@@minivansegway I don't have a bad lag problem, but if I'm watching something and have something else playing on silent it will wreck havoc with the sound. I really wish I could hardwire them thru USB-C.
Aside from the speaker functionality, I use HomePods for smart home control via voice…but only as a secondary platform. I find HomeKit to be one of Apples flakiest products/platforms. I’ve had better luck and more versatility using Home Assistant as the brain of my smart home and having that present itself to HomeKit as a “bridge” with all its devices. Then when HomeKit flakes out my smart home isn’t useless and my wife losses the Siri voice control. Things usually keep purring away on the Home Assistant side.
I am in the Apple ecosystem but have the Amazon Echo devices as well including the Echo Studio speakers and subwoofer for my living room TV. The problem is I can only use it with the FireTV cube which I do not like. Now that Apple is upgrading Siri in IOS 18, I will switch over to the HomePod and HomePod minis and use an iPad in spots where I feel I need a screen. My guess is Apple will introduce at some point a HomePod device with a screen as well. It will be an expensive shift but for me it is worth settling on one ecosystem for my home. I liked your assessment and the way you present. I will subscribe to your channel. Thanks for posting.
I have home assistant and anything not on homekit i can make it pop up in homekit with my integration and talking to siri i can make it do so much more than it was ever able to before.
Can you elaborate a bit more on how HomePods can also broadcast regular TV? I have a pair of original HomePods hooked up and they broadcast sound from my Apple TV. How does it broadcast regular TV? Maybe I am wrong on what I heard? Thanks and love your channel.
You need an Apple TV 4K and make sure it's plugged into the eARC port of your TV. From there, within audio settings you're able to select it as the "Audio Return Channel" and have it be used for the rest of your TV. Similar to how soundbars use ARC to be the audio source for the rest of the TV!
I originally got it for meetings using it with my telephone and online meetings during Corona... I was so dissapointed, people told me the quality was bad, it sound like I was talking into a tube. ... So I got a Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1, it has many of the same features but with Alexa and the sound is great ! You can use the equalizer if the bass is to loud, and you can take it with you into the bath or out to the beach. I absolutely recommend this speaker, you can use 2 in stereo.
I have two mini's and one HomePod. I also use a Google Home Hub because of the screen and speaker. I tried an iPad and HomePod combo but it's just not seamless. Hopefully Apple fixes that this year.
I have two of these HomePods connected to my TV they work very well, but I've had to turn off Siri because there are so many words on the television that sound like Siri and Siri thinks I'm trying to say Siri that it cancels the sound and Siri asks me what can I help you with, I have turned off the base but still it booms sometimes to fix this. I've put the speakers apart. They seem to work perfectly well now I'm thinking of buying two of the smaller speakers to add to the two larger speakers to try and get a more sound surround, do you think this would work? Many thanks if you reply.
I considered the HomePod when I purchased a 4K AppleTV, but in the end I opted for the Echo Studio. Partly my choice was based on price but mostly it was because I already had other Echo devices paired with smart plugs. Also, the bass and treble are adjustable through the Alexa app, so for me it offered more bang for the buck.
Definitely sounds like it! I've never been invested in the Alexa ecosystem, but Amazon seems the most interested in trying out different things than Apple/Google! Nice to hear that's working for you!
These are also not the OG HomePods; the originals sound better but lack humidity sensors. I have used them with my Apple TV but I honestly cannot figure out eARC to make them work with consoles.
Yes but $400 for 2 homepods vs nearly $1k for a sonos system which is limited by their awful app.....the choice is clear. No the homepods aren't meant to be a soundbar replacement but the dollar for dollar value is immensely more enticing favoring Homepods.
I set automations on my iphone, ipad or even my macbook air m1. I have 2 homepods minis and they are hooded up to 2 apple tv4k. my 3rd tv4k is hooked too my onkyo amp and Mirage speakers. I set the onkyo amp volume as the TV volume and set it up on a smart plug so it turns on when I turn on the tv4k and the tv turns on with arc.
Full sized HomePods, HomePod minis and AppleTVs all work as HomeKit hubs with ability to do automations. Home Assistant is far more advanced than HomeKit alone.
.. and even if yo have several apple thingies, if you your phone is not on the same internet as the homepod, It refuses to do what you tell it to do. It seems flawed that you cannot set it up and someone else can hear music, turn on the light or turn it off, while you are away from home. That other house person has to be on the same network and be invited to be part of your home. Homepod should be intelligent enough to act on its own. And then there is the music/radio alternative.. I still have not had success using Spotify, Deezer, Tunein or independent radiostations that has an app on the appstore. I think apple have done to little, especially if you think about how google and Amazon has delivered their speakers. Apple seems to limit themselves too much, take a bit of that apple, apple!
I love the sound of mine, but the bugginess and the fact that Siri actually works about 10% of the time, even with basic functions like music control makes me furious
i have a couple of minis around the house, i thought they were ok untill i bought the homepods 2....on their own the minis are fine, but in comparison to the bigger brothers they sound like trash! the homepods 2 look and sound amazing ! even better than my beloved bang and olufsen a9!
I have lost count of how many times my home pod minis have failed to connect, and how many hours I've spent trying to get them to work. Infuriating. I love Apple stuff, it usually "just works." Not these things. Waste of money.
This guys always looking to nit pic about a missing feature in a device that clearly was not intended to have said feature. Next he will complain about a tablet that can't make phone calls.
I have a pair of mini's that I use as my computer speakers. Great little sound system.
have you found a fix for the lag? I haven't been able to get rid of it
@@minivansegway I don't have a bad lag problem, but if I'm watching something and have something else playing on silent it will wreck havoc with the sound. I really wish I could hardwire them thru USB-C.
Damn fine, video Jimmy. Your channel is underrated.
Aside from the speaker functionality, I use HomePods for smart home control via voice…but only as a secondary platform. I find HomeKit to be one of Apples flakiest products/platforms. I’ve had better luck and more versatility using Home Assistant as the brain of my smart home and having that present itself to HomeKit as a “bridge” with all its devices. Then when HomeKit flakes out my smart home isn’t useless and my wife losses the Siri voice control. Things usually keep purring away on the Home Assistant side.
I am in the Apple ecosystem but have the Amazon Echo devices as well including the Echo Studio speakers and subwoofer for my living room TV. The problem is I can only use it with the FireTV cube which I do not like. Now that Apple is upgrading Siri in IOS 18, I will switch over to the HomePod and HomePod minis and use an iPad in spots where I feel I need a screen. My guess is Apple will introduce at some point a HomePod device with a screen as well. It will be an expensive shift but for me it is worth settling on one ecosystem for my home. I liked your assessment and the way you present. I will subscribe to your channel. Thanks for posting.
I have 2 HomePods gen 1 and 2 HomePods gen 2 hooked up to my Apple TV 4K, and it’s excellent 👏
I have home assistant and anything not on homekit i can make it pop up in homekit with my integration and talking to siri i can make it do so much more than it was ever able to before.
Can you elaborate a bit more on how HomePods can also broadcast regular TV? I have a pair of original HomePods hooked up and they broadcast sound from my Apple TV. How does it broadcast regular TV? Maybe I am wrong on what I heard? Thanks and love your channel.
You need an Apple TV 4K and make sure it's plugged into the eARC port of your TV. From there, within audio settings you're able to select it as the "Audio Return Channel" and have it be used for the rest of your TV. Similar to how soundbars use ARC to be the audio source for the rest of the TV!
I originally got it for meetings using it with my telephone and online meetings during Corona... I was so dissapointed, people told me the quality was bad, it sound like I was talking into a tube. ... So I got a Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1, it has many of the same features but with Alexa and the sound is great ! You can use the equalizer if the bass is to loud, and you can take it with you into the bath or out to the beach. I absolutely recommend this speaker, you can use 2 in stereo.
Should I use two HomePod minis for TV speakers or just one HomePod …..
Basically - Mini for Matter hub and Homepod for Matter hub, plus good speakers 👍🏻
Hi! Is there any option that I need to set that make the HomePod mini only to my voice and not to other people?
I have two mini's and one HomePod. I also use a Google Home Hub because of the screen and speaker. I tried an iPad and HomePod combo but it's just not seamless. Hopefully Apple fixes that this year.
I have two of these HomePods connected to my TV they work very well, but I've had to turn off Siri because there are so many words on the television that sound like Siri and Siri thinks I'm trying to say Siri that it cancels the sound and Siri asks me what can I help you with, I have turned off the base but still it booms sometimes to fix this. I've put the speakers apart. They seem to work perfectly well now I'm thinking of buying two of the smaller speakers to add to the two larger speakers to try and get a more sound surround, do you think this would work? Many thanks if you reply.
I considered the HomePod when I purchased a 4K AppleTV, but in the end I opted for the Echo Studio. Partly my choice was based on price but mostly it was because I already had other Echo devices paired with smart plugs. Also, the bass and treble are adjustable through the Alexa app, so for me it offered more bang for the buck.
Definitely sounds like it! I've never been invested in the Alexa ecosystem, but Amazon seems the most interested in trying out different things than Apple/Google! Nice to hear that's working for you!
These are also not the OG HomePods; the originals sound better but lack humidity sensors. I have used them with my Apple TV but I honestly cannot figure out eARC to make them work with consoles.
Do they work well with Spotify now? Any audio delay?
still a delay as of today
I actually like the Bose Revolve speaker more than the Apple HomePod.
That’s why I bought Bose Revolve last Christmas.
Gotta give the Sonos beam a fair fight by adding the sub mini. Then there would be no contest in my opinion 😊
Yes but $400 for 2 homepods vs nearly $1k for a sonos system which is limited by their awful app.....the choice is clear. No the homepods aren't meant to be a soundbar replacement but the dollar for dollar value is immensely more enticing favoring Homepods.
Hi Apple, this is a good model for advertising and I look forward to more like it.
Mine are keep dropping out, regardless there are plenty of WIFI signal.
I was told you need the full sized HomePod to set up automations. Just so I’m clear, the mini has all the same smart home assistant features??
The automations are much more simple to set up on your phone. I believe the mini and the HomePod 2 have the same features.
I set automations on my iphone, ipad or even my macbook air m1. I have 2 homepods minis and they are hooded up to 2 apple tv4k. my 3rd tv4k is hooked too my onkyo amp and Mirage speakers. I set the onkyo amp volume as the TV volume and set it up on a smart plug so it turns on when I turn on the tv4k and the tv turns on with arc.
Full sized HomePods, HomePod minis and AppleTVs all work as HomeKit hubs with ability to do automations. Home Assistant is far more advanced than HomeKit alone.
Home pod with Default Google assistant ❤ . A Man can dream' 😅.
The price of this speaker is insane.
In EU i can buy 3 JBL Charge 5 for the price of 1 HomePod 🤦🏻♂️
Who runs a Sonos soundbar without a sub 😂
.. and even if yo have several apple thingies, if you your phone is not on the same internet as the homepod, It refuses to do what you tell it to do. It seems flawed that you cannot set it up and someone else can hear music, turn on the light or turn it off, while you are away from home. That other house person has to be on the same network and be invited to be part of your home. Homepod should be intelligent enough to act on its own. And then there is the music/radio alternative.. I still have not had success using Spotify, Deezer, Tunein or independent radiostations that has an app on the appstore. I think apple have done to little, especially if you think about how google and Amazon has delivered their speakers. Apple seems to limit themselves too much, take a bit of that apple, apple!
I love the sound of mine, but the bugginess and the fact that Siri actually works about 10% of the time, even with basic functions like music control makes me furious
i have a couple of minis around the house, i thought they were ok untill i bought the homepods 2....on their own the minis are fine, but in comparison to the bigger brothers they sound like trash! the homepods 2 look and sound amazing ! even better than my beloved bang and olufsen a9!
I have lost count of how many times my home pod minis have failed to connect, and how many hours I've spent trying to get them to work. Infuriating. I love Apple stuff, it usually "just works." Not these things. Waste of money.
This guys always looking to nit pic about a missing feature in a device that clearly was not intended to have said feature. Next he will complain about a tablet that can't make phone calls.
This is just a presentation of the Apple HomePods, literally nothing related to an actual smart home was presented...