Apple’s HomePod mini is a very capable little smart speaker that packs a surprising sonic punch, as I discovered when I initially reviewed it. This sphere is small enough that you can place one pretty much anywhere–heck, you can even wall-mount it! One of the cooler options, if you are willing to invest in two minis, is the ability to configure them as a wireless stereo system, with one speaker handling the left channel and the other taking the right. The result is a compact, two-channel stereo system that makes your streaming music sound much better, with true stereo separation and improved depth. Not bad for under $200.
Here’s how easy it is to do.
Home is the App
It’s a safe assumption that if you are investing in HomePod minis, you are an Apple person. Whether you are on an iPhone, iPad, Mac (or all of the above), you’ll want to find the Home app. That’s where you set up your HomePod mini(s) in the first place. To create a stereo pair you’ll need to select one of the HomePod minis from the Home app. Tap the settings icon and you’ll see the screen below, offering the option to create a stereo pair.
In this example, I started with the speaker in the room labelled as Office in the Home app. I selected the “Create Stereo Pair” option. This opens the New Stereo Pair screen. I then selected the Bedroom speaker (from the Bedroom) and it now moves to being in the Office, paired with speaker in that room. If you look at the Home app main screen after this, you will notice that other speakers appear as individuals, but look at the screenshot on the right and you’ll see an icon for two speakers together under the Office room. They are a stereo pair.
This is very different from having two HomePod minis and telling Siri to play a song on both of them. In that case, each speaker will play the song as they normally would. The sound will be fuller than a single speaker, but it isn’t true stereo playback. Pairing the two is what makes that left channel/right channel stereo sound possible.
How do you tell which HomePod mini is the left speaker and which is the right? Good question, and one that Apple thought of. From the Home app, select the pair, select Settings, tap Audio Settings then tap on the left or right speaker as displayed. The corresponding HomePod mini will beep and briefly display a white light so you can easily identify which is the left channel and which is the right. You can switch the assigned channel by tapping a button in the app.
Going Back to Mono
Stereo sound is great, but maybe you want to set up the two HomePod minis in different rooms again. It’s easy to unpair them and revert to standard operation. Simply select the pair from the Home app and click on “Ungroup Accessories.” That’s it, you’re done. This is so easy that you can pair and unpair on a whim. So long as you have two HomePod minis on the same Wi-Fi network, you always have the option.
Cheap Stereo That Doesn’t Sound Cheap
That’s all there is to it. $198 and about two minutes of your time. That’s all it takes to create a true stereo audio system with a pair of Apple HomePod minis. You can’t connect any accessories like a turntable (there are no physical inputs) and you do need access to two power outlets, but for streaming audio in stereo, this is a great option.
