Showing posts with label Speaker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Speaker. Show all posts

Wednesday, 25 November 2020

Logitech Z407 Review

We're see fewer and fewer new computer-focused speaker these days, but they're out there, often with the added benefit of Bluetooth for connecting your mobile devices. The Logitech Z407 is one such 2.1 system that delivers powerful audio for its $79.99 price. The included subwoofer doesn't deliver true sub-bass thunder, but it adds some full, anchoring bass depth to the mix. It also comes with a useful remote designed for desktop use, for an affordable upgrade to your computer's audio that also works well with mobile devices.

Z407 Design and Features

Available in black, the Z407 system comes with dual 10-watt satellite speakers with roughly 2.3-inch drivers, and a 20-watt subwoofer with a down-firing, roughly 5-inch driver. The left and right satellite speakers measure 7.9 by 3.7 by 3.3 inches (HWD), and the sub is 9.5 by 9.2 by 7.0 inches.

There are detachable stands for the satellites, and they can snap into the base so the speakers stand upright, and tilt back at angle to more accurately align with your ears—or they can snap into the long end of the speaker so that the satellites rest horizontally on a surface. The drivers are also placed at the top of the satellites (when in vertical positioning) so that the upward angle doesn't need to be as severe to line up with your ears. We see plenty of desktop speakers get this wrong, but not only do you have the vertical/horizontal option here, you get proper driver alignment with your ears, which ensures a better listening experience.

The speakers connect via semi-hardwired RCA-style cabling to the back panel of the subwoofer. This back panel also houses a micro USB port for computer audio (no cable is included) and a 3.5mm aux input for connecting computers or mobile devices with headphone jacks (a cable is included for this input). The wires are on the short side, however, and thus may dictate speaker and/or subwoofer placement to an extent.

The system comes with a wireless desktop remote dial, roughly 2.8 inches in diameter. The remote runs on two (included) AAA batteries. The dial has no labels on it whatsoever—just a black push-button top for a surface. One tap controls playback, two taps skip forward a track, and three taps navigate backward a track. The top is also a rotating dial—turning it to the right increases volume levels, while turning it left cuts volume levels. The bottom panel of the remote has a rubberized ring for stable desktop placement, a Bluetooth pairing button, and a button for switching between Bluetooth and wired audio sources.

In addition to easily connecting to PCs and other devices via 3.5mm jack, the system is compatible with Bluetooth 5.0.

Audio Performance

The Z407 achieves some impressively high volume levels for a relatively compact, affordable speaker system. At top levels, the DSP (digital signal processing) can squash the dynamics a bit, but this is generally in the name of preventing distortion.

On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," the system delivers a palpable thump at moderate to high volumes, but at maximum volume levels, the subwoofer teeters on the edge of distortion. This isn't necessarily surprising—2.1 speaker systems are rarely this affordable, so we expect the sub to have some limitations on a challenging track like this. The near-distortion rattles the enclosure a little bit, not enough to ruin the audio experience, but enough to warn you that the volume should be lowered slightly.

Bill Callahan's "Drover," a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the Z407's general sound signature. The drums here sound full and heavy but not overly bass-boosted, as can be the case in a bass-forward, sub-driven system. Instead, it's Callahan's baritone vocals that seem to get the most low-frequency presence—there's plenty of added low-mid richness and crisp treble edge to balance things out. At top volume levels, this track doesn't distort in the slightest—generally speaking, it's songs with serious sub-bass content that trigger issues with the sub. The audio here sounds rich, bright, and balanced.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," the kick drum loop receives plenty of high-mid presence, allowing its attack to retain its punchiness—though at top volumes, the DSP tends to flatten that punch out significantly. The attack is more potent at around 70% volume than it is at maximum levels. The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are more implied than delivered, forcing us to recognize a reality about this subwoofer—it's not necessarily a true subwoofer, but more like a woofer.

This doesn't necessarily translate to disappointing audio performance, but the Z407 doesn't really reach down to the deepest lows to deliver rumble. The bass elements of this track still have a full-bodied presence in the mix, and the vocals are delivered cleanly and clearly, with perhaps a hint of added sibilance at moderate volume levels, and that sibilance getting squashed away a little by the DSP at top volume levels. Again, we have balance here, but the low-frequency presence is more concentrated in the traditional lows and low-mids—the sub-bass presence isn't as powerful as you might hope for from a 2.1 setup.

Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, sound wonderful through the Z407. The lower-register instrumentation receives some added bass depth, but it's subtle, and the focus is mostly on providing a low-frequency anchor for the bright higher-register brass, strings, and vocals. Miles Davis' "Pharaoh's Dance" is also reproduced with lovely high-frequency detail and a bass presence that's complementary, not overwhelming. On jazz and classical music, the Z407 delivers its most balanced, full, crisp sounds. The DSP seems to be triggered less, allowing the mix's dynamics to shine through.

An Affordable Audio Upgrade

There are few 2.1 speaker systems below $100 that we're big fans of, but the impressively inexpensive $40 Creative Pebble Plus is a solid budget option, though it lacks wireless connectivity. For (a lot) more money, the $300 Harman Kardon SoundSticks 4 offer a far more powerful 2.1 experience—Bluetooth streaming included. The Logitech Z407 represents an upgrade over the Pebble Plus in that it features Bluetooth streaming and is a bit more powerful, but if you're seeking true subwoofer bass depth, the SoundSticks 4 might be worth saving up for. If that's not a priority, however, the Z407 provides plenty of rich bass and bright definition for an affordable upgrade to your computer's built-in speakers.

Sony MHC-V13 Review

No one will ever accuse Sony's MHC-V13 of not having enough features. At $249.99, it's not merely a massive Bluetooth speaker, it's also a karaoke system with built-in LED lighting, and, for some reason, a CD player?! Oh, it's also a guitar amp, an FM radio, and it features DJ controls and vocal effects. Sonically, the MHC-V13 delivers powerful audio with deep bass presence and notably bright highs, all of which can be adjusted using onboard EQ. There's a lot going on here—perhaps too much—but at its core, this is a fun, powerful speaker with LED lights and a mic input for parties...for a day when parties happen again.

A Speaker of All Trades

Measuring roughly 23.6 by 13.1 by 11.9 inches (HWD) and nearly 18 pounds, the MHC-V13 is a behemoth of a speaker. Thankfully, there's a built-in handle for carrying it around, but to be clear, this isn't a portable speaker that can run on a battery—it needs to be plugged in. Furthermore, it has no water resistance whatsoever, so you'll want to be careful using it outdoors.

The upper portion of the speaker houses the left and right 2-inch horn-style tweeters. A display between the two tweeters offers digital readouts of what sound source is connected. The 8-inch woofer is centrally located and, due in part to the LEDs that shine on it, the central visual focus of the system. The speakers deliver a frequency range of 26Hz to 20kHz.

The controls on the top panel are extensive—this isn't a system trying to keep things simple. A Function button allows you to switch between the various possible sound sources. Surrounding this button, in a sort of semi-circle array lining the CD tray, are buttons labelled Fiesta (a sound effect that attempts to recreate the sonics of a party hall, with limited success), Sound Field (various EQ presets), Megabass (self explanatory), Bluetooth (for pairing), Flanger (which applies a comb filter effect to audio), Isolator (this runs all audio through a filter that seems to kill most bass and focus on treble), and DJ Off (the Fiestable app described below has various DJ effects you can apply to the audio).

Up front, there's a power button, as well as buttons for play, stop, tuning the radio, and volume. There's also a button for the LED light—pressing it switches between various modes or turns it off. Finally, there are buttons labelled Voice Changer (this applies various effects to the mic signal), Wireless Party Chain (you can group multiple speakers together, or two as a stereo pair), Mic Echo, Guitar, and individual plus/minus level controls for the guitar mic input, so you can raise its volume relative to music playing through the speaker. 

The MHC-V13 ships with a remote control that runs on two included AAA batteries. Like the speaker itself, the remote is an involved jumble of buttons and controls. Beyond standard playback and track navigation buttons, it offers a wide array of extra controls related to the LED lights, EQ, vocal effects, and various sound source modes...you can even transfer music from a CD to a connected USB drive.

The platter-style CD player has a pop-up lid—we tested it out and it works just fine. Similarly, we had no issues tuning the FM radio and getting a solid signal with the included wire FM antenna. 

On the rear panel, there are connections for the included power cable (which seems slightly shorter than would be ideal for a speaker this size), a USB-A port for playing compatible files (the system seems to be fine with most WAV, AAC, WMA, and MP3 files), a connection for the FM antenna, and a 3.5mm aux input. The MHC-V13 is compatible with Bluetooth 4.2 and supports AAC, LDAC, and SBC Bluetooth codecs.

Two apps, Sony Music Center and Fiestable, are also compatible with the speaker, but neither app is required to operate it. The Music Center app allows for basic control functions and EQ adjustment (but you can adjust EQ via the remote), while Fiestable is a music-based app that works with the party features of the speaker. This is where the DJ effects described above are located—you can drag your finger across the screen and adjust the levels of, say, Flanger effect applied to music.

What's missing? Obviously not much, but a karaoke mic would've been a nice inclusion—much of the speaker's features are built around the mic/guitar input, but you'll need your own mic (terminating in quarter-inch connection) to use it. This connection should also be able to accept inputs from synths or guitar pedals/FX boxes, so there's some versatility to it. We wouldn't suggest the MHC-V13 as a viable guitar amplifier for musicians, but it offers some extra sing-along/play-along possibilities for parties.

Audio and Feature Performance

On the music playback front, the MHC-V13 is a powerhouse. We began testing the speaker in Flat EQ mode, but the Sound Field button provides plenty of EQ preset options to experiment with. One thing to note: The volume works independently of whatever Bluetooth source the speaker is paired with. We gave it a stress test by maxing out the volume on an iPhone 8, along with the volume on the speaker itself—not only did it get exceptionally loud, but on tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," there was no distortion. Even when we turned on Megabass mode, there was no distortion. Simply put, the speaker gets super loud and delivers a thunderous bass response that can be dialed back.

Bill Callahan's "Drover," a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the MHC-V13 's general sound signature. With Megabass off, the drums on this track sound surprisingly thin—the track sounds almost too bright. Adding in Megabass, things change dramatically—now the drums have a heaviness to them, but they still lack serious thunder. This is actually a good thing, as they don't really pack much sub-bass in the actual mix, but we often hear deep bass added into the mix on bass-forward speakers. Here, the lows are dialed up, but not overdone. In other words, the MHC-V13 isn't going to invent bass where it doesn't exist—but on tracks that do have it, you can expect a deep bass response.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," the kick drum loop receives plenty of high-mid presence, allowing it to retain its punchiness. The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are delivered with some power, but not the over-the-top rumble you might expect from a speaker of this size. The vocals on this track are delivered cleanly and clearly, with perhaps a little added sibilance.

This MHC-V13 seems an unlikely vessel for serious classical music listening, so instead of discussing how Beethoven sounds through its drivers, we'll continue with our overall assessment. Ultimately, for a speaker this large, we expected a little more rumble. That said, there's plenty of bass depth and power, just not the crazy levels the look and size of the speaker imply. The most surprising thing is how bright the various listening modes seem to be—they can be adjusted with EQ to taste, so it's not a real issue. Also, your perception of how this speaker sounds is going to have a lot to do with placement—its tweeters are just barely angled upward, so if you're standing, the audio won't sound quite as bright as it will if you're sitting nearby. And the MHC-V13 sounds best with Megabass mode turned on—when it's off, it's as if Sony is intentionally making it devoid of low-end so that you get excited about the bass response when it's on. 

The built-in LED lights are sometimes fun, sometimes annoying. They can follow the beat somewhat, or simply fade between various colors. Thankfully, they can also be turned off.

The karaoke/guitar input works just fine. We ran a Fender Jazz bass directly through it without any issue, though no one is going to mistake this for a true guitar (or bass guitar) amp. The Mic Echo, which is more delay than reverb, works on both mic signals and instruments connected to the quarter-inch input.

Party On

The Sony MHC-V13 has a lot going on. But while some of the extra features are unlikely to get used as much as others, there's no denying you get a plethora of possibilities. This is the Bluetooth speaker built for parties, as well as for anyone who simply can't get enough extra features. It also delivers some powerful bass depth (without overdoing it) and solid LED lighting effects, all for $250. This price seems fair based on the audio and lighting alone—add in everything else, and the MHC-V13 is a solid deal.

If you don't need the extra features and just want quality Bluetooth audio from a powerful system, the $400 Marshall Woburn II Bluetooth and the $500 JBL Boombox 2 are solid options, albeit for substantially higher prices. If you're more into this style of party speaker, but want to see what else is out there, we also enjoy the JBL PartyBox 300, which is available for $300 as of this writing—between it and the MHC-V13, one of them should be able to serve your LED-lit, karaoke party needs.

Monday, 16 November 2020

Apple HomePod mini Review

There’s no shortage of smart speakers to choose from these days, but recent months have placed the focus on affordable, often spherical options. Apple's new HomePod mini, a $99 alternative to the larger, more powerful $299 HomePod, competes primarily against the $99 orb-like Amazon Echo (4th Generation) and the non-spherical $99 Google Nest Audio. If audio is your top priority, Apple's speaker is outperformed by Amazon's, as well as some other, non-smart wireless models in the $100 price range—the HomePod mini delivers solid, clean mono audio, but the Echo is substantially larger and more powerful, offering a stronger sense of bass response. That said, if you're already thoroughly invested in the Apple/iOS/HomeKit realm, the HomePod mini is still a strong smart speaker for the price.

HomePod mini Design and Features

The orb-shaped, 0.8-pound HomePod mini is available in space gray or white, and measures 3.3 by 3.9 inches (HW), with a flat panel on the top and on bottom preventing it from being a perfect sphere. The outer paneling is covered in an attractive, “acoustically transparent fabric” grille, and the top is a touch-sensitive control panel.

Internally, the speaker employs a single full-range, down-firing driver and dual passive radiators to enhance bass response. The down-firing driver’s audio is then dispersed by an “acoustic waveguide” that aims to capitalize on surface reflections to create 360-degree audio dispersion. 

The HomePod mini might be small enough to pack in a suitcase or tote, but to be clear, it requires a power source in order to work. The hardwired cloth-lined charging cable terminates in USB-C, so the speaker can get its juice from a computer, or by connecting it to the included power adapter and plugging it into the wall. 

The top panel glows white when audio is playing (or an array of foggy rainbow colors when Siri is listening or speaking) and has dedicated plus/minus buttons for adjusting volume. A single tap on the top panel plays or pauses audio, a double tap skips forward a track, and a triple tap navigates backward a track. Touching and holding the panel summons Siri, which you can also do by saying, “Hey Siri.” The controls are responsive and easy to operate.

Setup is automated and simple—just having an iPhone or iPad connected to Wi-Fi near the speaker is all it takes when you turn it on for the first time. The process involves agreeing to use Siri’s “recognize my voice” functionality, as well as syncing your Apple Music and iCloud settings, if you wish. Siri does a little demo for you, telling you how you can ask for music to be played or news to be read, though you can get more granular in Apple's Home app.

The HomePod mini is compatible with Bluetooth 5.0 and 802.11n Wi-Fi. Of course, the speaker also works with Apple AirPlay 2, so you can stream directly from Apple devices. There’s no physical connectivity here, however, like an aux input.

HomeKit, Siri, and Other Smart Functionality

The Apple Home app is designed to help you connect and automate smart home devices that are compatible with Apple's HomeKit standard. For instance, you can connect a smart light bulb from Nanoleaf and integrate it into your Home app, then use Siri voice commands on the HomePod mini to control it. Siri can turn it on and off, of course, but can also follow commands to turn the light, say, purple. Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant offer similar functionality, so you just need to make sure the smart home products you buy support the standard you want to use.

With Apple's intercom messaging function, you can send a voice message to multiple HomePod speakers throughout your home, and anyone can respond with their own voice message. Intercom messages can be sent to anyone who is part of your Home group inside the Home app. To send a voice message, you can simply say, “Hey Siri, intercom dinner’s ready,” and the message gets sent out, not just to other HomePods, but to any Apple devices you have set up in the app.

If you ask for a store’s hours on the HomePod mini, you might find that Siri has the directions to the store waiting for you when you get in your car and check the GPS via CarPlay. Ask Siri to find photos of zebras, and images of zebras will appear on your iPhone’s screen within seconds. Furthermore, Siri can recognize up to six voices on the HomePod mini, so Siri should also know that you asked about zebra images, and send them to your phone specifically.

As for audio sources, you can stream anything to the speaker from another compatible device (like an iPhone or laptop) via AirPlay 2. The speaker can also directly access Apple Music, Apple Music Radio, and Apple Podcasts, as well as iHeartRadio, Radio.com, and TuneIn radio streams. Some third-party audio apps, like Amazon Music and Pandora, have built-in integration, in which the HomePod mini will appear as a speaker option from within the app.

I have about 100GB of music stored on my iPhone 8, and nearly all of it was purchased over the years from the iTunes Store (I know, how old-fashioned of me). Before setting up Apple Music, my command, “Hey Siri, play Radiohead, ‘Decks Dark’” failed. When I clarified that I wanted to play music stored off of my phone, Siri complied, but getting a specific song to play proved difficult—Siri was happy to play “all music” on my iPhone or “shuffle music” on my iPhone, but requests like, “Hey Siri, use my iPhone’s Music app to play Radiohead,” and, “Hey Siri, play the playlist Testing Suite from my iPhone,” didn't work. Of course, you can always play music directly from your phone to the speaker manually via AirPlay 2, but the lack of integration of store-bought iTunes files with Siri voice commands is a bit disappointing. 

With Apple Music up and running, Siri and the HomePod mini are both much happier. The speaker works smoothly, and music can be called up quickly.

How the HomePod mini Handles Privacy

In the era of digital voice assistants, it's reasonable to wonder: Is Siri always listening to me? Apple claims that, no, Siri isn’t listening when you don’t directly ask a question. But if you want to stop Siri from listening unless you expressly tell it to, you can turn off the HomePod mini's always-on mic by saying, “Hey Siri, turn off Hey Siri.”

Beyond this, Apple claims that when you ask Siri for anything—info from the internet, to play a song, ingredients for a recipe, etc.—the information exchange utilizes “random identifiers” to convey data back and forth. These random identifiers, Apple says, aren't traceable, so your searches are kept private. If you also disable the "send feedback" option, you have a smart speaker that should offer sufficient privacy to allay most concerns.

HomePod mini Mic and Audio Performance

The HomePod mini's four-mic array is designed to pick up voice commands from far away. We tested it with some quiet vocal commands from across a room, and can attest to an impressive reach. Obviously, if music is playing, you’ll have to speak up louder, and the mics once picked up a commercial during a football game—a voiceover said, “Hey Siri, who's leading the NFL in touchdowns,” and the HomePod mini immediately came forth with an answer. Someone in the booth during the broadcast also said something like, “Hey, seriously,” and this activated Siri, as well. I wasn’t listening to music, so this wasn’t annoying, but the potential to accidentally trigger Siri is there.

As for audio performance, Apple's “computational audio” here seems to be an example of the company creating a new term for one that already exists: digital signal processing (DSP). Nearly every speaker we test these days uses DSP to manage various aspects of the audio experience—most importantly, to prevent distortion when a speaker’s volume is maxed out. But DSP can also raise bass levels when the volume is turned low so that the audio still sounds full and rich. Apple's computational audio does these very things, along with aiding in the 360-degree audio dispersion made possible by the waveguide.

Whatever you want to call it, when a company implements DSP well, it’s usually a good thing—but make no mistake, the existence of computational audio in the HomePod mini isn't more impressive than the existence of DSP in any other speaker. Thankfully, Apple's version here allows the HomePod mini to get fairly loud for its size and price. At maximum volumes, you get a solid sense of bass depth, but the dynamics are limited to a notable degree. Again, this is par for the course with DSP, especially with a speaker this size.

On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the HomePod mini avoids distorting at top volumes—the deep bass thump is lessened to a thinner sound, but you still get a decent sense of low-end depth. At lower volume levels, the speaker does a good job of preserving the sense of bass depth so that the track still seems to pack a low-frequency punch without actually being played at a high volume level.

Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the HomePod mini’s general sound signature. The drums here can sound thin on speakers that lack enough bass depth, but on the HomePod mini they sound relatively full and even a little heavy at times. It’s Callahan’s baritone vocals that seem to stand out the most in the lower register, with plenty of low-mid richness. Thankfully, the lows are balanced out with crisp high-mids and highs, giving the vocals some treble edge and the acoustic guitar strums some bright presence. At top volumes, we again can sense the DSP squashing the dynamics to a degree, but it doesn't sound bad, and at slightly more moderate levels, the dynamics are a little more vibrant.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild,” the kick drum loop receives enough high-mid presence for its attack to retain its punchiness, while the sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are more implied than delivered—we wouldn't really expect a thunderous subwoofer rumble from a speaker this size, anyway. This isn’t to say that the HomePod mini sounds brittle here—there’s plenty of added bass thump in the drum loop, just not powerful sub-bass. The vocals on this track are delivered with solid clarity and no added sibilance. 

Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, get a little added richness through the HomePod mini—the lower-register instrumentation is pushed forward in the mix, but balanced out well with the bright presence of the higher-register brass, strings, and vocals. This style of speaker isn’t designed for critical listening, nor for sub-bass thunder, but for casual listening it delivers some solid richness and strong overall balance.

We tested the HomePod mini on its own, but adding a second speaker to create a stereo pair can work wonders—just getting some stereo separation adds to the perception of a larger soundstage and more power. The difference between stereo mixes on a single HomePod mini versus a stereo pair of two is profound, but you're also doubling the price.

Comparing the HomePod mini with some similarly priced speakers, like the fourth-generation Amazon Echo, almost doesn't seem fair. Yes, they're the same exact price, but Amazon’s speaker is significantly larger, louder, more powerful, and provides a substantially stronger sense of bass depth. If audio is your top priority, it’s not even close—the Echo beats the HomePod mini (as well as the Google Nest Audio, for that matter) hands down.

Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant? Which $99 Smart Speaker Is Right for You?

Ultimately, the value of Apple's HomePod mini comes down to how much you want Siri in your home (or to expand Siri's reach in your home). If audio quality is your top priority, you can get better performance with the $99 Amazon Echo or with a non-smart, portable Bluetooth speaker like the $129 JBL Charge 4. But if you already use Siri as your primary voice assistant, or you're invested in Apple's HomeKit smart home system, the HomePod mini won’t disappoint—its audio capabilities are solid, and its overall value is strengthened by its smart features.

Tuesday, 13 October 2020

Apple Announces $99 HomePod Mini Smart Speaker

Definitely call it a comeback. After two years of disappointing sales, Apple refreshed its HomePod smart speaker on Tuesday with the HomePod mini, a 3.3-inch tall spherical Siri-powered speaker shipping in November.

There's no word yet as to an exact release date, but the HomePod mini will come in space gray or white color options. Apple says the mini has the best sound quality of any small smart speaker, though we'll have to put it through its paces before we can verify that claim.

You can link two HomePod minis together as a stereo pair to double the sound. Multiple speakers placed across different rooms can work as a whole-home audio system or an intercom.

The HomePod mini's assortment of compatible music services is quite limited. It only works with Apple Music, iHeartRadio, radio.com, and TuneIn. Down the road, Apple expects to add support for Pandora and Amazon Music, but there's no word about Spotify, and certainly not about YouTube.

The HomePod mini signals Apple's desire to get back into the smart speaker fight. Cupertino definitely needed a reboot to compete in this market. Amazon, Google, and Baidu lead the smart speaker market by a long shot, according to recent estimates from Strategy Analytics. Previous reports from the market research firm indicate that Apple has captured less than 5 percent global market share.

At $99, the HomePod mini addresses one of the larger HomePod's major problems, which is that it cost $349 when its major competitors, the Amazon Echo and Google Home (now the Nest Audio), are safely below $200. The current Echo costs $99, as does Google's Nest Audio speaker.

But there's one other challenge. When I reviewed the HomePod in 2018, I called out Siri for being much weaker than Google Assistant and Alexa, and it still is in some ways. Siri is still oriented to being a virtual assistant on your phone, while Alexa is the queen of the smart home and Google Assistant's natural language processing is unmatched.

Apple says Siri will allow the HomePod mini to offer a personalized experience for every member of the home. It will be able to identify who is speaking, and offer suitable recommendations for that user. We'll see how well it has evolved into a smart home companion when we get a HomePod mini in for testing.

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