HomePod Stereo Issues

Hey everyone,

I have been having some HomePod issues as of late and am really stumped.

Background:

- I have one HomePod that was originally purchased in the States. I have used it ever since it was released. Never had any problems.

- I have another HomePod that I purchased here in Canada.

- I have a router that has both 5G and 2.4G frequencies. I use 5G on my iPhone when I set them up and am able to set them, no problem.

I had previously updated my first HomePod to V12.0 and it worked perfectly. When I got my second HomePod, I connected as you would normally and set it up as a stereo pair. The two worked perfectly, both airplay and "hey Siri" functionality. I noticed that I was unable to airplay my iDevices to the pair as they didn't pop up in the airplay control center. So I decided to ungroup, remove, and re-pair.

Issue:

When I use the functionality "hey Siri", music only plays through one stereo HomePod (the one that Siri responds to). When I airplay music to the pair, music plays through both speakers.

What I tried:

-I checked my router settings and gave them unique addresses.

-I reset both HomePod's by unplugging and holding down.

-I tried pairing via the Home App.

Findings:

-I notice that I am able to control the volume of the HomePod that is playing music from the other HomePod that isn't playing music. However, as soon as I turn up the volume on the one that doesn't work, it starts to play another song. When I disconnect form airplay, I notice that two homepods pop up in my control centre with two different songs for a brief second and then disappear. When I turn the homepod on and off via the Home App, the Homepod that isn't designated as Hey Siri begins to play.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!