One of the arguments put forward by Apple for the commercialization of the HomePod, were the studies carried out so that the sound reproduced by the Apple speaker will be distributed evenly throughout the room. This is one of the qualities that quality speakers present, compared to other conventional ones.
A company, Fast Company, wanted to check if Apple had actually worked on this function and has it sufficiently developed, fulfilling its mission or on the contrary, it is far from reality. Everything seems to indicate that the algorithm used by Apple to distribute sound evenly, does its job.
The Apple speaker is helped by the six microphones to record the behavior of the sound waves emitted by the people in the room. At the same time, hemicrophones pick up on walls and large objects, to return a more pleasant sound. At that point the algorithm goes to work to provide excellent sound where the listener is.
The test carried out consisted of placing a HomePod on a high table, placed close to the wall. Next, a sound classified as white noise is reproduced, consisting of an identical number of decibels throughout the frequency spectrum. The sound was then recorded from four different points in the room and each sound profile was compared to find similarities or differences.
Test results show minimal differences between the four measurements. These differences are imperceptible to the human ear. According to the technician who lent the measurement equipment for the study:
In short, Apple's claim that the HomePod can deliver consistent rendering throughout the room seems plausible.
The developers have done an excellent job of making the HomePod fit into the room; it has an impressive consistency overall.
HomePod automates spatial compensation that previously required the experience, tools, and time of a true audiophile.
As we recently discussed, the HomePod can be the perfect speaker for a medium-sized room in a home.