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Echo speakers have great features that make them perfect for Alexa-powered smart home configurations, but they are not necessarily known for their outstanding audio quality, especially the more affordable options from Amazon.
Given the amount of audio generated by the Echo speakers, including Amazon's new Amazon Music HD, we can empathize with users who prefer other brands with a better sound. quality, but the new smartphone speaker Echo Studio announced by Amazon claims to exceed the performance limitations of its predecessors (and even some of its rivals).
Echo Studio will cost $ 199 and it's scheduled for November 7, but if you're a bit like me, you're probably wondering if it would be worth it to spend a few benjamins on it. To do this, see how Echo Studio, newly announced, is similar to both its older Echo siblings, as well as high-end models of Amazon's competitors.
Audio quality
Echo Studio seems to be a major upgrade over its predecessors for pure audio output. The Echo studio features a one-inch tweeter, three two-inch midrange speakers and a 5.25-inch woofer, which is a bit more compared to the 0.8-inch tweeter and three-inch woofer of the third generation Echo (which was also recently announced, and will replace the previous Echo models when it arrives Oct. 16 for $ 99).
Echo Studio is also the first Echo device to offer automatic room adjustment, which adjusts the speaker's audio output to better match your room's acoustics (measured via seven microphones at the top of the room). apparatus). Many other smart speakers have this feature for quite some time, and it's good to see Amazon finally include it.
The real question is whether Echo Studio is better than the high-end speakers offered by Amazon's competitors, especially Apple HomePod and Google Home Max. We have not heard of Echo Studio, so we can not say more about its quality. On paper, the difference between most other smart speakers is not very big and is between $ 200 and $ 400.
Echo Studio will cost $ 199, which is $ 100 less than Home Max or HomePod. If he manages to compete with his competitors in terms of audio performance, this will be a huge advantage for Echo Studio, especially if you take into account all the extra features that Amazon has managed to integrate into its new high. intelligent high-end speaker.
Additional functions and device support
As with other smart speakers, users can pair two Echo Studios to create a two-speaker stereo setup, but Studio Plus can also wirelessly associate with Fire TV devices to build a home audio solution. autonomous. Some may be reluctant to use a smart speaker instead of a sound bar or even a 5.1 speaker setup (most of which are only slightly more expensive and which probably offer better sound), but Studio Echo can at least match some of these products in terms of 3D audio and device connectivity (at least on paper).
Echo Studio is the first intelligent speaker to deliver 3D sound via Dolby Atmos or Sony 360 Reality sound. You can also pair Echo Studio with a wide variety of playback devices and other smart home products via Toslink 3.5mm and mini optical ports, or wirelessly via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or Zigbee. It's a much wider range of inputs than just HomePod's AirDrop connectivity, or Google Home Max's 3.5mm, Bluetooth, or Google Cast options.
Being an Echo device, Echo Studio is powered by Alexa … and only Alexa. It's not that different from how Apple's HomePod works with Siri or Google Home Max using Google Assistant – which makes sense since they're all proprietary devices – but many third-party speakers support two or more. This is an understandable limitation, but nevertheless a limitation.
Do you have to buy an Echo Studio?
For Amazon users who want to use an Amazon-branded smart speaker to listen to Amazon Music HD, Echo Studio is the best Echo device for this job. Conversely, if you are caught in the ecosystems of Apple or Google, investing in an exclusively Alexa device, like Echo Studio, then presents little interest.
Finally, we have those who have not yet chosen the smart home platform to use, or who use multiple devices of several brands. I would suggest cross-platform users to check some of the brand options such as Sonos or Paradigm, while keeping Echo Studio in mind; its price of $ 199 makes it one of the most affordable high-end smart speakers on the market today, but it will also bring you some exciting additional features that we have not yet seen available from most other brands.
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