r/HomePod • u/pdfu • Sep 03 '26
Rumor audioOS 27 points to four-HomePod surround sound, Party Mode, and new hardware
Apple is working on a range of improvements to its current home theater offerings. Code added in audioOS 27, the operating system running on HomePod devices, shows that four HomePods may soon work as a four-speaker surround system. It also includes references to an unreleased speaker.
1. Four-HomePod surround system
Apple currently lets Apple TV use one HomePod or a stereo pair as its default speakers. Unused tuning files in audioOS 27 describe a larger arrangement with four HomePods in front-left, front-right, rear-left, and rear-right positions.
The current-hardware configuration is designed for HomePod (2nd generation). audioOS 27 doesn’t include equivalent tunings for the original HomePod or HomePod mini. HomeKit, the Home app, and Apple TV are not wired to recognize a four-HomePod system, so it's not currently possible to set up surround sound with HomePod and Apple TV.
In the quad placement, each speaker has its own role and sound treatment. The front speakers use left- and right-specific processing, and they compensate for their potential placement close to walls and corners. Rear HomePods get an omnidirectional treatment designed to fill the space behind and around the listener.
The new tuning has a processing pipeline to manage each HomePod’s woofer and tweeters, and control bass, EQ, synchronization, and calibration data.
Each HomePod gets one of the new four roles: quad_frontleft, quad_frontright, quad_rearleft, and quad_rearright. Separate tunings in files like speaker_frontleft, speaker_frontright, speaker_rearleft, and speaker_rearright then apply the appropriate treatment to each HomePod.
Automatic room and speaker calibration
HomePod already uses its microphones to analyze the room and calibrate solo and stereo-pair setups. audioOS 27 extends the automatic calibration to the quad-speaker system. New management capabilities include a surround-specific measurement path, a timing-offset estimator, and a four-by-four map of the speaker positions.
Dynamic surround audio tuning
The four-speaker system changes its processing to match what is playing:
- Movie and multichannel audio receive dialogue processing, bass management, dynamic range control, EQ, and an immersive spatial mixer.
- There’s a separate low-latency surround mode.
- Music gets its own bass, dynamic range, and EQ settings.
- In stereo mode, there are two tunings:
- Spatialization enabled. All four speakers receive a spatially processed mix.
- Spatialization disabled. Normal stereo plays on the front speakers, rear speakers receive an empty mix.
- audioOS also includes dedicated rear-channel mixes for Siri and system sounds.
2. New hardware
Another tuning family may point to new hardware. A new tuning, internally called Forklift, shows a mixed four-speaker system: two AID12001 speakers, and two AID12007 speakers.
AID12001 is the audio-tuning family used by HomePod (2nd generation), internally known as B620. The Forklift volume profile uses two current-gen HomePods as front speakers.
The other two speakers come from the AID12007 tuning family, which does not match any of Apple’s existing HomePod products:
* Original HomePod: B238a
* HomePod mini: B520
* HomePod (2nd generation): B620, mapped to AID12001
While there is a reported B525 HomePod mini successor, the AID12007 identifier has not previously been reported. It is possible that AID12007 corresponds to the HomePod mini successor, or a new HomePod (3rd generation). Because the reference is only by name, not capabilities, there's no way to tell if it's a full or HomePod mini.
Apple also worked on the separate SUV configuration described above, which uses four AID12001 HomePod (2nd generation) speakers, so the company has tested a two configurations for its surround system:
* 4x HomePod (2nd generation)
* 2x HomePod (2nd generation) + 2x AID12007, which is unreleased hardware
3. Party Mode
Apple is also working on additional audio tunings for stereo-pair setups using HomePod (2nd generation). Several new files are selected when “Party Mode” is enabled. Designed specifically for stereo pairs, Party Mode uses a rendering mode called diffuse.
The Party Mode profiles spread the sound into a wider, more ambient mix. The goal is to make music fill a room more evenly instead of creating a perfect listening spot in front of the speakers. Siri and system sounds also receive a wide mix treatment and are spread throughout the room.
Unfortunately, there's no public ipsw-diff repository for audioOS updates. For reference, you can check the following files on audioOS 27 beta 8 (24J5360a) for HomePod (2nd generation):
/Library/Audio/Tunings/AID12001/VAD/SoundAutoConfigStrips.plist: four-speaker roles and the SUV and Forklift configurations./System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/SoundAutoConfig.framework/XPCServices/soundautoconfigservice.internal.xpc/soundautoconfigservice.internal: automatic room and speaker calibration./Library/Audio/Tunings/AID12001/VAD/speaker_multichannel_movie_surround.austrip: movie and multichannel surround processing/Library/Audio/Tunings/AID12001/VAD/speaker_stereo_party_mode_on.austrip: Party Mode
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u/ListenOver Sep 03 '26
$1200 more or less at current HomePod pricing 😭
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u/Fr05t_B1t Sep 03 '26
But just a traditional good quality bar is already $1200
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u/ListenOver Sep 03 '26
True - im just worried that if all these new products release at once im going to want them all and will be poor
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u/youdontknowme1010101 Sep 04 '26
Just do what I do: Start by being poor, that way you don’t worry about being poor later.
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u/Fr05t_B1t Sep 03 '26
If the HP surround sound is real, there’s a good chance that HPs can also work with soundbars or at least allows the integration of soundbars in HomeKit. Like holy shit there’s absolutely no need for 4 hubs/border routers in such close proximity. And as much as people will whale and buy 4 full sized HomePods, there will be people upset that they need to buy 4 HomePods.
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u/_______o-o_______ Sep 04 '26
I highly doubt Apple would allow you to add HomePods to a 3rd party soundbar as surrounds.
And you don't *need* to buy 4 HomePods, you can use it for Spatial Audio by scaling from one, to a pair, to four HomePods.
If you mosey on over to r/sonos, you can see people build sets from one $300 soundbar up to a $2,500 multi-speaker smart-speaker setup, so the market is certainly there.
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u/NoPlansTonight Sep 04 '26
That's a shame because I'd consider buying more HomePods if that were the case.
I use AirPlay speakers (OD-11) so it could definitely be pulled off. It can already synchronize perfectly with HomePods.
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u/fishymanbits Sep 04 '26
It’s because Apple is intimately aware of just how fucking stupid the average user is. They know that if there were any issues whatsoever with the output, HomePod-related or not, people would immediately blame Apple. Somehow they’ve managed to carve out this niche for themselves where they make the most popular version of any given product while also being the company that the general public is quickest to rip to absolute shreds over any perceived flaws in their products. Imagined or otherwise.
That’s not to say they’re beyond reproach. Far from it. It’s just that 99% of the criticisms aimed at them have absolutely nothing at all to do with them.
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u/runForestRun17 Sep 04 '26
Nothing can match physical rears
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u/Fr05t_B1t Sep 04 '26
Well no duh. But the more devices you’re adding to a surround sound setup, the more things that can go wrong. Soundbar + rears is a minimum of 3 devices and you can have optional physical connections from the TV, soundbar, and rears. HomePod is a minimum of 4 devices being reliant on wireless connections and your own WiFi.
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u/Opacy Sep 04 '26
You can use the soundbar with anything in your AV setup (BluRay player, video game console etc.) though.
This presumed HomePod setup only works if everything runs through Apple TV, right? (I.e. you watch everything through a tvOS app, you only play Apple Arcade games etc.)
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u/ProfessionalWeek2256 Sep 04 '26
You will need an AppleTV for this but as long as your TV has eARC in the HDMI port your AppleTV is plugged in to all of the audio from your tv will come through the homepods regardless of the input source. I sometimes play my PS5 through the homepod speakers if I'm just casually playing and don't feel like wearing my headset. You don't have to be watching or playing something on the AppleTV to use the speakers.
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u/fishymanbits Sep 04 '26
And nowhere near the sound quality of even a stereo pair of HomePods when it comes to simulating proper surround sound.
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u/Fr05t_B1t Sep 04 '26
The technology in HomePods is better in the sense that they adjust to the room whereas a sound bar needs to be placed at the front. But no, sound quality is going to depend highly on the brand and then model. Then it’s just personal preference. They do the exact same thing except one can control smart devices.
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u/fishymanbits Sep 04 '26
The automatic room adaptation makes the HomePods better suited for this task than a sound bar without exception. Soundbars are designed to work really well in a specific position in a specific space of a specific shape and size. HomePods, the full sized ones, will adapt to the room and give you the best case scenario audio you’d get from a sound bar no matter the room size or shape.
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u/Fr05t_B1t Sep 04 '26
You know the phrase “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”? Well it doesn’t mean gargling Apple’s (the company) balls everyday.
Yes both HPs adjust their sound though you’re heavily reliant on wireless and WiFi connections. Plus you gotta hope that you have 4 different wall outlets around.
No, HomePods would be much better as a complimentary addition to a soundbar rather than relying on 4 HomePods to hold signal amongst the hundreds of WiFi smart plugs that people buy for some reason.
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u/fishymanbits Sep 04 '26
Me: A stereo pair of HomePods gives better sound than a soundbar because they can dynamically tune the audio to the room, which sound bars can’t do.
You: Quit gargling Apple’s balls
Grow up, man. It’s not that serious.
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u/dedgecko Sep 04 '26
My beef since day one — you can use the bar for anything, and it will probably outlast the HomePods.
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u/Fr05t_B1t Sep 04 '26
Honestly, I kinda think if they prohibit the use of 3rd party soundbars, less people would use this new surround sound, if it is true.
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u/Normal_Quantity3018 Sep 07 '26
If it weren’t for the touch ghost, I could also spend €1200 but for the HomePod that has a big design defect (without a USB port) I will never buy a HomePod again. In fact I sold the 2 I owned.
I hope for an improved HomePod mini 2.
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u/DontPoopInMyPantsPlz Sep 03 '26
And you will need high tier Netflix plan for spatial audio
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u/vibrantverde Sep 04 '26
Eww, Netflix. Buy physical instead.
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u/niels108 Sep 03 '26
About time! But it should work with (new) mini’s for rear speakers too!
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u/pdfu Sep 03 '26
Rears (AID12007) may end up being HomePod mini 2. We shall see soon!
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u/HumanCheesecake2137 Sep 03 '26
When are these new updates expected to drop? Ready to buy two new speakers now lol
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u/pdfu Sep 03 '26
It's complicated. HomePod software includes much of the four-speaker audio engine, but the HomeKit and Apple TV plumbing needed to create and select a four-speaker system is not finished.
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u/DisastrousCause9481 Mod Sep 04 '26
High probability they are the new mini. No rumors for g3 full size yet and they have been testing 4 gen2. This is gonna be so fine!
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u/No_Emphasis_1298 Sep 03 '26
With a name like forklift, I would say so. Go look at a forklift’s wheels.
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u/wilso850 Sep 03 '26
I would buy 2 more HomePods for this.
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u/quetzalcoatlus1453 Sep 03 '26
I have two TVs with an AppleTV 4k/HomePod 2 setup. I might get 4 more HomePods 😅
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u/AWildDragon Space Gray Sep 03 '26
As someone with 4 OGs and has asked for this in nearly every survey, fuck my wallet.
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u/CeeKay125 Sep 03 '26
It's a shame this wouldn't work with full sized HomePods and minis. Maybe they will add this with new hardware.
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u/WolfWillLV Sep 03 '26
Yeah. Isn’t using full size home pods for the back speakers overkill and unnecessary?
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u/Financial-Barnacle79 Sep 03 '26
I would say so. Having 4 HomePods in surround mode seems like a waste…
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u/Manifoo Sep 04 '26
Why wouldn’t it work with minis?
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u/CeeKay125 Sep 04 '26
Read under #1. Obviously it could change but the code right now makes it just for the full sized second gen HomePods.
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u/Brick_Muted Sep 03 '26
For everyone talking about pricing, Sony quads would be the target market & they’re already up at $2200, so wouldn’t be outwith the realms of possibility for Apple to go full as opposed to pseudo Dolby Atmos with their new HomePods & a nice little price bump to boot.
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u/SgtHulka72 Sep 04 '26
It’s like people in this sub don’t really know how much home theater costs. The Quad (without a sub!) is $2200. The Bravia Trio is $1800, also without a sub. The 990H is $1700.
Getting 4 HP for $1200 and being on par or better than Sony’s offerings would be a steal, other than the missing sub functionality (which is probably a deal breaker).
But if you can’t have a sub and want surround/pseudo atmos, this would be a game changer at a relatively low cost.
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u/jericon Sep 03 '26
I have a bunch of OG HomePods. Might need to convert if they launch new ones.
For surround I’d love if they supported big HomePods for the 4 corners and then minis for additional channels.
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u/lemonhello White Sep 03 '26
Idk there’s something about the OG HomePod that is really hard for me to let go. It still works beautifully in my ecosystem, but I’m happy to slowly upgrade if they introduce some true new perks.
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u/kzissou04 Sep 04 '26
Don’t be so quick to give up your 1st Gens!
In many ways, they’re technically superior to the 2nd Gen. The A8 in the OG outperforms the S7 in the 2nd Gen, and it supports WiFi 5 while the S7 only supports WiFi 4.
7 tweeters on OG vs. 5 on 2nd Gen.
6 mics on OG vs. 4 on 2nd Gen.
Sure, the 2nd Gen has Thread support, but I’d rather have a better-sounding speaker.1
u/shawnshine Sep 04 '26
Isn’t Siri much slower on the OG, though?
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u/kzissou04 Sep 04 '26
I haven’t heard that before. I haven’t done side-by-side comparisons, but Siri is adequate on the 1st Gen
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u/AudioHTIT Sep 04 '26
Finally! This is long overdue, but very welcome! Going from a 2.0 to 4.0 system is a big bump, and easy placement for many — my bedroom system is ready for it, though I‘ll have to replace my HPOG mains. Now, how about a PoE option for HomePods?
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u/Branagh-Doyle Sep 04 '26
At least the first gen Homepod will get audioOS 27 and automix support. Is very impressive that they keep supporting it software wise, especially taking into account that Apple discontinued it unceremoniously a few years ago.
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u/ChunK2405 Sep 04 '26
Is it still worth it if I don't watch movies? I care about good sound quality, but I mostly use it for YouTube and Apple Music.
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u/DisastrousCause9481 Mod Sep 04 '26
For spatial audio i would have guessed yes! But when disabled they will only push sound to the front pair of second gens
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u/ByteCurious69 Sep 04 '26
All of this are done via software. Crazy how they are just gatekeeping the OG HomePods considering it’s very well capable and has the necessary hardware to support this feature.
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u/Ertaus Sep 04 '26
I would be interested in buying two minis as rear if compatible with my two current OGs BUT I think apple should adopt Dolby Atmos FlexConnect and make any compatible hardware to be added to your system.
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u/musi_info_apple Sep 06 '26
Però sarebbe una riproduzione in termini di frequenze probabilmente incoerente se combinassi più dispositivi diversi tra loro per riprodurre in Atmos
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u/Striking_Command_817 Sep 03 '26
I always thought about this! Like using multiple HomePods and homepod minis to make a surround system. Hopefully they will bring it out! Currently using 2 minis on the front and 2 minis on the back, adjusting the volume so the rear ones don’t overlap the front ones.
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u/ExoticExtension3381 Sep 03 '26
Will very interested to see how this pans out. Been hanging out for extended surround with the HomePods.
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u/metaphysicalme Sep 04 '26
So do I need to buy two more HomePods or two minis or two of something new? Maybe if it’s new it will have a bit more bass.
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u/DisastrousCause9481 Mod Sep 04 '26
Damn thats some excellent news! It was about time for second gen to receive some extra features from the OG!
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u/Corke64 Sep 04 '26
I suspect this will only work on whatever the latest chip they put into the new models because of the processing power required to achieve this
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u/eliahd20 Sep 04 '26
It would be cool if Apple used every HomePod as an LFE channel similar to Bang & Olufsen Theatre setups.
Even in stereo mode, it would use the rear HomePods as subs in conjunction with the front speakers. That way there wouldn't be a drop in performance in Stereo, just a change in immersion.
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u/rahulchawla20 Sep 04 '26
What timeline are we looking at for the release? Next week? Or special release in October?
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u/primalanomaly Sep 04 '26
Soundbar and a sub please 🙏
Come on Apple, give Sonos a run for their money!
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u/afl-jafa Sep 03 '26
Have they fixed the issue with music randomly cranking out at 2am or the units perpetually stuck "preparing"?
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u/KyleMcMahon Sep 04 '26
I have 14 HomePods / minis and have never had either of those problems ever
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u/afl-jafa Sep 04 '26
Its certainly a thing and the complaints are all over the internet. I don't have issues with my minis.
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u/KyleMcMahon Sep 04 '26
So there’s this problem with the top selling smart speaker on earth and it’s just been happening for years? A google search shows this is mostly a user error thing:
night is usually caused by "ghost touches" on a faulty touch panel, misconfigured Home automations, or external AirPlay handoff triggers
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u/afl-jafa Sep 04 '26
So it's a "faulty touch panel". Cool - are apple addressing this?
My Wiims don't have this issue.
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u/KyleMcMahon Sep 04 '26
If you’re in the sliver of the minority who have a faulty touch panel, of course Apple would take care of it.
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u/wish_you_a_nice_day Sep 03 '26
My small apartment can’t fit full size HomePods for the rear :(
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u/AWildDragon Space Gray Sep 03 '26
You can do 2 big and 2 mini’s per this.
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u/pdfu Sep 03 '26
We'll see whether AID12007 ends up being a new HomePod or HomePod mini. Haven't heard a lot about a HomePod (3rd generation).
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u/Ludat1k Sep 04 '26
I doubt the AID12007 is a full size HP. If it was, you would see reference to using them as front channels in a 4-speaker surround setup. The fact that only HP 2nd gens are specified for front channels and that AID12007 can be used as rear channels suggests that AID12007 is likely a smaller speaker (ie the HP mini 2).
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u/g2ichris Contest Winner Sep 04 '26
lol too late. I’ve been using 4 HomePods as terrible “surround sound speakers” since they came out. Finally got fed up and recently got a proper Samsung Qsymphony surround system and I couldn’t be happier
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u/Dschulien Sep 04 '26
a half year ago I was planning the same, so glad I waited :D hopefully they will bring this.
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u/brian7812 Sep 04 '26
Any chance of using regular stereo speakers as fronts and HomePods as rears?
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u/Dschulien Sep 04 '26
You mean outside the apple Ecosystem? No chance!
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u/brian7812 Sep 04 '26
One can dream lmao. not giving up my Chevy fronts but would love to supplement the rears
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u/dddhome Sep 04 '26
Let us add a subwoofer or sell one please. After having surround speakers or a soundbar with a subwoofer I just can’t go back.
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u/ripsfo Sep 04 '26
I feel like if they can do this with 4, they should be able to optimize for any amount > 2. Of course if you have home theater setup, you think 4 corners, but I bet 3 would sound better than 2, and 5 more than 4.
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u/icanhaztuthless Sep 05 '26
And 7 would sound better than 5, but then 9 or 13 would be even better. At what point would you go back to discrete channel HiFi? 4 makes sense given they’re not simple directional speakers. Two 2nd Gen in stereo mode are plenty loud. The ability to have 4 means I can repurpose two from other rooms and put minis in place, and get some amazing sound in the living room
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u/Ready_Sail7932 Sep 07 '26
Stereo audio doesn’t even work properly for me, never mind any quad audio
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u/pdfu Sep 07 '26
There’s a whole new architecture to manage Home audio accessories in OS 27, so hopefully it helps with the feature.
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u/LiquidFire07 22d ago
I hope it’s true but we really need new hardware above all. Speaker tech has come a long way the HomePods are really outdated
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u/todayplustomorrow Sep 04 '26 edited Sep 04 '26
Why steal the whole Macrumors article and not even link it? You clearly thought it was worth reading
EDIT: never mind, he wrote the Macrumors one too
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u/yardshark09 Sep 04 '26
This sounds an excellent addition to the HomePod feature set, but considering iOS has left my 9 HomePods in shambles, I don’t have much faith this will work reliably.
I can’t even play music reliably across 2 AirPods. Now they’re going to 2 more into the mix!? Regardless, I’ll continue to have faith lol.
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Sep 04 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/yardshark09 Sep 04 '26
I haven’t changed my router in the 6 years I’ve installed them (1 Eero Pro 6 + 1 w/ wireless backhaul). They have been essentially bulletproof in all other aspects but the HomePods seem so finicky on the network. It’ll work flawlessly one day with all blasting music in sync, then the next, AirPlaying to two of them is impossible.
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u/AWildDragon Space Gray Sep 04 '26
Second the other comment. I went to Unifi gear and never saw issues.
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u/Fr05t_B1t Sep 03 '26
I wonder if they’d allow a 3 HP setup. Getting 2 full sized HomePods is already overkill for most situations. I think it’s more affordable with one full sized in the front and two mini rears.
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u/BCBUK Sep 04 '26
Very cool, though curious how the Apple TV networking chip will cope with 4 wireless speakers while simultaneously streaming 4k video. I think this once again shows it has been a mistake to not release a Sonos Beam sized soundbar with an Apple TV built in.
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u/HumanCheesecake2137 Sep 03 '26
Really hope this is real