MelPhilips Hue has taken a step in the right direction with the new GU10 spots which were launched in late summer. The new models are brighter, provide better colour rendition and have also been shrunk to a perfect size so that they fit easily into spot lights from other manufacturers. However, there seems to be another innovation besides Richer Colors & Perfect Fit: An extremely annoying whining.
Hue GU10 spots beep when switched off
Even though I can't see this in the few spots I've tested so far, some readers have contacted me – all of whom describe the same problem. Here are a few excerpts:
“Unfortunately, I had to find out that all seven GU10 spots installed in my car emit an audible and annoying whining sound when switched off. As soon as you switch them on, this whining stops.”
“I tried a few more Hue spots, both White Ambiance and Color. They all have a high-frequency whining sound when they're turned off. The sound is not acceptable to me, because I notice it in the bedroom or while reading.”
“I have noticed that the lamps, especially when they are switched off, make a quiet beeping sound, which can be heard from a distance of 50 to 100 cm. Is this a known problem? Is there a workaround for it?”
No solution from Philips Hue so far
These problems do not seem to be isolated incidents. There is no solution at the moment although the problem is probably already known to Signify. Their customer support offers either to accept the problem or to get the purchase price refunded when the lamps get returned.
As one reader reported, the hotline explicitly did not offer replacement lamps, because “the problem is known and there is no replacement”. Why are the products then still sold? We can only hope that Signify quickly finds a solution for these bigger problems with the new Hue-Spots.
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Fabian