**Smart Speakers: A Comparison between Apple HomePod and Sonos Symphonic**

The world of smart speakers has evolved significantly over the years, with each manufacturer offering unique features and functionalities. Two popular smart speakers that have garnered attention are Apple's HomePod and Sonos' Symphonic speaker. In this article, we will delve into the details of both speakers, comparing their features, sound quality, and overall user experience.

**Apple HomePod: A Smart Speaker with a Virtual Assistant**

The Apple HomePod is a Wi-Fi connected speaker that comes equipped with Siri, Apple's virtual assistant. With iOS 13, multiple users can converse with the HomePod and get answers to their questions. The speaker plays Apple Music and radio content natively, while other services like Spotify and third-party apps will need to go through AirPlay, which may be a hassle for some users. One of the most notable features of the HomePod is its ability to hand off audio from your phone straight to the speaker, making it easy to take hands-free calls or listen to music without needing to hold your device.

**Sonos Symphonic Speaker: A Functional Alternative**

The Sonos Symphonic speaker, on the other hand, lacks a built-in microphone, which may be a drawback for those who value their privacy. However, this also means that there is no virtual assistant to help users navigate the speaker's controls. To make up for this lack of features, the Symphonic speaker has a few notable advantages. For one, it has an Ethernet port built into the device, allowing users to connect directly to the internet without relying on Wi-Fi. Additionally, the speaker has dozens of native audio sources that can be streamed through the Sonos app, including popular services like Spotify and Apple Music.

**Sound Quality: A Comparison between HomePod and Symphonic**

When it comes to sound quality, both speakers are considered excellent and offer best-in-class audio for their size. However, there are some key differences between the two. The HomePod is able to sense its location in a room more accurately than the Symphonic speaker, thanks to its built-in microphones. This allows the HomePod to adjust its sound output accordingly, creating a more immersive listening experience. In contrast, the Symphonic speaker does not have this capability, and while it still sounds great, it may not be as effective in certain environments.

**Bass Response: A Key Difference between HomePod and Symphonic**

Another key difference between the two speakers is their bass response. The HomePod has significantly more bass than the Symphonic speaker, making it better suited for those who want a deeper, more full sound. However, this may also make it less suitable for situations where you need to be able to hear every detail of the audio, such as when watching movies or TV shows.

**Which Speaker is Right for You?**

Ultimately, the choice between the Apple HomePod and Sonos Symphonic speaker depends on what you're looking for in a smart speaker. If you want a speaker with a virtual assistant built-in and all the features that come with it, the HomePod may be the better choice. However, if you prefer a more functional speaker with native audio sources and no virtual assistant, the Symphonic speaker is definitely worth considering. Both speakers are excellent options, and the right one for you will depend on your specific needs and preferences.

**Conclusion**

The world of smart speakers is constantly evolving, and each manufacturer is trying to outdo the others in terms of features and functionality. The Apple HomePod and Sonos Symphonic speaker are two popular options that offer unique benefits and drawbacks. While both speakers are excellent choices, they cater to different needs and preferences. By understanding what each speaker has to offer, you can make an informed decision about which one is right for you.

**What do You Think?**

We want to hear from you! Do you prefer the Apple HomePod or Sonos Symphonic speaker? Let us know in the comments below. If you have any questions or topics you'd like to discuss, feel free to ask. We're always happy to engage with our readers and provide more information on the latest smart speakers and other tech trends.

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"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey everyone its Andrew here from Apple Insider and this is my home pod today we're going to be comparing this home pod against the new symphonic speakers which are combination of work between Sonos and IKEA and honestly they look a little bit similar we're gonna compare the two speakers side-by-side and see if either of them is gonna be a fit for you let's go ahead and dive in to start let's go ahead and take a look at the similarities between both of these speakers now both of these smart speakers are over the internet so they don't work over Bluetooth there's no direct peer-to-peer connection they all work over Internet which is generally going to be Wi-Fi for most people both speakers can also be paired in stereo so two of them together to be a stereo pair and they can each be tuned though the home pod does it through its internal microphone array and the Sonos does it through its own route on software that runs through your phone as you move about a room they can stream Apple music natively and both can be control through airplay too and they both work with homekit which means if iOS their team they can be integrated with scenes so in the morning you can wake up to your speaker playing and your lights gently coming on now let's take a look at what the home pod has that the symphonic speaker just does it starting off the home pod has a touch-sensitive top surface to control rather than physical buttons it's also completely omnidirectional with sound coming out of every different side and it's even tuned to more fill a room if it's against a wall there are microphones in there which means that it can take phone calls and those are used for a series so it does have a smart assistant built-in that can do a ton of different things it can automatically play yourself just by talking to it you can get set timers ask questions all the different things that Siri can do all that can be baked in the home pot so if you want a speaker that's able to control your home and actually have a smart assistant built-in then the home pot is definitely the way to go however if you're cautious about putting microphones into your home even if it is from Apple which is going to be pretty much as their secure as it's going to get then you want to stay away from home pod and other ones and the simplest is maybe a better option there's also multi-user support here so including Apple music libraries so with iOS 13 and the new home pod update coming out this fall multiple users will be able to converse with home pod and get answers to their own questions it just plays Apple music and the radio natively and everything else through airplay - so when you ask it to play something that'll go through airplay - in Apple music but third party stuff Spotify all the other social streaming services those are gonna have to go through airplay - which is a little bit more of a hassle and with iOS 13 you can hand off your content going from your phone straight over to the home pod so if you are taking a phone call you're taking a phone call on your phone you walk up to your home pod just put it on the top and it'll transfer that audio over can be phone call it can be music really easy to hand off your audio from your phone to your home pod or your home pod to your phone that's coming out this fall and it'll be a really nice update so now let's go from the home pod and let's check out what this symphonic speaker has that the home pod simply doesn't the symphonic speaker has no microphone embedded inside so if you're very privacy minded that's gonna be a really good thing if there's no way for this to listen in on you but that also means there's no assistant no virtual assistant to help you out so all of your controls are gonna have to do is using the buttons on the speaker or through the Sonos app speaking of which there are those physical buttons right there on front play pause as well as volume up and volume down so it could be could be good could be bad depending on your perspective it also has that Ethernet port built-in so if you don't want to go over Wi-Fi you can still go over direct connection using Ethernet something the home pod does not have it also has dozens of native audio sources you can stream through Spotify Apple music prime music title i heart radio sirius XM pandora there are tons and tons and tons of audio sources that you can connect with in the Sonos app and all the little stringed record the home pod and not from your phone so you can throw everything else through airplay - same as you can with a home pod but as far as those native integrations there's a ton of them here with Sonos so we've looked at hardware they're both a Wi-Fi connected speakers one has a virtual assistant built-in and all the features that come with that and the other has additional features such as a lamp built into can provide functional lighting and take up less space than the home pod but if the most important category to you is sound then let's dive into next so sound from both is pretty incredible they both sound very good best-in-class audio for their size but there are couple key differences one Apple does a better job with sensing where it's at in a room it does so automatically using the built-in microphones and makes the sound sound more immersive like it's coming from all around you versus just from the front of a speaker partially because it's an omnidirectional speaker in a second because they can tune itself better the Sonos symphonic ikea speaker does a solid job but just not as filling as the home pot is the home pot also has much more bass and more full sound to it just in the first place so if you're looking for the biggest loudest most powerful sound that's definitely going to the home pod but it can be a bit punchy so if you're watching movies or TV or you have us in the bedroom you may not want that really punchy sound even at low volumes it's kind of just a little too powerful so if you're looking for something for more of a relaxed situation a bedroom or something we're gonna be listening at little volumes then we probably have to give that to the IKEA symphonic speaker so which one do you ask prefer both these are excellent speakers you really can't go wrong it just depends on what you're looking for do you want the smart speaker with Syria everything else built-in or do you coming one to a more functional a little bit more different but still has a ton of variety and options and sounds great let me know down below in the comments which ones you prefer or we're talking me on Twitter and let me know at Andrew underscore OSU hey everyone did you guys like that video be sure to click on that like button so we can create content that we know that you guys want to see and follow Apple Insider in all social media channels if you want the best prices on any Apple gear check out the Apple Insider price guide that is updated daily and until next time we'll see you later which speaker do you like which one do you like most which one do you like go get momhey everyone its Andrew here from Apple Insider and this is my home pod today we're going to be comparing this home pod against the new symphonic speakers which are combination of work between Sonos and IKEA and honestly they look a little bit similar we're gonna compare the two speakers side-by-side and see if either of them is gonna be a fit for you let's go ahead and dive in to start let's go ahead and take a look at the similarities between both of these speakers now both of these smart speakers are over the internet so they don't work over Bluetooth there's no direct peer-to-peer connection they all work over Internet which is generally going to be Wi-Fi for most people both speakers can also be paired in stereo so two of them together to be a stereo pair and they can each be tuned though the home pod does it through its internal microphone array and the Sonos does it through its own route on software that runs through your phone as you move about a room they can stream Apple music natively and both can be control through airplay too and they both work with homekit which means if iOS their team they can be integrated with scenes so in the morning you can wake up to your speaker playing and your lights gently coming on now let's take a look at what the home pod has that the symphonic speaker just does it starting off the home pod has a touch-sensitive top surface to control rather than physical buttons it's also completely omnidirectional with sound coming out of every different side and it's even tuned to more fill a room if it's against a wall there are microphones in there which means that it can take phone calls and those are used for a series so it does have a smart assistant built-in that can do a ton of different things it can automatically play yourself just by talking to it you can get set timers ask questions all the different things that Siri can do all that can be baked in the home pot so if you want a speaker that's able to control your home and actually have a smart assistant built-in then the home pot is definitely the way to go however if you're cautious about putting microphones into your home even if it is from Apple which is going to be pretty much as their secure as it's going to get then you want to stay away from home pod and other ones and the simplest is maybe a better option there's also multi-user support here so including Apple music libraries so with iOS 13 and the new home pod update coming out this fall multiple users will be able to converse with home pod and get answers to their own questions it just plays Apple music and the radio natively and everything else through airplay - so when you ask it to play something that'll go through airplay - in Apple music but third party stuff Spotify all the other social streaming services those are gonna have to go through airplay - which is a little bit more of a hassle and with iOS 13 you can hand off your content going from your phone straight over to the home pod so if you are taking a phone call you're taking a phone call on your phone you walk up to your home pod just put it on the top and it'll transfer that audio over can be phone call it can be music really easy to hand off your audio from your phone to your home pod or your home pod to your phone that's coming out this fall and it'll be a really nice update so now let's go from the home pod and let's check out what this symphonic speaker has that the home pod simply doesn't the symphonic speaker has no microphone embedded inside so if you're very privacy minded that's gonna be a really good thing if there's no way for this to listen in on you but that also means there's no assistant no virtual assistant to help you out so all of your controls are gonna have to do is using the buttons on the speaker or through the Sonos app speaking of which there are those physical buttons right there on front play pause as well as volume up and volume down so it could be could be good could be bad depending on your perspective it also has that Ethernet port built-in so if you don't want to go over Wi-Fi you can still go over direct connection using Ethernet something the home pod does not have it also has dozens of native audio sources you can stream through Spotify Apple music prime music title i heart radio sirius XM pandora there are tons and tons and tons of audio sources that you can connect with in the Sonos app and all the little stringed record the home pod and not from your phone so you can throw everything else through airplay - same as you can with a home pod but as far as those native integrations there's a ton of them here with Sonos so we've looked at hardware they're both a Wi-Fi connected speakers one has a virtual assistant built-in and all the features that come with that and the other has additional features such as a lamp built into can provide functional lighting and take up less space than the home pod but if the most important category to you is sound then let's dive into next so sound from both is pretty incredible they both sound very good best-in-class audio for their size but there are couple key differences one Apple does a better job with sensing where it's at in a room it does so automatically using the built-in microphones and makes the sound sound more immersive like it's coming from all around you versus just from the front of a speaker partially because it's an omnidirectional speaker in a second because they can tune itself better the Sonos symphonic ikea speaker does a solid job but just not as filling as the home pot is the home pot also has much more bass and more full sound to it just in the first place so if you're looking for the biggest loudest most powerful sound that's definitely going to the home pod but it can be a bit punchy so if you're watching movies or TV or you have us in the bedroom you may not want that really punchy sound even at low volumes it's kind of just a little too powerful so if you're looking for something for more of a relaxed situation a bedroom or something we're gonna be listening at little volumes then we probably have to give that to the IKEA symphonic speaker so which one do you ask prefer both these are excellent speakers you really can't go wrong it just depends on what you're looking for do you want the smart speaker with Syria everything else built-in or do you coming one to a more functional a little bit more different but still has a ton of variety and options and sounds great let me know down below in the comments which ones you prefer or we're talking me on Twitter and let me know at Andrew underscore OSU hey everyone did you guys like that video be sure to click on that like button so we can create content that we know that you guys want to see and follow Apple Insider in all social media channels if you want the best prices on any Apple gear check out the Apple Insider price guide that is updated daily and until next time we'll see you later which speaker do you like which one do you like most which one do you like go get mom\n"