Homepod vs Sonos- A complete illustration

Homepod vs. Sonos is a hot topic among music lovers. The audiophiles are always looking for the best speaker that plays different genres of music with high definition audio. Homepod belongs to the Apple group and delivers rich sound with deep bass. It will play rock, classic, jazz without any distortion.

Sonos has different speakers but ensures excellent sound quality. Along with it, it is well-known for its compatibility and the openness to work with several music services. With Homepod, you will have only Apple Music, but with Sonos, you can stream and enjoy from hundreds of music sources.

In this article, I will guide you through the primary differences of Homepod and Sonos, different models of Sonos, and finally, let you decide with confidence which one will be the best for you.

Comparison between Homepod vs Sonos:

The following table shows some dissimilarity in specifications between Homepod and Sonos One.

Table: Comparison between Homepod vs Sonos One

Sonos one Buy on Amazon

Best features of Homepod

• It is light-weight and goes with any home décor
• It has seven tweeters and woofer that are responsible for producing 360-degree audio with deep bass, appropriate tremble, good high and mids.
• The sound quality is unbeatable and one of the best in the market.
• Homepod has six microphones with sharp hearing features. It will hear you if you whisper or when the music is the loudest.
• It has self–adjusted EQ that can comprehend its surroundings, whether it is in the corner of the room or middle of the room, and balance the sound.
• The speaker has a powerful A8 chip that carries out functions at a faster rate.
• Homepod Personal Requests allows you to send or read SMS, create a reminder, or add a note in the iOS device.
• It can control Homekit supported devices.
• The speaker supports stereo pairing; this means you can pair two Homepod speakers and listen to them in the same room or different rooms as well.
• Can you use Homepod as a Bluetooth speaker? Homepod is a smart speaker that supports Bluetooth 5.0 but it is not for streaming music. You can use it to share music via AirPlay.
• With non-Apple devices, it doesn’t work as a regular Bluetooth speaker.
• Homepod supports multiple users. It allows connecting up to six users in the home.

Disadvantages of Homepod

• Works only with Apple devices.
• Compatible only with Siri assistant
• Limited music services

Comparison of top Sonos speaker:

Table: Top four Sonos speaker Comparison

Sonos One Buy on Amazon	Sonos One SL Buy on Amazon
Sale Sonos Move Buy on Amazon	Sonos Five Buy on Amazon

Best features of Sonos

• Sonos provides speakers for home as well as portable speakers to take outside
• They are quite affordable
• Works with Spotify, Amazon Music, Tidal, Audible, YouTube Music, Deezer, and fifty to hundreds of music services that vary from speaker to speaker. Their motto is to play “all the music on Earth.”
• With Sonos, you will have the biggest music library.
• Some Sonos speakers are ideal for TV, like Beam, Playbar, or Playbase. These speakers give a punchy, room-filling sound, which causes watching a movie or football match for realistic.
• Sonos is continuously upgrading its products, ensuring the best sound quality. All speakers deliver a decent yet powerful and undistorted sound.
• Most Sonos speakers like Sonos Move, One, and Beam are compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant except for Sonos One SL and Sonos Five. Others like Play 3 or Play 5 works with Echo Dot or Google Home.
• These speakers can control Alexa or Google assistant compatible smart devices around the house.
• Works with Android and iOS devices, so like Homepod, it is not limited to a specific brand of products.
• The Trueplay feature enables Sonos to realize its surroundings and adjust the sound.
• The Sonos app has several features to add songs from different music sources, stream music, and many more.
• Sonos allows stereo pairing, and with Sonos Connect, you can buy wireless speakers of other brands.

Disadvantages of Sonos

•  It will not work without an Internet connection
• It doesn’t work with Dolby Atmos
• Some speakers like Sonos Five and Beam don’t support any voice assistants.

Quick verdict: Which one is the best

Homepod vs. Sonos, which speaker is the best? The answer lies in the type of smart devices and the choice of music of the users. Both these speakers deliver excellent sound quality, and it is guaranteed that you will not frown while listening to them.

If you have Apple products like iPhone, Mac, Homekit smart devices, Homepod is the best choice for you.  It works with Apple products seamlessly.

On the other hand, if you want a speaker that not only sounds great but is compatible with Android, iOS, Pandora, Amazon Music, Deezer, Auracle Sound, and 80 other music services, then Sonos is the best option.

In-depth Analysis of Homepod vs Sonos

Design

The Homepod weighs around 2.5kg, comes in black and space gray color with a fabric wrapping the speaker. It is easily movable due to its light-weight.  Sonos speakers come in different sizes and weights. Some like Sonos One is portable and light-weight, others like Sonos Five are hefty to move.

Sound quality

Homepod has rich bass, appropriate high and mids, treble, and undistorted audio at its highest volume. It is said that none of the speakers in the market can sound better than Hompod to music lovers.

 Whereas Sonos is always improving, and when we look into music testing and user feedback, they are satisfied with the high-quality sound.  The Sonos has crystal, crisp sound with the focused soundstage.

When speakers like Sonos Beam is connected to a TV, it generates a room-filling, booming, realistic audio that takes the experience of watching a movie or a game on another level.

Voice assistant compatibility

Most of the Sonos speakers like Sonos One, Sonos Move, and Beam are compatible with both Alexa and Google Assistant. This gives users the freedom of choice to choose a voice assistant. Play 3 needs to be paired with Echo Dot or Google Home to work with the assistants.

Homepod is not quite flexible. It only works with Siri and not with other assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant.

Compatible music services

The most significant advantage of using a Sonos speaker is compatible music services. It works with almost any music service, and this is what the Homepod lacks. Sonos works with Amazon Music, Audible, Google Play Music, IDAGIO, iHeartRadio, Pandora, Spotify, TIDAL, etc. For more details, visit Sonos website.

Homepod is the best speaker for Apple users, and it is compatible only with Apple Music, and via AirPlay 2, it can stream from Spotify as well.

Controlling Smart devices

 Since Sonos speakers work with Alexa and Google Assistant, it can also control the smart devices linked with them.  You can easily say, “Alexa, turn off the kitchen lights” or “Hey Google, turn on the thermostat.” This makes life easier, and users experience the flexibility of using the Sonos Speaker.

Homepod can also control smart devices, but only the Homekit enabled devices.

Comparison of Homepod with various Sonos Speakers:

Homepod vs Sonos One

Design and Construction

If we compare Homepod vs Sonos One speaker, we will see they are competing with each other in terms of various criteria.  The Sonos One and Homepod have almost the same size and colors: black and white. The Homepod looks more elegant and is covered with mesh fabric, while the Sonos One has a black or white grille and looks like a regular speaker.

The Homepod has seven tweeters and a woofer that delivers a 360-degrees sound, and the Sonos One has one tweeter and a mid-woofer responsible for mid-range vocals.

A feature of Homepod, called ‘spatial awareness’, can realize its surroundings and adjust the sound accordingly; this means you can put it in the middle or corner of the room. Whereas the Sonos One should be kept at a corner.

Sound quality

Homepod is known to be the best speaker in terms of sound quality. It has rich bass, omnidirectional sound, crisp, and crystal clear audio with no distortion at high volume.

Sonos One is the competitor of Homepod because it delivers high-quality sound as well. It controls mid-range vocal frequencies, and the audio has good treble, bass, and good soundstage. The Sonos One is perfectly capable of producing powerful and quality sound.

Compatibility

Homepod is the only option and best for Apple users. It works only with the iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, and Homekit-enabled smart devices. Siri is the only voice assistant, and Apple Music is the music service it supports. It is not versatile or compatible with other smart products

Sonos One works with Android and iPhone and several music services like Spotify, Amazon Music, Spotify, Deezer, Audible, and Apple Music via AirPlay 2. The speaker also works with Alexa or Google Assistant and their supported smart devices. This means Sonos One is more flexible, compatible, and versatile compared to Homepod.

Two Sonos One vs Homepod

Also, you can buy two Sonos One with the price of one Homepod. The stereo pairing of two Sonos one vs. Homepod means you will get powerful audio at the price of Homepod. Homepod is available for stereo pairing, but it will increase the cost.

In our sound testing, we observed, the vocal presentation of Sonos One is more proper and well-focused compared to Homepod. Although Homepod beats all other speakers with its rich bass, treble and balanced sound, two Sonos One will also deliver room-filling audio without distortion.

Sonos One gen 2 vs Homepod

While other specifications are the same, the differences between Sonos Gen 2 and Sonos One lie in three criteria. The Gen 2 comes with increased memory, a powerful and updated processor, and Bluetooth Low Energy. That said, users will have the same experience as Sonos One, but as per the Sonos Company, more features might add to it in the future, which the original Sonos One won’t support.

Apple Homepod vs Sonos Play 3

Table:   Apple Homepod vs Sonos Play 3

Sale Sonos Play 3 Buy on Amazon

Best features:

• Sonos Play 3 weighs the same as Homepod. It has a trapezoidal shape and comes in a black or white grill.
• Users can put it horizontally or vertically, where the automatic EQ will adjust the sound based on the speaker’s orientation. This is similar to the ‘spatial awareness’ of Homepod.
• Sonos Play 3 works with Android or iOS and hundreds of music sources, including Spotify and Apple Music. Homepod doesn’t work with Android; it works with Apple Music and can play Spotify via AirPlay 2.
• Both Play 3 and Homepod can be used for stereo pairing to experience a home theater.
• The sound quality of Homepod has an accurate bass, crisp, and focused soundstage that is better than Play 3. Play 3 has one tweeter, two mid-range drivers, and one bass radiator. It delivers audio powerful enough to fill the room.
• Although it doesn’t have that punch like Play 5, the sound has excellent quality, regardless of its genre and volume.
• Play 3 can work with Alexa and Google Assistant, but it will need Echo Dot or Google Home, whereas, the Hompod is compatible with Siri only.

Homepod vs Sonos Play 5

Table: Homepod vs Sonos Five (Play 5)

Sonos Play 5 Buy on Amazon

Best features:

• Play 5 is the older version of Sonos Five. It is a hefty speaker and large in size.
• There are no physical buttons on the speaker; you can make ‘tapping gestures’ to play/pause a song or skip them. Homepod has a cylindrical shape, small in size, and comes with a control panel.
• Although the Homepod audio quality rules the market, Play 5 gives almost similar experience in terms of sound quality. the Play 5 delivers undistorted, enriched audio with appropriate bass and crystal clear sound at high volume
• The audio quality is undoubtedly the best compared to other wireless speakers. It can fill up big rooms and can go very loud while making sure the bass, acoustic, and tremble are accurate.
• Sonos Five works with Android, iOS, Amazon Music, Spotify, Google Play Music, etc.; the Homepod is not that open to other devices or music services other than Apple.
• The Five can be put horizontally or vertically; it has a Trueplay feature similar to the ‘Spatial awareness’ of Homepod.
• It doesn’t have a microphone and is not compatible with any voice assistant.
• You can also connect a Sonos subwoofer, the Sonos Sub with the Five for bold bass.

Sonos Beam vs Homepod

Table: Sonos Beam vs Homepod

Sonos Beam Buy on Amazon

Best features:

• Sonos Beam works with HDMI-arc supported TV seamlessly, whereas Homepod only connects to Apple TV. It has 5.8 watts.
• Sonos Beam is ideal for home theater, multiroom or surrounds speaker experience
• The sound quality is evidently better in Homepod. Homepod delivers undistorted, accurate treble and bass even at high volumes. Sonos Beam has good bass; it delivers good vocal and background music, making it ideal for watching movies.
• The Sonos Beam setup is quick and easy. For more details you can visit their website:
• Homepod only works with Apple Music and Siri’s assistant. Sonos Beam works with Spotify, Apple Music, etc. it is flexible and compatible with smart products.
• For home theater experience there is another product known as Sonos Soundbar or Playbar. The Company will also release a new Playbar known as Sonos Playbar 2 which is assumed to support Dolby Atmos.

Google Home Max vs Sonos One

Table: Google Home Max vs Sonos One

Sonos One Buy on Amazon

Best features:

• Google Home Max has a cloth grille cover, trapezoidal like shape and is heavier than Sonos One.
• Sonos One has a metal grille, rectangular with round sides, and is light-weight
• Compared to Sonos One, Google Home Max has powerful volume and rich bass.
• Sonos one has accurate treble and crystal clear sound and delivers solid volume when two Sonos Ones are paired.
• Sonos One supports 55 music services, including Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Music, Deezer, etc. Compared to Sonos One, Max supports less number of music services.
• Sonos One works with both Google Assistant and Alexa; Max is only Google Assistant supported.
• Sonos app for iPhone is available on the app store.
• Max can be connected to stereos and TVs. It can support Chromecast supported devices like Android TV.

Sonos Move vs Homepod

Table: Sonos Move vs Homepod

Sale Sonos Move Buy on Amazon

Features:

• Sonos Bluetooth speaker, the Sonos Move is heavier than Homepod. It has a black grille in black color and is a portable smart speaker, while Homepod has a fixed power cord.
• Homepod delivers enriched bass, punchy crystal clear sound at high volume due to its seven tweeters and woofer. Sonos Move produces decent and undistorted audio as well, but the Homepod is more powerful.
• Homepod has six microphones, and it is well-known for its sensitive hearing. While Sonos Move will not hear you when you speak to it from another room or at loud audio, Homepod will. Even when the music is loudest or a group of people in the house, it will hear your whisper.
• Sonos Move is portable; you can take it outside on a road trip, by the pool or beach. With Homepod, you don’t have this option.
• Homepod has spatial awareness and Move has Auto Trueplay, so both can sense the surroundings and deliver audio accordingly.
• Sonos Move is compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, and Homepod works with Siri.
• Both these speakers support stereo pairing and can stream music with AirPlay 2. Sonos app for Mac, iPhone, and Andriod is available for download. It is also easy to use.

Sonos Connect

Sonos comes with new products and updates all the time and Sonos Connect is the output of it. It is used to connect to your existing amplifier and a receiver. It has a digital, analog input as well as a line-level input. The line-level input helps you to connect a turntable or TV and play the audio in speakers to one room or all rooms.

The Sonos connect setup is straightforward and anyone can do it. It consists of two steps: to plug in the wires and download the app, then you are ready to go.

Final thoughts

This is a complete guide of Homepod vs Sonos that consists of detailed elaboration to make you choose better. The audio quality is the best for Homepod, the music lovers will adore it, and if they are in the Apple ecosystem, then the Homepod is the only speaker for them.

With the Sonos, there are different models of speakers from which you can choose, like Sonos One, Sonos One SL, Sonos Move, Sonos Beam, Play 3, Sonos Five, etc. Some are portable others are suitable for indoor, and the soundbars work great with TV.

Author’s Pick: Sonos

The compatibility of Sonos beats Homepod in terms of voice assistant, music service, and smart device control. If you think if you are surrounded by Apple products, the Homepod will suit you the best, but if you feel you want good audio as well as a versatile speaker, Sonos is the best.

FAQs

People Frequently ask about Homepod vs Sonos. Check them oyut, if you have anyvother questions.

How to connect Sonos to Wi-Fi?

To connect Sonos to the Wi-Fi network, follow these instructions:

• Go to the Sonos app on your iOS device
• Make sure your device is on the network you want the speaker to connect.
• With an Ethernet cable, connect the speaker with a router.
• In the Sonos app, go to Settings> System>Network>Wireless Set Up.
• Follow the instructions on the app.
• Enter the Wi-Fi password, and you will receive a message that says the Sonos player will now connect.
• Unplug the Ethernet cable and play music.

 With a wired Sonos Player like Sonos Boost:

• Using an Ethernet cable, connect the Boost to the Wi-Fi.
• Unplug the speaker from the power source, and then insert the power cord again. The white light on the speaker means the setup is complete.

 How to set up Sonos?

Follow these instructions to set up a Sonos speaker:

• Unbox the speaker and connect it to the power supply
• Download the Sonos app from Apple Store or Google play store on iOS, Mac, or Android.
• Go to the app and select ‘Set up a new Sonos system.’ Select the ‘Standard setup’ if you don’t have an Ethernet-connected speaker like Sonos Boost.
• Connect the speaker to Wi-Fi by the steps previously discussed, and then select the desired speaker.
• Select ‘Join’ mode
• The speaker will show an orange indicator and a chime. The app will ask you to confirm it, and the setup is complete.

How to connect to Sonos Bluetooth?

To connect Sonos to Bluetooth, go through the following steps:

• In the Sonos speaker such as Sonos Move, locate the Mode button. It is at the back of the speaker in the middle of the Power and Joins button.
• Tap the button once to go to Bluetooth Mode.
• The speaker will respond with a chime, and LED will give a blue indicator.
• Tab the Mode button and hold it to switch to pairing mode. The chime and blue light will confirm it.
• In the settings option of the device, turn the Bluetooth on.
• Press the Move on the device list.
• The blue LED will flash and chime will indicate the setup is complete.

How to set up Homepod without Wi-Fi?

You can’t set up the Homepod without an active internet connection. Make sure your Wi-Fi is active then follow these steps to set up Homepod.

• Connect Homepod to the power source. You will hear a chime and see a white indicator at the top of the speaker.
• Hold your Apple phone near the Homepod. The speaker will appear on your screen, select Set up.
• Select a room, enable Personal Requests, and allow the settings to get all your information on iCloud, Wi-Fi network, and Apple Music.
• The Homepod in the viewfinder on the iOS device will finish the pairing process.
• Allow some time for Homepod to complete the setup. Within a moment, the Siri will welcome you.

How to update Homepod?

To update the Homepod, do the following:

• Open the Home app on your mobile
• Select the ‘Home’ at the left side on the top
• Go to ‘Speakers & TV,’ then select ‘Software Update.’ Launch the Home app on your iPhone or iPad

When the update pops up, select Download and Install.

Naheed Nazneen TuLi

Network Engineer and Tech Journalist. Read More…