Apple HomePod (2nd Gen) (2023)

[warpdrive]

There is so much DSP processing going on that you would have to take measurements with different content and different volume levels to really understand what they are doing internally with the audio processor. At low volumes there is definitely a lot of loudness contour being applied. At higher levels the bass is compressed for distortion limiting.

I did find the bass overwhelming on the original. Even at moderate volumes, the bass was booming all of the time. I used the Reduce Bass option and it was more tolerable when I just wanted background music and not have a throbbing headache to due the bass booming in the background.

 

[Axo1989]

-6db@30hz? Is that even possible?

ASR measurements show similar extension (but quasi-anechoic from Klippel spin so not influenced by the room) so we can assume yes. Bass extension from small drivers is straightforward (consider headphones) but the usual tradeoffs are between extension vs SPL vs distortion. In other words diameter vs excursion are the basic factors in air displacement.

Homepod 2 actually has smaller drive units in it so idk if it will outperform the 1st gen, maybe in tuning and DSP but it definitely will not outperform in terms of output capability.
Edit: to be precise, 2nd gen has fewer tweeter units and a smaller bass driver.
View attachment 261489

Home pod 2: 5 tweeter array tilting upwards
View attachment 261490
Home pod 1: 7 tweeter array but in a more conventional arrangement

My takeaway from this: Overall, HP2 is a purer ‘Smart Speaker', traditional stereo use may be less ideal than HP1.

I believe the bass units are the same size in each model ~100 mm (4") long-throw. I can't find that detail in the OG spec just now but that's my recollection when it was introduced. The tweeters are horn-loaded (that descriptor appears on both tech spec pages) so the angle of the drive units isn't the complete picture. Note that the back of the driver (the magnet side) faces outward. The reduction in number is unlikely to be the limiting factor in overall output.

 

[Harris48]

Still doesn't run on batteries that I can tell, a BIG miss in my book, such a handy form factor to take outside or garage or even on vacation. Not even operable by an external pack.

That’s not the market for this product but it’s an easy fix. Get and external power charger pack that has a usb c port. They are pretty cheap and can power if for hours. I use it for all sort of devices to make them battery operated

 

[Harris48]

No WiFi6E!

even the old ones supported AC this drops to N

 

[Harris48]

Apple has their own anechoic chamber with all sorts of tech built in…Cost more than most speakers company whole RD budget combined. But after the original HomePod was a commercial flop they are more concerned about headphones/pods.

With Apple what you are going to get is a company that is pushing envelope of computer shaped sound not fancy speakers. Just like they do with cameras.

It would’ve been really interesting to see what they would’ve done if people actually cared about how good the the first HomePod was. That’s why the low/mid AVR market is dying. People want cheap and easy soundbars more than they want good sound.

 

[Axo1989]

That’s not the market for this product but it’s an easy fix. Get and external power charger pack that has a usb c port. They are pretty cheap and can power if for hours. I use it for all sort of devices to make them battery operated

I'd do that too but it's not straightforward, HomePod (OG or 2G) runs on mains voltage and exposes no additional physical I/O.

 

[Jeromeof]

I thought Caleb Denison's Youtube review of the new HomePod was fair - obviously subjective - would love these measured but I imagine it will be as hard as it was with the OG model - from previously owning a pair of OG HomePods - I can understand what he says about the Bass being slightly unnatural DSP sounding:

 

[decryption]

I've been using a stereo pair of the new HomePods for about 24 hours now. They're impressive little units. They won't replace my Kali LP-8v2 and NAD C658, but they're bloody close in quality, particularly considering the price and the size.

If I had an Apple TV and a small room that couldn't support a proper surround setup, two HomePods would be a great little solution and be capable of some great music playback as well. Great job Apple. I'd love to get a pair of Sonos Fives to compare.

Wrote up some thoughts on the HomePods over at my blog if anyone's interested: https://blog.decryption.net.au/t/apple-homepod-2nd-generation-stereo-pair-review/121

 

[eret9616]

I've been using a stereo pair of the new HomePods for about 24 hours now. They're impressive little units. They won't replace my Kali LP-8v2 and NAD C658, but they're bloody close in quality, particularly considering the price and the size.

If I had an Apple TV and a small room that couldn't support a proper surround setup, two HomePods would be a great little solution and be capable of some great music playback as well. Great job Apple. I'd love to get a pair of Sonos Fives to compare.

Wrote up some thoughts on the HomePods over at my blog if anyone's interested: https://blog.decryption.net.au/t/apple-homepod-2nd-generation-stereo-pair-review/121

View attachment 262155

I get my pods today. I think home pod 1 sounds better than homepod2

 

[Andretti60]

Still doesn't run on batteries that I can tell, a BIG miss in my book, such a handy form factor to take outside or garage or even on vacation. Not even operable by an external pack.

To operatore all that hardware you need a lot of juice, a battery pack will be as big as the device itself, hence not very portable. Also keep in mind that as soon as people start taking these devices in the patio, they want them some kind of water proof so they can be used in a big party with a pool close by. At the moment, these pods are designed to be used only inside, for parties outside with a pool area there is already a good set of devices to choose, both battery and power operated.

 

[tmtomh]

I think this is a very typical Apple product - and I mean that in a mostly positive way:

Good:
- Build and sound quality better than average for the class
- Ease of use better than average for the class
- Default DSP/audio voicing and audio options/features very well thought-out
- Lots of under-the-hood audio decisions made in forming the default/preset behavior, mostly wise decisions given the main use cases

Not as good, but understandable for a mass-market device:
- Default curve too bassy (at least when reinforced by typical room)
- Default curve bumps up bass above about 100Hz as tradeoff for lack of high-SPL true bass
- Sophisticated DSP under the hood, capable of near-infinite user configuration, but Apple has locked it down for the most part because they don't want to field tons of support calls from folks who've messed with customized DSP so much that they can't figure out how to get back to good balanced sound, or who boosted certain frequencies and then cranked up the volume and blew out one of the many small drivers in the thing
- And of course, a relatively high price that is actually a decent value but still towards the top end of the range for units that folks will compare these to, even if these are better than most of the comparable units from other companies

I for one think these look great, and if I had a need for something like this I'd be all over them.

 

[Axo1989]

To operatore all that hardware you need a lot of juice, a battery pack will be as big as the device itself, hence not very portable. Also keep in mind that as soon as people start taking these devices in the patio, they want them some kind of water proof so they can be used in a big party with a pool close by. At the moment, these pods are designed to be used only inside, for parties outside with a pool area there is already a good set of devices to choose, both battery and power operated.

I wondered about this too. Apple don't list amplifier power ratings or power draw in the tech specs, but they did provide some info in the environment report. OG HomePod used ~1.75 watts on idle and ~9.25 watts playing music at 50% volume, and claimed 89.7% efficiency from the power supply (on 230 volts, a bit less consumption and marginally better efficiency on 100/115 volts).

Power use goes up exponentially to deliver maximum volume but I'd expect a decent day or so from a battery the size of the Mophie XL that we have a bunch of (we use them with iPads for remote field work). That's ~25,000 mAh, a bit larger than a pack of cards and around 400 grams. You could certainly design similar capacity into the base of HomePod with 1-2 cm additional height. But guessing at Apple's costs, you'd add $100 or so to the price of a device that's already considered expensive. And other factors (a handle, waterproofing, durability of fabric vs sun and abrasion, etc) would weigh in.

Otoh while I don't need more stationary speakers, I'd likely buy a HomePod that had a battery (this size, not the Mini). I'd use it in different parts of the house, on the verandah, etc, rather than on the beach, so the adaptive tech wouldn't be wasted. Apple must estimate there aren't enough people like me though, and plenty of competition in that space, which may be true.

 

[jhaider]

Otoh while I don't need more stationary speakers, I'd likely buy a HomePod that had a battery (this size, not the Mini). I'd use it in different parts of the house, on the verandah, etc, rather than on the beach, so the adaptive tech wouldn't be wasted. Apple must estimate there aren't enough people like me though, and plenty of competition in that space, which may be true.

It sounds like Sonos Move is what you want. They’re not as good sounding as OG HomePods but the room correction isn’t (subjectively) half bad. We have them in bathrooms because I thought HomePod’s mesh would get disgusting. They have an app I suppose, but work fine using normal
AirPlay.

 

[Axo1989]

It sounds like Sonos Move is what you want. They’re not as good sounding as OG HomePods but the room correction isn’t (subjectively) half bad. We have them in bathrooms because I thought HomePod’s mesh would get disgusting. They have an app I suppose, but work fine using normal
AirPlay.

Meets the functional requirements certainly. Interesting that they claim "11 hours listening at moderate volume" so I was pretty close. I was more thinking of sufficient justification to buy HomePod/s (I liked the concept and the industrial design) than really wanting a portable speaker though. The other justification would be if they worked as surround speakers for multi-channel but that's not a thing either. The Sonos Move retails for AU$699 vs HomePod 2 at $479 so I underestimated the additional cost of battery etc I reckon.

 

[Head_Unit]

To operatore all that hardware you need a lot of juice, a battery pack will be as big as the device itself, hence not very portable. Also keep in mind that as soon as people start taking these devices in the patio, they want them some kind of water proof

Ha ha yes, they'll want them underwater next. At normal volumes not so much battery should be needed, lots of Bluetooth speakers of all sizes will run on batteries. I have a few pairs of JBL ControlX Wireless, they easily run 4-6 hours. Apple easily has more than enough resources to duplicate that performance I should think. But maybe I'll turn my wishing towards a lossless headphone connection instead...

 

[Darwin]

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.

you must not buy anything ever then being so sensitive to marketing.

 

[Darwin]

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.

They didn’t hobble it. They provide an api It’s up to 3rd parties to integrate it as was already said in this thread. I use it with Pandora all the time because they have the best radio stations. Deezer, tune in radio and some others did too. I never have issues with AirPlay in a very large house. It’s your Wi-Fi network.

 

[Darwin]

Yes, it's probably politics and each wanting to apportion the streaming market in their favour. I doubt that Apple makes the AirPlay library available outside their own OSes so there's no way for Spotify to bring, say, Android compatibility with this device short of maintaining their own client-side version which I guess they're not interested in doing.

Incorrect. There are many ways to do AirPlay with android.

 

[Darwin]

All of these companies are trying to drive their own ecosystems. As far as I know, Apple has not chosen to support Spotify Connect which is how Spotify drives scale and continuity.

As far as I’m concerned, both companies are acting in self interested ways to advance their own subscription-based ecosystems leading to this less than consumer friendly outcome.

At least four people have already said Apple provided the api to do this but Spotify has chosen not to.

No WiFi6E!

Which makes no difference whatsoever.

 

[dshreter]

At least four people have already said Apple provided the api to do this but Spotify has chosen not to.

It doesn't matter how many people point this out. Spotify's ecosystem is also reliant on driving adoption for Spotify connect for interoperability. Apple has chosen not to adopt Spotify's preferred method. Spotify has chosen not to adopt Apple's preferred method. Finger pointing makes no sense here - they're equally guilty of putting their business ahead of their customers' interests.