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

With pop/rock etc music, all I can hear is bass. I only play at 10 to 15 percent volume (there's a flat downstairs), and all of the higher frequencies and detail are lost in booming bottom end. One would like to hear the bass, yes, but other things as well?

My ears are not what they were, granted; but I can still hear higher frequencies through headphones, for instance. Orchestral music also sounds rather muffled, violins all but disappearing.

MacBook, macOS High Sierra (10.13.3), 2017 512GB

Posted on Feb 10, 2018 8:04 AM

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Stuart Levine

Level 1

127 points

Posted on Feb 11, 2018 5:52 AM

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 😟

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124 replies

Mar 30, 2018 2:55 AM in response to michealfromportland

Interesting, catching up here. I’ve just been checking out the sound after the 11.3 update, and above a certain volume level, it’s okay. It presumably has to recalibrate the sound, so this is seven songs into the Frøder album (bless her, but she’s one of the reasons I can’t use Siri), and it sounds grand and powerful at 18%. I don’t hear any difference between this and the way it sounded the other day to be honest.

But that’s still too loud for me when Her Downstairs is in; all the reviewers and satisfied people have the happy option of playing at much higher volumes. The reviews bang on incessantly about how loud it is, and how punchy the bass is; I wish it had been made clearer that the device is only suitable for such use. The sound becomes strangely characterless at lower volumes. I ended up getting an Amazon Echo, which doesn’t have the lower end response at all, but sounds okay at quiet background level. No idea what Alexa is for, mind.

What I’m more concerned with in re the update is the Airplay performance, about which I’ve posted elsewhere; it lost sync with the interface, and then stopped. Infuriating, but that’s another topic. All the best everyone, and happy listening! (Runs away from tomato-pelting)

Mar 30, 2018 8:43 AM in response to AngelDelNorte

Don't worry, Apple just "fixed" bass in the 11.3 update to the HomePod. They removed it. (insert sad sigh here... they went too far the other way and it now sounds very flat to me, and with no warning.)

Mar 30, 2018 1:30 PM in response to canyonblue

I downloaded the 11.3 update to check for any changes. My subjective and untrained impression is that the bass has been reigned in to a more acceptable level (for me). Also, some of the mid-range "holes" I had noticed previously seem to have been filled-in, for a fuller and more complete sound. I am pleased with the change. However, the equalizer still does not work when using AirPlay.

Mar 31, 2018 6:07 AM in response to bruno_siqueira

Agree 100%

It now has drastically reduced depth and bass.

Please file a complaint with Apple......I have done this and also contacted support to file a complaint.

Pure and simple it's wrong to take a product and completely change its music Eq and assume it's what everyone wants.

The two Homepods I have are not the same as I purchased and sound like a cheap speaker.

Also, there is now a big difference between Airplay and streaming from iCloud music library........streaming sounds like a cheap transistor radio.....Airplay sounds OK to me.

File here:

Feedback - HomePod - Apple

markneal

Level 1

9 points

Mar 31, 2018 7:19 AM in response to markneal

6 weeks on now with my HomePod and I have become very fond of it and its warm sound (since I moved it away from my walls).

The new 11.3 audioOS update is welcome confirmation that Apple are listening to their customers and not just their Beats colleagues.

The bass is still very strong, but no longer so overemphasised to the point of embarrassment. Instead of always playing it at a lower volume to reduce the vibration of my building, I can now comfortably play at higher volume and start to appreciate the quality of sound from this tiny unit.

Glad I stuck with Apple and remembered how they manage to perfect their giant leaps for mankind.

I am confident that Apple will give us control of the overall "feel" of the sound down the line, I think they are just trying to keep as close as possible to their principle of simplicity, to make the experience feel easy and friendly for those folks that don't like to deal with too much information or choice ( who are probably the majority, and don't have time for forum discussions like these either ;).

Glad I didn't return mine, now I want them everywhere, shame Airplay 2 hasn't arrived yet, they are probably working hard on getting the sync right, not easy.

Maybe if you miss the boom, try putting it right next to a plasterboard/hollow wall in your space and it might come back with a vengeance.

This HomeBod likes his HomePod 😀

lkrupp

Level 7

22,783 points

Feb 10, 2018 9:13 AM in response to AngelDelNorte

You might try reading this article for additional information about adjusting the HomePod’s audio.

http://appleinsider.com/articles/18/02/10/tune-homepods-sound-using-equalizers-i n-ios-and-macos

lkrupp

Level 7

22,783 points

Feb 12, 2018 9:39 AM in response to Csound1

Another review by an audiophile with extensive testing data.

https://forums.appleinsider.com/discussion/204096/

Csound1

Level 9

60,063 points

Feb 16, 2018 6:11 AM in response to kcollett

Exactly what should happen, it's a speaker, no different from the collection of speakers already available. If it doesn't sound good to you, take it back.

Feb 22, 2018 3:43 AM in response to AngelDelNorte

Check this https://www.indabaa.com/adjust-equalizer-homepod/

Feb 10, 2018 8:33 AM in response to KevinRohrer

Cheers squire! Glad I'm not going entirely mad. Oddly enough the Beats Solo3 seem to have less intrusive bass. And at least on the Sonos 5 one can turn off the low-vol bass boost (but I hated not having native Apple Music support).

Perhaps a future software update will bring some level of adjustability; ideally before my hearing goes altogether.

Feb 10, 2018 9:13 AM in response to SiHancox

Indeed yes, I'll try some more moving about. Might look into those spikes that people put speakers on, even. I suppose my 56-year-old ears are not the best to be listening through. Sigh. Hate the thought of £320 up the spout though.

Feb 10, 2018 9:24 AM in response to SiHancox

<chuckle> They'd love me taking up the pavement outside 😉 But I'll take this on board, similar solutions may present themselves. I can't seem to click the Helpful buttons anymore (also the site is going peculiar). Anyway, thanks all.

Feb 10, 2018 11:18 AM in response to yuppiefromukiah

I found it took about a minute for any effect from an EQ change to be apparent.

Trouble is, of course, the setting is not device-specific (I assume), unlike volume, so connecting headphones would result in the setting being applied where it wasn't wanted. Since I use AirPods and Beats with both MacBook and iPhone, this is not sustainable. Because lazy 😉

Leaving as is for now, in any case. Bye, y'all.

Csound1

Level 9

60,063 points

Feb 10, 2018 11:27 AM in response to AngelDelNorte

My day job is Concert Production, equalizers (both graphic and parametric) are a regularly used tool, but these are real equalizers, not the awful things that appear on home hifi rigs. My ears are starting to fail me now (too much time in front of the PA I assume) but I can still hear how it should be.

Real equalizers cost a lot, far more than a HomePod does, which is probably why there are none in a HomePod or anything else made for consumer use.

Feb 10, 2018 7:06 PM in response to lkrupp

Why would iTunes' equalizer have any effect at all on HomePod's abysmal output? Furthermore, I've worked with the Apple Music equalizer for an hour, hoping to wring something decent from this disappointment of a speaker, to no effect.

Moreover, a decent speaker shouldn't require equalizing.

I hope an Apple store visit tomorrow will reveal this unit to be detective. There's no other excuse for it's "wrapped inI mean no disrespct. My bitterness is founded in disappointment. My expectations have run high since June 2017. My air pods,2017. My AirPods, from which I had expected nothing, have proven to be quite excellent. I was hoping for similar output from the HomePod. Instead, it sounds like a pair of Beats 3 Solo: dull, thudding, muddy, worthless.

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