Tuesday, February 7, 2023 11:24 am1 Comment

• Review

Apple in mid-January unveiled HomePod (2nd generation), a powerful smart speaker that delivers next-level acoustics in a gorgeous, iconic design.

Packed with Apple innovations and Siri intelligence, HomePod offers advanced computational audio for a groundbreaking listening experience, including support for immersive Spatial Audio tracks. With convenient new ways to manage everyday tasks and control the smart home, users can now create smart home automations using Siri, get notified when a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm is detected in their home, and check temperature and humidity in a room — all hands-free.

Benjamin Mayo for 9to5Mac:

I just got my new Midnight HomePods on Friday, replacing my existing stereo pair of Space Gray models. Here’s some hands-on impressions of what’s changed compared to the original…

The HomePod works and sounds essentially identical to the first-generation model. I have been doing side-by-side listening tests with many songs over the weekend, and I couldn’t tell a difference between them. The 16.3 tuning promotes vocals more, which is a good change and reduces the bass boominess when listening to podcasts or dialogue in TV shows.

The far-field microphones are just as impressive as always. For better or worse, the responsiveness to Siri requests also appears unchanged. As before, the HomePod isn’t doing much local processing so the speed mostly depends on the Apple backend and your local network connectivity.

MacDailyNews Take: Because the HomePod 2’s power cord is now detachable we cannot wait for battery attachments that will make HomePod truly portable!

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