I have a confession. I love Apple products. My iPhone is glued to my hand. My MacBook is my workhorse. I even have an Apple Watch that I secretly talk to when no one is looking. But the HomePod? That relationship has been complicated for years.
Apple first launched the HomePod back in 2018. Since then, the company has updated it exactly once. The 2023 refresh was fine, but it was nothing special. It felt like Apple just threw a new chip inside and called it a day. Meanwhile, the smart speaker world moved on. Google and Amazon kept improving their assistants. Sonos kept making better speakers. And Apple? It felt like they forgot about the HomePod entirely.
Then came the big AI push. Apple unveiled SiriAI, a smarter, more capable version of its voice assistant. I got excited. Finally, the HomePod would get the brains it deserved. But months passed. No new HomePod. No software update that turned the old one into a genius. Just silence.
So when Denon announced the Home 200, a smart speaker with Siri integration and deep Apple ecosystem features, I was curious. Could a third-party speaker actually do what Apple wouldn’t? I ordered one. I set it up. And after using it as my main home and office speaker for a few months, I can say this: the Denon Home 200 feels like the modern HomePod Apple has yet to deliver.
Let me walk you through why.
The HomePod’s Stagnation: Why Apple’s Smart Speaker Feels Left Behind
Let’s be honest about the HomePod. It’s a good speaker. The sound quality is excellent. The bass is punchy. The integration with Apple Music is seamless. But that’s about where the good news ends.
The HomePod has barely changed in eight years. The original model came out in 2018. The second generation arrived in 2023, but it was mostly the same design with a slightly better processor. No big redesign. No new features that made you want to upgrade. No support for lossless audio or high-resolution streaming. No smart home hub that actually worked with more than a handful of accessories.
And the biggest disappointment? Siri. Apple’s voice assistant has always been behind Google Assistant and Alexa. It can’t do complex tasks. It struggles with follow-up questions. It doesn’t integrate well with third-party services. When Apple announced SiriAI, I thought things would change. But the HomePod still runs the old Siri. No update. No new features. Nothing.
Meanwhile, the competition got better. Sonos added voice control from multiple assistants. Amazon’s Echo devices became smarter and cheaper. Google’s Nest Audio improved its sound and smarts. Apple just sat there.
It’s frustrating because I want to stay in the Apple ecosystem. I use Apple Music. I have iCloud. I have HomeKit lights and plugs. But the HomePod feels like a product that Apple forgot. It’s not bad, but it’s not great either. It’s just… there.
That’s why I started looking for alternatives. I didn’t want to leave Apple’s world. I just wanted a speaker that felt current. A speaker that could do what I needed it to do in 2026. That’s when I found the Denon Home 200.
Enter Denon Home 200: First Impressions and Setup
Denon is not a name most people think of when they hear “smart speaker.” The company is famous for high-end audio equipment like receivers and soundbars. But a few years ago, they started making smart speakers with HEOS, their multi-room audio system. The Home 200 is their latest model, and it’s designed to compete with the HomePod and Sonos One.
I ordered mine online. It arrived in a plain box that felt solid. Inside, the speaker itself is larger than a HomePod. It’s about the size of a small loaf of bread, wrapped in a fabric grille. The top has a touch panel with volume controls and play/pause buttons. It looks modern but not flashy. It would fit in any living room.
Setting it up was surprisingly easy. I downloaded the HEOS app on my iPhone. The app found the speaker immediately. I connected it to my Wi-Fi network. Then came the moment I was waiting for: adding Siri.
The Denon Home 200 supports Siri through Apple’s AirPlay 2 protocol. That means you can use Siri on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to control the speaker. But it also has a built-in microphone that listens for “Hey Siri” commands. Wait, really? Yes. The speaker has a dedicated Siri button on the back. When you press it, you can talk to Siri directly through the speaker’s microphone. Or you can enable hands-free “Hey Siri” mode, which works just like on a HomePod.
I pressed the Siri button and said, “Hey Siri, play some jazz.” The speaker responded instantly. Siri’s voice came through the Denon’s speakers. It wasn’t as seamless as the HomePod’s native integration, but it was close. The Denon acts as a microphone and speaker for Siri, but the actual voice processing happens on your iPhone. That means your phone needs to be nearby and connected to the same network. It’s not a perfect solution, but it works.
The whole setup took about ten minutes. I was impressed. This was already more flexible than the HomePod.
Siri Integration: How Well Does It Work with Apple’s Ecosystem?
This is the big question. How well does a third-party speaker work with Siri? The short answer: surprisingly well.
The Denon Home 200 uses AirPlay 2, which means it shows up as an AirPlay speaker in any Apple app. You can play music from Apple Music, Spotify, or any other app that supports AirPlay. You can use Siri on your iPhone to say, “Play this in the living room,” and it works. You can even add the Denon to a multi-room group with other AirPlay speakers.
But the real magic is the built-in Siri support. When you enable “Hey Siri” on the Denon, it connects to your iPhone’s Siri. You can ask it to set timers, check the weather, send messages, or control HomeKit accessories. I tested it with my smart lights. “Hey Siri, turn off the kitchen lights.” The lights turned off. It worked just as fast as on my HomePod.
There are some limitations, though. The Denon doesn’t have its own Siri chip. It relies on your iPhone. If your phone is in another room or disconnected, the Denon can’t process Siri commands. Also, you can’t use Siri to control the Denon’s own settings, like volume or input. For that, you need the HEOS app or the physical buttons.
But for everyday tasks, it’s great. I use Siri to start music, check my calendar, and control my smart home. The Denon handles all of that without complaint. The only thing I miss is the HomePod’s ability to recognize different voices. The HomePod can tell who is speaking and give personalized responses. The Denon can’t do that. It just uses whatever iPhone is nearby.
Still, for most people, this is a minor trade-off. The Denon gives you Siri in a speaker that Apple hasn’t updated. That’s a win.
