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Apple HomePod - The Audiophile Perspective

D

dogbait

pfm Member
Interesting review of the HomePod with detailed measurements on the /audiophile subreddit here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/audiophile...ophile_perspective/?ref=share&ref_source=link

Quote from the review:
the HomePod has an incredibly flat frequency response at multiple volumes. All the way from 40Hz to 20,000Hz it's ±3dB, and from 60Hz to 13.5Khz, it's less than ±1dB...
Click to expand...

iFixIt has also done a teardown revealing a well constructed device using Nichicon caps etc.
https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/HomePod++Teardown/103133

Full disclosure: Don't own one (yet!), I have a Sonos One and a pair of KEF LS50Ws (and also own no Apple stock!) but a fully active speaker which employs this level of DSP control is unprecedented at anything close to 10x this price.

It's just got me wondering/wishing what a big company with the economies of scale that Apple has could build for £1k...
 
Amazing! They measure pretty much the same as the Kii Threes, using the same measurement microphone and software, and without the 20db hole at 200 Hz! Poor old Keith! And you only need one! And they figure out where they are in the room and adjust the sound accordingly without needing to switch any switches! And you can stream to them wirelessly! Not to mention voice control. And weather forecasting. Superb.
 
Wow, they aren’t ‘tweeters’ but 7 BMRs that handle 250Hz to 20kHz! This just got very interesting. I now suspect a stereo pair properly setup on stands may be a pretty serious contender that would worry a lot of decent kit.
 
Seems to be a lot of tech in there for £300. Maybe it's a loss leader to get Apple users to sign up to Apple Music?
 
I would expect them to have pretty decent sonics ... I can instantly tell, without looking, whether a phone ad on TV is about an Apple device or, for example, a Samsung phone, just by listening. The Apple ad reveals itself in the sonics almost instantly (as does the competitive ad's sonics, just not in a good way).

But ....

These devices ... all of them ... are true Trojan Horses. You invite them into your home, and they slowly but relentlessly start steering your commercial purchases to their portals. Sooner or later you will buy dog food from Amazon if you buy their trojan. Guaranteed. This also has the side effect of further eroding the viability of your local merchants.

It won't be long before the reality will set in, for all your local retailers, thusly ... either they are tied with one of these individual ecosystems ... God forbid they are not tied to one at all, and they are unlikely to be able to make a connection with more than one ... and then you are at the mercy of who wins the consumer acceptance race, as there will only be one winner and (at this point) two losers (amongst the winners), plus a whole set of real losers who have nothing except people who go buy dog food the traditional way, and that number will increasingly decrease.

Is that what you want? Think carefully before answering.
 
AndyU said:
Amazing! They measure pretty much the same as the Kii Threes, using the same measurement microphone and software, and without the 20db hole at 200 Hz! Poor old Keith! And you only need one! And they figure out where they are in the room and adjust the sound accordingly without needing to switch any switches! And you can stream to them wirelessly! Not to mention voice control. And weather forecasting. Superb.
Click to expand...

The Homepod has excited me considering their $$$ for R&D. They know they are up against the likes of Sonos. Sadly, no native Spotify so if I buy one, it will be for the kitchen. Obviously they want you to drop more money every month for Apple Music but having tried all the services, inc Tidal, Spotify remains my streaming service of choice.

I am looking forward to hearing one. If it sounds as good as many reports suggest, I'll probably walk away with one. When they sort out pairing another, it is likely I will buy another but until then I need to hear one.
 
Purité Audio said:
A friend has one he is really pleased with it, Stereo/MCH coming in later firmware updates apparently,.
Keith
Click to expand...

+/-1dB from 60Hz to 13.5kHz Keith, way better than your measurements of the Kii Threes, using the same microphone and measurement software. A fraction of the price. You can put them anywhere, talk to them, ask them to time an egg.. what’s not to like?
 
AndyU said:
+/-1dB from 60Hz to 13.5kHz Keith, way better than your measurements of the Kii Threes, using the same microphone and measurement software. A fraction of the price. You can put them anywhere, talk to them, ask them to time an egg.. what’s not to like?
Click to expand...
Will you be getting pair to replace your ATCs?
Keith
 
Mine arrived today, been a few hours. Placed it on a desk with a wall behind it (seems to be Apple's ideal setup according to pictures of it) and gave it 15 mins to do its calibration thing.

It's pretty stunning. I haven't been this impressed since I picked up a pair of Devialet Phantoms.

If you're a Roon user this thing is the ideal endpoint for rooms where critical listening is not required.
 
dogbait said:
Mine arrived today

It's pretty stunning.

If you're a Roon user this thing is the ideal endpoint for rooms where critical listening is not required.
Click to expand...

Can it be used as a Roon endpoint? I thought it was tied to Apple Music?? If so and it will play tidal through Roon then I might be tempted to get one for the kitchen/diner..?
 
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