HomePod ($149) or Sonos One ($149)

  • 13 November 2019
  • 8 replies
  • 442 views

I picked up a pair of homepods at Costco for $149 each. I am debating returning them and picking up a pair of Sonos ones instead. What would be a better option for me?

I have google home hubs set up all around my house, and use that to control all of my smart home stuff. I wanted speakers in my kitchen and bedroom that sounded a little better than the hubs (they sound pretty bad). I also have a Sonos playbar, sub, and two Sonos play 3’s in my living room that I use for the TV and music there.

I have both a Spotify and Apple Music subscription (my wife likes AM and I like Spotify). Would I be better suited with the Sonos Ones or the homepods?

Thanks!


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8 replies

Userlevel 2

I can’t answer your question, but I’m very-envious that you can buy a HomePod for just $149.00 :scream: .

If they become available for that price in the UK I’ll be buying at least another three :thumbsup:

Userlevel 7
Badge +21

There’s a reason they are that discounted. 
 

the reply you will get here is to have to Sonos units. They work with google amazon and Apple airplay/Siri. They also hold their retail value better. 

Badge

For $149 I would keep the HPs. Spotify via AirPlay2 for you, but great AM.  Mics are great, makes for a good speaker phone. iOS app integration is good too.

By most media accounts, the HomePod is considered a flop.  Apple tends to bury their flops, and rather than keep them in the public eye, they let the Jobsian Reality Distortion Field make it seem like they never existed. 

Userlevel 5
Badge +13

Sonos > Homepod 

 

 

 

Too be fair, the Sonos Ones are discounted too, but not close to the same percentage.  Objectively speaking, the homepods are supposed to be better than Sonos Ones, and you would get voice control over AM and Spotify.  However, you do need to be concerned about how long they will be supportted, and whether multiroom  capabilities (with your existing Sonos is important).  You’d be able to use Google for Spotify on Sonos but not AM.

 

If you switched to Alexa, you would get voice control for Spotify and AM.  Not sure how sold you are Google over Alexa, but perhaps looking into.  I believe the Echo Show 5 is around $50 for black friday.

Side-by-side, a trueplay-tuned Sonos One (Gen2), quite simply (and importantly), sounds better than the HomePod, which I still think sounds slightly muffled and somewhat distorted by comparison… but that just my personal opinion having heard them right next to each other in my home, whilst playing the same tracks from Apple Music.

The HomePod didn’t seem to go as loud as the Sonos One either in my test, when each were set to max.volume, not that I prefer listening to very loud audio.

So it’s +1 for the Sonos One from me.

 

 

 

Like the majority ppl here, I would go for the Sonos One. I’m a Big Mac user, but IMO, HomePod can compare to the versatility of the Sonos One. Someone mentioned that the First Gen of Sonos One is discounted (hence the $149 price). I read an article on CNET comparing the various streaming speakers. According to CNET, currently there is no difference between the 1st & 2nd Gens. Sonos has promised to provide some feature specifics in the future to the 2nd, but who knows when or if that will ever happen. 
 

Full disclosure: I’m going to purchase a 1st Gen myself. Just waiting until Black Friday to see if I can get it even cheaper.