Apple HomePod origi...
 

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[Closed] Apple HomePod original - good buy?

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Hi
I’ve just been offered a good condition HomePod for 200 quid. Does anyone have any experience of them? Is the sound as good as Apple claim?

I’m pretty much all in the Apple ecosystem - iPhone, ipad, MBA, Apple Music - so I won’t have any compatibility problems. I’d just like to hear of others experiences using them.

Cheers.


 
Posted : 12/11/2020 8:50 am
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I think they sound brilliant, much better than you would expect for the size, I am a big fan. They do sound considerably better linked as a stereo pair though, so it can get expensive quickly!

I have two at the moment but am trawling eBay etc. for a 3rd and 4th to link to the Apple TV now that they have added the cinema spatial audio function. I picked up no. 2 as a £150 buy it now on eBay a couple of months ago, but they seem to now sell consistently at around £210-220.


 
Posted : 12/11/2020 9:40 am
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Yeah, I noticed the price had gone up recently. Must be a lockdown thing.
Thanks for the info. I think I’ll give it a try. Stereo will have to wait for a while though 🙂


 
Posted : 12/11/2020 10:02 am
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I really like ours, the sound is a different level to most remote speakers - keen to try it in stereo but also not found the funds to try that yet.

Siri is not always great at finding the right track first time, but you can always drive it from an iPad or phone if it gets too annoying.


 
Posted : 12/11/2020 10:09 am
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What about the new small ones? They're more in my price range and to be honest I don't care that much about volume or sound quality.


 
Posted : 12/11/2020 10:13 am
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I've ordered a couple of the new Minis - but despite loads of "reviews" online I don't think anyone has actually heard one yet! So no way of comparing sound quality to the original (I'd be surprised if the original wasn't better, but as to whether it's £100+ better?)

Original seems to have one audio feature (Spatial Awareness, actually sounds like a pretty cool idea) which the new Mini is lacking, although it doesn't have the UWB technology that Apple are putting in all their kit now so I'm reluctant to spend out big money on it... I'm assuming an updated version is on the way at some point.

It's going to be a lot more affordable to have a Mini in every room, and definitely makes sense in places where audio quality is not paramount (kitchen, hallway, crapper etc) 😃


 
Posted : 12/11/2020 10:15 am
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I have two at the moment but am trawling eBay etc. for a 3rd and 4th to link to the Apple TV now that they have added the cinema spatial audio function.

Is that the big ones? I thought it was only the minis...


 
Posted : 12/11/2020 1:28 pm
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Got one at the weekend and set it up off an Apple TV 4K. Significantly better as home cinema type audio than the sound bar I currently use (which wasn’t cheap to start with).


 
Posted : 12/11/2020 1:28 pm
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Is that the big ones? I thought it was only the minis…

Other way round. Minis don't do the spatial/cinema audio (and I've actually tried it with the two original homepods I already have).

The only feature the mini has the original doesn't is the U1 chip, which in the future is likely to allow funkier home automation stuff (ie. walk into room and trigger automation).

https://www.apple.com/uk/homepod/?afid=p238%7Cssfk5DkOF-dc_mtid_20925z4e61671_pcrid_472648553421_&cid=wwa-uk-kwgo-aes--compare+apple+homepod-e-slid--productid-


 
Posted : 12/11/2020 1:36 pm
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I’ve got one of the originals. It’s great but overkill for my purposes and I should probably have gone with a mini if it had been available at the time.


 
Posted : 12/11/2020 2:20 pm
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Currently using my iphone and an ultimate ears wireless speaker, fully intending to buy a homepod mini but being mid way through a hardtail build it's just going to have to wait. Unless you're a mega audiophile I'd be going for the mini.


 
Posted : 12/11/2020 2:32 pm
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review of the new HomePod mini below


 
Posted : 12/11/2020 3:16 pm
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Thanks for the advice.

I decided to go for it, and it arrived today. I'm really impressed with the sound - at the moment I'm listening to a live Trouble Funk album and it sounds great. I might get another at some point to get stereo
I'm having a few problems getting Siri to do what I'd like, but I think it's a case of finding instructions it understands.

Anyway, thanks again. I'm so impressed I may order another at some point to get stereo.


 
Posted : 14/11/2020 11:02 pm

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