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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Pictures
    2. Style
    3. Portability
    4. Build Quality
    5. Controls
    6. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Frequency Response Accuracy
    2. Raw Frequency Response
    3. Soundstage
    4. Dynamics
  6. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. Voice Assistant
    3. App
  7. Connectivity
    1. Wired
    2. Bluetooth
    3. Wi-Fi
  8. Comments

Apple HomePod (1st generation) vs Bose Home Speaker 500

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Apple HomePod (1st generation)
Bose Home Speaker 500

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Sep 04, 2024 07:33 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Nov 28, 2024 07:50 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Apple HomePod (1st generation) Picture
Bose Home Speaker 500 Picture
Bluetooth
No
Wi-Fi
Yes
Speakerphone
Yes
Voice Assistant
Yes
Battery Powered
No
Bluetooth
Yes
Wi-Fi
Yes
Speakerphone
No
Voice Assistant
Yes
Battery Powered
No

Variants

  • HomePod (1st generation) (Space Gray)
  • HomePod (1st generation) (White)
  • Home Speaker 500 (Luxe Silver)
  • Home Speaker 500 (Triple Black)

Review

See Apple HomePod (1st generation) Review
See Bose Home Speaker 500 Review
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Our Verdict

Apple HomePod (1st generation)

Bose Home Speaker 500

The Apple HomePod (1st generation) and the Bose Home Speaker 500 are very similarly-performing speakers, so depending on your listening habits, you may prefer one over the other. The Apple has a better soundstage performance and a more neutral sound profile out-of-the-box. However, it's been discontinued by the manufacturer and may be harder to find in new condition. The Bose offers bass and treble adjustment features to tweak its sound to your liking. It also supports Bluetooth, while the Apple speaker only supports Wi-Fi.

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Space Gray
HomePod (1st generation)
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Luxe Silver
Home Speaker 500
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White
HomePod (1st generation)
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Triple Black
Home Speaker 500
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Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

7.0
7.3

Soundstage 
 

7.5
8.7

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

7.3
6.9

EQ 
 

No
Bass/Treble

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation) Style Photo
Bose Home Speaker 500 Style Photo

RGB Lights  

No
No
Show text

Portability 
 

4.2
4.3

Dimensions Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation) Dimensions Photo
Bose Home Speaker 500 Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

203 in³ (3,332 cm³)
226 in³ (3,702 cm³)

Weight 
 

5.5 lbs (2.5 kg)
4.9 lbs (2.2 kg)

Power Source 
 

AC Only
AC Only

One-Hand Carry 
 

No
No
Show text

Build Quality 
 

6.4
6.7

Build Quality Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation) Build Quality Photo
Bose Home Speaker 500 Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Good
Great

Water Resistance 
 

No
No

Dust Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified

Impact Resistance 
 

No
Unspecified

Floats In Water 
 

No
No
Show text

Controls 
 

8.0
8.0

Controls Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation) Controls Photo
Bose Home Speaker 500 Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

Apple HomePod (1st generation) Controls Photo 2
Bose Home Speaker 500 Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Great

Feedback 
 

Great
Great

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Tactile)

Call Answer/End 
 

Yes (Tactile)
No

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Tactile)

Track Next/Previous 
 

Yes (Tactile)
Yes

Microphone On/Off 
 

No
Yes (Tactile)

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
Yes
Show text

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation) In The Box Photo
Bose Home Speaker 500 In The Box Photo
Show text
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

7.3
6.9

Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Slope 
 

0.19
-0.62

Std. Err. 
 

2.35 dB
3.50 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

53.4 Hz
55.0 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

19.1 kHz
17.0 kHz
Show text

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

7.5
8.7

Directivity Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Directivity Index 
 

0.97 dB
2.41 dB

Stereo 
 

No (mono)
Yes
Show text

Dynamics 
 

6.8
7.2

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

88.5 dB SPL
90.5 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

2.41 dB
2.19 dB
Show text
Active Features

Battery 
 

0.0
0.0

Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Charge Time 
 

N/A
N/A

Power Saving 
 

No
No

Charging Port 
 

No Battery
No Battery

Battery Powered 
 

No
No
Show text

Voice Assistant 
 

10
10

Alexa 
 

No
Built-in (Wi-Fi Only)

Google Assistant 
 

No
Built-in (Wi-Fi Only)

Speakerphone 
 

Yes
No

Siri 
 

Built-in
No

Voice Assistant 
 

Yes
Yes

Voice Activation 
 

Yes
Yes

Microphone Mute 
 

Yes
Yes

Far-Field Performance 
 

Excellent
Excellent

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

Excellent
Excellent
Show text

App 
 

6.6
7.7

App Picture  

Apple HomePod (1st generation) App Picture
Bose Home Speaker 500 App Picture

App Name 
 

Apple Home
Bose Music

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

No
Yes

EQ 
 

No
Bass/Treble

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Yes
No

Party Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Multi-Room 
 

Yes
Yes
Show text
Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

No
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Other Ports 
 

No
Yes
Show text

Bluetooth 
 

0.0
8.2

Bluetooth 
 

No
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

No Bluetooth
4.2

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

N/A
57 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

N/A
88 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

N/A
195.2 ft (59.5 m)

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No
Show text

Wi-Fi 
 

8.1
8.1

Wi-Fi Version 
 

Wi-Fi 5
Unspecified

Wi-Fi Frequency Band 
 

2.4GHz & 5GHz
2.4GHz & 5GHz

Wi-Fi 
 

Yes
Yes

Apple AirPlay 
 

Yes
Yes

AirPlay Latency 
 

37 ms
45 ms

Google Chromecast 
 

No
Yes

Chromecast Latency 
 

N/A
N/A
Show text

Check Price

Space Gray
HomePod (1st generation)
Searching
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Luxe Silver
Home Speaker 500
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White
HomePod (1st generation)
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Triple Black
Home Speaker 500
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Back to Top

Apple HomePod (1st generation)

Bose Home Speaker 500

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

Apple HomePod (1st generation) vs Bose Home Speaker 500: Main Discussion

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