Far too much bass in HomePod: can it be reduced?

A good question, and for now, the only way to adjust the EQ is to do so on the device that you use to stream music using AirPlay. For the Mac you could use the Equalizer on iTunes and on iOS, the Music app also has EQ settings in the app settings. You could choose "Bass Reducer". I tried asking Siri to reduce the bass when playing music directly on the HomePod, but Siri said it can't adjust that setting 😟

Where is the speaker located, if it is in a corner move it out of there, any room boundary close to the speaker will tend to increase the quantity of low frequencies developed, in a corner there are 3 boundaries.

Moving the speaker farther from room boundaries will always reduce low frequency resonances, they are long enough wavelengths to hit the wall and then bounce back to the source and the listener a short while later, what the listener hears from these two transmission paths is erratic. Sometimes you will get more low end output, often corrupted, sometimes you will get less, it all depends on their relative phase angles. Fancy input algorithms do not trump the natural world.

Positioning of traditional speakers (in a stereo audio system) has always been critical in getting the best sound, usually for the desired "sitting" location, elsewhere in the room it's down to luck.

Moving the speaker away from a back wall tends to lessen bass and keeping them away from corners is also desirable, if they have to be placed near a corner don't make the dimensions equal, in other words make the back distance different to the side with respect to the wall.

Furnishings also play a big part, hard solid floors (wood or stone), lack of carpets or drapes and large sections of glass (patio doors) all add to reflect (enhance) the highs, that's why the common cure for a "bright" system has often been the purchase of a few heavy, thick carpets placed strategically on the floor between listener and speaker. The hanging of drapes behind the speakers and/or the listener also helps by limiting reflections, but this can often effect both ends of the spectrum and therefore a little trial and error is needed to obtain the desired outcome.

In a system that measures and adjusts for it's surroundings as per typical audio visual multi speaker setups, this should all be taken care of (or so I assume never having owned one, always kept to the tradition two speaker ones), and I thought the HomePod would be similar, but from what is being reported with respect to it's varied sound quality it may be having trouble in fully accomplishing that aspect.

I've read that near by small objects can unduly influence it's "setup", so a table clock on the same surface a few feet away for example could be perceived as a "wall", also because the bass speaker fires upward anything above the HomePod ie. a shelf, might also cause an issue, the general conclusion is if the sound initially isn't to your liking experiment a little with placement (and with objects around it) to see if it can be improved. I'm guessing, but the problem might just be down to it's size, being so small, "any" other object might play a big part in how it sees the world and therefore moving them around could have a bigger impact in altering the sound than we might think.

Solved!

1) When I AirPlay from iPhone the bass is out of control, but when I ask Siri on HomePod to play me music the ‘too much bass’ is no longer an issue. This is definitely a software issue & this feedback I plan to send back to Apple.

2) I started the HomePod on a coroner shelf; I literally was wondering why anyone would think the speaker is worth a dime. After reading some of the suggestions here on this thread, I placed the HomePod on my desk in the middle of the room & no matter where I was in the room the slound was consistent & balanced; money well spent.

The dynamics have opened so well once the speaker has a some ‘breathing room’ to truly survey the room using the powerful acoustic dynamic processing. l

I have to say that moving the HomePod further away from the wall really improved things for me also. (The previous position was about 9” away; the new position is about 2’ away.)

This is probably a silly question, but have you tried using the EQ? I'm assuming you're using an iOS device, but you could also be using a Mac or something.

This is a fairly good guide for the most common configurations:

https://www.guidingtech.com/57944/customize-eq-settings-apple-music-spotify/

Also Macworld if you prefer:

https://www.macworld.com/article/2090554/tweak-your-ios-audio-with-eq-settings.h tml

I went through this with my Bose Bluetooth speaker brick, but I've found that the HomePod has slightly more mid- and high-end out of the gate, so I haven't had to tweak the EQ at all so far. The big test will come, for me, when I go to listen to my podcasts and audiobooks. That's where I need the highs and mids for vowel recognition. I have mild high-frequency hearing loss so...yeah. Totally understand the "holes."

Hope that helped!

The tweeters in the Homepod point downward, so the surface it's sitting on has a big impact. A hard smooth surface like glass or granite (or a ceramic dinner plate) would reflect the highs better.

The HomePod has SEVEN tweeters and a long excursion woofer. If you are complaining about mid-range speakers it’s all about the software. Audiophiles have almost unanimously praised the sound quality of the HomePod so don’t go on about “full-range” sound. It makes you look uninformed. Also, both iTunes and Apple music have equalizers you can play with to your heart’s content. look in the Settings->Music menu on your iOS device. These equalizer settings will be passed on to the HomePod, confirmed by people who know their stuff about audio.

Finally, if your are “kind of sorry” you bought the HomePod you have 14 days to return it for a full refund.

I have now had time to experiment with it, I found that if placed thus: on a low brick pedestal off centre in the room with a minimum distance of 8 feet from any wall and at least 2 feet from the floor it was well balanced in regard to low frequencies, I have returned it now so wont be able to take any specific measurements. I would say that while it is quite well designed, it is not well designed for real world use.

I listen to classical, but I've not found the bass overwhelming. I think a good question is where do you have it located? I have mind on a table and it's not hear any walls to get bounce off base. I can hear the highs and lows just fine.

This article is just about using an EQ on other devices (e.g. in Music in iOS) and then AirPlaying to the HomePod.

Try what we all do with HiFi speakers that have to sit on suspended floors, mine are on 12” square granite slabs 1 inch thick, they damp down any bass going into floor quite effectively. Do you have a bit of paving slab spare from outside, or a granite chopping board in the kitchen?

Yes, I think Alley_Cat is correct. The equalization is being done on the playback device (streaming source), not within the HomePod. I'm surprised that the AppleInsider article (or author) didn't recognize this distinction.

In any case, it makes sense that you can adjust the equalization from the streaming device, since the HomePod doesn't even have to know that it is being done (it just plays whatever is sent to it).

I dont have an HomePod yet, sitting on fence till I read a few more reviews and a listen at an Apple Store before I decide it’s for me, but have read that you can reset the auto sound configuration (or whatever it’s called), have you tried to see if the second time around makes any difference.

Also have you tried moving it away from corners or back walls, yes, it’s supposed to compensate when auto tuning but it might be just too close for it to accommodate such an extreme position.

Lastly, what does it sit on, if a table or cabinet that’s partly enclosed underneath, that might be reinforcing the bass, try standing it on something more solid or heavier to see if that will damp down the bass element.

The above might not make any changes to the sound because of how it sets itself up, but they are quick and easy to try so you have nothing to lose.