HomePod 2 Review - Two has LESS bass! 😲 (Stereo vs Single)

The HomePod 2s can be grouped into a stereo pair, with each serving as dedicated left and right channel speakers. You can do this through the Apple Home app, available on iOS, or connected to your TV through an Apple TV 4K, so that instead of using your TV’s built-in speakers, you can use your HomePods for bigger, wider sound.

But does having two of them in a stereo configuration really produce better sound quality than just one HomePod?

Obviously when watching videos or playing games on your TV it’s always better to have 2 speakers at the sides of your TV, right? Because the soundstaging will be more centered, and it’ll sound more natural as a result. As opposed to having just one HomePod, and depending on where you put it, the sound could be coming from the side, which really screws with the experience. And when listening to music, you’re always going to get a wider, more spacious soundstage from 2 separate speakers in stereo, as opposed to just one unit.

Before reading on, listen to the sound samples comparing the HomePod 2 in stereo and mono setup by clicking here.

Sound Quality (Stereo vs Mono)

Yes, the HomePod 2 does sound more immersive if you have two of them in stereo configuration. Which is great for music and movies. But I wonder if you guys heard it, it seems that on single mode, the HomePod’s bass sounds different. It seems to have more extension in the mid to lower bass frequencies. Whereas in stereo mode, the HomePod cuts out mid-bass extension, while the lower bass remains intact. There’s also a bit more reverb in the higher vocal frequencies when on stereo. It seems that it is to create a more concert-like feel when listening to music. So although you do get more immersion and spaciousness in stereo, there are certain changes to its sound quality compared to just a single HomePod 2.

Latency Issues?

Another question that people have is “Is there a latency issue when using these as TV speakers?” In other words, since you can only connect the HomePod 2s wirelessly to your Apple TV box, will there be any audio syncing delay while watching movies or playing games?

After watching a number of movies and playing video games through the HomePod 2 (which I admit, is my favorite part of reviewing such speakers) there is barely any lag at all that I could tell whether it be from native video apps on the Apple TV 4K, or from my own TV’s video sources over audio return channel, such as my PS4. Click here to see how small the latency is.

It isn’t that seamless though. Because everytime I turn my setup on, the sound output from my TV is gone. So I have to go back into my Apple TV menu and reactivate “audio return channel”. Maybe a future update will lock the settings in, so I don’t have to keep reactivating ARC. But for now it’s something I have to put up with every time I want TV audio from the HomePod 2.

Sound Quality

Overall the HomePods 2s, they sound great. They’ve got a clean sound signature. And I like that it sounds very crisp in the mids and highs. Lots and lots of bass to go around. Such that for most types of content, you really don’t need a separate woofer. If you’re a basshead, you’ll be happy with that. And its bass also sounds clean and tight. It’s even got a dedicated Bass-EQ mic so that the speaker produces the correct bass level regardless of where you put it. That way you’re going to get more consistency whether you put the HomePod 2 in the corner of your room, or in the middle. However, there is a small frequency gap in the lower mids. At times this could make vocals or dialogue sound more nasal. But that’s actually quite typical with most compact speakers using a woofer-tweeter setup, like the HomePod 2.

For iOS users…

As an iOS user, I also like that it’s so seamless. Because if I'm listening to music on my iPhone, using my earbuds, I can simply wave my iPhone near the HomePod 2 to transfer the audio to the speaker. Something that’s possible due to Apple’s new U1 wireless chip using their latest near-field communications technology. And the new temperature and humidity sensors inside the HomePod 2 also means that you can automate your smart home devices in more ways like, turning on your AC when the temperature goes above a certain point. Kind of like a thermostat? It’s just a few more ways that Apple is making the HomePod 2 more compelling for smart home customers. In which the HomePod 2, with Siri, becomes a powerful way to control and activate your lights, your thermostats, whichever the case may be.

HomePod 2 Cons?

That being said, the HomePod 2 has its limitations. It’s really for people using Apple devices like the iPhone, the Apple TV, without which it’s not possible to do much with it. For example, you can’t beam your audio wirelessly over Bluetooth, only Airplay. And there is no line-in connection at the back either, so you can’t plug in your computer. And though you can make a stereo pair for your TV, as of this video’s recording, you can’t add a couple more HomePod 2s at the back to serve as rear channel speakers, in case you want something closer to an actual home theater setup with multichannel surround sound output for 5.1 audio or Dolby Atmos. So it won’t be an alternative to brands like Sonos or Bose, if multi-channel home theater support is what you need.

So just like the previous HomePods, it really depends on who’s buying. It is, for me, a fantastic speaker because I have Apple this, Apple that. So I can pretty much daily drive this speaker, no problem. But for Android users, it won’t be easy to choose the HomePods 2.