“HomePod is no fledgling. It’s been in the works for six years,” Megan Wollerton writes for CNET. “The Apple HomePod produces awesome sound across a broad range of genres, making it stand out particularly compared to the $199 Sonos One, Google’s $399 Home Max and Amazon’s next-gen $100 Echo. Its crazy-fast setup and excellent long-range Siri microphones also make it appealing. ”
“For a compact speaker, the HomePod offers big sound, and in testing I found it pretty much unflappable no matter what kind of music I threw its way. It’s hard to say that about many speakers, regardless of size. From dance pop to guitar rock to orchestral pieces, the HomePod sounded excellent,” Wollerton writes. “Overall I found that the HomePod sounded best placed against a wall or in a corner, which is fine since that’s where most people will probably place it anyway.”
“As a small wireless speaker, Apple’s $349 HomePod is strong. Its quick setup, impressive bass and far-field ‘Hey, Siri’ listening range make it a worthy centerpiece for a smart home. Its consistent sound quality solidifies it as a great speaker for everyday use, as well for entertaining on special occasions,” Wollerton writes. “If you and everyone else you live with has an Apple device and you’re sold on having an Apple smart home, the HomePod is worth a close look. It’s also a reasonable option if you simply want a smart speaker with superior sound quality. Everyone else should hold off to see if Apple opens up support beyond the iPhone — and Apple Music — so other folks can also take full advantage of the HomePod. ”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: A good review with a solid 8.0 out of 10 score and a four out of five star rating from CNET -and that’s before multi-room and stereo paring even arrive*!
*Despite six years of development, inexplicably.
SEE ALSO:
How to use your new HomePod with your Apple TV – February 5, 2018
David Pogue hands-on with Apple’s HomePod: ‘Better sound than any competitor’ – February 2, 2018
Apple HomePod debuts with strong sales; 45% of buyers are iPhone X owners, 92% of buyers were male – February 2, 2018
How will Sonos compete against Apple’s HomePod? – February 2, 2018
Apple’s HomePod speaker requires an iOS device to work – February 2, 2018
Apple reveals all of HomePod’s supported audio sources – February 1, 2018
Apple’s HomePod, the iPod for your home – January 25, 2018
One hour with Apple’s new HomePod smart speaker – January 25, 2018
Apple’s iOS 11.3 beta delivers AirPlay 2 with multi-room playback – January 25, 2018
How Apple is positioning the HomePod and why – January 24, 2018
Tim Cook says audio quality puts HomePod ahead of ‘squeaky-sounding’ competition – January 24, 2018
Apple’s HomePod arrives February 9th, available to order this Friday, January 26th – January 23, 2018
Apple delays HomePod release to early 2018 – November 17, 2017
Apple reveals HomePod smart home music speaker – June 5, 2017
“Pare” them down!
NYT says wait. Gives it an incomplete.
but, shouldn’t it? Except for the Google device, which appears/sounds like a real clunker, for the $$ and so-so functionality, the HomePod should sound better, imo.
Very glad to read this reviewer describe set-up as fast and Siri’s mike with strong sensitivity range. Beef up Siri’s ability to think with her hearing and add that to the notable skill set.
I’m all for great sound and I’m intrigued with what features are yet to come, but do we really need another great system on the over-priced end?
Yeah, Home Pod sounds good after six years of design. Apparently that’s all it does well.