Harmony Hub: Apple’s Sonic Masterpiece Unveiled
I had a concise measure of listening time with Apple’s second-age Home Pod speaker today. There were various demos of its abilities, however, I’m simply allowed to impart subtleties to you on what I heard in one explicit room. While there, I heard another Home Pod playing by its solitary and got to test the sound nature of two units gathered as a sound system pair, which creates a lot more extensive soundstage.
The first Home Pod was stopped almost quite a while back, so it’s been a decent measure of time since I’ve heard one. At the point when I returned to the workplace, I got our old survey gadget out of the storage room. As you can see from Apple’s showcasing pictures today (I wasn’t permitted to photo the new model), not much has transformed from a planning viewpoint.
Gleaming Siri
The vibrant Siri animation now extends across the entire top surface of the second-generation HomePod. This glossy area, now indented like the HomePod Mini, poses a challenge for fingerprint removal. The power cord is easily detachable. Despite these minor alterations and the new “noon” variant resembling black in 98% of scenarios, the overall external design remains highly familiar. There are subtle adjustments to the speaker’s profile and weight.
Notable internal distinctions exist between the two standard-size HomePods: the original housed seven tweeters, whereas the updated model reduced to five. The microphone array has also been scaled down from six mics to four on the 2023 speaker. These, along with streamlined Wi-Fi, were cost-cutting measures contributing to the $299.99 price. Both feature a “high-excursion woofer,” measuring four inches on the new HomePod. The original had “computational audio” for automatic room tuning; the second-gen device now boasts advanced computational audio.
However, even with some changes under the hood, the new HomePod still maintains a familiar essence, especially evident during Apple’s music demonstrations. Similar to its predecessor, the second-gen speaker delivers rich, multidirectional room-filling sound, emphasizing high-end clarity and detail. In real-world usage, it is likely to compete favorably with top-tier smart speakers like Amazon’s Echo Studio and Sonos devices.
The combination of two units, showcased during a live rendition of “Hotel California” by The Eagles, sounded phenomenal. (Apple has a penchant for featuring “Hotel California” in HomePod demos, a tradition dating back to the initial HomePod demo in 2018.) However, it’s important to note that these impressive results were observed in a controlled demo environment.
Apple didn’t provide direct comparisons between the two HomePod generations, which isn’t surprising given the considerable time since the original speaker’s discontinuation. I’m particularly curious to assess if the driver reconfiguration is more noticeable with a direct side-by-side comparison. Interestingly, Apple’s press release doesn’t explicitly claim that the new HomePod sounds superior to the original. In contrast, with products like last year’s second-gen AirPods Pro, Apple openly highlighted improvements over the initial model.
Apple Biological System
Based on my initial impression, it appears that the company has revisited the “all-new” HomePod and addressed a significant drawback of the original: its exorbitant cost. Apple has now reduced it by $50, making it a more affordable speaker at $300. However, it remains a pricey option, and for some, justifying the expense may be challenging. While the second-gen HomePod introduces new software features and smart home capabilities like monitoring room temperature/humidity and detecting alerts, it inherently feels somewhat familiar. It still lacks some wishlist features (Bluetooth support, line-in audio, etc.), continuing to serve primarily as a fabric-covered vessel for Apple Music, Siri voice interactions, and other elements of the Apple ecosystem.
Enhanced Siri Integration and Matter Compatibility: Exploring the Upgraded Home Pod 2023
In 2023, Siri and HomeKit have significantly improved, and the new HomePod seamlessly integrates with the Matter universe. The enhanced sound quality, coupled with automatic audio tuning, remains the primary reason to opt for the standard HomePod. However, when it comes to software features and smart home functionality, choosing the significantly more affordable HomePod Mini doesn’t entail sacrificing any additional benefits.
While I eagerly await a deeper dive into the new HomePod, I can’t help but feel that Apple’s revisit of this concept coincides with Sonos’ imminent speaker revolution. Currently, I don’t sense the same level of ambition, but reports hint at Apple considering bolder ideas for future speakers. Let’s hope the company embraces innovative risks to stay at the forefront of audio technology.
“The return of the HomePod appears to fill a crucial gap in Apple’s product lineup, providing consumers with a compelling audio experience at a more accessible price point. Get ready to experience it firsthand starting February 3rd.”
