After releasing the first HomePod two years earlier, Apple stopped selling it in 2021. There is a new Apple HomePod 2, and it appears almost similar. We’re not sure why, though.
Got it? OK. The fact that the HomePod is back in stock and that Apple obviously believes there is a reason for it does not alter the fact that it was an odd thing for Apple to do, made even stranger by the fact that not much has changed.
I put two second-generation HomePods to the test in my living room to determine whether they are worth your time and money. Given that one costs $299/£299/€349, it squarely competes with well-known home music companies like Sonos.
Design & build
The HomePod 2 is available in black or white fabric, with a style that initially seems strange but actually makes a lot of logic. Given that it has a 360-degree construction, why not cover it with the netting that typically covers the front of hi-fi speakers?
A flat, circular type of panel with no writing or information is located on top. Instead, it features fixed level controls in the form of plus and minus symbols and illuminates up with the Siri glowing orb when you speak to the HomePod.
I like the way the HomePod looks, especially in white. I’m reminded of old, traditional Apple design principles by how the design feels very thoughtful despite its simplicity and how both colors appear clean.
There is no line-in port for attaching to audio sources via wire, but the power chord matches the color of the ‘Pod and is detachable so you can pass the cable through tiny holes in the rear of TV cabinets or the like.
One speaker weights a hefty 2.3kg due to the excellent build quality and luxury weight, so you’ll need to set it down on a firm surface. I had no trouble with either color leaving a trace on a hardwood surface, unlike the original HomePod.
Additionally, repurposed materials were used in the building of the speaker magnet, which contains 100% rare earth elements, as well as the plating of numerous printed circuit boards with gold and the Midnight mesh cloth with plastic. Unfortunately, it only covers 30% of the white netting.
Smart features
Despite having Siri capabilities, Apple markets the HomePod as a Bluetooth device that is focused primarily on audio, and I can see why. I’ve found Siri to be frustrating to use compared to Google Assistant because it frequently misunderstands instructions.
With Apple’s S7 chipset, it responds quickly to routine questions like inquiring for the weather prediction or your preferred local news source.
It can be much more frustrating to attempt and get it to play a particular song, though.
The HomePod is intended to be used with Apple music applications voice-first. It is a displayless mass of indeterminate mesh! Several times when I requested Siri to play a particular song or record, it misheard me and instead played a completely different song or an unpopular live version of the song when it should have automatically switched to the well-known studio version.
The Apple audio or Home apps on your iPhone or iPad let you manage audio, but sometimes they have trouble locating the HomePod, so you have to actively choose it before it starts playing. Older iPhones won’t function; you must have an iPhone 8 or newer.
When playing music through Apple Music on your phone, handoff works really well with iPhones with an U1 chip (iPhone 11, 12, 13, and 14). All you have to do is hold your phone over the HomePod to move the audio to it.
This more recent HomePod edition has built-in temperature and humidity monitors as opposed to the original model. I discovered that this provided me readings for both that I could watch in the Home app or get from Siri. For instance, if you have smart shades, you can instruct Siri to shut them when the room becomes too warm. It’s fairly clever.
Smart too is how the HomePods quickly link to make a stereo pair, and how a network through a larger house of several HomePods, including the first-gen or the HomePod mini, can be used for features like Apple’s Intercom that lets you send quick audio messages to specific rooms or play audio from all or specific HomePods.
HomePod can notify you to your fire alarm if it goes off while you are away so you can look into it further thanks to new sound detection technology.
Read also : Apple MacBook Air 2023
Connectivity
There are only two methods for using the HomePod to stream music. Route one is using Siri and Apple Music or Apple Podcasts in the manner previously outlined, necessitating the possession of an iPhone or iPad as well as an Apple Music membership in order to utilize all of the product’s features.
You must use Apple’s AirPlay 2 portable audio technology to listen to music from any other program, including Spotify. There is no auxiliary input, which prevents you from connecting to audio sources like turntables, and there is no way to link to the HomePod using just the Bluetooth menu on your phone or computer.
A HomePod can only be used with an iPhone or iPad, but two HomePods can be used as surround speakers for your home video system if you have an Apple TV box. This might be my favorite application because the aural improvement from the subpar speakers on my TV to the surround sound stereo bass increase provided by the HomePods is so noticeable.
If your TV is compatible with the ARC standard, you can also route the audio from other hardware, such as a games system. It works with any program using an Apple TV. The cost of purchasing two is high, so you might want to just purchase a subwoofer. Additionally, the first-generation HomePod and HomePod mini cannot be used to make a stereo duo; instead, two second-generation devices are required. Maddening.
Sound quality
the big act now. The HomePod has a 4″ woofer and five tweeters, making it one of the finest audio smart speakers even though it isn’t the smartest or most platform-inclusive.
The HomePod 2 tends to have a very bass-heavy tone, though it is less bassy than the first-generation HomePod. Apple did an outstanding job of developing a well-rounded soundstage.
It implies that the second-generation HomePod is excellent for having loud house parties (as if I’d have any!). but it also means that at low volumes, the powerful bottom end can clearly overpower some of the mix’s finer details.
This is especially clear on songs with strong bass in rap and hip-hop. On the positive side, I discovered tracks that contained bass and synth noises that I was unaware of. The neighbors might also gripe to you at the same moment.
You can benefit from complete Dolby Atmos compatibility with Apple Music and the thousands of songs available in the well-liked synthetic surround sound standard by using the HomePod.
I adore The Beatles because I’m a white British man, which is predictable and boring. However, Come Together sounds excellent when played through two HomePods, with John Lennon’s vocal having a distinct mic affect and the instruments being well-placed.
Apple has integrated proximity sensors into the circular HomePods so they can detect when they are put against a wall or close to other items. The speakers then make the necessary adjustments to guide music into the space.
When performing Bob Dylan’s Love Sick, the bass once again comes out on top, but the rendition was almost too trebly. The high and mids aren’t particularly sharp, but the bass can occasionally be so strong that it drowns out the other tones. Moving two HomePods in a stereo set slightly farther apart—at least two meters apart—helped to equalize the sound in the space, in my experience.
Thanks to the deep percussion rumble that less powerful speakers are unable to replicate, Taboo by Gabriels rumbles and creeps with the artist’s intended taught threat.
The HomePods, however, step it up a notch when you play songs that Apple Music has in Dolby Atmos with Spatial Audio. The sound of Mystery by Turnstile is utterly massive, with the speakers creating echo and reverb that are simply impossible to hear through headphones.
With Dolby Atmos support, the closely compressed audio has more breathing space. The split setup makes the guitar pop out of the speakers, but when I only used one, it still sounded good.
Although it would be wonderful to have control over the frequency response, Apple also severely restricts your ability to alter the EQ settings—there are essentially none. A secret option called “Reduce bass” in the Home app’s preferences section accomplishes just that. You will hear the music the way Apple meant it to sound if you use your voice to perform songs.
If you choose to play audio using AirPlay, it represents your decision, but you can alter the EQ of the Apple audio app’s output (confusingly, in the settings menu on your iPhone or iPad), but generally, you can’t control EQ here.
The HomePod 2 performs equally well with classical music, sounding especially vibrant on Glenn Gould’s versions of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Thanks to the wide soundstage and effective management of frequencies, jazz is also well portrayed.
The HomePod, which should be considered over the finest Sonos speakers available, is without a question a superior music speaker than any smart device from Google or Amazon, with the exception of the discontinued Google Home Max.
One of the select few Apple audio products, the HomePod 2, can also replay Apple Music songs in high-quality lossless format. You can find your music in Apple Music with the title “Lossless,” right? There are currently no AirPods available that can playback those files in real lossless resolution. The option to enable it is hidden in the Home app preferences and is off by default.
Price & availability
At $299/£299/€349, the HomePod 2 is at the higher end of the price range for smart speakers.
You can buy it direct from Apple.
The $199/£219 Amazon Echo Studio, which was released in 2019 and is currently out of supply in the US, is similar to it in terms of sound and features, but it is now outdated and out of production.
The Sonos One, which costs $219/£199/€229 and has excellent acoustics, is the primary rival of the HomePod 2. It simply connects to various Sonos devices and works much better with Spotify. Additionally, you can pick between Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
Verdict
The HomePod 2 is a fantastic audio device with incredible bass response that, when used with Apple audio, can sound spectacular.
A pleasing, room-filling sound is produced with the aid of spatial audio, Dolby Atmos support, as well as deft obstacle recognition, but one HomePod will always sound better as part of a stereo pair, so you must pay $600/£600/€750 to get the best HomePod experience.
They function as high-end TV speakers when connected with an Apple TV and a compatible TV and cost less than some soundbars.
The cutting off of intelligent features in order to use Spotify is a drawback, and Siri is still not intelligent enough to be relied upon as a speech helper, despite having some useful features.
The HomePod 2 is a decent option for a smart device if you currently reside inside Apple’s walled garden and have no plans to do so. The Sonos One is available for everyone else for two-thirds of the cost.
Specs
- Apple S7 chipset
- 4in woofer
- 5x tweeters
- Room sensing
- Spatial audio with Dolby Atmos
- Four mic for Siri
- Multiroom audio
- AirPlay 2
- Touch control sensor
- Sound recognition
- Temperature and humidity sensors
- Accelerometer
- 802.11n Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth 5.0
- Apple U1 compatible
- 168 x 142mm
- 2.3kg
- Midnight or white colour
