. I think the Addon sounds GREAT. Like you, I don't want things too bassy but the Libratone sounded a little harsh and boxy in your recording (obviously hard to tell from your recording though). Anyway, I know the Addon C5 sounds great so I'm curious if you've listened to that one. (They also make the link 1 for $99, which is genius - it recieves Airplay and has an aux out that you can plug into ANY speaker). Very excited for Airplay 2 to finally come out and get a few new speakers. Anyway, interested if you've heard the Addon C5. Thanks!
I have not! But I will certainly look into it! Always excited to find new speakers! Thanks for the recommendation!
> Zipp can handle aux cables, Bluetooth, Spotify/Tidal streaming, Internet radio and AirPlay
It still makes me laugh that the Home Pod doesn't play via Bluetooth.
So if someone comes over and wants to play a song on their phone, they can't.
I should clarify, that makes me laugh and not buy it.
Actually, people can play on it. You can restrict this several different ways if youd like. People only need to have Wi-Fi turned on to play. Nothing else. You can limit it to only people who are on your network, to anyone, or even put a password.
Why not just mute? After all you cannot listen to your gf and listen to something else at the same time, It is not possible, You can hear two things at once but you cannot listen to two things at once.
I was in love with my two zipp minis from the moment I heard them in the showroom. Sound quality is exceptional for the price. Features, connectivity, file support and everything I looked for was great. But with this new firmware update(801) which supposed to support airplay 2, everything changed. Now I feel like I've been cheated. I can't use them as stereo through airplay! If I use soundspace, it won't show up in airplay list. If i use them separately, they are just two mono speakers! It's not possible to use apple Home app to join them either.
I hate it! They where bragging about "we are one of few companies that supports airplay 2" for a long time and this is the hiw they support it. By loosing a key feature without gaining any.
Surprising to read rude comments from Apple fanatics. I owning a HomePod for a couple of months now and yes, it has a good sound for it's size and has a lot of technical details which are impressive. However, it is the biggest peace of rubbish i've ever buyed from Apple - just because it can only be used in a Apple-Only world.
It has Bluetooth 5 on board but you can't use it to stream from your Windows / Linux computer or your Android smartphone.
It has Siri - the worst voice assistant yet on the market - and you'r only allowed to use it with Apple Music. If you'r a spotify user, you either have to add a second paid plan and have to create a second bunch of playlists or you have to poke with your iPhone or Mac before you get any kind of sound out of it.
It works with AirPlay (2) which is fine in an Apple-Only world - but it even doesn't play well with the Apple TV of the last generation. It often is disconnected or plays only under special circumstances. Often you have to use weird gestures on this weird Apple Remote to route audio to the HomePod. I have also Bluetooth speakers which work instantly without trouble (they just do not sound that good and they have issues with synch in multiroom / stereo environments)
If someone would tell me, that the HomePod is a wonderful device I would disagree. It just sounds good and uses a lot of technology for this. But even in this field it has some weaknesses. The DSP makes a lot of faults, if you turn up the volumes you recognize that there is no adaptive sound and no adaptive control of the bass driver - it just sounds lousy depending on the song you'r listing too. If you do not believe, try "Cavorit" from Vreckan and move to a place where the deep 808 basses play... An impressive fail of the signal processing of the HomePod.
Can the libratone be compared to the HomePod? In many fields: Yes! When it comes to voice assistant or adaptive features: No! On the other hand no-one has judged this here... Just because it doesn't matters when it comes to overall sound quality, features and pricing - and IMHO the Libratone ZIPP yet is the better buy. Even if it comes short in the bass area and even if it does not offer adaptive features or a voice assistant.
BTW: The HomePod has no screen. It has a light-show. That's it. Looks nice - but nothing more. And to be honest: You cannot see any control until you touch it. Mystery-UI, if I would use this analogy...
Sound is a very individual topic and at the end of the day everyone should listen first before buying. Today a lot of rubbish is offered to end users. Good sounding AND somehow affordable speakers are rare goods. And if you compare the whole package, the Libratone performs well - it just has some shortcommings in adaptive technology.
Bute to be honest: If Siri is gone, I wouldn't miss her - she's just dumb. Just my 2 cents...
Comments
Is the intent to reduce the volume to the level where you are only "half listening" to the music while also "half listening" to the person you are interacting with? This seems rather rude to me, like you're not willing to give the person you're interacting with your full attention and don't want to be interrupted. If I was the person trying to gain the attention of the listener I would be very pleased and even flattered if the person I'm trying to talk with commanded their smart speaker to pause at zero volume (shut up) so they can devote their full attention to me. Wow, that would be very anti-rude indeed. The reality is that humans are incredibly poor at multitasking and at some point you'll realize that in the "hush" scenarios you're actually missing out on parts of the human to human interaction if you don't give it your full and undivided attention. This will become very apparent if/when GF becomes wife.
Doesn't have an A8. Doesn't have 7 tweeters. Galaxy phones have bigger batteries. Galaxy phones have more RAM. I thought we all agreed the experience mattered more than the specs.
• My comment regarding the A8 and the microphone array was specific to the room sensing and audio adjustment function. HomePod has it. Zipp does not. If you go to the Zipp product site, they only claim that the Zipp sends sound "in every direction". That isn't really the same as dynamically adjusting the sound for placement within space. HomePod is actively monitoring and manipulating sound wave reflections to improve sound quality. That's the main reason that stereo pairing didn't immediately roll out with the system. Getting the sound wave control to work in unison between the two units is far more complex than with a single unit.
I agree. Apple makes promises, and they don't always deliver. I still miss the promised-future of Facetime as an open source protocol. I think with Google's complete failure to commit in the messaging space (Allo, Duo, gChat, Hangouts, Chat, Messages, and more I can't remember) leaves Apple a great time to make iMessage available on Android, end-to-end encrypted. But they aren't talking about such an idea, and haven't delivered on AirPlay 2, much-needed Siri improvements, multi-channel, or any of the other things we talk about. It's important to mention the things that Apple says it will have, but until they exist, those features don't matter much. If those are the features we're judging the thing on, then we should be telling everyone to wait to buy one until those features are present.
I know a lot of people holding out for AirPower without having bought any inductive charging pad despite having a 2017 iPhone. I don't understand why when that inexpensive, induction charger will be great for another room or work for a quick top off. I'm not even sure that those with AirPods realize they'll also have to buy a new case for it (also not out) and probably can't use their Watch with it since they use a looped, metal watch band.
Perhaps someone will make a passthru for the plug in the back of AirPower to put the Watch on an inductive charging stand or use an inductive passthru adapter that sits on the center of the pad and secures to the cord for stability.
It still makes me laugh that the Home Pod doesn't play via Bluetooth.
So if someone comes over and wants to play a song on their phone, they can't.
I should clarify, that makes me laugh and not buy it.
Why not just mute? After all you cannot listen to your gf and listen to something else at the same time, It is not possible, You can hear two things at once but you cannot listen to two things at once.
I can't use them as stereo through airplay! If I use soundspace, it won't show up in airplay list.
If i use them separately, they are just two mono speakers!
It's not possible to use apple Home app to join them either.
I hate it! They where bragging about "we are one of few companies that supports airplay 2" for a long time and this is the hiw they support it. By loosing a key feature without gaining any.
Total cheats