Apple HomePod (Available December)

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by segue, Aug 3, 2017.

  1. jon9091

    jon9091 Master Of Reality

    Location:
    Midwest
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2018
  2. Gaslight

    Gaslight ⎧⚍⎫⚑

    Location:
    Northeast USA
    I don't think you can combine two of these and make them into stereo speakers. At least not yet.
     
  3. jon9091

    jon9091 Master Of Reality

    Location:
    Midwest
    I know...that isn’t even available until AirPlay 2 is released later this year, and then you need to spend another $350.
     
  4. Metralla

    Metralla Joined Jan 13, 2002

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
  5. uofmtiger

    uofmtiger Forum Resident

    Location:
    Memphis, TN
    One of the few articles that mention privacy. :thumbsup:

    They don’t really mention the idea that voice is not like FaceID or TouchID at this point. Unless I lived alone and never had guests, I would and have turned off these features. I don’t want my messages or emails accessible by anyone in the room until voice has the same security as at least TouchID. Of course I want Siri to access more features on my watch and phone because they are authenticated and used only when I have them on me.

    It is strange that the Mac doesn’t work with Homekit, but that is probably for a thread about Macs rather than the HomePod.

    Also, two Sonos is not a great recommendation for the 36 million Apple Music subscribers, Apple Podcast users, the people that don’t want two speakers in the room ( like in a kitchen or another small space) or those that want access to more than one sides of the speaker for feeding two or more spaces. ( all of these describe my use case).
     
    SamS and BayouTiger like this.
  6. mj_patrick

    mj_patrick Senior Member

    Location:
    Elkhart, IN, USA
    Sonos founder and former CEO reviews Apple's HomePod

    Some updates:
    I've gotten pretty used to the touchscreen tap controls– makes it pretty simple to quickly pause a song for a phone call or skip to another track.

    I would like to get some sort of stand for it. Here's to hoping for decent 3rd party support.

    Oh, and Deep Purple's Machine Head sounds pretty friggin' amazing on this thing.
     
  7. BayouTiger

    BayouTiger Forum Resident

    I don’t care for the stuff played on the radio as nauseum, but Child of Vision was classic!
     
    Ignominious likes this.
  8. MemoInPR

    MemoInPR Señor Memo

  9. ZenArcher

    ZenArcher Senior Member

    Location:
    Durham, NC
    The sound quality reviews, both subjective and objective, are looking very positive. I see the HomePod replacing Bluetooth speakers in a home setting (what a large number use today) and perhaps introducing a new generation to good sound and accurate reproduction.
     
  10. Metralla

    Metralla Joined Jan 13, 2002

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    jon9091 likes this.
  11. jon9091

    jon9091 Master Of Reality

    Location:
    Midwest
    And the other link provided is about the same guy as well.
    We get it. After an exhaustive and extended period of 6 hours, reddit user WinterCharm has deemed the HomePod “a 100% audiophile-grade speaker”. He came to this stunning conclusion by comparing it to a KEF X300A, using a $75 USB microphone, and freeware Room EQ Wizard.
     
    Last edited: Feb 13, 2018
    Metralla and Coltrane811 like this.
  12. SamS

    SamS Forum Legend

    Location:
    Texas
    Care to share any of your listening impressions?
     
  13. jon9091

    jon9091 Master Of Reality

    Location:
    Midwest
    Yes, it sounds like some of you have had too much Apple Koolaid.
    ;)
     
  14. SamS

    SamS Forum Legend

    Location:
    Texas

    Sounds like you're enjoying trolling this thread a bit too much.
     
  15. jon9091

    jon9091 Master Of Reality

    Location:
    Midwest
    Trolling? Thats the typical response to anyone discussing the downsides of any Apple product...and I have many. Why would I spend $350 on a product that I don’t feel is release ready? Is Siri improved? No, it’s actually worse....it can’t even check your calendar. It can’t even create more than one timer. You have to disable basic functionality, or anyone can send text messages under your name. It doesn’t recognize a voice...like many other Apple products.
    No stereo. No support for other streaming services unless you use AirPlay. They really should have called it the Apple Music Speaker, because that’s what it is. iTunes is cross platform. Apple Music is cross platform. AirBuds are cross platform. But, this speaker...nope. Makes perfect sense.
     
    Last edited: Feb 13, 2018
  16. telemike

    telemike Forum Resident

    Location:
    Greensboro, NC
    No Bluetooth streaming, no go
     
  17. It was release ready for folks into the Apple Music universe. Many of these folks want something more music centric. This is that over the competitors

    Now as a home assistant it’s not fully ready but will get better as updates roll out. But that’s not what the initial buyer of this expects.
     
    BayouTiger likes this.
  18. BayouTiger

    BayouTiger Forum Resident

    That’s me! I have no interest in a personal assistant, and for where it is going, I don’t need stereo.

    My only complaint so far is that it’s not portable, I took it to my office today and had to do a factory reset to reconnect it on the office Wi-Fi. No5 a big deal, just wish there was an easier way.

    I don’t consider Jon’s posts trolling, he’s always got positive input when he sees it and is a valued member. The HomePods not for him at this point in development, but I doubt he would completely dismiss it if the features he wants are added later. There are a few other members whose posts in this thread would constitute trolling in my book. They know who they are.
     
  19. jon9091

    jon9091 Master Of Reality

    Location:
    Midwest

    I appreciate that. I was the initial buyer of this product too. I said as much earlier in this thread (see post #36). I expected more on the home assistant front. I was literally waiting for this to come out to buy it for my wife. We are in the Apple Music universe. We appreciate good sounding stuff. We don’t appreciate it when things are dumbed down...particularly when the price asked is a premium. So many things make no sense. I can accept a call on my iPad but not my HomePod? There just seems to be so many things lacking in continuity and common sense.

    And at this point, I Siriously have my doubts whether the home assistant functionality will get any better. (see what I did there? ;))
     
    forthlin and BayouTiger like this.
  20. uofmtiger

    uofmtiger Forum Resident

    Location:
    Memphis, TN
  21. Metralla

    Metralla Joined Jan 13, 2002

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    Very interesting.

    "As it plays music in a room, the HomePod records the behavior of the sound waves emitted using an array of six microphones situated along the inside wall of the device. This information is fed into the algorithms, which then adjust the output of the speakers to deliver a tailor-fit and consistent sound throughout the room"

    That must have taken some work.
     
  22. Metralla

    Metralla Joined Jan 13, 2002

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
  23. cdash99

    cdash99 Senior Member

    Location:
    Mass
    I am in the Apple ecosystem but have no plans to purchase an HP. Simple reason is that I’ve made a good sized investment in Sonos, primarily the Play 1, that gives me access to Apple Music and others in rooms where we previously had no music access.

    My biggest concern is that Apple will someday pull the service from Sonos, which would be a mistake IMO.
     
    Rolltide and Ignominious like this.
  24. uofmtiger

    uofmtiger Forum Resident

    Location:
    Memphis, TN
    That comparison to Volkswagen was of the tinfoil hat variety, but interesting review, nonetheless.
    [​IMG]


    Also, I would just take the HomePod back to Apple for a refund rather than selling it at this point. (If I was the tin foil hat type, I might be inclined to believe the whole post was leading up to a sponsored ad for the resell...)
     
  25. SamS

    SamS Forum Legend

    Location:
    Texas
    I like that he at least gave an alternative (Klipsch), at a similar price point. But I just think it's weird to compare it to a $100K system. That's like reviewing a BMW 330i (many professional auto reviewers agree it's a great driver's car), and comparing it to a McLaren P1, and finding the BMW embarrassingly bad at so many things the McLaren nails.
     
    uofmtiger likes this.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine