Thanks subjonas for your super helpful reply.
It's such a shame to have to get some wired speakers when the HomePods sound so good, but it seems that this will be necessary :-(
Tell me about it..
I have a stereo pair for my Apple TV and they sound great and work great for the most part. There’s just that 20% that it can’t do, like play audio from my blu ray player, play ATV navigation sounds, play audio for games (though I rarely play), play certain audio from from devices without severe lag.
Also I think since it has a chip and radios if it’s just a matter of time before they lose compatibility with my device ecosystem. Whereas wired speakers never lose compatibility.
It seems like a lot of downsides, but homepods have great conveniences as well, on top of their great sound. They look great, take up very little space, you can airplay to them from any Apple device, and Siri is extremely convenient for Apple Music, controlling the TV, controlling other HomeKit devices, personal assistant, and general inquiries. It also allows you to use any Apple device as your remote control even for volume. (They don’t need wires going to a source or amp, but they do need to be plugged into a wall outlet, so that’s kind of a wash.)
So I’m a bit torn as well. Ideally, the homepods would have an optional wired connection, but Apple doesn’t seem like they would do that.