homepod siri getting worse

Is it just me, or are the original HomePods (2017-2018, etc) starting to feel like they might be end-of-life as regards Siri? I now have to ask multiple times for even the most basic commands — like “stop the music” or “stop the timer” — and Siri is generally acting like a confused pensioner that can’t hear very well. I’m running 16.3 software on the HomePods but I suspect that the new software needs more processing power than the old hardware can handle. The two HomePods that I have connected for stereo sound frequently drop, so that one will play and the other will not. I probably spend more time repeating myself with Siri now than actually enjoying it. Is there a way to downgrade the HomePod software to one that actually works?