@@itsm3th3b33 Probably because they pay less for the older chips and they weren't planning on using the newer features on this product. I don't care for Bluetooth anyway as at the best of times it's still garbage. I use it for AppleTV keyboard and remote only, It's poor for sound or controllers.
Dave2D's thumbnails are so good! I despise channels using every psychological trick in the book in the thumbnail to get clicks. No red circle or an O face. The thumbnails are recognisable, simple, and clean. Also, the content is concise and straight to the point, unlike other channels.
We had a 1st gen Echo in our master bathroom for listening to music in the morning ru-vid.comUgkxABghAEkaIDGZfHRBH3D3rBrlraNmnC71 and while in the shower. I didn't realize how tinny and awful the sound output on the original Echo was until we replaced it with the Studio. It was a sonic upgrade far beyond what I was expecting. Just wow. I love it because it's like having speakers IN the shower. My friend likes it because the music is so loud that she can no longer hear me singing. So that's a win-win.
Once again Dave knocks a review out the park! Straight to the points unbiased and brutally honest! You my friend set the standards on honest tech reviews
I switched from HomePod to the Sonos speakers from IKEA and I love the IKEA/Sonos stuff. Works with everything and the quality is great. Excellent value for the money.
I’ve sold my OG HomePod since I had to keep driving to Apple to get them replaced. Things would break constantly. Bought a Sonos Five… but in terms of quality, it doesn’t come close to the HomePod. So I wouldn’t advice anyone to go from a OG HomePod, or the 2023 model to Sonos… If it’s just for your music.
I managed to get recently a new Bose soundbar 900 for the price of a pair of these, if space isn't a problem, then people should definitely consider that for the nicer sound quality
I had just heard the original home pod at a friends house. He used two to play stereo sound from his TV and I was actually amazed at the sound coming from them.
@@aportraitontech5218 is the cable removable in the OG or not? I just saw MKBHD's reviews and he said the first generation had non removable cable. But then Dave here said that it is removable but we need to yank it hard enough.
@@ahsan.v8 1st Gen, is not, made for removing. 2nd Gen, is, made for detaching and re-attaching the cord by the mass-public consumer. Unless you’re a trained electrician/technician, certified Apple repairman, and can repair efficiently, cost-effectively and effortlessly, do not, removed cord from 1st Gen.
My bet is that they discontinued the previous version because it had a design flaw. Since my original Homepod died after an update I discovered that a LOT of people had the same issue. There were talks of a class action lawsuit, even. So, I believe Apple decided to go back to the drawing board and redesign it. Looking forward to buying a pair of these because, even though a have a great Bowers & Wilkins 5.1 setup, I love these Homepods!
This discontinued the previous one as they had terrible sales, and flopped. So they also released a mini verson for way cheaper and it kinda worked out. The previous one barely had 5% share out of all the smart speakers out there after reducing the price by $50. Yikes
@@Cocxy69 Not quite. They had 6% share before cutting the price. And it was a huge success as it has generated more sales in money than even having like 20% of the market. However, the market reach is more important than just making good money, so HomePod Mini was the right move. Yet, people still want a high quality sound, so there is nothing "confusing" about Apple releasing a new version of the pricier option.
@@StrangerHappened it flopping was definitely the biggest reason it got discontinued if not only so there's that still, so they tried different stuff which was successful enough and now this
It's 2023 now so I think no one want to checkout a review video about speakers within just words and graphs. At least I want to hear how it sounds no matter the mic is good or not but it gives something that interests me than words. Btw, footages are clean and smooth, relax to watch. Keep it up!
I think $300 for a "Siri box" is still a massive miss... I have a few HomePods now that I got on discount years ago and they have been a disaster. 3 large and 1 mini. One of them bricked in 2019 and they gave me a free one. I didn't have Apple Care and it was out of warranty. They didn't ask me one question. I use them mainly for my Apple TV and that's it. They sound absolutely incredible! I have a great Wi-Fi 6 router and high speeds over 700+ mbps, etc. I wish Apple did a recall program for them or something out of the ordinary for the previous HomePod owners. Apple knows it was a failure. they. know. it. I'm still so bitter about it. There is going to have to be some huge huge huge convincing for me to ever purchase a HomePod ever again. After all these years, and now going into 2023, it's the same continuous response of, "sorry i cant do that right now", "sorry check your internet", "sorry i don't have that information", "sorry try again later". I'm tired. I love my HomePods but I just cannot do it anymore. I will wait for them to all die or stop being supported for my next move. Last thought- you know they don't work well when an Apple representative over the phone for HomePod Support doesn't own a HomePod...
My HomePod mini consistently pauses for no reason. Like I would connect it to my phone and play something then all of a sudden for 15 seconds (around that time or more) it will pause the audio but the video will continue on my phone. Or whenever I connect it/transfer audio it limits my video to 480hp for about 10-15 seconds, if I try to change the quality it will mess up. Plus it plays music I don’t even listen to, it keeps playing 2000s rap song even though I have Christin music on my phone. Very irritating but it does sound good.
@@markelraya10 I can only laugh because I’ve ran into those problems way too many times too!😅 I play music and after a few minutes it completely stops. All my HomePods do that.
I've owned a pair of the OG HomPods for just about a year and a few months. One of them was bricked last month...( + - volume blinking) So frustrating... I saw so many people posted having the same issue online too. I wrote an email to Tim Cook's email asking why there isn't a recall program. I'm not sure if they'll respond or not, but I really wish they did a recall program or even a trade-in program would be nice.
I bought my HomePod and here’s why: The Mini Apple made a mistake releasing the HomePod OG first. The Mini is a perfect gateway into the speaker ecosystem. And I am seriously impressed by my minis. I have one in my living room and one in my bathroom and love the ambiance I can have in my house. Naturally I was curious about upgrading or maybe adding a third somewhere. So when the HomePod 2 was announced it was like serendipity. It just made sense to buy the HomePod 2 so I could have an enhanced experience vs my minis. Without the mini introducing me to apple’s music ecosystem (and yes I have Apple Music), I wouldn’t even look at the HomePod 2. But Apple did correct its heading my giving the mini some time to breathe and now offer this ‘upgrade’ as a carrot on a stick.
@@markelraya10 What do you mean cordless? like portable / battery powered? The internal volume is already mostly taken up by the sub and tweeter hardware as is.
@@Mannwhich yes portable my bad for the confusion. But it would be could to have a less powered one that you can bring anywhere by charging the battery.
@@markelraya10 Oh, that's ok. I agree, that's a great idea! We need to bug apple about this. Just hope they don't call it the "Porto-Pod"! 😅 Sorry that name just came to me lol.
In my experience, the temperature sensor is pretty accurate when compared to what my Nest thermostat is giving me. Also, Siri, for what it is, works perfectly fine, to ask it to pause, play, go to specific songs, pause my TV, ask it to continue watching a certain show, check the weather, make a call. It does it all very speedily with no issue. I don’t need it to do more. I do have a stereo pair, and I do have them in my bedroom with the latest Apple TV 4K, and it’s amazing
Thanks very much for perhaps the best critique of the HomePod. You make real life comparisons and I really liked the graph where you compared to three versions of HomePod. I have not seen anyone else do that, and it really is illustrative!
Was under the impression that these had better Atmos support than the old version one? Can you test the previous gen Atmos vs gen 2 and let us know if any noticeable difference in virtual surround?
This is not a food review channel. This is a cultural documentary that makes me appreciate our planet and I will support this channel till I'm an old woman. 🥰🥰🥰
I would love to see a price comparison between Apple Homepod AND stereo speakers. I have B&W speakers and they were very pricy. So it would be great to find a speaker with the same response and compare prices?
Doesn’t the HomePod support Lossless audio and can be used as TV speakers (with HDMI ARC)? Does the Wi-Fi 4 support effect the performance of those features?
The yellow lighting makes it feel like a post apocalyptic mad max / dune world where Dave is the last tech reviewer on the planet. The long hair adds to that vibe as well.
I am curious as to how this speaker performs outdoors in terms of sound ... for example if you are looking for a speaker to have on your deck - any thoughts?
+7c difference for temperature measurement? That's really bad. I mean it's not why you buy this device but still a massive oversight that should not have made to production.
Can you paired 4 Homepods 2nd Gen together and have them all play at the same time? Trying to do 2 in front by the tv and 2 in the back for a full all around sound.
Currently have a pair of minis connecting to my appleTV and it’s a good tv experience but seriously thinking now of two of these for a better tv experience. I don’t ever use Siri. I’m absolutely not wanting to talk to my speakers so irrelevant to me but the ease of fit into my home and better sound is.
I’ve been thinking about picking up 2 to replace my big bookshelf speakers and AV receiver. I don’t care about the “smarts” but it would be nice if it wasn’t just a glorified high quality speaker.
it doesn't have wifi 6? dude, i've trying to justify its high price as I wanted to buy 2 at once as a stereo pair, but the fact that it doesn't have the latest connection types gives me one more reason not to buy this speakers
my question is, for stereo pairing, will the speakers be able to identify left and right speakers, like if something is happening on the left side, will one speaker pick up that sound or will both speakers play the sound on the left, iduno if that makes sense
Think some of the problem with the sound is the music service some use I’ve tried a few and now stick with tidal as it sounds so much better on the HomePod lest booming more detail in the music
I got more Apple products than anything. I never meant to, but they killed blackberry. I got seven HomePod minis had to Google speakers the big ones not the massive ones. I also have a nest hub, the small one. Somethings I asked Siri for, and other things I ask Google for. I think you do want to have both in your house. Oh, and for $99 those google speaker sound better, a lot better.
I will be upgrading from a pair of original HomePods to the new ones.because (a) I can afford to and (b) I need the immersive audio experience of a stereo pair for my Apple TV 4k. The problem is that one of the existing HomePods has completely failed.
Same thoughts. It’s been 5 years, I expected a lot more for that large of a gap. I’ll stick with my pair of OG HomePods for now. Maybe if these go on sale for a good deal on Black Friday I’ll think about upgrading since mine were purchased back in 2018 but I’m hoping we’ll get a real upgrade next year or the year after.
FACTS💯. I was thinking about doing the same thing. I have 2 of the original HomePods paired together. I thought the HomePod 2 would've been way better in sound but from the reviews I've been seeing... it's literally the same. I'm going to hold onto mine until the HomePod 2 goes on sale. I agree with you.
“ to do that with two different speakers is an absolute nightmare“ Not necessarily, if they use the same drivers with the same materials and are generally similarly designed, it’s true that their polar patterns are a little different, but I’ve tried this before myself and it’s really not that bad, especially if they just auto EQ them to match each other when you pair them. However, matching a mini to a full-size would be problematic, but the first and second generation would be fine. I wouldn’t actually recommend it because it would be confusing as a user experience to be able to stereo pair some of them but not all of them so it’s easiest just to remember you can only stereo pair it with the same model.
Personally I would never buy apple, sonos, google or any other smart audio device. Because ultimately they are built with a "tech focus" and those features will inevitably become obsolete over time. In comparison, I bought a pair of B&W 602 S2 (360$ in 1999) with a NAD amp. They still sound AMAZING, and I use them to this day. The only difference is that I have replaced the CD-player with a DAC that has built-in bluetooth. If I want premium audio quality I connect my phone through USB to the DAC. if I want modern wireless convenience I hook it up through bluetooth... Don't write off standard hi-fi equipment. Even though it will be a bit expensive it's an investment that will last you a lifetime.
This HomePod is a home run! The WiFi 4 is a great idea to declog your 5 GHz WiFi for use on computers and TVs that need it. Achieving the same or better sound with fewer tweeters and less overall weight is a win-win: for Apple’s margins and/or consumer pricing, for shipping costs and ease of use, and for the planet! I am also happy that there’s a new HomePod out because it means my room with four first gen speakers is getting more software attention. Won’t be upgrading, ofc.
Oh, forget about what I just said. I listened to the samples in Brain Tong’s video, and I’m telling you guys: those samples are an extremely accurate representation of HomePod audio, and the first one from 2018 really does have that better, more fun sound than the second one. If you can, try to get a first gen HomePod instead of a second gen; it may be less true to the artist’s intent, but it hits you emotionally in a deeper, better way.
For $300, people want an excellent speaker for multiple use cases, not an excellent speaker just for Apple devices. It's 👏🏽 really 👏🏽 that 👏🏽 simple 👏🏽
Thank you - first one that says that the money you give for this device is not "that much" - as any decent pair of speakers will cost at least 300-400 USD/EUR and then you need an amp etc.
