Apple’s $349 (£319, AU$499) Siri-powered HomePod sensible speaker produces superior sound throughout a broad vary of genres, making it stand out, significantly in comparison with the $199 Sonos One, Google’s $399 Home Max and Amazon’s next-gen $100 Echo. Its crazy-fast setup and glorious long-range Siri microphones additionally make it interesting. Providing multiroom audio and stereo pairing, courtesy of AirPlay 2, helps the HomePod compete with Alexa and Google Assistant audio system.

Nevertheless it is not all excellent news. 

Siri nonetheless has loads of maturing to do earlier than it will possibly compete with Alexa or Google Assistant. Shopping for a HomePod additionally means you are signing up for a speaker that is constructed with the Apple Music streaming service in thoughts. You’ll be able to’t play Spotify and different third-party music providers straight from the HomePod by way of a Siri command. As a substitute, you need to ship that audio to your Apple speaker from the corresponding cell app. 

You actually have to be OK with these limitations to justify shopping for a HomePod in the present day, except you do not care about something however its stellar sound high quality. Everybody else ought to wait to see what Apple will add to this promising speaker within the months forward, above and past the just-released AirPlay 2.

Hey, good lookin’

The material mesh-wrapped HomePod, accessible in both area grey or white, weighs a hefty 5.5 kilos (2.5 kg). It is 6.eight inches tall and 5.6 inches vast (170 by 140 mm) — petite in comparison with the 11.7-pound (5.three kg) and foot-wide Google House Max. However the HomePod feels surprisingly dense once you elevate it, as I discovered whereas carrying it by means of the airport.

In true Apple kind, the HomePod has a modern, minimal design. It appears good, however not distractingly so, and I am glad you get a pair coloration finishes to select from. We obtained a white HomePod and whereas I like the way it appears, I can simply think about smudging it with repeat dealing with. The HomePod’s mesh exterior is not interchangeable just like the Amazon Echo’s detachable shell. What you purchase is what you get. You’ll be able to, nonetheless, clear it with a dry or damp fabric.

The HomePod depends on a single, two-prong energy twine, which you’ll plug into any customary outlet. Apple says the HomePod can go just about anyplace in your house, from the toilet to the storage, both close to a wall or within the middle of the room. Simply bear in mind that the twine is not removable because the HomePod does not have a battery onboard, so that you may need to cover it underneath a rug if you wish to present it off in the midst of an area.

On the high of the speaker, you will discover a contact show. It is not a display, so it will possibly’t show high-res textual content or video content material like an Amazon Echo Show or Spot, however it does have built-in plus and minus indicators for adjusting the speaker’s quantity manually. Faucet or maintain them to extend or lower quantity.

Contact and maintain the middle of the show to get Siri’s consideration with out having to say, “Hey, Siri.” A well-known, blue-green-purple LED standing indicator will start to glow on the show to let you already know Apple’s voice assistant is listening. Faucet the show to play or pause music or to cease Siri mid-sentence. It’s also possible to double faucet to skip a music or triple faucet to skip again and replay a music.

The show glows white to inform you it is prepared for preliminary setup and inexperienced throughout a cellphone name. You’ll be able to’t place or settle for calls straight from the HomePod, however you should utilize it as a speakerphone when your iPhone ($799.99 at Cricket Wireless) is close by. The assorted faucets and LED standing indicators have a slight studying curve at first, however the HomePod is straightforward to regulate straight from the speaker.

The HomePod does not have a button on the speaker itself to mute Siri, weirdly sufficient. Each Amazon and Google audio system have devoted mute buttons so you may manually disable voice management. With the HomePod, you may solely lower the music quantity from the speaker itself, which is not actually the identical as muting Siri. As a substitute, you need to use the app or voice management to show the “Hey, Siri” characteristic off or on.

I actually want the HomePod had a devoted mute button. It could be good to have an alternative choice past having to seize your cellphone or use voice management.

Apple’s HomePod has seven tweeters, all positioned within the backside of the speaker. Every tweeter has an amplifier and a transducer. Six Siri-ready microphones sit above that, adopted by the woofer and Apple’s A8 chip on the very high.

Apple makes spectacular claims concerning the design of its speaker and the way that interprets to higher efficiency on its web site. The tweeters are supposed to supply 360 levels of persistently good sound, whereas the microphones (with assist from the A8 chip) guarantee Siri can hear you over loud music from a good distance, with out you needing to shout. The woofer brings that wealthy bass.

The HomePod claims omnidirectional sound by means of a characteristic known as “spatial consciousness.” Regardless of the place you place your speaker, a built-in accelerometer (motion and movement sensor) is meant to kick in and recalibrate primarily based on its location. This helps it decide the right way to direct sound and may assist guarantee persistently good sound high quality regardless of the place the HomePod is — and regardless of the place you’re in a room relative to it.

The identical is true for those who use two HomePods as a stereo pair in the identical room. The audio system are alleged to take measurements to get a way of the area they’re in, in addition to the place they’re relative to one another.

Stellar sound high quality for its measurement

For a compact speaker, the HomePod gives large sound, and in testing I discovered it just about unflappable it doesn’t matter what form of music I threw its manner. It is arduous to say that about many audio system, no matter measurement. From dance pop to guitar rock to orchestral items, the HomePod sounded glorious. It does not produce stereo sound by any stretch — you’d get extra “presence” or “you’re there-ness” from a pair of stereo audio system. However the HomePod is a strong performer you may plonk in your kitchen with out having to fret that it would distort at excessive quantity.

The HomePod’s uniform sound throughout so many several types of music separates it from its two important rivals, the Google House Max and the Sonos One. More often than not in our checks at CNET’s Good Residence, the Max and the HomePod sounded comparable, with each exhibiting a comparatively open sound and good extension, whereas the less-expensive Sonos One sounded barely extra distant.

One of many tracks that created some separation among the many three audio system was “Yulunga (Spirit Dance)” by Lifeless Can Dance. It is the form of music made for the HomePod — the mix of ethereal vocals, deep booming notes and crisp percussion introduced out the most effective in Apple’s speaker. The HomePod made the music come to life from its droning starting, into the palatial vocal line and past.

Though the Max introduced extra of a stereo impact, the sound was just a little harsh compared, and the Max simply wasn’t in a position to dig deep sufficient within the bass. Sonos, in the meantime, sounded extra closed off.

On a monitor like “3WW” by Alt-J, with its deep bass mattress, the HomePod has an authority that the Google House Max and the Sonos One cannot muster. Regardless of the monitor’s weighty synth bass, the Apple speaker by no means struggled. Whereas the opposite two had been balanced, they lacked heft — particularly the Sonos, which did not even try to breed the deep notes.

The HomePod’s bass extension sounds nice, however it wasn’t at all times as tight as I anticipated. The kick drum in “Girlfriend is Higher” by Speaking Heads sounded lots looser than I’ve ever heard it earlier than, for instance, and resonated just a little too lengthy. When you like funk or different types with a outstanding deep bass drum, this speaker could not provide the form of fast response you are used to.

More often than not the HomePod and Max sounded comparable, with Apple edging forward for bass extension and steadiness, although there was one monitor the place the tables turned. “Do not You” by Amber Rubarth, with its wealthy, reverb-drenched vocals and languid drawl of the violin, sounded crisper on the Google Max. The pitter-patter percussion sounded extra instant on the Google speaker, although the HomePod was in a position to amplify the growth of the bass drum. Although the Apple machine gave a greater sense of the corridor, it created a distance between the singer and the listener that Google’s gadget did not have.

In contrast to the Sonos and the Max, that are typical “directional” audio system that sound higher once you hear from the entrance, the HomePod is supposedly extra versatile. Apple talks up the speaker’s skill to take a seat anyplace within the room and create nice sound, however I discovered efficiency on all sides hit-and-miss.

With the HomePod within the middle of the room, for instance, I heard distinct wedges of fine (and fewer good) sound across the speaker. Generally the entrance sounded nice and the again not a lot. Generally the most effective sound got here from 90 levels to both facet.

Apple says the speaker adjusts itself primarily based on room place, and as I moved the speaker round I may hear the distinction because it recalibrated. Total I discovered that the HomePod sounded greatest positioned towards a wall or in a nook, which is ok since that is the place most individuals will most likely place it anyway.

I listened to a variety of completely different tracks evaluating the Apple HomePod in stereo to the Sonos One in a pair — from disco, to acoustic, to rock. On a whim, I began with the HomePod and The Replacements’ Nightclub Jitters and the testing room was instantly remodeled into the smoky jazz membership the music seeks to emulate. The sound was large. In the meantime, the music was supplied higher stereo separation on the Sonos One with the trip cymbal showing in the appropriate speaker despite the fact that the sense of area was lessened.

Charged with one thing tougher, the bass underbed on 3WW by Alt-J appeared extra absolutely fashioned on the HomePod. The Sonos combo did not go fairly as deep or really feel so full, however it’s also half the worth.

Does the stereo HomePod sound higher than the stereo Sonos One? In some methods the HomePod is best, it is a extra relaxed combo with higher extension. However in others the Sonos gives better articulation and a keenly-honed stereo picture.The Homepod is less complicated to hearken to in the long run, and for those who hearken to numerous abrasive music this may be extra necessary to you. You additionally do not need to wave your cellphone round your room for 3 minutes which is the worst/weirdest factor concerning the Sonos setup routine — Apple’s microphones do all of it for you.

30-second setup, Apple-centric lock-in

Earlier than you can begin listening to music in your HomePod, you must configure it. The excellent news: It actually takes seconds to arrange. Not not like AirPods, simply holding your iOS machine subsequent to the HomePod triggers the method. Comply with the steps to begin enjoying music and extra with Siri in your HomePod.

The dangerous information: You will want an iOS machine for this. The HomePod and Apple’s House app do not work on Android phones or tablets. Scroll all the way down to the underside of this page for a whole record of appropriate iOS units.

Your iOS machine prompts you on setup to offer your HomePod a devoted location, join Apple Music (if you have not already), and allow one thing known as “Private Requests.”

That Apple Music immediate is necessary, as a result of on the subject of voice management, Apple providers are just about the one sport on the town. This is what you may ask Siri to play as outlined on the Audio Sources part of this Apple specs page:

• Apple Music
• iTunes Music Purchases
• iCloud Music Library with an Apple Music or iTunes Match subscription
• Beats 1 Reside Radio
• Podcasts

What concerning the Spotify, Pandora, third-party podcast apps or every other audio supply? They’re all playable on the HomePod — from iPhone, iPad ($313.99 at Best Buy), iPod Contact, Apple TV and Mac — however you will manually have to faucet the AirPlay 2 button on the display of the supply machine. (Home windows PCs working iTunes may also be used as a music supply.) That is a giant step down from the Sonos One, which works with dozens of music providers, as do the Google Home ($129.00 at Dell Home) and Amazon Echo audio system.

AirPlay 2 allows multiroom audio, which means you may play the identical music or podcast in a number of rooms (on a number of HomePods, or on a combo of HomePods, Apple TVs and additional AirPlay 2-compatible devices) on the similar time. Launch multiroom audio out of your iPhone or iPad Management Middle by deciding on a couple of HomePod. Saying, “Hey Siri, play a music within the Residing Room and within the Bed room” works, too.

When you merely say, “Hey Siri, play a music,” solely that HomePod will play. I like that it does not assume you at all times wish to play audio on each appropriate speaker. That implies that you do need to specify “within the Residing Room and within the Bed room,” although. 

It’s also possible to say, “Hey Siri, transfer the music to the Residing Room” if you wish to swap rooms — or “Hey Siri, play this music within the Residing Room” so as to add a room by way of voice instructions. 

It is necessary to notice that the HomePod does not work as a primary Bluetooth speaker, both. So an Android-toting visitor or member of the family will not have the ability to ship any music to the HomePod from their machine.

In different phrases, except you’ve got an exhaustive database of music you bought on iTunes, you are going to want an Apple Music subscription. Apple extends a free three-month subscription to Apple Music once you’re organising your HomePod. After that 90-day interval ends, the service prices $10 per thirty days for one individual (or $15 month-to-month for a household plan). Faculty college students can join simply $5 per thirty days, however Apple will ask you to confirm your scholar standing. (These costs within the UK are £10, £15 for household and £6 for college kids. In Australia it is AU$12, AU$18 or AU$6.)