David Hanak A lot has been written about the HomePod in recent days, and there is probably no longer a topic that needs to be discussed. This will probably be the last major mention of the new speaker before we take a break from similar articles for a while. There was a post on reddit that it would be a shame not to share with you. It comes from the r/audiophile subreddit, and as the name suggests, it's a kind of opinion of the audiophile community about Apple's new product. It primarily aims at the best possible listening, and who else should evaluate it than the biggest enthusiasts.
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The original post is very long, very detailed and also very technical. If you're into this topic, I recommend reading it, as well as the discussion below. You can find the original text <a href="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1932/8043/files/200721_ODSTOUPENI_BEZ_UDANI_DUVODU__EN.pdf?v=1595428404" data-gt-href-en="https://en.notsofunnyany.com/">here</a>. Personally, I do not have the level of knowledge to be able to correctly and correctly summarize the very technical conclusions of the entire text here, so I will limit myself to the more digestible parts that everyone (including me) should understand. If you are really interested in this issue, I refer to the original article again. The author provides data from all measurements, as well as the final graphs.
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Redditor WinterCharm is behind the review, who was also one of the few invited to a short demonstration that took place even before the actual sales began. In the beginning of his article, he goes into detail about the testing methodology, as well as the conditions in which the HomePod was tested. In total, he spent more than 15 hours on the test. 8 and a half hours were spent measuring with the help of specialized tools, and the rest of the time was spent analyzing the information and writing the final text. As I mentioned above, I will not get into the translation of technical details, the tone and conclusion of the entire review is clear. The HomePod plays really well.
HomePod:
Gallery
According to the author, the HomePod plays better than the popular and proven KEF X300A HiFi speakers, which cost more than twice what Apple charges for the HomePod. The measured values were so incredible that the author had to remeasure them to make sure there was no mistake. Apple has managed to fit a level of quality into a small speaker that is unmatched in this price and size category. The frequency range of the speaker is simply great, the ability to fill a room with sound as well as the crystal clarity of the production. The adaptation of the sound parameters according to the music being played is excellent, there is nothing to complain about the sound performance across the individual bands - whether it is treble, midrange or bass. Purely from a listening point of view, this really is a great sounding speaker. However, it would be a mistake to expect her to be completely flawless in beauty. However, the shortcomings are largely due to Apple's philosophy and most importantly - they are not primarily related to playback quality.
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The author of the review is bothered by the absence of any connectors for connecting other external sources. Absence of the ability to play an analog signal or the need to use AirPlay (so the user is locked into the Apple ecosystem). Another shortcoming is the limited functionality given by the not-so-successful Siri assistant and the absence of some accompanying functions that will arrive later (for example, stereo pairing of two HomePods). However, with regard to the quality of sound production, there is nothing to complain about the HomePod. It can be seen that in this industry Apple has really pulled out and was able to come up with a product that the biggest stars in the Hifi industry would not be ashamed of. Apple has been successful in acquiring the best of the industry (for example, Tomlinson Holman, who is behind THX, works for Apple). The entire review has become quite a popular article, on Twitter Phil Shiller also mentioned her. So if you're also interested in the audiophile community's insight (and thinking about getting a HomePod), I'd recommend reading it again.
Source: Reddit
I don't know I don't know There is a difference between taking into account the reviews of those who are invited by Apple to be presenters and enthusiastic teenagers who are happy for everything that makes noise and really independent people who also understand sound (producers, sound engineers). It doesn't look so glorious there https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzbTRMIFL-4
Those are words. I don't believe that from the advice of true audiophiles, hifi players, someone would take something like Beats headphones or the wireless homepod remake here. Yes, it has style, but audiophiles, those who spend thousands for every A/D converter, amplifier and grunt for 50-year-old repro brands, or for massive Velodyne subwoofers, won't do either... so the title is misleading
And isn't your generalization of what a "true audiophile" looks like rather misleading? :)
The "audiophile" community doesn't listen to the KEF X300A let alone the Homepod.. put up with the fact that physics can't be bent and a speaker system of these dimensions simply can't play well. YouTube is full of first impressions of the Homepod, and a lot of them are more in the spirit of "it can't do anything and it plays quietly". It is simply a small portable speaker, and even if it were the best in its price range, it would remain so. This has nothing to do with HiFi, and it can never replace a regular stereo setup (and I seriously don't mean low-end like the KEF X300A). I can imagine the Homepod on the bedside table or in the bathroom as an emergency "to play something", or in the living room as the main set.
Speakers for 25k are definitely not low-end. Yes, it definitely doesn't have to be hi-fi, but low-end speakers for me are speakers for 500 ;)
Sorry, but it's just low-end.. Moreover, you're not just talking about speakers here, but speakers with an amplifier and a DAC, all in one. Take a look at audio-video-show.cz in a month ;)