Knowledgeable's Score
Professionals
- Wonderful sound high quality
- Dolby Atmos & Spatial Audio
- Mics decide up voices properly
- Lossless streaming
Cons
- Siri is dangerous
- Should use Apple Music for voice
- No line in port
- Restricted EQ choices
Our Verdict
When you have an iPhone and plan on staying in Apple’s ecosystem then a HomePod (or two) is a sound funding for numerous house audio wants, serving music and TV setups properly.
Worth When Reviewed
$299
Greatest Costs At this time: Apple HomePod (2nd technology, 2023)
$299
![Best Buy](https://www.techadvisor.com/wp-content/themes/idg-base-theme/dist/static/img/best-buy-logo.png)
$299.99
Apple discontinued the unique HomePod in 2021 after launching it two years prior. We don’t actually know why however now there’s a brand new HomePod, and it seems to be nearly equivalent.
Bought it? OK. It’s bizarre that Apple did it, and all of the extra in order that little has modified, but it surely doesn’t change the very fact the HomePod is again in shops and Apple clearly thinks it has a motive to be.
I examined two second-generation HomePods in my lounge to see if these cloth lined blobs are value your money and time. One will set you again $299/£299/€349, putting it firmly towards established house audio manufacturers reminiscent of Sonos.
Design & construct
The HomePod 2 is available in both black or white cloth, a design that appears odd at first however makes a whole lot of sense. It’s a 360 diploma design, so why not cowl it with the mesh you’d discover on the entrance of a conventional hi-fi speaker?
On the highest is a flat round sort-of display screen but it surely doesn’t show any textual content or info. As a substitute, it lights up with the Siri glowing orb once you discuss to the HomePod, and has plus and minus symbols printed on it that are everlasting quantity buttons.
![Apple HomePod 2nd Gen Siri](https://b2c-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Apple-HomePod-Gen2_review_4.jpg?quality=50&strip=all&w=1200)
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
I just like the look of the HomePod, notably within the white color. Each colors look clear and the design feels very thought of regardless of its simplicity, which jogs my memory of outdated, traditional Apple design values.
The facility wire matches the color of the ‘Pod and is removable so you'll be able to feed the cable by means of small holes behind TV cupboard or the like, however there’s no line in port for connecting to audio sources through cable.
Construct high quality is great with an actual premium weight to the speaker, a lot in order that one weighs a substantial 2.3kg, so that you’ll want to position on a sturdy floor. Not like the first-gen HomePod, I had no concern with both color leaving a mark on a picket floor.
There are additionally recycled supplies within the development with 100% of the uncommon earth components within the speaker magnet, gold within the plating of a number of printed circuit boards and plastic within the Midnight mesh cloth. Sadly, it’s solely 30% of the white color mesh.
Good options
Apple’s advertising for the HomePod pushes it as a music-first Bluetooth speaker regardless of its Siri smarts, and I can perceive why. In comparison with Google Assistant, I’ve discovered Siri annoying to make use of, usually misunderstanding instructions.
It’s fast on the draw for easy queries like asking the climate forecast or your native information bulletin of alternative, and issues run easily on Apple’s S7 chipset.
However try to get it to play particular tunes and it’s a way more irritating expertise at instances.
The HomePod is designed for voice-first use with Apple audio apps. It’s an amorphous mesh blob with out a show! A number of instances I requested Siri to play a particular monitor or album and it’d hear me unsuitable and play one thing utterly totally different or play an obscure stay model of a tune when it ought to clearly default to the well-known studio model.
You'll be able to management music utilizing your iPhone or iPad both by means of the Apple Music or Dwelling apps, but it surely’s a bit of delayed typically find the HomePod and it's important to manually choose it so it doesn’t simply play out of your cellphone. You’ll want an iPhone 8 or later – older iPhones received’t work.
![Apple HomePod 2nd Gen plug](https://b2c-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Apple-HomePod-Gen2_review_7.jpg?quality=50&strip=all&w=1200)
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Handoff works rather well utilizing iPhones with a U1 chip (iPhone 11, 12, 13, and 14) the place you’re enjoying by means of Apple Music in your cellphone and easily hovering your cellphone over the HomePod will switch the music to it.
In comparison with the first-gen HomePod, this newer mannequin has built-in temperature and humidity sensors. I discovered this precisely gave me readings for each, which you'll be able to view within the Dwelling app or ask Siri about. When you have sensible blinds, for instance, you'll be able to set Siri to shut them if the room will get too scorching. It’s fairly sensible.
Good too is how the HomePods shortly hyperlink to make a stereo pair, and the way a community by means of a bigger home of a number of HomePods, together with the first-gen or the HomePod mini, can be utilized for options like Apple’s Intercom that allows you to ship fast audio messages to particular rooms or play audio from all or particular HomePods.
There’s additionally new sound recognition for issues like fireplace alarms, so if yours sounds if you end up not in, HomePod can provide you with a warning to it so you'll be able to examine additional.
Connectivity
There are solely two methods to play audio by means of the HomePod. Route one is utilizing Siri and Apple Music or Apple Podcasts in the way in which described above, that means you could have an Apple Music subscription and an iPhone or iPad to totally take pleasure in all of the product’s performance.
For audio from another app, together with Spotify, it's important to use Apple’s AirPlay 2 wi-fi audio tech. There’s no manner to hook up with the HomePod utilizing simply the Bluetooth menu in your cellphone or pill, and neither is there an auxiliary enter, that means you'll be able to’t connect with audio sources reminiscent of vinyl turntables.
![Apple HomePod 2nd Gen Music playing](https://b2c-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Apple-HomePod-Gen2_review_8.jpg?quality=50&strip=all&w=1200)
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
You’ll solely be capable to use a HomePod when you've got an iPhone or iPad, however when you've got an Apple TV field you should utilize two HomePods as stereo audio system on your house leisure system. This might properly be my favorite use, because the audio improve from my TV’s horrible audio system to the encompass sound stereo bass enhance afforded by the HomePods is evening and day.
It really works with any app utilizing an Apple TV, but when your TV is suitable with the ARC customary you may also route the audio from different {hardware} reminiscent of a video games console. Shopping for two prices quite a bit, so that you may wish to merely purchase a soundbar as an alternative. You can also’t create a stereo pair with the first-gen HomePod or the HomePod mini – it's important to get two second-gen items. Maddening.
Sound high quality
So, to the primary occasion. The HomePod isn’t the neatest (or platform-inclusive) of sensible audio system but it surely’s actually the most effective sounding with a 4in woofer accompanied by 5 tweeters.
Apple has achieved an exceptional job making a well-rounded soundstage and the HomePod 2 tends in direction of very bass-heavy character, although it’s much less bassy than the first-gen HomePod.
It means the second-gen HomePod is great for internet hosting a raucous home social gathering (as if I’d have a type of!) but in addition means at low volumes the good rumble of the low finish can audibly drown out some element in the remainder of the combination.
That is notably evident on rap and hip-hop tracks the place the bass is outstanding. On the plus aspect, I heard synth and bass sounds in songs I didn’t know have been there. You simply may get some complaints from the neighbours on the identical time.
Utilizing the HomePod with Apple Music means you'll be able to make the most of full Dolby Atmos help with 1000's of tracks out there within the widespread digital encompass sound customary.
I’m a white British male so I predictably and uninterestingly love The Beatles – however enjoying Come Collectively by means of two HomePods sounds superb certainly, with the mic impact on John Lennon’s voice crystal clear and devices properly positioned.
![Apple HomePod 2nd Gen main](https://b2c-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Apple-HomePod-Gen2_review.jpg?quality=50&strip=all&w=1200)
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
The HomePods are round, however Apple has fitted proximity sensors to allow them to inform when they're positioned towards a wall or close to to different objects. The audio system then modify for this so they're directing sound into the room.
The bass wins out once more when enjoying Love Sick by Bob Dylan, however the copy was nearly too trebly. It’s not that the treble and mids are piercing however the bass is so good at instances that it could overpower the opposite frequencies. I discovered transferring two HomePods in a stereo pair a bit of additional aside, at a distance of at the least two metres from one another, helped to steadiness the sound within the room.
Taboo by Gabriels rumbles and creeps with the meant taught menace of the artist due to the deep rumble of drums that lesser audio system merely can’t reproduce.
However once you play tracks that Apple Music has in Dolby Atmos with Spatial Audio, the HomePods kick up a gear. Thriller by Turnstile sounds completely monumental, the audio system producing echo and reverb merely not attainable on any headphones.
The tightly compressed monitor has extra room to breathe with its Dolby Atmos therapy. Guitar jumps out of the audio system with the stereo set-up, but it surely even sounded well-rounded after I listened with only one.
It could be nice to manage the frequency response however Apple additionally limits your management over the EQ settings – there principally aren’t any. The Dwelling app has a ‘Scale back bass’ toggle hidden in a settings menu, which does simply that. In case you are utilizing your voice to play songs, you’ll hear it how Apple meant.
You'll be able to change the EQ of the Apple Music app’s output (within the settings menu in your iPhone or iPad, confusingly), so in case you choose to play music utilizing AirPlay then it displays that alternative, however by and enormous, you'll be able to’t management EQ right here.
![Apple HomePod 2023 line-up](https://b2c-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Apple-HomePod-Gen2_review_18.jpg?quality=50&strip=all&w=1200)
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
The HomePod 2 additionally sounds excellent with classical music, Glenn Gould’s recordings of Bach’s Goldberg Variations sounding notably energetic. Jazz can be properly represented due to the expansive soundstage and good dealing with of frequencies.
There’s little doubt the HomePod is a greater music speaker than any sensible speaker from Google or Amazon – bar the discontinued Google Dwelling Max – it’s extra one to think about as an alternative of the most effective Sonos audio system on the market.
The HomePod 2 can be one of many few Apple audio gadgets that may truly playback Apple Music tracks in prime quality lossless format. You see that ‘Lossless’ tag in your tune in Apple Music? No AirPods in the marketplace can truly play these again at true lossless high quality. That is off by default and the toggle to show it on is buried within the Dwelling app settings.
Worth & availability
The HomePod 2 prices $299/£299/€349, placing it on the pricier finish of the sensible speaker scale.
You'll be able to buy it direct from Apple.
It’s comparable in sound and options to the $199/£219 Amazon Echo Studio, although that’s now lengthy within the tooth having launched in 2019 and is out of inventory within the US on the time of writing.
The HomePod 2’s principal competitor is the Sonos One, excellent in sound and worth at $219/£199/€229. It hyperlinks collectively to totally different Sonos audio system simply and performs a lot nicer with Spotify, plus you'll be able to select between Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
Keep in mind Sonos has additionally launched the brand new Sonos Period 100 at $249/£249. In the event you don’t want the oomph, you can go for a $99/£99 HomePod mini or two.
Verdict
The HomePod 2 is a wonderful speaker for music, with superb bass response and, when paired with Apple Music, can sound phenomenally good.
Spatial audio and Dolby Atmos help together with intelligent impediment detection assist create a lovely, room-filling sound – although one HomePod will all the time sound higher as half of a stereo pair, that means it's important to spend $600/£600/€750 to actually get the most effective HomePod expertise.
Accomplish that paired with an Apple TV and a suitable TV they usually act as premium TV audio system too, at lower than the price of some soundbars.
Downsides are the chopping out of sensible features if you wish to use Spotify, and Siri remains to be not intelligent sufficient to depend on as a voice assistant, although it has some helpful options.
In the event you stay in Apple’s walled backyard and don’t plan to go away, the HomePod 2 is an effective alternative for a wise speaker. For everybody else, there’s the Sonos One at two-thirds the value.
Specs
- Apple S7 chipset
- 4in woofer
- 5x tweeters
- Room sensing
- Spatial audio with Dolby Atmos
- 4 mic for Siri
- Multiroom audio
- AirPlay 2
- Contact management sensor
- Sound recognition
- Temperature and humidity sensors
- Accelerometer
- 802.11n Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth 5.0
- Apple U1 suitable
- 168 x 142mm
- 2.3kg
- Midnight or white color