HomePod first impressions

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 minute ago, Priaptor said:

Chris, I think if you replace the standard power cord with a Nordost Odin2 (yes it is replaceable), Nordost QRT system and an HRT isolation rack and run a dedicated 20amp line with a carbon fiber Furutech receptacle and some ASC bass traps the bass will be improved.   

Completely!

[dalethorn]

I might post this in a couple of places - please forgive: I visited the store again to test the HomePod at medium-loud levels with tracks that are very sensitive to mid-upper bass bleed into the midrange.

 

Generally, at the lower volume levels, a person like me who never uses Fletcher-Munson compensation hears a strong midbass with the HomePod.

 

My main concern here was whether the HomePod's bass would bleed into or muffle the midrange any, and I didn't experience that.  The other concern was whether the mid-bass (~55-65 hz or so) would be so thumpy as to be a distraction or irritation.  I think it's possible, but I didn't experience that either.

 

My test tracks were:

Cat Stevens - Morning has Broken.

Donald Fagen - Morph the Cat.

Trombone Shorty - Backatown.

U2 - With or Without You.

Van Morrison - Into the Mystic.

 

The heavy deeper bass in the Fagen and Shorty tracks didn't happen. The U2 into was noticeably boomy at the lower volumes, but again, that impression is me hearing F-M compensation that I'm not used to. The Cat Stevens sounded normal enough, and same for the Van Morrison.

[esldude]

It's possible to play music recorded by a mike using homepod and another speaker.  Then determine the relative response of the two devices. Done at different levels and tracks you can figure out what is happening.

[davide256]

hmm, wonder who its price point competitors are. Bose wave radio?

[flak]

The following measurements where distortion at low frequencies exceeds 50% have been published here:

http://audioitalia.mondoforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&p=16500#p16500

 

 

 

Flavio

[esldude]

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/apple-homepod-in-room-measurement.2353/#post-65297

 

Here is an organized look at the measurements of the initial reddit review.  It too shows distortion above 50% at higher levels in the bass.  Also shows the effect of the Fletcher_Munson curve compensation.  Good job by Ray organizing this .

 

Also be sure to check out the step response further down the thread.  Still trying to figure out what would make for that kind of step response. 

 

Bottom line is for all the fairly even frequency response numbers, this is not a low distortion device from 1 khz down and especially below 400 hz even at normal listening levels.  

 

I suspect having seen the huge distortion from 100 hz and lower this may be why some report like Chris the bass is overblown.  Harmonics of the bass might trick you into hearing the missing fundamental and certainly would muddy up the lower midrange too.  

[dalethorn]

Test day #2 at the Apple Store.  My previous tests concerned the bass and whether it would bleed into or in any way compromise the midrange, and I found nothing except some obvious Fletcher-Munson boosting of the midbass at lower volume.

 

Today I tested for treble problems, using tracks that are easily irritating on a number of headphones and speakers that are fairly bright, or that have treble peaks.  Two of my tracks could not be found on Apple Music, even though they're available on iTunes - Tiger Okoshi-Bootsman's Little House, and Cath Carroll-Moves Like You.

 

Here are what I did play and hear:

 

Chris Isaac - Wicked Game: Very smooth, good detail.  Surprisingly good I thought, with no obvious forwardness or peakiness.

Animotion - Obssession: OK, good - it wasn't the sharpest clearest detail I've heard with this track, but again, no mid-treble emphasis or exaggeration, and no indication of a Fletcher-Munson boost in the treble like was so obvious with the bass.

Chromatics - I'm on Fire: This track normally has a very "live" sound with some distinct and bright tambourine sounds.  I thought the tambourine reproduced better than the average I've heard, but not as realistic as the best speakers and headphones.

 

My impression of the HomePod's overall sound quality is that it's far better than I'd expect of a speaker that size (or any that size that I've heard), but I can't say whether I'd buy one until I get it into a quiet room and spend time with it.

 

I've heard that the HomePod can play locally stored music "purchased from iTunes" etc., but I don't know whether that's restricted to Apple-format music only, or to all music that's playable from a local iTunes library (i.e. WAV and MP3, or FLAC if they allow that now).  If it will play all music that's stored in a local iTunes library, then the HomePod should be a terrific value at $350 USD.