Apple announced on October 13 that the new Apple TV 4K (4th generation) can drive a four-speaker surround sound setup using HomePod mini 2 or HomePod (2nd generation) speakers. Based on Apple’s U.S. prices, the cheapest way in is four HomePod mini 2 speakers plus the $299 Apple TV 4K, which comes to $895 before tax.
Apple describes it as the first time users can create a four-speaker surround sound experience with HomePod. Here is what the setup requires, how calibration works, what each speaker combination costs, and which older hardware the requirements leave out.
What Apple announced
In its Apple TV 4K (4th generation) press release, Apple says: “For the first time, users can create a four-speaker surround sound experience with Apple TV 4K (4th generation) and HomePod mini 2.” The company adds that HomePod (2nd generation) “can also be used in this four-speaker setup for the ultimate audio experience, as long as the front and rear speaker pairs match.”
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Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, framed it this way: “Pair it with HomePod for the best surround sound setup we’ve ever offered.” Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Home Product Marketing, said of HomePod mini 2 that “when paired with the new Apple TV 4K, it delivers our most immersive home theater setup yet.”
What you need
The fine print sits in a footnote that appears in both the Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini 2 releases. The Apple TV 4K version reads:
“Home theater surround sound requires four HomePod (2nd generation) or HomePod mini 2 speakers in matching pairs (front and rear), paired with Apple TV 4K (4th generation) running the latest operating system software.”
In practice, that breaks down to:
- One Apple TV 4K (4th generation)
- Four speakers, each a HomePod (2nd generation) or a HomePod mini 2
- Speakers arranged as a front pair and a rear pair, with each pair matching
- Every device running the latest operating system software
Apple’s HomePod mini 2 release also notes that HomePod mini 2 is compatible with HomePod software 27.2.
Automatic position calibration
You do not have to measure distances or tune levels by hand. According to Apple, “The four speakers work together with Apple TV 4K to intelligently recognize their position in the room so audio timing and levels are automatically calibrated to the space.”
The HomePod mini 2 release describes the same process: the four speakers and the new Apple TV 4K “intelligently recognize each speaker’s position in the room.”
What each combination costs
Apple lists HomePod mini 2 at $149 (U.S.) and Apple TV 4K (4th generation) at $299 (U.S.). Apple’s HomePod buy page listed HomePod at $349 before the October 13 event, and that is the figure used below for HomePod (2nd generation).
| Setup | Speaker cost | Apple TV 4K | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 x HomePod mini 2 | 4 x $149 = $596 | $299 | $895 |
| 2 x HomePod (2nd generation) front, 2 x HomePod mini 2 rear | 2 x $349 + 2 x $149 = $698 + $298 = $996 | $299 | $1,295 |
| 4 x HomePod (2nd generation) | 4 x $349 = $1,396 | $299 | $1,695 |
The all-mini setup costs $800 less than the all-HomePod setup. If you already own two HomePod (2nd generation) speakers, adding two HomePod mini 2 speakers and the Apple TV 4K costs $597 ($298 + $299).
The mixed row is our reading of the “matching pairs” wording: each pair uses two identical speakers, so a HomePod pair up front and a HomePod mini 2 pair at the back should qualify. Apple does not spell out a mixed example, so check Apple’s setup guidance before buying.
Apple TV 4K is also offered at $49.83 (U.S.) per month for six months through Apple Card Monthly Installments, according to Apple.
Which speakers and Apple TVs are left out
Apple’s footnote names only two speaker models and one Apple TV. Going by that wording, these devices are not listed as supported for the four-speaker setup:
- The previous HomePod mini, which Apple sold for $129 before the event
- HomePod (1st generation)
- Apple TV 4K (3rd generation) and earlier Apple TV models, including Apple TV HD
That does not mean those devices stop working with Apple TV. The footnote covers the new four-speaker surround mode specifically, and Apple’s release says pairing HomePod with Apple TV 4K “already offers users an immersive viewing experience.” What the footnote does say is that the four-speaker mode needs Apple TV 4K (4th generation) and the two named speaker models.
The matching-pairs rule also means you cannot split a pair across models. A front pair made of one HomePod (2nd generation) and one HomePod mini 2 would not match.
When you can set it up
HomePod mini 2 is available to pre-order now, with availability in stores beginning Friday, October 30. Apple TV 4K (4th generation) is also on pre-order, with availability in stores beginning Friday, November 13. Because the setup needs the new Apple TV 4K, the earliest a four-speaker system can be up and running is November 13.
For the full details on each product, see our coverage of the new Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini 2 pricing and release date.
