Which speakers would you buy (or which are you currently using) for your home theatre setup? Let us know! Buy 2nd Gen Apple HomePods: lmg.gg/xpLKV Buy an Apple TV 4K: lmg.gg/IXT1B Buy Edifier S2000MKIII Bluetooth Bookshelf Speakers: geni.us/ATzMl4Z Buy a Fire TV Stick 4K Max: geni.us/qXJZL Buy a Belkin SoundForm Connect AirPlay 2 Adapter & Receiver: geni.us/lfqOu Buy an Echo Studio Speaker: geni.us/VOrNbaU Purchases made through some store links may provide some compensation to Linus Media Group.
I actually did the same exact experiment as you. Tried the Homepod 2 x2 home theater, found it lacking. Then bought the Amazon Studio pair + subwoofer (still saving hundreds of $$) and I’m liking it much better (put the echo sub behind my couch for some rumbly in my bumbly). Can you test gaming audio between the two solutions? Also, how was Amazon’s Atmos in your opinion?
I run a 3.0 setup with elac debut 2.0s 6.2b bookshelf's for the main speakers and a 5.2c for the center. If I wanted active speakers I would have gone with a pair of edifiers and I have setup up family members with them in place of a speaker bar. It's been a few years but my 3 passave speakers and referb Denon receiver were in the same ballpark pricewise as the homepod setup my. The receiver has built in music streaming and home assistant integration but I just use streaming apps on the tv or Bluetooth off my phone.
A pair of B&W 685's attached to a Marantz PM-4001 stereo amp for music. Same speakers switched over to my Onkyo TX-SR605, connected to a B&W HTM62 centre, Mission 780's in the rear and a Rel Quake CF31 sub. Most of this gear is from ~2007 and 5.1 but it still sounds stonkingly amazing. I'm not an "audiophile" but have auditioned a few of these wireless compact speakers from Apple, Amazon etc in proper listening rooms and also sound bars, and, well, they're mediocre. I live in a fairly small cottage and I'm happy to live with the wiring because I like the richness of the sounds for both music and movies. The Rel sub is tiny and tunable and is one of the best subs for low frequency despite it's age, it also has a beautiful cherry wood case. Also none of this gear spies on me.
Using multidirectional speakers for traditionally fixed use cases is likely the major issue here. No amount of smart wall bouncing can outdo purposely facing the driver at you.
Mac Address just addressed this issue in the comments. A large space would be detrimental to simulating spatial audio. But the "living room" they shot in is just a set; the actual use of the speakers was done in several different rooms of varying sizes, from a small bedroom-like setting, to a wide open living space.
I live in an apartment, and use two apple home pods with my 4K Apple TV. It works really well and doesn’t bother my neighbours. I have listened to a lot of speaker “experts” on RUclips and find that so many of the audiophiles who do this type of analysis often miss the point of this type of speaker. 1. They do “just work” and 2. For movies they really do sound excellent, you basically said so your self in this video. 3. I generally do not “crank” it up very loud in any circumstance. I am living my life, cooking, cleaning, crafting, reading with the kids, while the speakers play our favourite songs and the music seems to come from everywhere all at once. I have no problem with you making a value proposition/comparison, but with the speakers being a one wire connection means I don’t have ugly wires running all over the place, and that makes them worth much more than audiophile speakers you show in this video. I can add a mini in an adjacent room and still enjoy the bass from the bigger home HomePods in the living room. (Tried it, love it) It really is a wonderful system. I don’t do the audiophile thing, where I sit and hold my chin trying to figure out if the orchestra is really in my pants. I listen to my music from odd angles, not centered in front of the tv or speakers, and from this perspective they sound even better than the audiophile system. -my opinion. Thanks
Same here, but in my kitchen and bedroom. In both cases, I have a great hands-free way to get quality sound with a tiny footprint and clean look. The real magic, for me, was pairing two of them together... I can walk all around the room and not have an obvious 'sweet spot', which is something people pay A LOT more money for in higher end speakers. (KEF LS50 Wireless II, for example, at ~$2000 a pair)
I just grabbed my first HomePod 2 a few weeks ago and I was honestly blown away by the sound so I’m planning on grabbing a 2nd one a few months down the road along with an Apple TV 4K. I never really owned one of the OG ones so I don’t have really have the problem of nitpicking between the 2. I also prefer a speaker that can do double duty of being moved around the house instead of just being anchored to a stationary TV sound system set-up.
10:33 I have that Belkin Airplay device. I got it hooked up to my 90's era stereo stack. The biggest complaint I have is that it adds a fade in at the start of every audio, if they could fix that, this thing would be a hit.
Apple’s AirPort Express can be found for $50 or less and supports Airplay 2. You can use it to either connect non-Apple speakers or use it to connect a subwoofer with a pair of HomePod (minis) for a fuller sound experience.
I've found that the best setup for me is a traditional AVR and speakers. If you primarily use an apple TV, you can use a homepod mini to control the whole thing as long as you specify to do it on the TV (Hey siri, play this song on the apple TV). You get all the sound of good speakers and a fair bit of the smarts from a smart speaker.
Yeah, AVR + speakers all the way. 🙂 I just bought an Apple TV in an attempt to get away from my Nvidia Shield. It's lovely, but it doesn't support lossless Atmos playback, which is an absolute deal-breaker for me. In every other aspect, it's great though. Hopefully Apple will address this in an update or revision.
Why do you need a HomePod Mini if you already have an AppleTV and presumably an IPhone? Just so you don’t have to pull out your phone or grab the Apple Remote?
I've had various traditional surround systems since the mid 90's and they absolutely curb stomp any smart speaker setups I've heard. I can see the appeal of the simple setup of these systems but a dedicated surround system is popular amongst high end audio people for a reason-- audio performance.
Having an AVR and speaker sis the best solution for 99% of people. Apple pushing their inferior products based on looks alone only appeals to people that are so easily led they'll believe whatever a company says and base purchases off that (ahem BOSE).
I have the original HomePod speakers and have been using them as a stereo pair in an Apple TV 4K home theater arrangement since "day one". However, I noticed that when I placed them on free standing speaker pedestals that the sound scape improved dramatically as opposed to the way they were placed on a shelf away from the wall mounted HDTV as shown in the video. (An arrangement that was very similar to the way I initially installed and placed my HomePods. I don't know why that would make a sound difference - but it did.
@@adamfrisk956 Hello Adam. This is one time that I wish RUclips would allow attaching a photo since a picture would illustrate far better than these words alone. But, here goes. My original HomePod speaker placements were directly in front of my large screen HDTV (which was placed on a glass topped TV console stand. There was only about 7" of clearance between the HomePod speaker and the front edge of the HDTV. Also, since the HomePods were placed on top of the glass HDTV stand-as the HDTV was-it would be as if the HomePods were placed "on the floor" in a way. Now the HomePods are placed on slim speaker stands where the top of the speaker stands are actually slightly smaller than the base of the HomePod. And the HomePods are spaced further apart from each other.by about two feet then they were before and they are away from a back wall by about 18" - as opposed to about 7" away from the HDTV as previously stated. Finally,, since the HomePods are now on speaker stands, they are about 7" higher from my living room floor than they were placed on that HDTV glass console top and the effect is if HomePods are "floating in air" rather than sitting on top of a surface. Even though the HomePods have an omnidirectional speaker arrangement design, perhaps in the original placement on top of that HDTV glass console top, they now have more "free space" for their sound to propagate throughout the room now that they have been placed on speaker stands away from any other living room element which seems to result in a better overall "soundscape".
You can already tell it's gonna be a really good video if the thumbnail has Jonathan giving his "I am dead inside" face that he had in the refurbished iMac vid.
I always get compliments from guests when they come over and I have music playing or a movie going on my dual OG HomePods. I also have mine more spaced out and not sitting in front of the TV. I find that it works better for the room I have them in.
Yes, i changed my Teufel 5.1 to two HP2 - and the only thing i am missing is the surround behind me. But thats ok. if i look a movie, besides the phenomenal music sound, i missing nothing. Only to turn the bass a little bit down ;) For those who have problems or think two connected with a apple tv 4k with ARC does not sound correct, try to move the speakers where they stand left/right or more front or back. Mine are on two cupboards left and right of my tv and are ca. 1,2 meters from the TV away to fill the room and the point where i am sitting. And after experiment with the placement on the boards, one is more to wall as the other, i have a perfect center sound at speech and the effects or music on movies are nearly perfect half surround. So after 10 years with 5.1 i am happy so far and so is my wife, cause all the speakers, 10 meters of cable and the big Dolby Receiver is gone from cupboard where the TV stands. ;))) And remember measure is one thing, but everybody hears differently and i dont give a thing on measurements. I only decide what i like and hear in my ears! And if Apple in the future get the ass up and do expand Airplay to connect two HPMinis as Surround Speakers and maybe one as real center, that would be perfect :)))
Yeah I like how he kept saying the HomePods looked better but honestly the normal speakers looked way better. They give you an actual home movie theater look
@@jackdominiak445 I have an A90K and while it's better than most TVs of similar thinness, my Sonos Beam completely decimates it and I consider it a must have. My cheap 10 yr old LG CS560 had better speakers than the A90K tbh.
Quick feedback regarding the graphs comparing Homepods 1 + 2, the red and green lines are VERY hard to see on a mobile screen - maybe make them thicker or brighter?
I have the first gen dual HomePod setup, and it’s amazing for home theater application. Way better sounding than anything at comparable price. Punching way above its price. I also think it takes little time for it to adjust to different rooms.
I live in a small apartment and a HomePod mini really gets the job done most of the time. I think the way HomePods are designed make them a really good “single-speaker” option, but for more complicated multi-speaker setups they don’t seem quite there yet 🧐
Seriously. That’s what I had and people even mentioned the sound was amazing and that they wanted one. And it was a bigger apartment. It worked crazy good for the size. But I use an iPhone and MacBook and AirPods.. so it made sense.
I pick up two OG home pods for $150 each a few years back. Use them as my living room tv speakers. Still haven’t heard a system that sounds better for total of 300.
The dolby atmos is something that works differently for most audio devices. For some it does make the vocals distant, leaving a hole in the mids, for some it keeps the voice in the centre while expanding everything else. And OF COURSE that you'll get the sound to float around you only in between the homepods, but it's normal. Every 2.0 or 2.1 system is lile that.
I would have loved a comparison with the Homepod Mini in a stereo pair. I know it’s not going to be better and will actually be worse, but this is something that I use currently because it’s actually better than my cheap soundbar. I’ve been considering upgrading to the 2nd gen Homepods but before I drop $600 on a pair I want to know what kind of upgrade it wold be. As of now, I’m still on the fence and probably just going to go for an Atmos sondbar or speaker arrangement.
@@Moody_Blues_ This is actually really good feedback. I like that you note the 500 euro sweet spot for “good enough”. I’ve seen a few “just sound bars” around this (ie: Bose) but they tend to be noted as having weak bass so I’ve been looking around for something that includes a sub, at this point. Polk has a setup that I’m eyeing that’s just south of $500 that seems well reviewed. I might just go with this until and unless I want significantly more and have the bigger budget for it.
It’s videos like this that make me wonder why lmg didn’t just make an ecosystem channel with different flavors of video. Because I’d love to see this with the nest speakers and googletv, or Samsungs connectivity in smartthings to phones etc. Like videos for apple, Samsung, google, etc with specific hosts, but each getting the focused treatment on nuances and deficits of each hardware stack.
I think it's worth noting that the environment you were listening to them in probably didn't help. It looked like there was a big open space behind you, which would explain why you didn't feel like you were getting a sense of spacial audio since there wasn't enough nearby walls for it to feel like the sound was reflecting back on you. I don't have the HomePods second gen, just the OG but I'm often surprised by how strong the spacial effect can feel in my apartment. I also suspect one of the reasons you like the echos more for music is because the HomePods made the 'bold' choice to go with force-cancelling woofers. Basically if you live in an apartment, your neighbours won't hate you because your bass isn't shaking the whole building, at the same time because your spleen isn't shaking the same way it is when you get in your buddy Skooter's Camero and he blasts Katy Perry's 'I Kissed a Girl' like back in the day, you may be inclined to think that they don't sound as good because you're not feeling it in your bones. Interestingly though, if you wanted to use the dumb speakers with AirPlay you didn't even need an adapter if you've got them hooked up to the Apple TV, granted it'll turn on the TV if the audio is going out of a TV, but I used to have my gen 3 Apple TV connected to a Onkyo reciever and it'd do just audio when I AirPlayed, so if you did get a receiver you could do that. (Though realistically if you're gonna get a receiver these days there's a good chance it'll have AirPlay built in.) Anyway, I love my OG HomePods, don't have cash to kill on a second gen, but I suspect they still sound pretty good in an ideal environment. Also for a listening test, you might want to try having somebody pick out songs you haven't heard before for the tests so that you don't have the bias of, 'how close is this to what I expect' vs 'does this sound good'.
The space where they film the shots isn't where the testing happens... They don't shoot a video and it goes straight to RUclips all in a day's work. The last video was 2 weeks ago.
Thanks for the comment, because you're entirely correct! A large space would be detrimental to simulating spatial audio. For clarity though, the "living room" we shot in is just a set; our actual use of the speakers was done in several different rooms of varying sizes, from a small bedroom-like setting, to a wide open living space.
@@macaddress Dude, how am I supposed to schill for Apple if you respond in a reasonable manner? How dare you! Seriously though, that sucks that you have to be so close to hear it. In my living room (apartment sized, shaped like an L with door ways open to a hallway and a kitchen) when I'm between the HomePods but back against a wall in my recliner it really feels like I'm enveloped in sound. But again I do have the OG HomePods... this conversation makes me almost want to blow a ton of money on new homepods just to see if they're worse than what I have :P
10:30 - The Airport Express A1392 can do this job as well, supporting 3.5mm/Mini-TOSLINK out for digital or analog. However, they are long since discontinued, who knows how long they'll still be supported, and you have to compete with people on ebay for them. I like mine though for multiroom Airplay 2 and compatibility with your speakers or AVR of choice.
I got the Edifier S2000MKIII in 2020 for $319 on an early black friday deal and couldn't be happier. The sound quality is spectacular and sounds very full for my theatre setup and has enough inputs and bluetooth connectivity that I never felt I needed them to be smarter. Although, I also have a Google Home Max that I got before they discontinued it for $150 and that fills all of my normal music and smart speaker needs. I do turn on the Edifiers for music if I want a little bigger or more room filling sound though.
I'm your distant relative😅 I use a google nest speaker that I paid $35 for and an Insignia 5.1 W/8" sub when watching blurays or when I really want a party in my room with sound I can feel 😊
Was great seeing Sam from the labs, I know this is edited very differently from LTT videos and it probably won't be possible every time but it would be great to see more people from the labs talking about their data and not just showing the graphs with someone else's narration.
After doing a home theater setup myself, the best option long term: Get good sounding speakers not smart one. "Smart" standards change minimum all 10 years. A good speaker can last longer. Work with dongles to get the latest connectivity. Work with traditional speaker to keep your good sound. Go to a shop where you can compare speakers. You can recognize the quality differences . This makes the decision to go with good dumb speakers much easier. By the way comparing directional speaker to round one as they did here, is a generally bad idea.
On my tv, I have 2 HomePod minis in a stereo pair and they sound really good imo. They look great, sound great, and we’re easy to set up. I use all apple (when I have the choice) so they fit in great
On 1:34 I believe the source may be incorrect, because my Homepod mini connects to the 5GHz network, and does not disconnect when my router is set to ac/ax only.
I won’t lie as someone who has been using the homepod 1st gen for over 4 years now as my main tv speakers they have been great! I love the sound that comes out of them and how small they are! I was looking into maybe getting a sonos arc but seeing how big it is i just can’t find a spot for it, so riding my HomePod till they die🫡
AirPort Express 802.11n (2nd Generation) Adding the AirPort Express Base Station A1392 model to your network is super easy, and allows you to use AirPlay 2 with anything plugged into its headphone port. It's pretty dang good at driving a line level sound source as well,
Funny, I always found the original HomePod to sound a bit boomy and muddy, so I prefer the clearer upper midrange of the 2nd gen. It's totally subjective of course, but I quite like a bit of a "smile" curve that emphasizes bass and treble over the lower mids. It's pretty much what the loudness button used to do on old hi-fi receivers.
I have 2 homepod gen 2 in stereo connected to my mac mini m2 pro over airplay. Sounds amazing to me, but would like a few features like bass/vocal adjustments. Also, sound quality varies on what type of surface you have them on.
You can put HomePod in any other places other than below your TV. I have seen people putting them on the sides of their couch ( in like a coffee table setup) where they can play music by handoff through iPhone, Tv sounds much closer to them.. You may want to try that as the sound profile would be better that way and you can’t do that with those chunky classic home theatre setups.
6:43 With the extra 200 dollars on the amazon setup. You should have include the echo subwoofer. That way, you'll get the best that both companies can offer at the same price.
Sound they say is subject indeed. Other audiophile reviewers said the 2nd Gen HomePod is better in sound compared to the 1st Gen. And from what I've heard myself, the 2nd Gen sounds more spacious and clearer.
We went with an LG Soundbar with eARC (that also happens to have Bluetooth capabilities) and it’s been working well. With having it attached to an LG Smart TV with Magic Remote, we do still have assistant functionality if we want it, but don’t really ever use it. 🤷🏼♀️
I really wish Apple would come out with a sound bar with an Apple TV built in, and that you could then pair with a couple HomePods or Homepod minis. Or better yet an actual TV running TVOS, either their own brand or team up with Samsung or LG.
Im currently looking to get a sleek-ish set up for our ''main'' living room. In the media room ,Downstair, we will have 5.2.5 channel using traditionnal AVR + speaker. I love the look of having two homepod, but performance wise i'd have to listen to them before commiting.
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This was excellent. I would love to see similar for a Sonos vs traditional 5.1 hometheater. Why from MA, you ask? Because Jonathan seems to have solved the form / functionality balance equation.
I use homepod mini's connected in the same way to my apple tv. They are locked to stereo, so there are no issues with atmos. Mine are mounted in outlets, so the sound is really spread out. The most recent apple tv update messed up arc/earc with my TV in some way. But my TV is about 6 years old. If you have two minis, give it a try and see how you like it.
Would love to have a direct comparison to Sonos One, wonder if HomePods will be better or just the same, considering they are almost on the same price point.
Can you not fix the "bumps" using the Apple Music EQ settings? I personally use two Homepods and Plexamp for my home listening. The EQ settings in that app are great for customising audio.
I think a comparison with some of Sonos' solutions would have fit in - they fill that space of apple-like designed, high quality speakers, and integrate well into the whole ecosystem.
do the other options require another remote? part of the upgrade here with the HomePods to me is having no 3rd soundbar remote to juggle. I know eARC can control soundbars without their remote but I’ve found it finicky
For my setup in my bedroom I have two HomePod minis and an Apple TV 4th gen (not 4k) and I love the way it sounds. I have the speakers back by my rather than in front of the tv. So it might sound dumb “placing your head between them for optimal sound,” I do believe that having them back by where you are listening does achieve good atmos sound. And can be done with older models of Apple TVs but you have to use Apple TV apps and occasionally have to reconnect speakers to the Apple TV through the audio output settings. I also would like to see a comparison to Sonos speakers since they do support airplay and have really good Dolby Atmos sound. I’m also curious if you can add 4 HomePods (2 large and 2 minis) and seeing how that sounds. Also I did love the sound comparison between the two generations. I have had a traditional 1st gen I have used for years and it still sounds great audio wise. I was thinking about getting a new one but sounds like it’s not as nice of a speaker.
I appreciate that you took the time to do frequency measurements. However, you NEED to do off axis and transient response (how long it takes for a frequency to decay after it’s played) measurements. As you have a multi directional speaker these two measurements will paint a much clear picture of what’s going on. I know this isn’t a speaker review channel - but that 3-4dB delta measurement means a lot less then you think it does.
Probably if you put two more speakers in the back of the room, it probably would sound better or placed the two speakers in the center of the room. I’m guessing might make a sound a little bit better if you want to keep using that as your normal set up!
I have a JBL Bar 9.1 but the dialogue is very low when processing Dolby Atmos, it’s connected to LG GX OLED eARC port and streaming through Apple TV 4K. My question is, can I add homepod as a centre to support the dialogue?
Just a heads up that green and red might not work the best for graph comparisons for ye old colourblinds. Really liked the video idea so maybe worth a full LTT comparing amazon, apple, google, sonos, and homebrew smart speaker theater rooms is the next step?
4:05 When it comes to music in Dolby Atmos , it’s not so much that the HomePod doesn’t do a good job of playing it, but it’s more that Dolby mixes are not quite there yet. I use AirPods Pro and the dolby mix of any record sounds dull or to spacy. Some instruments sound louder or quieter than others. When you change it to Stereo (Dolby off) like in the video, it sounds way way better.
I use a pair of 20+ year old Pioneer speakers. 12" woofer, 4.5" Mid-range, 2.5" tweeter and an acoustic port. They sound phenomenal and I have gotten a lot of compliments from guests. I have them coupled to a rather low wattage Sony receiver/amp. It works just great! It is a dumb system but it was inexpensive and really gets the job done. I do use the AppleTV 4K box for the TV part, though.
@@_Just_Some1 The Apple TV supplies picture and sound to the TV via an HDMI cable that came with it. From there I use standard audio cables with RCA plugs to route the sound from TV audio out jacks to the receivers audio in jacks. That's it. It works beautifully.
My parents have a setup with 2 1st gen speakers under their TVs. I’ve tried adding 2 of my HomePods mini on each sides of the couch when I went to their house during a vacation. And that makes a huge difference by having those small speakers bringing back the higher end noises that are sometimes lost in the bases of the HomePods (especially when someone is talking and the microphone they used is subpar)
@@vizender how is it possible? If you have to homepods OG, paired as stereo to your Apple TV and then you will just add homepod minis in the back duplicating the original sound from TV, then you won't have surround. Minis will play everything, not only sounds that should come from back... If you will have 5 speakers and 1 sub all playing the same sound in the same time independently it won't be 5.1 system...
@@kamilzawadzki4971 yes, but because the are much smaller, they bring back up slightly the high to mid that can be lost in the bass of the larger HomePods. That’s exactly why did not say it’s a surround. But the 2 larger HomePods still make the majority of the sound and they are the one making the heavy lifting for the stereo
Did you check to make sure sound check was turned off for Apple Music? My music sounded moderate and pretty quiet until I adjusted some default settings Apple set.
I use a kinda dual speaker setup. For music from Vinyl I only use my shelf speakers. For movies I also activate my Towers. They get much deeper while the shelf speakers are more pronounced overall.
Jonathan, again a great video. I myself love my AppleTV 4K but stick to my “complicated” Marantz AV-receiver and Focal front speakers (and a Focal center speaker, a sub and two surround speakers) for movies and music. My setup ain’t smart but sounds amazing. That counts, to me.
The best option is dumb speakers, I have a 2021 Apple TV 4K connected to a 65 inch LG OLED and a pair of Kanto TUK speakers, they’re a little pricey (if you can’t get them discounted like I did) but the sound quality is insane, the design is futuristic and they have every connection you can think of, RCA, Bluetooth, USB port for digital audio with a PC, optical, phono to connect vinyl players if you’re into that.
We’ve got a 1st gen HomePod pair and an Apple TV 4K. It definitely has its limitations, but it really is the simplest solution for a small space. We want hands-free control of Apple Music and we want decent sound for our TV. There are undoubtedly better solutions for both, but I would have to spend more and have more devices cluttering my surfaces. The compromise of using HomePods for home theatre isn’t really that painful for us.
same i’m 19 in a small room and my grandmas in the room next to me. i have atv 4k 3rd gen and homepods were a no brained for me. sound great for me plus i use apple music heavily and the seamlessness is amazing
I use 2nd Roland MA-150, 50€, I don't even switch ON the subwoofer. Buy some foam support and you're done. Coax, spdif, rca, many inputs on these things.
There’s no way you didn’t mention Sonos in this video lol. Great audio, ease of setup for an apple user and play1s are like the same price as the HomePod
Sonos is in the business of selling you a hardware subscription, soon whatever you have from them will be bricked and you won't even be able to use it as a dumb speaker. Garbage company.
@@evildude109 talking about hardware subscriptions on an apple HomePod for surround sound video on a mac channel lol come on now man. Obviously so is isn’t the best solution but Sonos might seriously fit this market for the type of person who would want 2 home pods as tv speakers lol think about it. 2 good sounding speakers that are easy to setup and also function as a smart speaker (w google assistant that we all know is miles better than Siri or Alexa)
@@BKnight7z The difference is that Apple has a history of supporting their products a long damn time, Sonos less so. I dislike Apple's behavior as much as the next guy but Sonos is a different tier of insane.
@@evildude109 while I agree with you I think if anyone would be interested in Sonos given all their pitfalls it would be the person who would want to buy 2 HomePods as speakers. Also including it in the video would be a good opportunity to talk about the pitfalls w the company and help people decide if Sonos would be worth it for them or not. Even if it wasn’t the recommended alternative option at the end
I have them and honestly i was dissaointed a little. It doesnt feed as loud as a home theatre could be, and there’s a lack of bass without a subwoofer. I think if i could attach a subwoofer, it would be much better
@@niko1even returning to this to say since ive had the speakers a while, the bass is okay. it can be loud sometimes, i was actually surprised when i was in the other room and i could hear it bumping through the walls. its hard to say theyre really good or worth the money, but there have been some instances where they have really impressed me. for instance, i was sleeping in the other room and i was listening to music while i fell asleep and it literally sounded like someone was sitting in the other room playing the piano in real life. the audio quality seems to be very very good, albiet not the best bass. sometimes i feel like they dont get loud enough but ive found it entirely depends on the quality of the audio of the video/music im consuming. some movies and shows its very loud, other shows i have to turn them all the way up to hear the dialogue. overall i would reccommend these for a small living room or the master bed, if you have a very big living room dont even bother.
Currently using 2x Homepod Minis because my tower speakers, sattelite surrounds, sub, and receiver are all still in storage after moving. The minis work surprisingly well - refurbished they were $60, and they manage to sound clear and loud enough in my 22x24 foot bonus room that will be the home theater. They're at least on par with soundbars that cost a similar price. Once I unpack the home theater for this room, I'll probably keep the homepod minis around for the downstairs TV which only gets used for casual content watching cooking / eating. I already had the AppleTV 4K, and was going to put a HomePod mini in the room anyway so the only cost to me was a second homepod mini (so $60) for that room.
I can't believe you genuinely like the look of any of those smart home speakers over the traditional speakers. The actual speakers look way more attractive, although they are larger. I don't understand why "gray blobs" are the aesthetic so many companies are aiming for now. If you place them where they make sense, real speakers look great.
My home theater system's sound stopped working, so we use my old homepod, and it sounds just as good, I think. Does it sound better than the new ones? Also, my old HomePod works fine with my regular AppleTV and 4K pre 2021. These new ones don't?
It was strange to hear the appearance of the traditional speakers given as their primary downside. I'd say that they look a lot better than either of the smart speakers in this video. "They look like speakers." Yes! Good!
People are weird these days. I like real speakers that look like speakers, none of this smart speaker or soundbar crap. I only wish I had a way to talk to Siri on my AppleTV without needing my TV on and my Siri remote. If Apple put a line out jack on the Homepod so I could use real speakers, I might have bought one.
I’ve been using two OG HomePods and a Apple TV set up for a little over 3 years now. For the size of living room I have is great. I bought my HomePods used though, I paid $200 for one and $150 for the other.
Being able to airplay from a mac to the homepods, such as sitting with a macbook nearby is a useful feature. But, the HomePod(big) is still pricy for that. I have some mini's setup sitting on opposite sides of a room for separation (an upside of wireless) that work for now, but eventually they'll be replaced by a proper home theater setup and possibly dedicated speakers for music that sounds, better. I could see for around like $400 or so the bigger homepods would be a neat area speaker, but for $600 I could have homepod minis and some reasonable speakers setup. The mids are a bit disappointing however, even just a simple 5 band eq to nudge it might have helped. Siri is useful, kind of. Too many and they all start messing with each other and I have to whisper to my phone to prevent from having timers set all across the building.
Clickbait title… it wasn’t bad. HomePods as a mono speaker is fine, but not for stereo or surround. I also disagree with the decor issue, while it’s subjective… any speaker we can see will stand out if you’re looking for it. I’ve seen no reason to replace my old component stereo system, but for convenience at a TV, a sound bar really can’t be beat.
0:19 damn that's some nice options on the back of the amp. I hate Denon though but it's just missing pre-outs and that would be the all-around best one to have before professional grade systems.
@@niko1even I don’t know about LG tvs though. Every LG product I’ve ever owned (especially the TVs) ended breaking down or overall sucking. I usually go for Samsung or Sony. Maybe that’s just me.
Which firmware did you run the HomePods on? In my opinion Apple changed a lot with 16.4. The HomePods 2 sounds different after installing the last update. Maybe you do an additional test?
Nothing beats an amplifier and multiple speakers . . . the technology hasn't improved sound, just made it more convenient. And often I take that compromise but not with movies. My original HomePod sounds great and I often take it on vacations because it travels well in a checked bag and can seriously transform a pool area or living room so long as you've got an outlet and wifi nearby.
Personally I think the edifier speakers look better than either smart speaker option. They're nice-looking speakers and they don't look out of place sitting on either side of a TV.
I have been using 1gen HomePods in stereo pair for about 2 years. I care a lot about decorating my in away that tech don’t stand out so much. What I can say about the audio is that I like it for what I use it for, I know that an sonos arc would be the better choice, but the HomePods is sounding good and loud for my apartment. Also when I moved to another apartment I noticed a difference in the sound. What I am tho worried about is the software support and pray that it will always be able to connect to any Apple TV I use. But I have my doubts…
Linus only has them pretend to use Apple products when filming (forgot about the gaming PC 🤣), so that to the uneducated they don't seem biased against Apple 🤣
Which speakers would you buy (or which are you currently using) for your home theatre setup? Let us know!
Buy 2nd Gen Apple HomePods: lmg.gg/xpLKV
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Buy a Fire TV Stick 4K Max: geni.us/qXJZL
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$50 dollars one
I actually did the same exact experiment as you. Tried the Homepod 2 x2 home theater, found it lacking. Then bought the Amazon Studio pair + subwoofer (still saving hundreds of $$) and I’m liking it much better (put the echo sub behind my couch for some rumbly in my bumbly). Can you test gaming audio between the two solutions? Also, how was Amazon’s Atmos in your opinion?
I run a 3.0 setup with elac debut 2.0s 6.2b bookshelf's for the main speakers and a 5.2c for the center. If I wanted active speakers I would have gone with a pair of edifiers and I have setup up family members with them in place of a speaker bar. It's been a few years but my 3 passave speakers and referb Denon receiver were in the same ballpark pricewise as the homepod setup my. The receiver has built in music streaming and home assistant integration but I just use streaming apps on the tv or Bluetooth off my phone.
Sound bar probably
A pair of B&W 685's attached to a Marantz PM-4001 stereo amp for music. Same speakers switched over to my Onkyo TX-SR605, connected to a B&W HTM62 centre, Mission 780's in the rear and a Rel Quake CF31 sub. Most of this gear is from ~2007 and 5.1 but it still sounds stonkingly amazing. I'm not an "audiophile" but have auditioned a few of these wireless compact speakers from Apple, Amazon etc in proper listening rooms and also sound bars, and, well, they're mediocre. I live in a fairly small cottage and I'm happy to live with the wiring because I like the richness of the sounds for both music and movies. The Rel sub is tiny and tunable and is one of the best subs for low frequency despite it's age, it also has a beautiful cherry wood case. Also none of this gear spies on me.
Using multidirectional speakers for traditionally fixed use cases is likely the major issue here. No amount of smart wall bouncing can outdo purposely facing the driver at you.
Mac Address just addressed this issue in the comments. A large space would be detrimental to simulating spatial audio. But the "living room" they shot in is just a set; the actual use of the speakers was done in several different rooms of varying sizes, from a small bedroom-like setting, to a wide open living space.
@@per-olamjomark7452let's be realistic, apple products target people who have large spaces... Otherwise you can't afford them...
If you are going to spend money on sound just go all out and get those sound panels that come with art printed on them and treat your room for sound
And one of those weird minimalist people doesn’t know this so they waste their money
Correct
I live in an apartment, and use two apple home pods with my 4K Apple TV. It works really well and doesn’t bother my neighbours. I have listened to a lot of speaker “experts” on RUclips and find that so many of the audiophiles who do this type of analysis often miss the point of this type of speaker. 1. They do “just work” and 2. For movies they really do sound excellent, you basically said so your self in this video. 3. I generally do not “crank” it up very loud in any circumstance. I am living my life, cooking, cleaning, crafting, reading with the kids, while the speakers play our favourite songs and the music seems to come from everywhere all at once. I have no problem with you making a value proposition/comparison, but with the speakers being a one wire connection means I don’t have ugly wires running all over the place, and that makes them worth much more than audiophile speakers you show in this video. I can add a mini in an adjacent room and still enjoy the bass from the bigger home HomePods in the living room. (Tried it, love it) It really is a wonderful system. I don’t do the audiophile thing, where I sit and hold my chin trying to figure out if the orchestra is really in my pants. I listen to my music from odd angles, not centered in front of the tv or speakers, and from this perspective they sound even better than the audiophile system. -my opinion. Thanks
I totally agree! The simplistic of the set up and what you get is excellent.
Brilliantly articulated.
I like mine too
Same here, but in my kitchen and bedroom. In both cases, I have a great hands-free way to get quality sound with a tiny footprint and clean look. The real magic, for me, was pairing two of them together... I can walk all around the room and not have an obvious 'sweet spot', which is something people pay A LOT more money for in higher end speakers. (KEF LS50 Wireless II, for example, at ~$2000 a pair)
I just grabbed my first HomePod 2 a few weeks ago and I was honestly blown away by the sound so I’m planning on grabbing a 2nd one a few months down the road along with an Apple TV 4K. I never really owned one of the OG ones so I don’t have really have the problem of nitpicking between the 2. I also prefer a speaker that can do double duty of being moved around the house instead of just being anchored to a stationary TV sound system set-up.
@@wisdomyaw03 i think you missed like, 1/3rd of the video lol. the processing is way better yes, but the hardware has weird bumps
10:33 I have that Belkin Airplay device. I got it hooked up to my 90's era stereo stack. The biggest complaint I have is that it adds a fade in at the start of every audio, if they could fix that, this thing would be a hit.
Buy a wiim instead
Apple’s AirPort Express can be found for $50 or less and supports Airplay 2. You can use it to either connect non-Apple speakers or use it to connect a subwoofer with a pair of HomePod (minis) for a fuller sound experience.
I think for a full picture you should’ve compared against sonos as well. They support AirPlay and their room tuning is said to be really good
The only issue is Sonos doesn’t advertise their price competitor (Sonos One) when talking about the full “ home theater experience”
Nah
@@Pockyball Beam (or Arc) + 2 Sonos Ones. Still ehhh sound
But the one can’t be connected to the tv by themselves.
@@Pockyball They certainly do when advertising the surround pairing
I've found that the best setup for me is a traditional AVR and speakers. If you primarily use an apple TV, you can use a homepod mini to control the whole thing as long as you specify to do it on the TV (Hey siri, play this song on the apple TV). You get all the sound of good speakers and a fair bit of the smarts from a smart speaker.
Yeah, AVR + speakers all the way. 🙂
I just bought an Apple TV in an attempt to get away from my Nvidia Shield. It's lovely, but it doesn't support lossless Atmos playback, which is an absolute deal-breaker for me.
In every other aspect, it's great though. Hopefully Apple will address this in an update or revision.
Why do you need a HomePod Mini if you already have an AppleTV and presumably an IPhone? Just so you don’t have to pull out your phone or grab the Apple Remote?
This is the setup I have but with a Fire TV Cube. Works fine for me
I've had various traditional surround systems since the mid 90's and they absolutely curb stomp any smart speaker setups I've heard. I can see the appeal of the simple setup of these systems but a dedicated surround system is popular amongst high end audio people for a reason-- audio performance.
Having an AVR and speaker sis the best solution for 99% of people. Apple pushing their inferior products based on looks alone only appeals to people that are so easily led they'll believe whatever a company says and base purchases off that (ahem BOSE).
I have the original HomePod speakers and have been using them as a stereo pair in an Apple TV 4K home theater arrangement since "day one". However, I noticed that when I placed them on free standing speaker pedestals that the sound scape improved dramatically as opposed to the way they were placed on a shelf away from the wall mounted HDTV as shown in the video. (An arrangement that was very similar to the way I initially installed and placed my HomePods. I don't know why that would make a sound difference - but it did.
The wall proximity stayed the same?
@@adamfrisk956 Hello Adam. This is one time that I wish RUclips would allow attaching a photo since a picture would illustrate far better than these words alone. But, here goes. My original HomePod speaker placements were directly in front of my large screen HDTV (which was placed on a glass topped TV console stand. There was only about 7" of clearance between the HomePod speaker and the front edge of the HDTV. Also, since the HomePods were placed on top of the glass HDTV stand-as the HDTV was-it would be as if the HomePods were placed "on the floor" in a way.
Now the HomePods are placed on slim speaker stands where the top of the speaker stands are actually slightly smaller than the base of the HomePod. And the HomePods are spaced further apart from each other.by about two feet then they were before and they are away from a back wall by about 18" - as opposed to about 7" away from the HDTV as previously stated. Finally,, since the HomePods are now on speaker stands, they are about 7" higher from my living room floor than they were placed on that HDTV glass console top and the effect is if HomePods are "floating in air" rather than sitting on top of a surface.
Even though the HomePods have an omnidirectional speaker arrangement design, perhaps in the original placement on top of that HDTV glass console top, they now have more "free space" for their sound to propagate throughout the room now that they have been placed on speaker stands away from any other living room element which seems to result in a better overall "soundscape".
You can already tell it's gonna be a really good video if the thumbnail has Jonathan giving his "I am dead inside" face that he had in the refurbished iMac vid.
I always get compliments from guests when they come over and I have music playing or a movie going on my dual OG HomePods. I also have mine more spaced out and not sitting in front of the TV. I find that it works better for the room I have them in.
I get the same with my Home Pod 2 😊
@@jackdominiak445 heck yeah!
Yes, i changed my Teufel 5.1 to two HP2 - and the only thing i am missing is the surround behind me. But thats ok. if i look a movie, besides the phenomenal music sound, i missing nothing. Only to turn the bass a little bit down ;) For those who have problems or think two connected with a apple tv 4k with ARC does not sound correct, try to move the speakers where they stand left/right or more front or back. Mine are on two cupboards left and right of my tv and are ca. 1,2 meters from the TV away to fill the room and the point where i am sitting. And after experiment with the placement on the boards, one is more to wall as the other, i have a perfect center sound at speech and the effects or music on movies are nearly perfect half surround. So after 10 years with 5.1 i am happy so far and so is my wife, cause all the speakers, 10 meters of cable and the big Dolby Receiver is gone from cupboard where the TV stands. ;))) And remember measure is one thing, but everybody hears differently and i dont give a thing on measurements. I only decide what i like and hear in my ears!
And if Apple in the future get the ass up and do expand Airplay to connect two HPMinis as Surround Speakers and maybe one as real center, that would be perfect :)))
Stop inviting them. They are guests and they are complaining at YOUR home? Not nice.
@@jackdominiak445 same here. HP 2 stereo pair have been phenomenal.
I actually like the look of the boxy speakers! Gives the setup more character!
Yeah I like how he kept saying the HomePods looked better but honestly the normal speakers looked way better. They give you an actual home movie theater look
It just depends on what you want. Apple is all about minimalism. Its like tesla, some think it looks modern but they can also look bland.
I'd love a proper home theatre setup, but for my little rented apartment, a Sonos Beam, two Ones and the Sub Mini is a fantastic setup
Get a Sony A90J Bravia or later, you won't need a sound bar 😊
@@jackdominiak445 I have an A90K and while it's better than most TVs of similar thinness, my Sonos Beam completely decimates it and I consider it a must have. My cheap 10 yr old LG CS560 had better speakers than the A90K tbh.
Sonos Ones are very good for TV. Front firing rather than multidirectional like the Homepod.
Quick feedback regarding the graphs comparing Homepods 1 + 2, the red and green lines are VERY hard to see on a mobile screen - maybe make them thicker or brighter?
Side note have you ever been tested for colour blindness? I’m watching on a phone and the lines were clear as day to me
I have the first gen dual HomePod setup, and it’s amazing for home theater application. Way better sounding than anything at comparable price. Punching way above its price. I also think it takes little time for it to adjust to different rooms.
I live in a small apartment and a HomePod mini really gets the job done most of the time. I think the way HomePods are designed make them a really good “single-speaker” option, but for more complicated multi-speaker setups they don’t seem quite there yet 🧐
Seriously. That’s what I had and people even mentioned the sound was amazing and that they wanted one. And it was a bigger apartment. It worked crazy good for the size. But I use an iPhone and MacBook and AirPods.. so it made sense.
I pick up two OG home pods for $150 each a few years back. Use them as my living room tv speakers. Still haven’t heard a system that sounds better for total of 300.
The dolby atmos is something that works differently for most audio devices. For some it does make the vocals distant, leaving a hole in the mids, for some it keeps the voice in the centre while expanding everything else. And OF COURSE that you'll get the sound to float around you only in between the homepods, but it's normal. Every 2.0 or 2.1 system is lile that.
I would have loved a comparison with the Homepod Mini in a stereo pair. I know it’s not going to be better and will actually be worse, but this is something that I use currently because it’s actually better than my cheap soundbar. I’ve been considering upgrading to the 2nd gen Homepods but before I drop $600 on a pair I want to know what kind of upgrade it wold be. As of now, I’m still on the fence and probably just going to go for an Atmos sondbar or speaker arrangement.
@@Moody_Blues_ This is actually really good feedback. I like that you note the 500 euro sweet spot for “good enough”. I’ve seen a few “just sound bars” around this (ie: Bose) but they tend to be noted as having weak bass so I’ve been looking around for something that includes a sub, at this point. Polk has a setup that I’m eyeing that’s just south of $500 that seems well reviewed. I might just go with this until and unless I want significantly more and have the bigger budget for it.
It’s videos like this that make me wonder why lmg didn’t just make an ecosystem channel with different flavors of video. Because I’d love to see this with the nest speakers and googletv, or Samsungs connectivity in smartthings to phones etc.
Like videos for apple, Samsung, google, etc with specific hosts, but each getting the focused treatment on nuances and deficits of each hardware stack.
I've been considering the Amazon speakers. Wish you would've used the accompanying subwoofers they sell for em. I've read decent things online for it
I think it's worth noting that the environment you were listening to them in probably didn't help. It looked like there was a big open space behind you, which would explain why you didn't feel like you were getting a sense of spacial audio since there wasn't enough nearby walls for it to feel like the sound was reflecting back on you. I don't have the HomePods second gen, just the OG but I'm often surprised by how strong the spacial effect can feel in my apartment.
I also suspect one of the reasons you like the echos more for music is because the HomePods made the 'bold' choice to go with force-cancelling woofers. Basically if you live in an apartment, your neighbours won't hate you because your bass isn't shaking the whole building, at the same time because your spleen isn't shaking the same way it is when you get in your buddy Skooter's Camero and he blasts Katy Perry's 'I Kissed a Girl' like back in the day, you may be inclined to think that they don't sound as good because you're not feeling it in your bones.
Interestingly though, if you wanted to use the dumb speakers with AirPlay you didn't even need an adapter if you've got them hooked up to the Apple TV, granted it'll turn on the TV if the audio is going out of a TV, but I used to have my gen 3 Apple TV connected to a Onkyo reciever and it'd do just audio when I AirPlayed, so if you did get a receiver you could do that. (Though realistically if you're gonna get a receiver these days there's a good chance it'll have AirPlay built in.)
Anyway, I love my OG HomePods, don't have cash to kill on a second gen, but I suspect they still sound pretty good in an ideal environment. Also for a listening test, you might want to try having somebody pick out songs you haven't heard before for the tests so that you don't have the bias of, 'how close is this to what I expect' vs 'does this sound good'.
The space where they film the shots isn't where the testing happens... They don't shoot a video and it goes straight to RUclips all in a day's work.
The last video was 2 weeks ago.
Thanks for the comment, because you're entirely correct! A large space would be detrimental to simulating spatial audio. For clarity though, the "living room" we shot in is just a set; our actual use of the speakers was done in several different rooms of varying sizes, from a small bedroom-like setting, to a wide open living space.
@@macaddress In other words, u spin it, into whatever u want it to be 😏
@@macaddress Dude, how am I supposed to schill for Apple if you respond in a reasonable manner? How dare you! Seriously though, that sucks that you have to be so close to hear it. In my living room (apartment sized, shaped like an L with door ways open to a hallway and a kitchen) when I'm between the HomePods but back against a wall in my recliner it really feels like I'm enveloped in sound. But again I do have the OG HomePods... this conversation makes me almost want to blow a ton of money on new homepods just to see if they're worse than what I have :P
10:30 - The Airport Express A1392 can do this job as well, supporting 3.5mm/Mini-TOSLINK out for digital or analog. However, they are long since discontinued, who knows how long they'll still be supported, and you have to compete with people on ebay for them.
I like mine though for multiroom Airplay 2 and compatibility with your speakers or AVR of choice.
I got the Edifier S2000MKIII in 2020 for $319 on an early black friday deal and couldn't be happier. The sound quality is spectacular and sounds very full for my theatre setup and has enough inputs and bluetooth connectivity that I never felt I needed them to be smarter. Although, I also have a Google Home Max that I got before they discontinued it for $150 and that fills all of my normal music and smart speaker needs. I do turn on the Edifiers for music if I want a little bigger or more room filling sound though.
I'm your distant relative😅 I use a google nest speaker that I paid $35 for and an Insignia 5.1 W/8" sub when watching blurays or when I really want a party in my room with sound I can feel 😊
does the homepod mini sound any different than the larger ones?
Was great seeing Sam from the labs, I know this is edited very differently from LTT videos and it probably won't be possible every time but it would be great to see more people from the labs talking about their data and not just showing the graphs with someone else's narration.
After doing a home theater setup myself, the best option long term: Get good sounding speakers not smart one.
"Smart" standards change minimum all 10 years. A good speaker can last longer. Work with dongles to get the latest connectivity. Work with traditional speaker to keep your good sound.
Go to a shop where you can compare speakers. You can recognize the quality differences . This makes the decision to go with good dumb speakers much easier.
By the way comparing directional speaker to round one as they did here, is a generally bad idea.
On my tv, I have 2 HomePod minis in a stereo pair and they sound really good imo. They look great, sound great, and we’re easy to set up. I use all apple (when I have the choice) so they fit in great
On 1:34 I believe the source may be incorrect, because my Homepod mini connects to the 5GHz network, and does not disconnect when my router is set to ac/ax only.
I won’t lie as someone who has been using the homepod 1st gen for over 4 years now as my main tv speakers they have been great! I love the sound that comes out of them and how small they are! I was looking into maybe getting a sonos arc but seeing how big it is i just can’t find a spot for it, so riding my HomePod till they die🫡
AirPort Express 802.11n (2nd Generation) Adding the AirPort Express Base Station A1392 model to your network is super easy, and allows you to use AirPlay 2 with anything plugged into its headphone port. It's pretty dang good at driving a line level sound source as well,
Funny, I always found the original HomePod to sound a bit boomy and muddy, so I prefer the clearer upper midrange of the 2nd gen. It's totally subjective of course, but I quite like a bit of a "smile" curve that emphasizes bass and treble over the lower mids. It's pretty much what the loudness button used to do on old hi-fi receivers.
Exactly my experience as well as other audiophile reviewers. The 2nd Gen sounds more spacious. It's subjective indeed.
V shape enjoyer
I wish I could hear the stereo pair HP2 in my room for myself before I buy.
@@rssimmons Buy a pair from Apple and try them for 2 weeks, then return if unappealing.
I have 2 homepod gen 2 in stereo connected to my mac mini m2 pro over airplay. Sounds amazing to me, but would like a few features like bass/vocal adjustments. Also, sound quality varies on what type of surface you have them on.
You can put HomePod in any other places other than below your TV.
I have seen people putting them on the sides of their couch ( in like a coffee table setup) where they can play music by handoff through iPhone,
Tv sounds much closer to them..
You may want to try that as the sound profile would be better that way and you can’t do that with those chunky classic home theatre setups.
6:43 With the extra 200 dollars on the amazon setup. You should have include the echo subwoofer. That way, you'll get the best that both companies can offer at the same price.
Sound they say is subject indeed. Other audiophile reviewers said the 2nd Gen HomePod is better in sound compared to the 1st Gen. And from what I've heard myself, the 2nd Gen sounds more spacious and clearer.
We went with an LG Soundbar with eARC (that also happens to have Bluetooth capabilities) and it’s been working well. With having it attached to an LG Smart TV with Magic Remote, we do still have assistant functionality if we want it, but don’t really ever use it. 🤷🏼♀️
I really wish Apple would come out with a sound bar with an Apple TV built in, and that you could then pair with a couple HomePods or Homepod minis. Or better yet an actual TV running TVOS, either their own brand or team up with Samsung or LG.
Im currently looking to get a sleek-ish set up for our ''main'' living room. In the media room ,Downstair, we will have 5.2.5 channel using traditionnal AVR + speaker. I love the look of having two homepod, but performance wise i'd have to listen to them before commiting.
This was excellent. I would love to see similar for a Sonos vs traditional 5.1 hometheater. Why from MA, you ask? Because Jonathan seems to have solved the form / functionality balance equation.
Why didn't you show any soundtests with the edifiers?
It's refreshing to see an honest review from a genuine Apple fan.
This is why MacAddress is great. He’s no biased like other Apple FanBois
I use homepod mini's connected in the same way to my apple tv. They are locked to stereo, so there are no issues with atmos. Mine are mounted in outlets, so the sound is really spread out. The most recent apple tv update messed up arc/earc with my TV in some way. But my TV is about 6 years old. If you have two minis, give it a try and see how you like it.
Watching Mac Address is like watching a drama on tech.
I'm an audio professional and i would opt for Studio monitors through an audio interface ... everywhere tbh.
I use similar edifier speakers on my pc, but it also has a sub. Living room I got a sonos arc, sub and 2 300s
Would love to have a direct comparison to Sonos One, wonder if HomePods will be better or just the same, considering they are almost on the same price point.
Speaker wire/amplifier really isn’t so bad. Someday speakers like this will catch up but not yet.
Speaker wire + amp is a significantly less attractive setup to me, having an extra box and wires everywhere is not appealing.
@@dexopaw and it’s way more expensive
I was looking at using the homepod mini's instead of the cheap soundbar I have. Wondering if they'd sound okay?
He’s not being negative lately, he’s being honest.
Can you not fix the "bumps" using the Apple Music EQ settings? I personally use two Homepods and Plexamp for my home listening. The EQ settings in that app are great for customising audio.
I think a comparison with some of Sonos' solutions would have fit in - they fill that space of apple-like designed, high quality speakers, and integrate well into the whole ecosystem.
do the other options require another remote? part of the upgrade here with the HomePods to me is having no 3rd soundbar remote to juggle. I know eARC can control soundbars without their remote but I’ve found it finicky
Mine works pretty good. Im shocked at how good they sound with my TV. There is no delay even when watching over the air TV.
For my setup in my bedroom I have two HomePod minis and an Apple TV 4th gen (not 4k) and I love the way it sounds. I have the speakers back by my rather than in front of the tv. So it might sound dumb “placing your head between them for optimal sound,” I do believe that having them back by where you are listening does achieve good atmos sound. And can be done with older models of Apple TVs but you have to use Apple TV apps and occasionally have to reconnect speakers to the Apple TV through the audio output settings. I also would like to see a comparison to Sonos speakers since they do support airplay and have really good Dolby Atmos sound. I’m also curious if you can add 4 HomePods (2 large and 2 minis) and seeing how that sounds. Also I did love the sound comparison between the two generations. I have had a traditional 1st gen I have used for years and it still sounds great audio wise. I was thinking about getting a new one but sounds like it’s not as nice of a speaker.
You left your apple id in the last minute. Not sure if you're interested in taking that out (given recent events) but just wanted to give a heads-up.
Have you considered a career in baseball? Cause that was a good catch. Blurred now, thanks!
I appreciate that you took the time to do frequency measurements. However, you NEED to do off axis and transient response (how long it takes for a frequency to decay after it’s played) measurements. As you have a multi directional speaker these two measurements will paint a much clear picture of what’s going on.
I know this isn’t a speaker review channel - but that 3-4dB delta measurement means a lot less then you think it does.
Probably if you put two more speakers in the back of the room, it probably would sound better or placed the two speakers in the center of the room. I’m guessing might make a sound a little bit better if you want to keep using that as your normal set up!
Yeah, when apple figures out how to do that.
I have a JBL Bar 9.1 but the dialogue is very low when processing Dolby Atmos, it’s connected to LG GX OLED eARC port and streaming through Apple TV 4K. My question is, can I add homepod as a centre to support the dialogue?
the background music.... i feel like i'm watching Sims doing a youtube video
4:58 I’ve notice the same weird sound issues, some times it will sound good and some times it would sound bad
Just a heads up that green and red might not work the best for graph comparisons for ye old colourblinds. Really liked the video idea so maybe worth a full LTT comparing amazon, apple, google, sonos, and homebrew smart speaker theater rooms is the next step?
Instead of the Belkin you can use an old Apple AirPort Express router instead - £12
OMG I forgot I have one of those
Jonathan, I really wish to know how much audio latency on gaming with the home pod setup was.
4:05 When it comes to music in Dolby Atmos , it’s not so much that the HomePod doesn’t do a good job of playing it, but it’s more that Dolby mixes are not quite there yet. I use AirPods Pro and the dolby mix of any record sounds dull or to spacy. Some instruments sound louder or quieter than others. When you change it to Stereo (Dolby off) like in the video, it sounds way way better.
I use a pair of 20+ year old Pioneer speakers. 12" woofer, 4.5" Mid-range, 2.5" tweeter and an acoustic port. They sound phenomenal and I have gotten a lot of compliments from guests. I have them coupled to a rather low wattage Sony receiver/amp. It works just great! It is a dumb system but it was inexpensive and really gets the job done. I do use the AppleTV 4K box for the TV part, though.
Hi James, do you have your setup connected to the Apple tv? What cable did you use? Thanks
@@_Just_Some1 The Apple TV supplies picture and sound to the TV via an HDMI cable that came with it. From there I use standard audio cables with RCA plugs to route the sound from TV audio out jacks to the receivers audio in jacks. That's it. It works beautifully.
@@jamesthompson3099 thank you!!
Great to see LTT labs being put to use for once
What about homepod mini stereo setup ? Is it better in this price range ?
My parents have a setup with 2 1st gen speakers under their TVs. I’ve tried adding 2 of my HomePods mini on each sides of the couch when I went to their house during a vacation. And that makes a huge difference by having those small speakers bringing back the higher end noises that are sometimes lost in the bases of the HomePods (especially when someone is talking and the microphone they used is subpar)
Holy shit yall apple guys do too much instead of just buying non apple speakers.
@@hidingmyrealname i mean that just somewhat replicate a real surround sound system
@@vizender how is it possible? If you have to homepods OG, paired as stereo to your Apple TV and then you will just add homepod minis in the back duplicating the original sound from TV, then you won't have surround. Minis will play everything, not only sounds that should come from back... If you will have 5 speakers and 1 sub all playing the same sound in the same time independently it won't be 5.1 system...
@@kamilzawadzki4971 yes, but because the are much smaller, they bring back up slightly the high to mid that can be lost in the bass of the larger HomePods. That’s exactly why did not say it’s a surround.
But the 2 larger HomePods still make the majority of the sound and they are the one making the heavy lifting for the stereo
Did you check to make sure sound check was turned off for Apple Music? My music sounded moderate and pretty quiet until I adjusted some default settings Apple set.
I use a kinda dual speaker setup.
For music from Vinyl I only use my shelf speakers. For movies I also activate my Towers. They get much deeper while the shelf speakers are more pronounced overall.
Jonathan, again a great video. I myself love my AppleTV 4K but stick to my “complicated” Marantz AV-receiver and Focal front speakers (and a Focal center speaker, a sub and two surround speakers) for movies and music. My setup ain’t smart but sounds amazing. That counts, to me.
I’m actually surprised that Apple wasn’t capping I thought the sound quality being about the same despite the cutbacks.
The best option is dumb speakers, I have a 2021 Apple TV 4K connected to a 65 inch LG OLED and a pair of Kanto TUK speakers, they’re a little pricey (if you can’t get them discounted like I did) but the sound quality is insane, the design is futuristic and they have every connection you can think of, RCA, Bluetooth, USB port for digital audio with a PC, optical, phono to connect vinyl players if you’re into that.
We’ve got a 1st gen HomePod pair and an Apple TV 4K. It definitely has its limitations, but it really is the simplest solution for a small space. We want hands-free control of Apple Music and we want decent sound for our TV. There are undoubtedly better solutions for both, but I would have to spend more and have more devices cluttering my surfaces. The compromise of using HomePods for home theatre isn’t really that painful for us.
same i’m 19 in a small room and my grandmas in the room next to me. i have atv 4k 3rd gen and homepods were a no brained for me. sound great for me plus i use apple music heavily and the seamlessness is amazing
I use 2nd Roland MA-150, 50€, I don't even switch ON the subwoofer. Buy some foam support and you're done. Coax, spdif, rca, many inputs on these things.
There’s no way you didn’t mention Sonos in this video lol. Great audio, ease of setup for an apple user and play1s are like the same price as the HomePod
Sonos is in the business of selling you a hardware subscription, soon whatever you have from them will be bricked and you won't even be able to use it as a dumb speaker. Garbage company.
@@evildude109 talking about hardware subscriptions on an apple HomePod for surround sound video on a mac channel lol come on now man. Obviously so is isn’t the best solution but Sonos might seriously fit this market for the type of person who would want 2 home pods as tv speakers lol think about it. 2 good sounding speakers that are easy to setup and also function as a smart speaker (w google assistant that we all know is miles better than Siri or Alexa)
@@BKnight7z The difference is that Apple has a history of supporting their products a long damn time, Sonos less so. I dislike Apple's behavior as much as the next guy but Sonos is a different tier of insane.
@@evildude109 while I agree with you I think if anyone would be interested in Sonos given all their pitfalls it would be the person who would want to buy 2 HomePods as speakers. Also including it in the video would be a good opportunity to talk about the pitfalls w the company and help people decide if Sonos would be worth it for them or not. Even if it wasn’t the recommended alternative option at the end
Question: would you recommend two HomePod Minis or one full size HomePod? If all you could buy were HomePods.
One full sized one. The Two can’t compare
I have them and honestly i was dissaointed a little. It doesnt feed as loud as a home theatre could be, and there’s a lack of bass without a subwoofer. I think if i could attach a subwoofer, it would be much better
It's kind of expected. Even a really good pair of speakers still needs a subwoofer. The drivers are simply not designed to produce that much subbass.
@@niko1even returning to this to say since ive had the speakers a while, the bass is okay. it can be loud sometimes, i was actually surprised when i was in the other room and i could hear it bumping through the walls. its hard to say theyre really good or worth the money, but there have been some instances where they have really impressed me. for instance, i was sleeping in the other room and i was listening to music while i fell asleep and it literally sounded like someone was sitting in the other room playing the piano in real life. the audio quality seems to be very very good, albiet not the best bass. sometimes i feel like they dont get loud enough but ive found it entirely depends on the quality of the audio of the video/music im consuming. some movies and shows its very loud, other shows i have to turn them all the way up to hear the dialogue. overall i would reccommend these for a small living room or the master bed, if you have a very big living room dont even bother.
Currently using 2x Homepod Minis because my tower speakers, sattelite surrounds, sub, and receiver are all still in storage after moving. The minis work surprisingly well - refurbished they were $60, and they manage to sound clear and loud enough in my 22x24 foot bonus room that will be the home theater. They're at least on par with soundbars that cost a similar price. Once I unpack the home theater for this room, I'll probably keep the homepod minis around for the downstairs TV which only gets used for casual content watching cooking / eating. I already had the AppleTV 4K, and was going to put a HomePod mini in the room anyway so the only cost to me was a second homepod mini (so $60) for that room.
Same here! I’m really loving the sound and small footprint of the two minis. And the blue looks pretty cool on my stand
I can't believe you genuinely like the look of any of those smart home speakers over the traditional speakers. The actual speakers look way more attractive, although they are larger. I don't understand why "gray blobs" are the aesthetic so many companies are aiming for now. If you place them where they make sense, real speakers look great.
My home theater system's sound stopped working, so we use my old homepod, and it sounds just as good, I think. Does it sound better than the new ones? Also, my old HomePod works fine with my regular AppleTV and 4K pre 2021. These new ones don't?
It was strange to hear the appearance of the traditional speakers given as their primary downside. I'd say that they look a lot better than either of the smart speakers in this video. "They look like speakers." Yes! Good!
People are weird these days. I like real speakers that look like speakers, none of this smart speaker or soundbar crap. I only wish I had a way to talk to Siri on my AppleTV without needing my TV on and my Siri remote. If Apple put a line out jack on the Homepod so I could use real speakers, I might have bought one.
I’ve been using two OG HomePods and a Apple TV set up for a little over 3 years now. For the size of living room I have is great. I bought my HomePods used though, I paid $200 for one and $150 for the other.
I wouldn't sub to any channel dedicated to apple products. But i broke the rule because Jon is so good
This is an anti Apple dedicated Chanel 🤣
Being able to airplay from a mac to the homepods, such as sitting with a macbook nearby is a useful feature. But, the HomePod(big) is still pricy for that. I have some mini's setup sitting on opposite sides of a room for separation (an upside of wireless) that work for now, but eventually they'll be replaced by a proper home theater setup and possibly dedicated speakers for music that sounds, better.
I could see for around like $400 or so the bigger homepods would be a neat area speaker, but for $600 I could have homepod minis and some reasonable speakers setup. The mids are a bit disappointing however, even just a simple 5 band eq to nudge it might have helped.
Siri is useful, kind of. Too many and they all start messing with each other and I have to whisper to my phone to prevent from having timers set all across the building.
Clickbait title… it wasn’t bad. HomePods as a mono speaker is fine, but not for stereo or surround. I also disagree with the decor issue, while it’s subjective… any speaker we can see will stand out if you’re looking for it. I’ve seen no reason to replace my old component stereo system, but for convenience at a TV, a sound bar really can’t be beat.
0:19 damn that's some nice options on the back of the amp. I hate Denon though but it's just missing pre-outs and that would be the all-around best one to have before professional grade systems.
Sony tv is the best
No Samsung is the best
hell nah
Lol LG makes OLED panels for Sony and other companies like samsung. LG OLED TVs rule.
Bruh just buy whatever rtings says
@@niko1even I don’t know about LG tvs though. Every LG product I’ve ever owned (especially the TVs) ended breaking down or overall sucking. I usually go for Samsung or Sony. Maybe that’s just me.
Which firmware did you run the HomePods on? In my opinion Apple changed a lot with 16.4. The HomePods 2 sounds different after installing the last update. Maybe you do an additional test?
Nothing beats an amplifier and multiple speakers . . . the technology hasn't improved sound, just made it more convenient. And often I take that compromise but not with movies. My original HomePod sounds great and I often take it on vacations because it travels well in a checked bag and can seriously transform a pool area or living room so long as you've got an outlet and wifi nearby.
Your comedy style is on point and perfect for the theme of this channel. Bravo!
Personally I think the edifier speakers look better than either smart speaker option. They're nice-looking speakers and they don't look out of place sitting on either side of a TV.
I have been using 1gen HomePods in stereo pair for about 2 years. I care a lot about decorating my in away that tech don’t stand out so much. What I can say about the audio is that I like it for what I use it for, I know that an sonos arc would be the better choice, but the HomePods is sounding good and loud for my apartment. Also when I moved to another apartment I noticed a difference in the sound. What I am tho worried about is the software support and pray that it will always be able to connect to any Apple TV I use. But I have my doubts…
Any idea what the latency for using the HomePods with the audio return channel was?
Why there is no mention of IKEA/Sonos Symfonisk speakers? They are comparably cheaper and are able to stereo pair and can make use of airplay 2
I own a full Sonos set up and there is no shot this is a better idea than a mid range Sonos bar. Their airplay works perfectly
Edifier sound better of pair of HomePod ? Music only or for music and movie ?
for literally everything. I have a pair and they sound amazing.
im sorry but didn’t the analyst’s macbook keyboard backlight turn red? is it modified?
Linus only has them pretend to use Apple products when filming (forgot about the gaming PC 🤣), so that to the uneducated they don't seem biased against Apple 🤣
There are smaller and cleaner looking bookshelf speakers available. My R1280T is only a bit bigger than one HomePod.