HomePod compatibility with Sonos system

[quote=pwt]It's highly unlikely that Apple will ever allow third parties to include Siri

Not sure what you mean.... If you're talking about having Siri integrated into a third-party hardware product, then I would probably agree. (Kinda pointless in this context, given that Sonos has already tied their horse to Amazon/Alexa.)

But certainly Siri can control third-party devices. I always have the watch on, so why do I care if it's a speaker that's hearing the command or the watch? All I care about is that the requested action is taken.

Just today I learned of an indirect means of controlling a Nest thermostat (which does not yet support HomeKit) via Siri. I guess that kind of thing is my best hope for controlling Sonos via Siri.

Sonos has tied themselves to no horses. They have deliberately made their voice interface sevice neutral, which is why they are supporting both Alexa and Google Assistant.

I did not know that -- thank you for the correction! :)

[time passes...]

I looked at the product pages both for the Sonos One and for the Play:1...but neither mentions Google Assistant, and both mention Alexa. Where should I be looking?

[more time passes...]

I found an article on The Verge saying that support for Google Assistant would be coming in 2018...so either it's not here yet (my misunderstanding of "are supporting"), or the product page has not been updated.

Google Assistant support is not there yet, but there is a workaround if you have Sonos kit with a line in jack. Wire the USD 35 Chromecast Audio puck to the line in, and then Google Home/Mini will work with Sonos. The support when released will dispense with need to wire in the CCA and therefore be directly usable with all Sonos kit.

Word is that Homepods won't even stereo pair at launch either.

At launch Homepod will really just be an Airplay speaker with built in Siri (and the trueplay type tuning built into itself).

I'm going to be anxious to hear the Homepod vs. Sonos One reviews.

@Kumar: Interesting -- thank you!

@Chris: True: Homepods will not stereo pair at launch, as Apple notes on apple.com/homepod/

I'm really happy with my Sonos: one stereo pair of Play:1's downstairs, a single Play:1 upstairs, and a Connect for the old-school stereo.

Like @craftytony, I'm totally sold on Apple...but I also do not want to just up and toss the Sonos investment. Sonos works really well (as if I need to convince anyone here) -- I would just like to control it with Siri.

(The Sonos iOS app drives me crazy, so mostly ditching that would be a huge plus.)

At its price, the HomePod will need to be significantly better than the One - it ought to be compared to the 5 for sound quality. But the thing also is that HomePod is a very different design based on its 360 degree tweeter array, meant to be placed more centrally in the room, whereas Sonos speaker design hews to a more traditional design/placement adjacent to a wall, firing into the entire room. In that way a single HomePod, by being centrally located in the room, will better address the problem of music from speakers placed in one part of the room, off to one side, having to be played too loud closer to them to be properly heard on the other side of the room.

What that will translate to in practice remains to be seen, and subjective assessments will necessarily be all that are available.

But it certainly sounds interesting. Pun not intended:-)

I like apple products but as they have always been they keep within their ecosystem so much!

As with Homekit - which is essential to the usefulness of a home assistant. Your limited to homekit compatible devices.

I use my Alexa with my Smartthings hub and can utilize about every smart device made. It makes the voice part so much more useful. Just asking for songs and the weather gets a little old with smart assistants.

Homekit expansion to me is key to Homepod being successful. It's going to sound good. And if you like apple music your going to like the voice control abilities for music. But after that it need to be much more useful in a grand scale around the house.

You are certainly going to get a much tighter integration of voice control and music with homepod then about any other speaker (as long as you stay in the Apple Music ecosystem). And the processing power it will have provides a lot of future upside.

When I think about it, a direct comparison between Sonos or similar kit and HomePod is not going be easily done - because HomePods by their design seem to be meant to be placed somewhere in the middle of the space, addressing every one around it. While the front firing Sonos speakers are designed to be kept at the side of the room, firing into it, and in case of a stereo pair, into a smallish sweet spot for stereo in the room. Then add in another layer of what a second HomePod kept in the same space will do, when Apple releases the capability for it to be so added, and the comparison becomes even less of apples to apples.

I suspect that those that do not come from an experience of legacy kit that has accustomed them to its sound experience will find it easier to prefer HomePod; those that are accustomed to Bluetooth portables that are often designed for 360 degree sound, will find this even easier. And I doubt there can be an objective answer to the question of which is the better approach - sound from one side of the room firing into it, or from a centrally placed speaker with a 360 degree speaker array.

Thank you all for your information and perspectives! It's gonna be interesting.... 🆒