When it’s partner eventually dies I’ll replace it with something else, perhaps a Sonos.
Sad day.
From what I can gather, Sonos is the next best thing for incredible sound
Ok. Having owned both brands (still using OG Homepods
), and heard most of Sonos' range, I'd say that if you really want to upgrade in terms of actual sound quality, then don't bother with Sonos. Style over substance. I'm quite fussy about sound, and have a nice hi-fi for 'proper' listening. I have yet to hear a Sonos product that isn't disappointing. I've owned a Beam (Gen 1), and it was poor. Given that the Gen 2 is likely pretty much the same thing, but with added marketing, I'd spend the extra £100 and get two Homepods instead. Far better sound. The Beam is limited by tiny speaker driver units, so will never produce sound with any real depth. Even with a subwoofer, you still get that problem common to such set ups, which is a 'hole' in the middle of the sound. Having compared much of the Sonos range with my OG Homepods, I would say the HP is the better option, end of. The voice assistant stuff works as well as I need it to; I don't spend my days trying to have a conversation with a machine.
To genuinely upgrade sound quality, then instead look at a 'proper' hi-fi set up; amplifier, decent speakers. You can improve on any Sonos (and the Homepods) for the same money, £500-600 , and even more so if you go second hand. Things like subwoofers only really start to make sense if you want a really 'big' sound, with very powerful amps, in a larger listening environment. Otherwise you can end up with way too much muddy sounding noise. Well designed speakers can separate the nuances in the music, and let you hear he different components much more clearly. Subwoofers when used with small 'satellite' speakers can end up fighting against the other sounds.
I'm more than happy with my Homepods for small room/casual listening. The best small wireless speakers, ime.