Original gen HomePod bass

I am considering a pair of HomePods to serve as TV and music speakers and would appreciate some feedback from anyone who uses them. I am aware of the limitations with Roon as well as the workarounds. I am thinking of using them via Airplay 2 direct from my iPhone mostly (Apple Music / Spotify / Tidal). I recall a lot of reports indicating the bass was way too much (some returned them for this reason). Has this changed with recent updates or is this still a problem?
Many thanks

It depends on location, mostly. Mine are on the TV cabinet, rather close to a wall, in a largish room (75sqm). They sound absolutely fine.

I have heard them in smaller rooms where the bass is a bit too much. Moving them from the wall usually fixed things right up.

1 Like

Many thanks for the feedback :slight_smile: I tried one of the HomePods for about a week and encountered the excessive bass issue unfortunately. It is probably due to my small size living room but it was way too much. I measured it actually as +15-20 db boost at 40-45 hz. Tried various placements for the HomePod (both close and away from the wall) but I was not able to reduce the bass. I ended up returning it but I bet it would work well in a different room. Really happy to hear you are enjoying yours :slight_smile:

Hehe… I am. Did a little tidbit about it here:

You really should hear them in stereo setup though.

2 Likes

Agree wholeheartedly. For awhile I just thought it was my peculiar taste. When the HomePods were listed by Stereophile, as a Recmmeded Component, I felt validated. To an extent.

My listening to a stereo pair of HomePods is in the nearfield, 3’ left and 3’ right from my ears resting on wooden camp stools at knee height as I sit in my reading chair. Nice details at low volume. No mess of wires laying about - just the power plug.

When the bass mix in a track is accentuated, such as dance, electronica, or hip-hop, there’s no question (to my ears) the HomePods are faithful to the mix. This often has me turning down the volume just enough that the thumps don’t bother my neighbors. The bass on other recordings is very good - not boosted but audible - as though I’m listening to a much larger speaker.

I’ve also listened to a stereo pair of HomePods linked to an Apple TV. Wow. My next investment will be another pair (often on sale for $199 @) to replace my TV sounder and wireless sub.

A stereo pair of HomePods and an Apple iOS device, a music streaming subscription, and a reliable WiFi network is one heck of a stereo value. If I had started there, I might not have gone any further.

I too started elsewhere but slowly worked my way back. There’s hope! :wink:

1 Like