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AI-generated summary
First off, if you’re wondering where I got my HomePod, I simply ordered it on eBay. If you find the right seller you can get one for under €400 — beyond that it’s highway robbery, and you’re better off waiting for the official spring release.
Design, or minimalism according to Apple
The HomePod came in two colours: black and white. I ordered the first version. Black suits it perfectly — it blends into the room effortlessly and few people even notice it. Its size is remarkably small — honestly, I didn’t expect it to be that compact. In terms of height, it’s barely taller than an iPhone Plus.
It has some real weight to it — which, incidentally, is what reassured me when buying through eBay: you never quite know what you’re going to get. The weight isn’t a problem since it’s not a portable speaker.
The black version picks up dust a little, so remember to clean it. My HomePod has taken up residence in the kitchen, which is mostly white — the speaker almost disappears into the background.
As for controls, the HomePod has touch controls on top. One tap wakes it up and starts the last radio you listened to; the touch buttons plus and minus raise or lower the volume. To turn it off you can ask Siri, or a tap on the touch surface will do the trick. Apparently a double tap and triple tap let you skip to the next track or go back to the previous one — though I haven’t tested that yet.
Sound quality
The sound is quite impressive, especially in terms of audio detail. Listening to blues — specifically the Larry Garner album — I genuinely feel like the singer is right next to me. Guitars and vocals come through superbly. It’s hard to believe a single speaker can bring out so much detail; thank the 7 tweeters for that.
The bass is impressive and sometimes almost a touch heavy for such a small device. It sounds wonderful and will delight hip-hop fans!
In short, this speaker is remarkable for filling a room like mine, which is around 30 square metres. I’ll admit I’m curious to try it in stereo, but the budget is another matter.
In terms of sound quality, I genuinely enjoyed listening to blues, rock and classical music on it.
One caveat: I own Elipson speakers and a REGA amplifier, and the sound quality simply isn’t comparable. My hi-fi setup stays in the living room; the HomePod is dedicated to the kitchen and bedroom.
In an open-plan apartment, a stereo HomePod setup could absolutely be enough to enjoy your music properly.
Siri for connected features
I’ve read plenty of criticism about Siri on the HomePod, but personally I don’t expect much from voice assistants. To give you a sense of how I use them: I ask them to set reminders, trigger a lighting scene with my Hue bulbs, or start a radio station on Apple Music.
In the end I’ve found that for my particular use of Siri, the HomePod is a perfect fit. The fact that it’s English-only means I can launch a blues radio station, whereas Siri on my iPhone simply can’t manage it — it hears “blouse” instead, which is just hopeless…
The microphone sensitivity is extraordinary — even with the music blasting it picks up commands perfectly.
Conclusion
It’s hard to benchmark this connected speaker since it’s the only one I own. While I wait to try the stereo feature, I’m genuinely a fan of the HomePod. Sound quality is my number one criterion when choosing a speaker. Siri doesn’t do everything, and honestly I can’t picture myself asking it to start a specific album — that’s where I use AirPlay.
The best spot for this speaker in my home is the kitchen — I quickly fire up a track by voice while I’m cooking.
