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New HomePod Can't Be Stereo Paired With First-Generation HomePod
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Of course they can. Apple just choose not to allow it. 😒
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I admit, this is disappointing. I have two original HomePods and a couple of Minis. The bigger HP sounds okay, but sorely lacks EQ and a Subwoofer option. The Minis are just toys. Coupled with a good real Hifi and Airplay they add a bit of room to what the real speakers deliver, but not much more. German Siri is a pain in the ass when it comes to Apple Music, HomeKit is Hit-and-Miss, great when or rather if it works, but doesn't always. I've tried almost every Airplay-Speaker imaginable and returned to a (vintage) hard-wired hifi that I feed via AirPort Express and in the office we use Sonos, (two 5, the Sub3, one Move), which basically is the ugliest yet best-functioning, best-sounding system I've ever heard. With the HP v2 Apple offers nothing new to go against Sonos, BW, B&O – it feels like they've missed the last three years entirely, basically rebooting the same product with less Speakers and... a humidity sensor? Especially when there was so, so much room for improvement here.
You admit that people would notice the difference though. If the whole point of the Homepod vs Homepod mini is bigger/better sound...why would they enable something that would potentially go counter to that? People complaining that they can't stereo pair their Homepods with these should have bought a matching Homepod in the two years since its been discontinued or before then. If it's such a huge thing that they NEED them to stereo pair, why didn't they before this release?
Considering the devices have different speaker setups internally it makes sense they can only be paired with one that matches the other.
The new HomePod has two fewer tweeters and microphones compared to the original model so to distribute sound between two unmatched devices probably wouldn’t create the expected sound experiences for the users.
The new HomePod has two fewer tweeters and microphones compared to the original model so to distribute sound between two unmatched devices probably wouldn’t create the expected sound experiences for the users.
I might get a replacement pair, but it will depend on reviews & comparisons to the original. My original HomePods still are fantastic… 😉
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I am not upset or surprised that Apple has pulled another fast on on ya’ll first generation buyers. I am trying to understand what the aversion is to buying a good condition second hand one from ebay.
If Apple’s update which comes for your wallet for what feels like a forced upgrade makes your blood boil…. It’s easy!
Pick the solution which ensures not only reduced Carbon Emissions usage from assuaging your desire to break the seal it also ensures that Apple won’t make a dime off their quite terrible effort.
Some original homepods on eBay are closer to the $200-230 pricing and include the box; and assuming you could buy a squaretrade warranty for a few dollars more if you were not comfortable with whatever the astronomically substantial mean time before failure probably is of a used product.
Due to a number of reasons, nearly all of which are indeed technical such as reasons like this ^, save for one of which is regarding a usurpation of responsibility and concern for and about human rights, I haven’t directly given Apple a cent of my money for hardware/software/services since about 2014.
(Indeed, I have not paid for an iPhone technically directly either, as I have waited until the carrier puts devices up on sale and adds bill credits to my account each month to cover the device cost, without any requirement for my old device.)
If Apple’s update which comes for your wallet for what feels like a forced upgrade makes your blood boil…. It’s easy!
Pick the solution which ensures not only reduced Carbon Emissions usage from assuaging your desire to break the seal it also ensures that Apple won’t make a dime off their quite terrible effort.
Some original homepods on eBay are closer to the $200-230 pricing and include the box; and assuming you could buy a squaretrade warranty for a few dollars more if you were not comfortable with whatever the astronomically substantial mean time before failure probably is of a used product.
Due to a number of reasons, nearly all of which are indeed technical such as reasons like this ^, save for one of which is regarding a usurpation of responsibility and concern for and about human rights, I haven’t directly given Apple a cent of my money for hardware/software/services since about 2014.
(Indeed, I have not paid for an iPhone technically directly either, as I have waited until the carrier puts devices up on sale and adds bill credits to my account each month to cover the device cost, without any requirement for my old device.)
I might get a replacement pair, but it will depend on reviews. My original HomePods still are fantastic…
I love mine
I’ve mine paired in a small flat and can’t go above 25% volume or the neighbours would complain of the noise 
The really sad thing is that Apple can completely tank the sound signature on the older hardware with a firmware update and then tweak the signature on the new hardware to simply make them seem more performant.
Audio Hardware wise the new HomePods are absolutely a downgrade. But their software may give them an edge. This is likely to just be a frustrating and confusing annoyance for most. It takes time and patience to evaluate audio and people not being able to stereo pair will be enough to drive them away from the product.
For me, creating a stereo pair for my Apple TV was a nightmare. I eventually gave it up altogether. How would this be different?
Not sure why apple thinks this 2nd gen will sell any better than the original? Hopefully the company is going in with more limited expectations and a more limited production run.
Ha, I think you'd be lucky if apple offered a $20 trade in value. Looks like you could get a lot more for it on ebay though.
Following Apple's new full-size HomePod announcement, many owners of the original HomePod are wondering if it's possible to pair the new HomePod with the first-generation smart speaker of the same name. The short answer is no.
Creating a stereo pair with the new HomePod requires another second-generation HomePod. In the footnotes from Apple's press release:
That's not to say the two devices can't be used together at all. If you have a new HomePod and first-generation HomePod in the home, they can be used to play your music in different rooms, and features like Intercom will work across both devices.
In another notable development, a software update appears to be on the way for the HomePod mini that will add two key features currently exclusive to the new HomePod – temperature and humidity sensing in indoor environments.
The new HomePod costs $299 and is available in both white and midnight color options. In-store availability and deliveries to customers will begin Friday, February 3 in select countries.
Article Link: New HomePod Can't Be Stereo Paired With First-Generation HomePod
For the same price i can get 3 HomePod minus, i.e. one stereo pair and a bonus speaker in the back. And: As of 16.3, with this setup, I would be able to compare the temperature in front and back of the room …
Following Apple's new full-size HomePod announcement, many owners of the original HomePod are wondering if it's possible to pair the new HomePod with the first-generation smart speaker of the same name. The short answer is no.
Creating a stereo pair with the new HomePod requires another second-generation HomePod. In the footnotes from Apple's press release:
That's not to say the two devices can't be used together at all. If you have a new HomePod and first-generation HomePod in the home, they can be used to play your music in different rooms, and features like Intercom will work across both devices.
In another notable development, a software update appears to be on the way for the HomePod mini that will add two key features currently exclusive to the new HomePod – temperature and humidity sensing in indoor environments.
The new HomePod costs $299 and is available in both white and midnight color options. In-store availability and deliveries to customers will begin Friday, February 3 in select countries.
Article Link: New HomePod Can't Be Stereo Paired With First-Generation HomePod
Never thought of that music magpie will buy for £60
Seems like sound recognition, two less tweeters and thread/matter support are key differences
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Because it is functionality that at least some customers would want, and it would cost Apple little to nothing to allow that functionality to work. Apple could have simply included wording in their documentation that having two (very slightly) different speakers acting in stereo may not be as good an experience as having a matching pair.
This is an artificial limitation, and it is something Apple had to have gone out of their way to disable.
Yes, yes. People should just do what Apple wants them to do with their own devices that they paid good money for. JFC can you be any more of an apologist?
There are a lot of $700 sound systems that are excellent for their size and price. At least half of them would sound better than a paired set of Homepods.
The kind of people who would notice enough difference between v1 and v2 Homepods that listening to them in stereo would be distracting are not the kind of people who would be buying Homepods for their sound quality in the first place.
100% agree. I have little hope they fixed the hardware issues, though, considering the engineers appear to simply have been tasked with cost cutting.
How long have you owned yours to make that kind of assessment?
Of course it matters to have identical speakers, but only if your fussy about sound.