Alexa may not be the best speaker for music, but it is without a doubt the smartest. Alexa can play any song you want at any time. You can also ask her to play your favourite artist or genre of music, and she will do so with no question asked. The only downside to this is that Alexa cannot find songs on its own, which means you have to tell it what song to play every time, making things more difficult for those looking for new tunes constantly.
Are there other speakers that are better? Yes, but they are costly and require hardwires plugged into them to work correctly, whereas Alexa needs wifi access!
What Is Alexa?
Alexa is a cloud-based voice service that provides information, answers questions, plays music, makes calls, sends and receives messages, gives news updates, controls smart home devices (thermostat etc.), reads audiobooks from Audible etc. All the capabilities are available for third-party developers to integrate into their apps and devices.
Currently, three main types of devices enable you to use Alexa: Amazon Echo (2nd Generation) and Echo Dot (3rd Generation), and Harman Kardon’s all-new speaker Invoke. Devices like the Sonos One will get Alexa support soon.
Amazon Echo is a hands-free smart device
After releasing the world’s most popular voice service on millions of smartphones with their intelligent assistant, Google finally gives Alexa a run for its money. Google Assistant has arrived on all three devices mentioned above, but not in full voice capabilities. It can be used to play music and answer questions etc., but some limitations come into play. To use the full capability, you need an Android phone or iPhone.
What makes the Amazon Echo so unique?
As mentioned above, it’s Alexa. It can be used to control other devices in your home using voice commands sent via the cloud to a central server that acts on them. So if you ask Alexa to turn off the lights, it will be communicated via the cloud, and your Alexa-connected bright lights will obediently switch off.
This whole process happens in milliseconds, so there’s no noticeable gap between talking and action taking place. There is some latency involved, but that’s not a big deal unless you’re a professional gamer.
Multiple devices can connect to Alexa without any extra skills required from other apps and services developers. All it needs is a tiny code called a ‘Skill’. There are more than 10,000 skills available for Alexa at the moment.
Pros of using an Amazon Echo for music
Alexa is connected to Amazon’s colossal music library, so you can ask her to play anything you want . Some questions don’t have an answer in the database, but Alexa does not have all the answers yet. There are plans for it to be integrated with Google Home in 2018, giving access to YouTube videos and other information that Google Home can provide.
Amazon Echo is always on, so you have to say the wake word ‘Alexa’, and she will be ready for your command. All three devices are about the size of a human head, so they’re not easily misplaced in most rooms of your home unless you’ve got highly tiny ears or an equally large-sized room. Amazon Echo doesn’t need to be plugged in because it’s powered by an internal rechargeable battery which is so powerful that Amazon claims it will work for up to 9 hours on one single charge.
The new Amazon Echo Dot has a smaller speaker, but you can connect it to your more prominent speakers using the Aux input or Bluetooth. The new Echo Dot has a 3.5mm audio output port to connect to your speaker system with the AUX cable.
You can use your tablet or phone as a remote control to change volume, tracks and play/pause while you’re listening to music on the built-in speaker of the device or connected external speakers. It also comes with an app called ‘Connect’, which can connect it to other devices.
The Echo is very affordable compared to other overpriced voice-controlled smart speakers, so you won’t have any problem finding money to buy it even if you’re running low on cash. It’s available for just $99.99. The Echo Dot is a lot cheaper as well, so you can buy some for your house and car.
Best Alexa speaker for music
Since the Echo Dot has a tiny built-in speaker, you’ll probably need to connect it to your existing speakers or sound system. It’s designed with the same size of speaker that is found in most tablets, so its sound quality isn’t too excellent.
But if you’re into music, then you might want to invest in an Amazon Echo. The Second Generation of has a 2.5-inch woofer and 0.6-inch tweeter, which gives it an unparalleled sound quality that you won’t find in the Echo Dot or other Alexa speakers of its size.
Since both devices can connect to external speakers through Aux or Bluetooth, there’s no harm in buying either of them. You can buy an Echo Dot for your house and car where you don’t need high-quality speakers, but if you’re serious about music, it’s best to buy an Amazon Echo.
Amazon Echo vs Dot
The difference between the two devices is that the Echo has better sound quality because it comes with a bigger speaker and has an AUX port which you can use to connect it to your home theatre. On the other hand, the Echo Dot is a lot cheaper but doesn’t have a good enough sound quality because it’s got a small built-in speaker that isn’t designed for music.
Both devices have Bluetooth, which you can connect to other speakers that you might already have. If the speaker has Bluetooth, it can connect to Amazon Echo or any Alexa device like a car phone holder.
One way to make the sound quality better is by connecting either of them to Bluetooth speakers if you don’t want to buy an Amazon Echo. You can also use your tablet or phone as a remote control to change tracks, volume and play/pause when you’re listening to music.
However, if you want the best sound quality, you should buy an Amazon Echo because of its bigger speaker that can produce high-quality sounds. You can use your phone or tablet as a remote control while listening to music if needed.
Both devices are about the same size, but the Amazon Echo has a cylindrical shape while the Echo Dot is rectangular. They’re both black and have built-in volume control buttons on top of them, which you can use to turn up or turn down its volume whenever need be.
Conclusion
The Amazon Echo is the best Alexa speaker for music because of its more prominent speaker with a 2.5-inch woofer and 0.6-inch tweeter, but if you’re on a tight budget, then it’s fine to buy an Echo Dot costs $99.
Since both devices are compatible with Bluetooth, you can connect them to other speakers that you might already have at home, but the speaker on the Echo Dot isn’t designed for music. On the other hand, if you want good quality sound, it’s best to invest in an Amazon Echo because of its bigger speaker.
