Review of the smart speaker "Yandex Station Light 2"

Last year, Yandex was actively developing its line of smart speakers: it updated Station Max, released Yandex Station 2, and introduced two new devices with Zigbee support — Yandex Station Duo Max with a screen and Yandex Station Midi. However, the most budget models, such as Station Mini 2.0 and Station Light, have remained without updates since the end of 2021. Now it's time for a change: although there is no information about the new Mini yet, the updated Yandex Station Light 2 is entering the market, and today we will take a look at it.

The first version of Station Light was remembered for its creative approach: the speaker was available in six colors, and depending on the color, Alice had different «characters», answering questions differently and playing different music. However, this experiment did not arouse much interest among users. In the second generation, the creators took into account the wishes of the audience and improved the functionality of the device.

Since small speakers are often bought for children, «Station Light 2» has become more focused on this category of users. The speaker has a compact case with a soft-touch coating, which is pleasant to the touch and easy to clean, which is important for children's use. Bright colors remained, and stickers for customization were added to the kit.

One of the frequent requests was to ensure the speaker works from a portable battery, and now this has been implemented. Moreover, «Yandex» plans to release a branded power bank for «Station Light 2». Connecting the device has also become more convenient: the speaker can remember several Wi-Fi networks and automatically connect to them, which will facilitate use in different places, for example, at home and in the country.

The manufacturer also promises improved sound quality, which we will definitely check. In addition, we will discuss the new features of Alice that have appeared since the last reviews. But first, let's compare the technical characteristics of the two generations of «Station Light».

«Yandex Station Light 2» is supplied in a cardboard box, designed in the color of the device. The packaging contains an image of the speaker, its main characteristics, as well as examples of voice commands for Alice. Inside, the speaker and accessories are securely fastened with a cardboard insert.

«Station Light 2» paketinde hoparlörün kendisi, güç kaynağı, şarj kablosu, belgeler ve önceki sürümden tanıdık olan çıkartmalar yer alıyor. Kablo uzunluğu aynı kalır — 1,5 metre. Ancak bu sefer tescilli silikon kablo kelepçesi eksik, bu da oldukça kullanışlı olduğu için utanç verici.

The power supply is of standard form, it produces 5 V 2 A at the output. Accordingly, it can be used with other devices, and it will also be easy to replace if necessary.

At the time of the launch, «Station Light 2» is available in three bright colors: purple, blue and pink. In the future, orange, green and dark gray options will also appear. We had the purple version for testing. As already mentioned, the speaker's design is developed taking into account the needs of the children's audience — it is lightweight, compact and fits comfortably even in a child's hand. The body with a soft-touch coating is pleasant to the touch, resistant to fingerprints and easy to clean.

The first Yandex Station Light looked like Yandex Station Mini with a plastic case without fabric upholstery. However, the updated model has more noticeable design differences compared to both previous versions.

Externally, the Yandex Station Light 2 is more reminiscent of a speaker from a competing brand, the VK Capsule Neo: they have a similar shape and a seven-segment screen with the ability to display «eyes». However, direct comparisons should not be made, as the devices are noticeably different. For example, the Station Light 2 uses a USB Type-C port for power, while the Capsule has a round connector. The plastic with a soft-touch coating in the Station is much more pleasant to the touch. In addition, the voice assistant Alice is developing much faster than its «rival» Marusya.

The set again includes stickers, allowing you to entertain the child and at the same time slightly diversify the design of the speaker. They were both in the first version of «Station Light» and in the already mentioned VK Capsule Neo.

In «Station Light 2» this idea is implemented in a more interesting way — in addition to the usual stickers, the set includes two long sticker masks that can be stuck on the LED screen. One of them turns the speaker into a cat, the other — into a robot. The animated eyes on these characters look very funny and will certainly appeal to children.

The screen consists of 36 elements and can display various data, such as the current time, temperature, timers, volume level and other information. In addition, it is responsible for displaying Alice's «emotions» during interaction with the user.

On the rear panel there is a USB Type C port for power and a mechanical microphone mute button.

The side surfaces of the speaker are made of matte plastic, without any special details, but they can be decorated with stickers from the kit. By the way, the stickers are easy to remove without leaving marks, which is convenient for changing the decor.

A silicone pad is placed on the bottom of the speaker, ensuring stable placement on a horizontal surface. Brief information about the device is printed on it.

At the top is a control panel with a multi-colored indicator in the center. There are also openings for two microphones used to interact with the voice assistant.

The speaker connection process has not changed for a long time, and we have demonstrated it many times. The voice assistant Alice voices all the instructions, following which it is easy to set up the device. After the first turn on, the speaker is automatically detected by the application, offering to add it to the system.

Almost the most important thing to do is to connect the Station to a Wi-Fi network; without the Internet, most of its functions will be unavailable.

The developers have made moving Yandex Station Light 2 and changing Wi-Fi networks as simple as possible. If you move to a place with a new network, just hold the Mute button on the side of the speaker for 6 seconds until the central indicator starts flashing white and Alice offers to connect to the Internet (this can also be done through the app). Then just add a new network.

Done — now the speaker is connected to the new network. It remembers all known Wi-Fi hotspots and automatically connects to them when it is in their coverage area. Thus, moving between home and the dacha should be completely “seamless” — just turn it off, take it away, connect it, and everything works. If necessary, you can take a mobile battery or car adapter with you, distribute the Internet from your smartphone and listen to Alice’s fairy tales on the go. We tested the “Station Light” before its official release, and this function did not work quite correctly, but by the release, all the problems were probably fixed.

Two second-generation Stations Light, like other Yandex smart speakers, can be combined into a stereo pair to create a full stereo effect. Yandex Music remains the main source of content, and without a subscription to this service, using the speaker will be less convenient. Let us remind you that linking smart speakers to your own or partner streaming services is a common practice.

As a last resort, you can use a Bluetooth connection. To pair, you need to press the microphone mute button four times or give a command to Alice. The SBC codec is used to transmit audio, while the voice assistant continues to function and respond to commands, even if the device plays content via Bluetooth. All smart functions, including smart home control, remain available.

Let's look at the settings of «Station Light 2» in the application. The «Do not disturb» mode allows you to turn off all notifications, block incoming calls and set up a schedule for turning off the screen with the clock. The speaker can be used as a baby monitor, providing access to it for monitoring the child, for example, to grandparents who are temporarily looking after the baby.

Recently added crossfade mode, which provides a smooth transition between tracks in «Yandex.Music», without pauses between songs. This function is also activated through the application. In addition, there is a five-band equalizer with many presets for different styles of music. However, it is worth noting that the equalizer does not work when connecting the source via Bluetooth.

There are two touch buttons on the top panel for volume control. They work correctly and accurately register all presses. A short touch changes the volume by one point, and a long hold of the sensor allows you to smoothly increase or decrease the volume.

There are microphone holes next to the buttons, which provide «communication» with the voice assistant. Unlike the previous version, which had four microphones, the updated «Station Light 2» has only two. However, this did not affect the quality of voice recognition: the speaker perceives commands well even in difficult conditions, for example, in a kitchen with a working convection oven and running water. If there is music playing nearby, and its source is not the speaker itself, you may have to speak a little louder. This is typical for most smart speakers, even those with more microphones.

During testing, there were no false alarms — the assistant responds only to the corresponding voice command. The central circle with the Alice logo, called «oknix», is effectively illuminated from the inside and informs the user about the current state of the speaker.

The indicator glows purple when the assistant is responding to a request, and red when the microphone is muted. When adjusting the volume, it changes color from green at minimum to red at maximum. If you press it while Alice is speaking, she will immediately shut up.

On the back of the speaker there is a mechanical button for turning off the microphones. It is easy to press and produces a pleasant click. The developers claim that the microphones are turned off completely, but some users may have doubts, which is traditional for such devices.

Once connected, Yandex Station Light 2 immediately becomes part of the configured smart home system. With its help, you can control all connected devices, receive data from sensors, and so on. Since the preparation of the previous reviews, the voice assistant Alice and the system as a whole have received many updates. We have already mentioned the crossfade in Yandex.Music and the baby monitor mode, but this is only part of the improvements.

One of the key innovations is the integration with the YandexGPT neural network. This allows Alice to better understand the context of the conversation, maintain a conversation, generate ideas and give clear answers to complex questions. «Emotionality» has also appeared: Alice can now express joy, sadness, surprise and other emotions, which is reflected both in her answers and in the animation on the Station Light 2 screen.

For children, there is a «Understand Children» function, which allows Alice to accurately recognize a child's voice and offer appropriate content. This way, children won't hear inappropriate details from complex texts, and adults won't be forced to listen to monotonous children's hits. Convenient little things have also been added, such as notifications about which room the voice message came from.

There is also good news in the «smart home» section. Firstly, it is now possible to add «and/or» logic to scenarios — now you can create more complex conditions for performing actions. For example, you can set up the lighting in the hallway so that it turns on only when the motion sensor is triggered and at a certain level of illumination. Conditions are created for turning on two lamps that will shine blue for a minute and then return to their previous brightness level and color. This makes system control more flexible and convenient.

Now, when someone walks down a dark corridor, a dim backlight turns on for a minute. Previously, such a task was impossible for the Yandex smart home system, but now, fortunately, these limitations are a thing of the past.

When we move on to discussing the sound, it is important to remember that Yandex Station Light 2 is a compact smart speaker designed primarily for interaction with a voice assistant: managing a smart home, receiving weather information, listening to fairy tales and background music. You shouldn't expect high-quality sound from it, but the manufacturer claims a number of improvements compared to the previous model. The new body shape has increased the acoustic volume, which made the sound cleaner, louder and richer. Low frequency transmission has also been improved, and the power has increased to 6 W.

When measuring the frequency response of compact acoustics, we usually conduct two series of measurements: one — with a measuring microphone at a distance of about 60 cm from the side surface of the speaker.

And the second is by moving the microphone upward and placing it at an angle of 45°, since such devices are often located approximately at the level of the listener’s waist.

The graphs are then averaged to provide an overall picture. Yandex Station Light 2 demonstrates decent sound for its compact plastic case. The low-frequency range starts at about 150 Hz, the midrange is reproduced fairly evenly, and the emphasis on the high-frequency register raises questions. Theoretically, this can improve the subjective perception of music quality, but in practice it can lead to a slightly unnatural sound and the appearance of «sand». However, this problem is not so significant as to significantly affect the overall perception — the speaker sounds quite satisfactory.

The promised progress compared to the previous Yandex Station Light is evident — at the very least, the speaker's bass reproduction capabilities have significantly increased.

This difference is also observed when comparing the two versions of Yandex Station Mini. While the second version sounds more or less comparable, the first loses in many parameters — from the expressiveness of the bass and high-frequency range to the uniformity of the midrange.

With the new updated SberBoom Mini 2, the sound is almost at the level, if you do not take into account the emphasis on the high-frequency range. While the previous SberBoom Mini is slightly inferior in the volume of low frequencies.

Finally, when compared to the two VK smart speakers, both are inferior in low frequencies. In addition, the VK Capsule Neo cannot offer the same smooth midrange, despite the external similarity.

In addition to the updated appearance and improved sound, Yandex Station Light 2 has received an important innovation — a clearly defined positioning. Now it is officially intended for children and those who do not stop being children. The developers took into account the needs of this audience and adapted the speaker to the corresponding usage scenarios. It is durable and compact, which makes it ideal for children's hands. In addition, Station Light 2 can tell stories, communicate with the child and answer his questions, and also act as an advanced baby monitor — which can be very attractive for parents of small children.

Also, functions have been added that may be specific, but in demand. For example, the ability to connect the speaker to a mobile battery for carrying around the house, which will allow Alice's fairy tales not to be interrupted, even when moving the device from one room to another. The function of quick connection to various Wi-Fi networks also becomes useful for using Station Light 2 in different places, be it a summer house or guests. Overall, for children and their parents, this speaker is one of the most interesting smart devices with a Russian-language voice assistant on the market.