Apple HomePod 2 Review - 6 Months Later

I bought a stereo pair last April alongside the new Apple TV 4K and it’s been absolutely amazing and nearly flawless. It actually made me appreciate Final Fantasy 16’s epic soundtrack a whole lot more.

I actually think the 2 HomePods is a good buy. In my case, I wanted a system that could handle my music listening and tv watching while also being a smart home hub. A pair of HomePods is the only system that does a great job at all three. I’m sure a Sonos home theatre system will sound better - but it will also cost more and won’t be able to handle smart things (let alone integrate with your iPhone the same way). Finally, I leave in an apartment so buying a sub was never really an option - already have issues with downstairs neighbours due to sound complaints.

STEREO PAIR and with continuous updates it's making it better and better :) I love my homepod 2 and glad it pairs seamless with the APPLE TV with no issues and the ENHANCED DIALOGUE is a game changer!

I do like the removable cord, temp and humidity add-ons but not enough to replace my Gen 1 HomePods. App updates have been helping.

Love your videos! My favorite new channel I've discovered this year!

Thanks I own 2 HomePods 2nd gen connected to Apple TV and the spatial audio effect is amazing. Did you mean that 1 unit of era300 produce a better sound? Because as far as I know, 2 units of era300 do not support spatial audio when positioned in front.

I like the simplicity. I use an AppleTV and have a single small HomePod in my office to hear sound from the TV. Sounds much better and works without hassle.

Major issue for me is that HomePods appear as speakers when using your iPhone on a call. When you try to switch to speaker call you have to select among all of the HopePods to choose your iPhone speaker as you walk around. Annoying experience. A fix was to switch iPhone settings to speaker preference however that interferes if you use Bluetooth AirPods

My HomePod stereo pair sounds amazing with music and Atmos TV content. This video looks very biased towards Sonos than a review. Stereo HomePods are the way to go.

Can I use the HomePod 2 without wifi or internet? Such as a speaker for music or audiobooks when camping?

**My Experience with HomePod Gen 2*. I will try to be brief as I can. I'm all about Apple Eco System. I got 2 for a stereo pair. AMAZING! I got it as a home theater setup and was well pleased. I upgraded from no "home theater" setup, and i love the minimalism. After a few days of the HomePods not telling me what the humidity was in my living room and just saying it was still calibrating Apple had me swap them for new ones. As of now my new left one is all good and very responsive to my phone and apple tv remote. The right HomePod does not respond to my apple tv remote. When I hit mute it doesn't mute, and when I turn the volume up or down it doesn't do it. Walked through many hard reset's with apple, the whole red spin and wait for 3 beeps thing. Finally, took it to apple and going to be swapping this right one for a new one. Thoroughly disappointed with how many times I've had to contact support and go to the store, but I'm a sucker for Apple so here I am trying to get things situated. Hope this helps or if anyone has encountered the same let me know!

To me HomePods are one of the best speakers evermade its hard to find this small size that go down to 20hz Bass is awesome room correction is awesome voice command .. very underrated.. (MUST HAVE)

I’ve already got a 2021 Apple TV, I’m not sure whether to get a Sonos Era 300 or 2x HomePods. Personally leaning on the 2 HomePods because they can integrate as TV speakers with the Apple TV and will provide a wider soundstage. Budget around £400

I've been having so many troubles connecting to my 1st generation HomePod and HomePod Minis. Do you think buying the new one will fix the problem?

Home pod 1st gen has worked for me and thinking about upgrading to the home pod 2. The sonos era 300 is superb but costing double than the home pods

Planning to get a pair

Love this review, but on the speed of the “turn off the lights” function….I felt for the google assistant, the timer was already almost a 1 sec while when it was the home pods turn, the timer started at zero right after the last word was spoken. Not saying it was intentional, just something I observed. Great content by the way.

Thanks Josh! I agree with most of your points in the review but I’d recommend people getting HomePod Stereo with Apple TV for home theater setup if they have a budget below $600 and wanna a minimalism experience. Personally I have tested the HomePod Stereo against a Sonos Beam Gen 2 and the HomePods are better overall; even after adding two surrounds to Sonos I still feel HomePods are competitive in some ways. Just my 2 cents here

Ya I don’t really understand the hate on using the HomePods as a stereo pair with Apple TV especially when you consider that you can use them via ARC now for other devices other than just the Apple TV and that they now have a dialogue enhancement feature with tvOS 17. They sound amazing in our bedroom where mounting a soundbar wasn’t really an option for us but having low-latency HomePods next to our bed was!

The Echo it’s truly amazing! But I’m still thinking if I should buy the home pod 2, bc of my Apple Ecosystem