HomePod (1st Gen) audio degraded, less bass after OS 26

Thank you all for the feedback. I want to clarify a few crucial points, especially regarding the comparisons being made between the 1st and 2nd generation HomePods.

First of all, when the 2nd Gen HomePod was released, countless audio reviews and technical tests across the internet clearly demonstrated the acoustic superiority of the 1st Gen. The original hardware simply had a richer, deeper architecture. As an audiophile, I have a high-end main audio system, yet I never felt like I was compromising when listening to my 1st Gen HomePods. Their original sound signature was that good.

This is exactly why it makes absolutely no sense to compare the 1st Gen and 2nd Gen right now on OS 26. If they sound identical to you now, it’s not because they were always the same—it is because OS 26 has flattened and degraded the 1st Gen's unique acoustic profile, forcing it to mimic the 2nd Gen's tuning.

Furthermore, we need to address how these devices are being used. It is clear from various discussions that Apple has pushed a tuning optimized purely for dialogue clarity. Those who use the HomePod paired with an Apple TV simply to hear movie dialogue have no ground to stand on in this specific discussion. This thread is about acoustic and musical fidelity, not TV speech enhancement.

Like @Bamcconn confirmed with their stereo pair, this software behavior is destroying the hardware's musical capability. The reality is that for the past 3 months, my HomePods have been completely unlistenable for serious music playback.

To dismiss this because a product is "discontinued and out of warranty" misses the point entirely. We aren't dealing with aging hardware; we are dealing with a forced software update that has gutted a premium audio product.

While you may not perceive a difference on your setup, physics and hardware specifications tell a completely different story. This is not an isolated opinion, nor is it a misconfigured setting or a subjective "genre" debate. The severe audio signature shift on 1st Gen HomePods after recent OS updates is widely documented across Apple Support Communities and multiple technical audio forums.

Let’s look at the actual hardware engineering:

• HomePod 1st Gen: 7 horn-loaded tweeters
• HomePod 2nd Gen: 5 horn-loaded tweeters

The 1st Generation hardware possesses 40% more tweeter capacity dedicated to high-frequency output.

When software (OS 26) alters the DSP profile—boosting highs or misapplying tuning intended for lower-spec hardware—the physical impact on a 1st Gen unit is disproportionate. Pushing pushed-up high frequencies through an array with 40% more physical tweeters results in a severe over-emphasis of highs. This creates an overly bright, thin, and "tinny" output that becomes particularly unbearable at lower listening volumes, where dynamic EQ algorithms already tend to lift high frequencies to preserve clarity.

Claiming that the 1st Gen and 2nd Gen now sound "identical" actually proves the exact point of this thread: the 1st Gen's superior, richer acoustic profile has been artificially flattened by software to match the constrained hardware of the newer model.

For those listening critically to full-range music rather than casual background audio, this degradation is an undeniable software flaw, not a feature.

The Betrayed Promise of Acoustic Fidelity: An Open Letter to Apple and the Loyal HomePod (1st Gen) Community

Look at the image above.

This image isn't just an advertisement. It's a statement of intent. It shows an Apple engineer meticulously positioning a 1st generation HomePod in a state-of-the-art anechoic chamber to calibrate every sound frequency for maximum acoustic fidelity. This is the image of engineering excellence that we, the early adopters and loyal buyers, paid for. We bought the HomePod (1st Gen) specifically for its deep, resonant sound signature—the result of the testing and engineering that Apple promised.

Now, compare that engineering dedication with our current experience. After the OS 26 update, the acoustic fidelity that Apple sold us and that we loved has been erased. The rich, deep bass sound is gone, replaced by a thin and "tinny" output.

Our community suspects that Apple has, either by mistake or negligence, applied the EQ (equalization) profile of the 2nd generation HomePod (which has different hardware) to our 1st generation hardware. The result is not a "tuning tweak," but a software failure.

Apple's failure to respond to this issue is a direct betrayal of those who put their trust in its products. It is unacceptable for a company that boasts the best audio quality to ignore the disintegration of its own original engineering work. A factory reset fixes nothing. The "Reduce Bass" toggle is useless.

Apple, you are ruining your legacy and alienating your most loyal customers. We are not asking for a free new product; we are asking to get back what we paid for.

Our request remains firm: immediately add a simple toggle or a "Legacy Audio Profile" in the Home app settings specifically for HomePod (1st Gen) users, to restore the original, deep, and characteristic equalization you promised us. Ignoring this request confirms that your commitment to acoustic quality only lasts until the launch of the next model.