My HomePod bricked after 5 years. TV speakers are horrendous so I tried AirPods Pro with Apple TV. Such an obvious win in hindsight. Just a bit strange sitting at home, especially with someone else, with headphones on. Sound is A+ though.

What bricked it? Apple telling you it's time for an upgrade? My wife and I regularly spend time "alone together" where we can each do an activity at home (w/ headphones, music, video game, tv, etc) where we are in the same general area but doing different things.

Normally I roll my eyes at “planned obsolescence” responses like this but for the first time I actually feel this way. All this thing had to do was play sound. There’s no wear-and-tear. An Apple premium speaker should have a minimum 10-year warranty. No questions asked.

Understandable. I just had to replace my airpods that simply won’t last for more than 15 mins. I’ve resigned to the fact that we’re forced into “perpetual subscriptions” for hardware even

Also I’m wondering if you looked into replacing the individual AirPod(s). That is essentially a battery replacement and more reasonably priced than other replacement parts and repair.