I got both, and I found the old one still sound better, and I discover the old one can also unscrew the top just as the Gen 2 for fit different shades including the the fibric shade for the gen2 . Also the new one's the light switch is actually a momentum button, which means it would turn off itself if power cut off which means if using a smart light bulb , you have to manually turn back on.
What an incredible timing.These days i was looking for a review of the lamp, and the only ones i could find where those of the first model.Looking forward to buying one after i see your impression (if it's good, ofc)
Be aware the Gen 1 versions are hugely discounted at the moment in IKEA. I picked a second lamp one up to make a stereo pair when I was there the other weekend and it was £125. They still probably have some in stock but only in store (not online).
I also prefer the first one. I actually bought a second last week, I did not see they had a gen 2, but the original was discounted to 100 Euro, so I had to take it.
Thank you for the honest review. I've just managed to get the last pair of Gen 1s from my local IKEA for £125 each (plus a couple of E14 smart bulbs). They took quite a lot of fiddling round to set them up with my iPad, Android phone and Alexa, but work well now. They sound even better as a stereo pair, especially after tuning
@@StusReviewsUK It was easy enough to follow the instructions in the app, but it would get part way through then fail to connect to the router. I moved the lamps next to the router and even tried ethernet. In the end I did a hard reset of the speakers, turned off the smart bulbs in case it was interference from Zigbe, deleted and re-installed the apps on the phone and iPad, and it all sprung into life.
My guess why they haven’t added smart asistants, bluetooth etc is because then it would be to much of a rival of Sonos itself and I guess Sonos doesnt allow that as a part of their collaboration.
I prefer *not* having a microphone listening in every room. Can just add an Amazon echo dot or something if that’s desired and they do work very well with Alexa once set up.
@@StusReviewsUK well, you seem to be sufficiently graceful to have avoided stabbing yourself with that bloody knife So there is hope you won't break those beautiful glass globe shades Because breaking those would be a proper shame...
Very interesting Stu, this is one of first products I have seen that seam's to be aimed at the smart home user buy quite obviously isn't. I imagine that anyone who is into Sonos will like this or the previous version. But and it's a big BUT anyone who has a number smart home speakers is likely to look at this as a very expensive lamp that they cannot connect to Alexa or Google and think, seriously why? This is certainly something I would not buy, I see no value or point to it. This is still a useful video even if it is just to confirm a product that I may have wanted, is something confirmed by your review that I don't! Great video as always.
I like the sound of this (at least, now the Gen 1 version is no longer available) as a bedside 'connected' speaker and lamp, since that's somewhere in my house I don't want an open mic, and it can be a drop-in replacement for a normal bedside lamp without taking up yet another socket but with the HA connectivity over their Sonos integration for things like alarms and doorbell alerts. I could wish it had a couple of USB charging sockets for my phone/watch, though.
Thanks for the review. If one is focused on sound then I would not look at combo units. Given the greater lampshade and bulb options, this combo unit should be “net” better.😊
Hi Stu. With the fabric shade attached, what is the total height of the lamp? It's one piece of information that's completely missing from the Ikea website...
I’ve heard exactly the same comments elsewhere, I think you have to at least improve the sound. I guess the only plus is that the 1st gen may be available at a discount now. Great review as always
Yeah I appreciate that, but tonally i try and give opinion on the sound out of the box with no personalised EQ to set as best of a 'baseline' as possible across multiple devices from different manufacturers.
Hey Dude love your reviews. I bought the 2nd gen lamp and had to take it back cause it wouldn't turn on, so I return it and bought the eneby 12. I would like to know which one do you prefer or can you do a comparison video. Again great work.
Thats interesting! Wonder why it wouldn't turn on! And I love the eneby. I did a review of one when they first came out... I think that was the first Ikea speaker!
I much prefer the look of the first generation lamp. It was that which led me to purchase one. This just looks like a regular lamp, which I guess is the intention. It's a pity they are not continuing to sell the first generation. It would be good to have the choice. Unfortunately, they were sold out when I looked a couple of months ago, as I wanted to get another because I don't particularly like the new design. It's just bland.
@@StusReviewsUK It's not listed on IKEA's website and when I looked a few months ago it was showing as out of stock at my closest store. If I'm passing, maybe I will pop in on the off-chance they do still have a few of them kicking about.
I had the first Speaker lamp, but had to take it back as I could not stand the looks of it. The Bookshelf looks better, but the new lamp with the fabric screen looks nice.
I wonder whether by removing the lampshade screw ring, would the original glass dome then fit? Quite astonishing how they completely missed the opportunity to make these smart home capable though.
@@StusReviewsUK i was looking at mk1 last week but was out of stock @ ikea and amazon wanted over £200. Didn't know mk2 was being released so great timing!
LOVE the test ! I purchased a Symfonisk frame speaker and was utterly "Stu'ed" by it (please accept my use of "Stu'ed" to describe my "WTF ? Oh ! This is really surprisingly good !" face akin to yours :p) I was pondering the purchase of a Gen1 or Gen2 lamp, since here in France the price is the same (179 Euros, no discounts) for both of them. We have a "art deco" decoration so the Glass bulby style of the Gen1 got our attention, but the new glass bulb for the Gen2 is also quite "sexy". Have you tried using the Gen2 with a Frame and see how they complete each other or if the frame is enough by itself ?
I don’t get why you would be disappointed that a Wifi speaker doesn’t have 3.5 headphone jack. The whole point of a wifi speaker is for audio to be over wifi. Great review otherwise. And yes you can put any lamp shade onto the new speakers
I’m disappointed because yes, it’s a wifi speaker, but these look great as a standalone unit, but because it doesn’t have 3.5, it means you can’t extend the possibilities of usage by adding smart assistant or Bluetooth capabilities through a direct connection. There isn’t much reason for them to have not included it!
Great question! I don't tend to use the tradfri colour bulbs because they have terrible green hues (almost non-existent). Their standard tradfri bulbs are fine, but if its colour you want I would look elsewhere.
@@StusReviewsUK I thought so. They bulb package is deceiving. It makes impression of full coloured bulb, but in fact there are only five preset shades in IKEA Home smart app from warm to cold.
I love Sonos speakers and IKEA…but these lamp speakers are a little too space age. Wish they came in more natural looking colors or used some wood accents (birch?) and more tasteful lampshades. They’re a little too techy and not timeless enough.
I watched your speaker in hopes of learning how to connect the speaker and I heard near-field and then you complaining about an update. No idea how to connect it and no directions.
If it streams direct to hi-res audio sources, I'm ok with ditching 3.5mm. But if it's blueooth based, i'd prefer the 3.5 mm so I can get my full bitrate/not-recompressed to fit bluetooth.
The speaker is ace ect but the fabric is HORRID and never got one because of that o well and the new lamp shade on new one is UGLY lol ikea mix match lol hope they make better for 3rd time round lol
This lamp is a scam. There is no reason it can't have a bluetooth other than that they want you to buy sonos speaker that does have bluetooth and pairs with symfonisk. Bought this lamp, thought you somehow connect it to wifi and play whatever you want from places, but this whole 'app' nonsense is ridiculous. You cannot watch movies you cannot watch youtube you cannot do shit with this lamp.
Anything related to the software user interface is terrible. It’s mind boggling how a tech company can deliver such poor usability in 2023 - their management is apparently not very ambitious. About the lamp, I like the new design better but it’s a dust collector like nothing else. And putting the buttons on the back is the kind of stupidity that (rightly) got people fired while Mr Kamprad was still alive.
