HomePod hands-on questions whether sound quality is worth $349, cites ‘distinct lack of mid-range’

Following a pair of hands-on looks earlier this week, Wired is the latest to share their initial thoughts on the HomePod following a “first listen.” Wired seems to have been given the same demo as other news outlets, but has slightly different thoughts…

First and foremost, Wired’s Jeremy White praises the bass on the HomePod, as well as the room-shaping sound. White explains that the sound stays constant as you walk around the room:

First up on our demo is Ariana Grande’s Side to Side. What becomes immediately apparent is the formidable bass the HomePod kicks out. What’s more, the sound remains constant as you walk around the room, no doubt thanks to those beam-forming tweeters. The vocals are clear as a bell, too.

White then notes, however, there’s a “distinct” lack of mid-range sound from the HomePod. For instance, in demos of “Let It Go” from Frozen and “My Shot” from Hamilton, White says the mid-range takes a “back seat to the high and low frequencies.”

For songs that rely on the high frequencies, such as Ed Sheeran’s “Shape Of You,” the HomePod is great:

Finally, Ed Sheeran’s Shape Of You is also much better than what has come before with loads of attack – but this tune relies heavily on the high frequencies, so perhaps it’s no surprise it sounds so good on the HomePod.

As for Siri integration, White praises support for identifying what track is playing and who it’s by, though he notes that Siri failed three times in the demo he was given.

Ultimately, White says that based first impressions, HomePod looks great and is easy to setup, but that the “sound produced does not immediately match up” to its £319/$349 price. White’s first impressions differ from two other articles from earlier this week, both of which praised the HomePod’s sound quality and Siri integration.

Of course, the true test will be when HomePod officially becomes available to everyone on February 9th. Does Wired’s first impressions piece worry you at all? Let us know what you think down in the comments.

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