Apple HomePod (2nd Gen) (2023)

[TK750]

Apple just announced a new generation of the previously scrapped larger HomePod.

Apple introduces the new HomePod with breakthrough sound and intelligence

Delivering incredible audio quality, enhanced Siri capabilities, and a safe and secure smart home experience.

www.apple.com

$299 asking price and available to order online and in the Apple Store app starting today, with availability beginning Friday, February 3.

From youtube description:

'A powerful, high-excursion woofer and beamforming tweeters create room-filling sound. HomePod senses its surroundings and automatically adapts audio for where it’s placed. Advanced computational audio, powered by Apple silicon, optimizes acoustic performance. Spatial Audio directs music with great precision, surrounding you in sound. It all comes together for the ultimate home audio experience. HomePod also works seamlessly with all your Apple devices. It comes with Siri built in and works as a smart home hub to connect and control your home, privately and securely. Available in Midnight and White.'

 

[TK750]

Just want to mention this is not an ad even though it may look suspiciously like one!

Interested to hear the thoughts of others on this, I've never been remotely interested in smart speakers but the HomePod always seemed to have the others beat in terms of sound quality. Might consider getting one as a casual speaker for the kitchen or something like that but the constantly listening microphone really puts me off.

 

[sarumbear]

Just want to mention this is not an ad even though it may look suspiciously like one!

Interested to hear the thoughts of others on this, I've never been remotely interested in smart speakers but the HomePod always seemed to have the others beat in terms of sound quality. Might consider getting one as a casual speaker for the kitchen or something like that but the constantly listening microphone really puts me off.

I use the mini version all around the house. They sound much better than a kitchen radio that they replace.

 

[Open Mind Audio]

Really curious to know how a single speaker that "directs music with great precision" can also "surround you in sound." I guess that "Apple silicon" is more powerful than any of us knew.

Smart speakers are fine by me, I just don't like the hype.

 

[Sonny1]

The previous model was way better than I expected. This one sounds interesting. For my office, it’s perfect. I’m always amazed at how good these devices sound. Not Hifi good but they get great bass out of small woofers. Not tactile but very realistic soundstage and so convenient. And cheap. I hate that I like the sound of some of these new streaming audio devices but the size, spins, price and convenience are impressive.

I like using Siri and Alexa to just tell my audio devices what to play. It’s so convenient.

 

[TK750]

I use the mini version all around the house. They sound much better than a kitchen radio that they replace.

Yes this is what I was thinking, thanks for sharing.

 

[symphara]

Is it still completely locked into the Apple thing? AirPlay only, or can it do at least Spotify Connect?

 

[TK750]

Really curious to know how a single speaker that "directs music with great precision" can also "surround you in sound." I guess that "Apple silicon" is more powerful than any of us knew.

Smart speakers are fine by me, I just don't like the hype.

I believe the dsp and overall sound of the previous version at least was quite impressive, but yes there are of course some marketing superlatives thrown in I'm sure!

 

[TK750]

Is it still completely locked into the Apple thing? AirPlay only, or can it do at least Spotify Connect?

Very good question, it doesn't seem all that clear from what I can tell?

Edit: Had a read around and my answer is no. Apparently there has been an api available for a while now but spotify have not used it for an implementation, neither have most of the other streaming services, presumably due to competition and wanting to sell their own devices/subscriptions etc.

 

[symphara]

Very good question, it doesn't seem all that clear from what I can tell?

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Edit: Had a read around and my answer is no. Apparently there has been an api available for a while now but spotify have not used it for an implementation, neither have most of the other streaming services, presumably due to competition and wanting to sell their own devices/subscriptions etc.

Shame. I don't get why they hobble this kind of product like this. Don't implement Chromecast, fine, but Spotify/Tidal/Qobuz/UPnP should be no brainers in my opinion.

Not everyone wants to pay for Apple Music.

In my experience with AirPlay from my phone, it's patchy even when the network is otherwise fast and trouble free.

 

[mrbungle]

Really curious to know how a single speaker that "directs music with great precision" can also "surround you in sound." I guess that "Apple silicon" is more powerful than any of us knew.

Smart speakers are fine by me, I just don't like the hype.

The spatial audio on the AirPods Pro 2 is quite impressive for wireless IEMs if you have not tried it yet. So similarly DSP faked surround sound is what they refer to. I wouldn’t be surprised if it can compete with many cheap 5.1 systems. Not saying there is no hype.

 

[dshreter]

Shame. I don't get why they hobble this kind of product like this. Don't implement Chromecast, fine, but Spotify/Tidal/Qobuz/UPnP should be no brainers in my opinion.

Not everyone wants to pay for Apple Music.

In my experience with AirPlay from my phone, it's patchy even when the network is otherwise fast and trouble free.

Because the real money is in the subscription and not the hardware. I don't think they're motivated to sell speakers that connect to Spotify.

 

[symphara]

Because the real money is in the subscription and not the hardware. I don't think they're motivated to sell speakers that connect to Spotify.

Yes of course, it was a rethorical complaint on my part. Honestly I would like one of these but it's unusable for my wife (Android, Spotify). It would take so little to make it into a great product.

 

[abdo123]

Is there anything mentioned about multiple speakers and Apple TV?

 

[Honken]

Well, as someone who found the previous generation rather good, even before considering the low price, I'd very much like to hear them. But unless they give users the ability to EQ them they very much are a no go for me personally. One could of course EQ in the source device, but I am not sure if that would work well since they try to automatically adjust the in room response after their own curve.

I wonder if their Atmos capabilities are as good as the previous gen considering they have fewer tweeters this time around.

Is there anything mentioned about multiple speakers and Apple TV?

Yes, they showcase two Pods as the speakers for an Apple TV setup.

 

[sarumbear]

Not everyone wants to pay for Apple Music.

You can use any music service you want but need AirPlay to send audio to the speaker.

In my experience with AirPlay from my phone, it's patchy even when the network is otherwise fast and trouble free.

This is almost always caused by bad Wi-Fi connection.

 

[dshreter]

Yes of course, it was a rethorical complaint on my part. Honestly I would like one of these but it's unusable for my wife (Android, Spotify). It would take so little to make it into a great product.

I'm in the same boat. Apple is such an important technology trendsetter, I had hoped that when the first HomePod came out that it would start a trend of other manufacturers incorporating DSP and room correction directly into their products. It proved that it was possible to achieve in a low cost product.

For now, room correction is still mostly trapped in $1500+ AVRs and add-on solutions like Genelec GLM and Neumann MA-1 rather than proliferating greatly.

 

[Mario Sanchez]

Driver complement looks less impressive than the first gen, but at least we don't have to scrape around the used market for "the last word in smart speaker" (exaggerating, but Homepod 1st gen was pretty good all things considered), here's to hoping it performs as well as, if not better than, its older brother.
Interestingly they said "100% recycled rare earth element" when talking about the magnet, but the woofer motor looks like your typical ferrite business, tweeter perhaps?

 

[VariousArtists]

I wonder how large the new drivers are, now there are fewer of them so in theory they can put in slightly larger ones.

 

[TK750]

Shame. I don't get why they hobble this kind of product like this. Don't implement Chromecast, fine, but Spotify/Tidal/Qobuz/UPnP should be no brainers in my opinion.

Not everyone wants to pay for Apple Music.

In my experience with AirPlay from my phone, it's patchy even when the network is otherwise fast and trouble free.

Sorry perhaps I should have made it clearer, my understanding is Apple have done everything necessary to provide the interface. The responsibility would be on those companies to create the implementation (upnp aside). Obviously them not doing this is somewhat in the financial interest of both parties (for apple to promote their streaming service, for streaming services to try and prevent losing subscribers (oh look the HomePod supports Spotify I'll get it, ooh Apple music free for x months, sure I'll give it a go, hey why am I paying for Spotify again?) so I assume that's why nothing has materialised, and probably won't for the foreseeable at least I imagine.