The Google Max focused on bass it had a lot of bass, so much, in fact, the product ships with a rubber mat it recommends you place the speaker on. When I listened to the comparison of each speaker to the HomePod, I realized how the audio engineers at each company focused on different things.

This demo included the much-praised Google Home Max and a quality new speaker from Sonos in the Alexa-enabled Play One (I own three of those). Even in that demo, which was in a highly controlled room, HomePod was head and shoulders better-sounding. At that event, the demo was HomePod, an Amazon Echo (first-gen) and a Sono Play 3. This demo was not that much different from the one I had last June at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference. On top of an entertainment center that looked like a retro design out of the ’70s with silver and copper knobs, wood like old cedar and metallic grates, sat a Sonos Play One (Alexa-enabled), a Google Home Max, Apple’s HomePod and an enormous second-generation Amazon Echo. I’ll spare you the details of the entire demo, as there was one demonstration where HomePod’s value was truly made clear. Apple had invited me to see and experience HomePod in a unique home setup before taking one home to try for myself.

A version of this essay was originally published at Tech.pinions, a website dedicated to informed opinions, insight and perspective on the tech industry.īefore receiving my Apple HomePod to review, I found myself in a house in Noe Valley in San Francisco.

Jack farmer vox djs