New HomePod Can't Be Stereo Paired With First-Generation HomePod

[Amplelink]

In (quality) stereo audio, it is absolutely mandatory to use two identical speakers. So even if pairing gen 1 and 2 would be possible, it would still be a bad idea.

That being said, I‘m very curious how the sound of these will compare. I‘m using a pair of first gen HomePods every day and they still sound awesome, especially for the size (and price).

I agree. They're absolutely stunning speakers.

And, as you said, I'm sure there's a technical reason for Apple's decision here.

 

[Naraxus]

Who would expect that (other than someone who isn't very fussy about music) as the sound would be different between gen 1 and gen 2 HomePods?

They're different speakers.

Is there no limit how far you'll go to carry water for Apple? This is an incredibly asinine decision on Apple's part. They are fundementally the exact same speakers. A simple software update would take care of the pairing problem.

 

[FriendlyMackle]

This stuff kind of sucks. We have stereo paired HomePod minis in our bedroom but just one HomePod in our living room. We’ve recently (as in this weekend) given up on HomeKit/Matter for our smart home solution and went with Alexa - Apple is just so far behind in the Siri/Smart home game.

Now this? Instead of us buying tbis HomePod to stereo pair with our first gen HomePod, we won’t buy this at all and will continue to find ourselves seeking other companies for smart home and speaker solutions sadly.

Or you could sell the OG HomePod, and buy two of the new gen and pair them!

 

[makingdots]

I don't think Apple realized that, rather than making me buy two, this news means I will be buying zero of them...

You can opt just by buying second-hand 1st gen if you want stereo pairs...

I think there will be folks who will be in the same boat wanting stereo pairs and they'll just be selling their 1st gen to buy 2 new Homepods

 

[jakey rolling]

You can opt just by buying second-hand 1st gen if you want stereo pairs...

I think there will be folks who will be in the same boat wanting stereo pairs and they'll just be selling their 1st gen to buy 2 new Homepods

Man, it's so hilariously sad to think that there are so many blind loyalists out there who will continue to send Apple money, even after Apple decides to bitch-slap them.

 

[jakey rolling]

How long have you owned yours to make that kind of assessment?

Luckily for me, Apple lost my business a long time ago, so I didn't waste my money on a Homepod of my own. I'm strictly here to gaze in bemusement at the usual Apple Stockholm Syndrome sufferers twisting themselves into knots to try to convince themselves that there is some kind of reasonable technical reason for this clearly consumer-hostile decision.

A friend of mine, however, bought his first gens when they were first available. They sounded about as good as the Bose speakers he listened to before them.

Of course it matters to have identical speakers, but only if your fussy about sound.

You almost got my point. Almost.

 

[SFjohn]

Weird how so many tech sites are saying the HomePod 2 is back with "better sound". I can't see anywhere Apple claims this. It's just a cheapened and downgraded HomePod, when everyone was hoping for improvements.

Exactly, they have removed 2 tweeters and 2+ microphones, so I’ll be surprised if they actually sound better… we’re kinda of in Apple’s penny pinching days right now. The original HomePods are still better sounding than any other speaker at that size and price range to this day.

 

[ScholarsInk]

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.

Maybe they dropped after the announcement because just three weeks ago they were at 500 dollar scalper prices and I wasn't going to pay nearly double for a used one what I paid for a new one at release.

 

[svish]

Not nice to hear about this. Apple wants customers to buy the newest model.

 

[ric22]

Perhaps the downgraded new model simply can't keep up with the originals, which is why they can't pair them?

 

[Htsi]

This is expected behavior. Stereo pairs have to be identical or it messes up the sound

 

[MJaP]

Read: "We could have done it but we didn't want to"

 

[the future]

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.

Let's agree to disagree on this.

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.

Huh? Better sound quality is actually the only reason to use paired HomePods; if the sound quality is secondary, one HomePod is good enough. As such, people buying HomePods to pair them are exactly the kind of people that would notice the discrepancies.

 

[DeepIn2U]

I got rid of my OG HomePods in the house because they were causing recurring homekit related problems that got to be too much to bear despite still being good speakers for the home entertainment center.

The Ohs had a very good run including some features being added.

Unfortunately when Apple removed it and the iPad as being a hub for HomeKit that started the issues therein

Not surprising, given that the 1st-gen firmware won’t be getting updates anymore.

But that’s the reason I don’t like such integrated hardware. Either give me smart speakers I can attach to any amp, or a smart audio device I can attach to any speakers.

Ideally you’re right 100%. Unfortunately Sonia didn’t get this right with the Play:1 which works with Sonos Amp(s) but no longer gets updates and after a long 1.2yrs of poor communications by an engineer publicly stating AirPlay2 would be supported it never was. You had to Buy Sonos One /SL as its replacement. The hardware beyond Wi-Fi chip and ram NEVER improved one bit! Sonia Amp works just fine.

I’m annoyed a family subscription in Apple Music is needed for me to play soothing music on HomePod or AppleTV for my pets when I leave. Sonia allows this but via their radio stations at minimum.

Let’s hope Apple actually expands HomePod speaker lineup to match or equal what Sonos offers. Praying they do!

 

[George Dawes]

iPod Hi-Fi mk 2 springs to mind

 

[davegoody]

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

Whilst I can see that this is seen as a limitation, why would you want two different speakers as a stereo pair? - Would make zero sense from a quality point-of-view, so I fully understand why Apple wouldn't allow this.

 

[citysnaps]

Luckily for me, Apple lost my business a long time ago, so I didn't waste my money on a Homepod of my own. I'm strictly here to gaze in bemusement at the usual Apple Stockholm Syndrome sufferers twisting themselves into knots to try to convince themselves that there is some kind of reasonable technical reason for this clearly consumer-hostile decision.

Too funny and speaks volumes, making my point.

 

[_Spinn_]

I’m not really surprised. This is pretty much what I expected.

 

[Zwhaler]

Ultimate Ears Hyperboom is a much better sounding speaker.

Apple deliberately putting out not the best product that they can (no Bluetooth speaker functionality, no cross-generation stereo pairing, force user to use Apple Music) is not the “Great Product” philosophy that Steve Jobs used to make Apple arguably the most impactful consumer tech company in the 21st century so far.

Get it together Apple and make the Home Pod as good as it could be and you’d actually get meaningful market share. This is lame and I don’t think Steve Jobs would approve.

 

[Smartass]

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?

Maybe because they didn't need two at start? But now when new version came out, they'd like to use both of them? I never needed two TVs, but now when i bought a new one, i can have the old one in my bedroom - but i'd never buy a new one just for my bedroom. People just dont have money to throw around for every single gadget, or maybe even two.

 

[DaPhox]

Maybe because they didn't need two at start? But now when new version came out, they'd like to use both of them? I never needed two TVs, but now when i bought a new one, i can have the old one in my bedroom - but i'd never buy a new one just for my bedroom. People just dont have money to throw around for every single gadget, or maybe even two.

Do you pair your TVs & Watch simultaneously?

 

[IpadShouldGetMacOS]

finally decided to make an account especially about this news. If I buy 2 of these homepods will they work for my sony tv as speaker alternatives than a soundbar or do I need a apple tv of some sort for it

 

[Smartass]

Do you pair your TVs & Watch simultaneously?

obviously you didn't understand what i said

 

[Arsenikdote]

I understand what you are saying, trust me, but if I did want to pair them, I couldn't. That is my point. 90+% of the people on earth would never hear the difference anyway. No worries, I will stick to my dumb Acoustat Model 3's and B&W's. Also, the 1st gen version will be on the obsolete list in no time and yet the defenders will still defend. It's what they do.

1000% agree that many people would never be able to tell the different. But Apple doesn't care and hasn't cared about that since I started using them in the 90's. They sacrifice for the sake of "user experience" when it baffles the mind, in fact many times I have been downright angry because my personal business has been impacted. So for me it 100% tracks that they wouldn't allow it due to the "experience" issue even if there was no financial motivation (which of course there is).

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Unlike Apple to deliberately gimp something to make it incompatible with an older model of something lol. They probably expect people to buy 2 if their older version won't pair, when in reality some will just buy another brand.