I suspect that at least some audiophiles are going to judge the HomePod in the context it’s presented, understand the constraints and limitations of any speaker

I suspect that at least some audiophiles are going to judge the HomePod in the context it’s presented, understand the constraints and limitations of any speaker system so small. I’m not going to compare what’s essentially a bookshelf speaker against a pair of floor-standing speakers or a 5.1 system (or in-ear monitors, for that matter): they’re going to compare it with something of a similar class. That’s part of what being an audiophile (or someone who dives into any domain) is: understanding something in the proper context. I don’t know how it compares with other similar speakers, so I’m not going to say it’s audiophile-quality or not, but that’s beside the point: judge it for what it is, not what it isn’t.