What Hi-Fi? reviews Apple’s HomePod: ‘The best-sounding smart speaker currently available’

“That Apple does things in its own sweet time is no new discovery. But even by its own standards, the company arrived late to the wireless speaker party,” What Hi-Fi? writes. “But being late is perfectly acceptable if you’re the life and soul when you arrive – and that’s pretty much the story with the HomePod.”
“Despite some flaws and limitations, the HomePod is the best-sounding smart speaker available – and by quite a margin. When combined with Siri’s reinvention as your personal DJ/musical guru, it makes for an endlessly entertaining all-in-one system,” What Hi-Fi? writes. “It comes as no surprise the HomePod is beautifully made and looks classy. It’s a bit smaller, and much heavier, than you might imagine – dense in the manner of dark matter… But the really impressive stuff is hidden beneath that acoustically transparent mesh.”
“Having started with an entirely clean slate and apparently worked on concepts for years (HomePod development began in 2012), Apple eventually settled on having the tweeters at the bottom and the woofer at the top – the exact opposite of the arrangement found in most traditional speakers,” What Hi-Fi? writes. “The tweeters fire outwards and are angled slightly upwards, with the intention of not bouncing sound off the surface upon which the HomePod is placed. By avoiding these reflections, Apple can exert greater control over the treble’s behaviour.”
Apple’s HomePod
 
“For scale, authority, drive and excitement, the Apple speaker is just superb,” What Hi-Fi? writes. “You still need to be a dedicated Apple user to even consider the HomePod, and Apple Music needs to be your default streaming service for you to get anything like the best out of it. If that sounds like you, the HomePod is the party-rocking, musical horizon-broadening smart speaker you’ve been waiting for.”
Much more in the full review here.
MacDailyNews Take: In almost any reasonably-sized room, two stereo paired HomePods are pure bliss!
SEE ALSO:
Apple cuts price of HomePod worldwide, now $299 in U.S. – April 4, 2019
No, Apple’s HomePod is not a ‘flop’ – March 8, 2019
After a year with Apple’s HomePods, I’m glad I bought them – February 28, 2019
Apple’s HomePod sold 1.6 million units last holiday quarter – February 20, 2019
Apple’s HomePod shipments surged 45% in holiday quarter – February 19, 2019