Video showing the unboxing process of my newly acquired HomePod 2 from Apple on release day February 3, 2023. HomePod 2 is a reboot product that Apple released to take the crown from the original Homepod speaker that was introduced to the market back in 2018. The HomePod 2 is VERY similar to the original "OG" Homepod with several updates to the hardware including the deletion of 2 tweeters and microphones from the speaker! The new HomePod 2 sounds very balanced (moreso than the OG homepod) with less emphasis on the bass and more tuning done to improve the mid range and high frequency responses. I welcome these changes as I feel they have genuinely improved this HomePod 2. Other updates include cosmetic change to have similar design language as the current HomePod Minis as well as the addition of "Matter" support that will better interface with other smart home devices thus expanding on HomePod list of compatible devices. Other notable features include a now replaceable braided power cord, use of neodymium magnets, and recycled materials to manufacture HomePod and its packaging.

My initial impressions indicate that I LIKE this version of the HomePod and would gladly choose it over the previous version. The OG version had issues with the coupling capacitors and diode on the amplifier board that led to a thumping of the bass driver and ultimately failure of the homepod. I suspect that Apple knew this was an issue and rather than trying to fix the 100's of the 1000's of HomePods that they simply axed from their lineup an released the "updated" or "fixed" version. In either case, BOTH the original and new version of the HomePod is great and for anyone that wants to complement their Apple ecosystem that this makes the perfect companion device.