Audio specialist Denon added the Siri voice assistant to certain wireless speakers and a soundbar this week — only the second third-party product line to do so. But there’s a catch. Siri only works with the speakers if you also have a HomePod or HomePod mini speaker to act as a relay.
The same is true of the first non-Apple products that added Apple, ecobee smart thermostats. But it’s a little weirder this time because it’s all speakers. Only an Apple speaker will let you use Siri with Denon’s speakers.
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Denon speakers work with Siri voice assistant now (but you also need a HomePod or HomePod mini)
Denon became the second company to add support for the Siri voice assistant to a product line after ecobee did it with a pair of smart thermostats in May 2022, HomeKit News & Reviews reported. The same need for a HomePod or a HomePod applied to using Siri with the ecobee products.
So why is that? Well, Siri only works on Apple devices and isn’t installed on third-party devices. With Siri, all of the processing for requests has to happen on an Apple device. Functionality added to third-party products really just communicates with the Apple product to relay information back and forth.
So that’s useful for interacting with Siri, say, if your Denon speaker(s) and/or soundbar are in one room and your HomePod is elsewhere in the house (with both accessing your Wi-Fi network, of course).
Denon speakers that work with Siri via Denon’s Heos app are the following: Denon Home Series models 150, 250, 350, and the 550 Soundbar, all of which support AirPlay 2.
Denon provides instructions for using Siri with its speakers here. To establish Siri, you’ll need to remove and re-add the the Denon speaker(s) to your Home app.
Denon’s speakers have Amazon Alexa built in, but only one voice assistant works at a time. So establishing Siri will disable Alexa. If rumors of Siri improvements via artificial intelligence come true, maybe that will be worthwhile.
You can fine Denon speakers like the Home 250 on Amazon.
Denon's midrange wireless home speaker has HEOS and Alexa built-in, plus AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth. Now compatible with the Siri voice assistant if you have a HomePod or HomePod mini.
