I have several Sonos speakers, one Echo, and one Dot but no Home Pods so this is based on experience with the Sonos and reading Home Pod reviews.
I get the impression that a single Home Pod will attempt to emulate stereo sound whereas a single Sonos speaker (excluding perhaps any of the sound bar models) is just a single, mono speaker.
A pair of Sonos speakers set up as a stereo pair may likely be better (louder, better stereo separation, etc.) than a single Home Pod. I could only speculate that 2 Home Pods in a stereo pair (is that now supported) may provide better sound than the Sonos pair but have not listened to that setup.
Well, I just changed my mind. I was able to get two HomePods for a total of $200 off, per this post. I think/hope I will now have the best of both worlds.
I saw that same sale here locally, but I still can’t pull the trigger on it lol. I’ve been enjoying my Echo Dot + speaker set up quite a bit, and imagine that I will get a full-size Echo in the near-future.
I sold back my Dot to Amazon, got $10 for it plus 25% off any new Echo. Not really interested, as I replaced it with a HomePod. (But if you want to get a new Echo, consider selling back your dot to get a discounted new model!)
I was intrigued by Amazon’s Echo-enabled microwave and really liked the idea of being able to set multiple timers in the kitchen … then I learned that it (like that new clock they’re selling) actually requires a separate Echo device from which it gets info via Bluetooth. A shame - I’d probably have gone for a microwave with an Echo built-in.
I snagged a 3rd-gen Dot at Target a few days ago, and I’m really shocked with how well it responds. So far, it’s beats Siri in terms of speed and accuracy of response. As much as I think HomePod is a superior product, I can’t rationalize buying just one unit (HomePod) when I can have many Echos or Echo Dots for less $$$ spread throughout my home. Especially now with Apple Music availability.
Having owned a Dot, and my girlfriend owning an Echo, I can say that if you really are talking about using Apple Music, and care about how your music sounds, the Echo is comparative garbage. Seriously. It responds a half second faster than Siri but that’s the main advantage aside from price. My girlfriend now wants to dump her Echo, and she covets a HomePod (and who knows, she may get one for Christmas! Shh!)
I have it connected to a set of Bose speakers, so crisis averted I guess? Anyway, from a financial standpoint and for my uses, the Echo products are fine.
It’s not bad, it just ended up not being great from my perspective. I’ve got Audioengine monitors connected to my iMac and I have powered studio monitors connected to my music gear, and there’s a big delineation between what comes out of the Echo compared to with what I listed to music. If you’re going to pipe Apple Music from an Echo to Bose (or any) speakers you’re going to have a downgraded signal regardless.
Very true, it’s an okay simple setup for background whilst getting things done around the house. Bose speakers tend to be a bit bass heavy, so I just adjusted the output settings on the Dot (very limited variability, but that’s what you get for $30 ) and it seems to take out the thud.
And if they would only export the Alexa feature to more countries this would be useful
We still don’t get Alexa on the sonos, nor can we buy a homepod for that matter, in our country. Why not just release it here with the mention that English is the only supported language? Everyone now buys their Homepods or Alexa devices in Germany (Amazon.de / Apple.de) have it shipped to NL and then use the English Siri or Alexa options anyway.
) and it seems to take out the thud.
