LightSpeaker 2: The Imaginary Sonos & Nest Lovechild

lightspeaker

Within the last week, both Sonos and Nest released new products. And, while each is somewhat compelling in its own right, I can’t say I’m in the market for either.

First, Nest has beautified and modernized another mundane home appliance. But the connected Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide detector runs a lofty $129 and, with 5 existing detectors, I don’t care enough to spend the kind of money needed to outfit my house. Further, unlike the Nest Thermostat, there’s no potential energy savings to offset and perhaps mentally justify the cost. Lastly, for reasons unknown, my Nest Thermostat has a tendency to reboot and the motion sensor hasn’t been very responsive — neither of which motivates me to entrust my safety to Nest, despite the Protect’s imminent UL endorsement.

Sonos, by comparison, has released a $199 speaker… which almost makes the multi-sensor Nest Protect appear a reasonable proposition. But Sonos has never been inexpensive and the connected speaker market has featured outrageous pricing across the board these last few years. But ya gotta pay to play, and like my TiVo Mini, I’ve been willing to drop the cash on the best solution irrespective of a company’s profit margins. If I hadn’t recently outfit a couple more rooms with the $299 Play:3, I’d have saved some coin and went with the new and more attractive Play:1.

But what if these two companies hooked up… The now discontinued Klipsch LightSpeaker is the kind of wireless multifunction product I’d be very interested in. I’ve got recessed bulbs all over the place and would absolutely love to repurpose those cans for whole-home music and rear-channel audio while simultaneously upgrading to dimmable LED lighting — all controlled via smartphone. Maybe throw in a few additional Nest Protect sensors to activate, adjust, or silence sound levels. And instead of IR and 2.4GHz communication, we’d move to WiFi (for control, streaming) and Zigbee (for inter-device communication). For that sort of solution, I’d surely open my wallet. Ah, to dream.

9 thoughts on “LightSpeaker 2: The Imaginary Sonos & Nest Lovechild”

  1. Given my understanding of speaker dynamics, I think thermostat-sized speakers might produce an overly tinny sound…

  2. Darn it. Twice in one week I was foiled by my inability to a) type without making mistakes, and b) edit a previous post. Oh well. The previous link was just for an extension bulb, unfortunately. The system is still $200.

  3. My main problem isn’t the price anyhow, it’s the ‘almost there but not quite’ — which is why I was fantasizing about a better LightSpeaker via Sonos/Nest know-how. Also something going on with the prior version… either another company bought it from Klipsch and is now selling it or perhaps they invented it and are carrying the torch now that Klipsch has given up? Maybe similar to how Channel Master continued to sell the DTVPal DVR after Echostar moved on.

  4. Ha, that’s funny. My wife gave me one of those Klipsch Lightspeaker systems (I had it on my wishlist, my fault) and it sat untouched for a couple of years in my office until I recently unloaded it via my fulfilled by Amazon account and got a lot less for it than we paid. But at least its out of my office.

  5. Hello Dave Zatz,

    I am happy to say LightSpeaker is not discontinued, Klipsch was just the USA distributor (no Klipsch components were ever in LightSpeaker) at the start of the products life and is now distributed in the States by IAV (IAV LightSpeaker). Klipsch was quite narrow minded in its distribution as the family of LightSpeaker is much broader. There is a wireless SubWoofer and a completely wireless outdoor rock called…. AudioRock. It runs on a Lithium Ion battery and has a run time of 10-12hrs. Adding the SubWoofer to a pair of LightSpeakers will give you an audio experience better than most in ceiling speaker sets (will look better too and be much less expensive) Because the audio components are of high quality as is the on board amplifier, the sound is remarkably better than you expect for a 3.25″ speaker. Also the LED light dims exactly like a incandescent bulb. I have 12 LightSpeakers, 3 SubWoofers and a AudioRock (at the BBQ) throughout the home, all off one transmitter. I didn’t have to run cable or wires and was much cheaper than a wired install. I can take it with me when I move too. Any one who wants a whole home music system that looks better and is much (like half as much) than a pot light and huge speakers in their ceiling, LightSpeaker deserves a serious look!

  6. Just more information on the differences between IAV and the older Klipsch model:
    Some key differences between Klipsch and IAV:

    1. Product and technology:
    a. There has been a software upgrade.
    -The software upgrade made for a more even power response (think of this as dispersion) and in some ways eliminated the need for a LampKit. Use of the LampKit on pre- 1.1 upgrades makes a huge difference in the listening experience to the LS used in a table lamp.
    b. Klipsch didn’t sell the sub or the rock, even though you remember they did. They were actually pushing a “Klipsch” sub and rock that was not wireless.
    c. IAV has added a clearer lens, which allows for brighter light. These ship in every box with the original frosted lens.

    Hoping for some more feedback from all of you!

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