Echo (2nd Generation) - Smart speaker with Alexa and Dolby processing - Charcoal Fabric

Top reviews from the United States

• 

  Gaylord

  5 out of 5 stars

  Remember GEN 2 is an updated version of the original. be sure you're reading reviews and online info that are up to date.

  Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2018

  Color: Charcoal FabricConfiguration: Echo

  Verified Purchase

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  Let me preface this review by revealing a few facts about myself. I am male, aged 75 years old, and more tech savvy than most people my age, but if you can use a modern computer, and own one, you should have not problem using this device. IT IS SO FAR, MIRACULOUS, and intriguing! I bought mine about a week ago, and waited till a couple days ago to jump in with "both feet" and set it up. Even though I once did computer tech support for Dell computers, It was a long time ago now, and a lot of tech has evolved since then, and i have the same fear of new things as most people my age, though admittedly higher skills. I also own an Iphone 6s plus, of which I have mixed emotions. The Iphone is made by apple, and Apple's idea of "intuitive" and mine are very different. Microsoft is much better at designing "intuitive" into an operating system than Apple. Aniyway, You will need some type of connected WIFI device to use this product. (read that Cell Phone with it's own WIFI abilities, and Bluetooth built in) You will need to download the "Alexa App. " on that device to set up the Alexa products.

  From that point on, simply plug in the Echo device into a regular 110V. wall outlet, it comes with a plug in adapter. There are no batteries in this device, although some have them. A NOTE HERE" YES, YOU CAN UNPLUG IT WITHOUT IT LOSING ITS BRAINS AND REQUIRING REPEAT SET UP. So though not specified anywhere I read it evidently has some on board nonvolatile memory built in that will allow this. ( i spent several research sessions attempting to find this out, and finally had to bite the bullet and just try it. ) I moved it from one room location to another and within a few seconds it greeted me and said it was operational. NOW I AM ONLY AN OLD GUY WITH PRETTY GOOD HEARING ABILITIES YET, (NOT EXACTLY AN AUDIOPHILE ) BUT WITH DOLBY DIGITAL SOUND, THIS IS ONE NICE SOUNDING SPEAKER SYSTEM,

  FULLY AS GOOD AS MY 7 SPEAKER ALTECH LANSING ON MY PC. IT MAY EVEN BE BETTER.IF YOU HAVE A NORMAL EAR, YOU WILL BE AMAZED AT THE SOUND QUALITY!

  Now I am still learning about this product. Every new thing I try I am pleasantly surprised. I plan to get at least a smart home door lock and thermostat to use with it in the future, and several light switches. I am no great fan of the "RING DOORBELL" (due to frequently needed battery recharging) at this point, but I understand Amazon has purchased that company and will soon have an interface app available to use with the "Ring System" If you want to keep up with the march of technology, this device is probably your best doorway to that end, since Amazon is committed to pursuing it. Others may drop out along the way. (NEW) I made a hands free phone call to my son this moring as a test of the phone capabilities. Sound on my end was like he was in the room. The Alexa app and it's capabilities are evolving technologies. Features will be added. (Mine did an update download while playing music) Don't be disappointed. It is attractively packed, and very capable, but the "instructions" are not detailed and are sketchy. Lean about it online as I did before you purchase it. Read as many reviews as your eyes and attention span will allow, and take the plunge! An education awaits you!

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• 

  DroMike

  5 out of 5 stars

  Amazingly Spectacular Product!

  Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2017

  Color: Charcoal FabricConfiguration: Echo

  Verified Purchase

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  I just received and yesterday set up my new Echo 2nd Generation ("Echo 2"). Until a co-worker sung its (the Echo 1's) praises, I thought this an unnecessary product. But hearing her and seeing it in action compelled me to purchase one immediately (I actually bought the discounted 3-pack to give the others as gifts). I could not be more pleased with my Echo 2. First off, setup took merely a few minutes with the app walking me through everything. Secondly, Alexa can hear me anywhere in my (modestly-sized) house. I tested her behind closed doors and understandably she cannot hear me under those conditions. She is otherwise placed in the middle of my home and I barely raise my voice when I am talking to her from the far reaches of my house. Beautiful! I have come to learn what questions she can reasonably answer, and what abstract questions she could not be expected to answer. If you're realistic, you'll get almost all of your queries answered by her. My co-worker had a new Dot and showed me that it could make calls! I told her to call her desk phone and she said, "Alexa, call [her 10-digit number]," and it rang immediately! I then realized this was much more than a gimmick and knew it could be used in emergency situations when your cell phone may not be available to you, or if you've fallen or been hurt. That's what convinced me to get mine (and a few others).

  I've only had her for a day or so, but am forever impressed with the answers she gives, jokes she'll tell, and the fact that I can call people in my contacts list (or a separate phone number I dictate), or simply set a timer, without doing anything more than flapping my lips! I also have her connected to my Pandora music account. Even though I regularly listen to rock music on it through my desktop and high-end audio setup, I find often intone, “Alexa, play Classical Radio,” and am treated to soothing OLD old-school music throughout my home. While the sound I get out her obviously doesn’t compare to that of my 100W/channel stereo system, it is EXTREMELY impressive just the same. Volume levels are 1-10 and anything over 7 is actually too loud and unnecessary. In any event, the sound is and can go way beyond what you would consider reasonable background music; and it is crystal clear and sonically beautiful. I simply didn't expect it from this seemingly small and simple device. I've since been viewing YouTube videos on all she can do and am seriously contemplating automating the lights in my home with a Hue or WeMo setup. It appears I can do this for an initial cash outlay of maybe $100-$150.

  The Echo 2 is much more than a general "assistant" and I can't believe I've waited this long to buy one. I am 100% unequivocally pleased and know that I've only scratched the surface of what she can do. ALSO, I do believe I'm going to purchase one or two of the "lesser" Dots, just to keep one next to my recliner in my living room (on one side of my house), and my nightstand (on the other side of my house). Yes, I've said my single Echo 2 can hear everything, but I dunno, at two for a C-note, I kind of like the idea of having information I can request and receive at a whisper right next to me too (and I MIGHT even put one in my car, tethering it to my unlimited data smartphone). Yes, I guess this all makes me lazy with all the service and convenience, but you know what, I'm going to have to say that I'm worth it. At $100 for a single Echo 2 (I understand the Echo 1 first went for $200, then $179), for this wondrous device that will literally change your life -- this is a complete no brainer. I guarantee you will love it too!

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• 

  Erik E

  5 out of 5 stars

  Echo, the quality of life improvement

  Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2018

  Color: Charcoal FabricConfiguration: Echo

  Verified Purchase

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  There was a time where if you had told me that I would buy a speaker that essentially listens to everything that goes on in my private living space, I would have laughed and said not gonna happen.

  I was late to the Alexa party, but I gotta say, it's definitely improved my life in a variety of different ways.

  Firstly, I'm constantly listening to music. As a Spotify premium subscriber, I've tried many different blue tooth speakers to be able to listen to music whenever I want. I always found them to be acceptable after doing my research, however they always seemed limited. For one, I connected them to my phone to be able to stream. That meant once I got a call, bam music's done and I sometimes had the person's voice come through the speaker until I switched outputs on the phone manually. I never even imagined another way.

  What the most useful feature for this is the dictation. I can now simply address Alexa and command her to play whatever artist, album, song, podcast or playlist (when you follow them). This had drastically changed the way I listen to music and I find myself using my Spotify premium even more, getting my $10 dollars worth 10 times over.

  In terms of quality, I listen to mainly metal/djent/rock and classical. I don't find any aspect of the speaker to be severely lacking. Is it a Bose quality speaker? No. Does it get the job done with decent registers on bass, mids, and highs? Definitely. I mean, I'm an audiophile, and while if this was simply a Bluetooth speaker, I wouldn't have went for it just to play music.... However, coupled with the dictation feature, it's a great value.

  As you can tell, I primarily use my echo to stream music. However, Alexa has a lot of other practical uses. Need to remind yourself of something? Ask Alexa. Need to set a timer to check on a pot of boiling water? Ask Alexa. It truly is a time saving and life improving device.

  At some point I'm assuming these devices will be refreshed, as this is the second generation. Maybe sound quality will be better, maybe the hub will be included in the base model next time (the real difference between this and the echo +). That being said, if you are trying to use Alexa to control your smart home, you may want to invest in the plus. Not all smart home devices are going to work without a hub, light bulbs especially. Instead of investing in a hub and having two separate devices, might as well let convergence show it's worth and go with the plus. It could be a deal breaker for some and hopefully you've done your research up until this point. I know a lot of things say,"Alexa enabled" but sometimes those statements have a caveat. This is why, the hub.

  In closing, the echo is a great little quality of life improving device. If you find yourself looking up what times the gym closes, or getting frustrated with the user experience of most Bluetooth speakers where they require more effort to change the song than you would like, the echo is for you. Whether you need the hub or not should be the only deciding factor between the base model and the plus, as from what I've seen in reviews, the audio quality is on par for both devices. But in confidence I can say I love my echo and for some reason, I highly doubt Bezos or anyone else for that matter really WANTS to listen in on your home anyways

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• 

  Susu

  4 out of 5 stars

  Excellent Device Held Back by the Alexa App

  Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2017

  Color: Charcoal FabricConfiguration: Echo

  Verified Purchase

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  Overall, the Echo is an excellent product to add to your home. When I heard about the Echo back in 2014, I was very skeptical someone could come up with something useful for it to do unless you were entrenched in the Smart Home world. Fast forward three years, and I currently own two Echo Dots and a regular Echo. As long as you like music and even occasionally search the internet or set a timer, you will enjoy the Echo.

  Things I like:

  First off, when I was reading reviews trying to decide if I was going to purchase an Echo or get a Dot and a speaker, I read a lot of reviews that slammed the new Echo for poor sound quality. I personally have not noticed any issues. It has a good amount of bass, and music sounds good at almost any volume level. Is it a $500 home stereo system? No, but it's more than competent. for most music listeners. While you can buy a Dot and a speaker, I wouldn't recommend it simply because the Echo is a much more streamlined and attractive way to listen to music.

  I own an iPhone, and as pretty much everyone knows, Siri isn't exactly the smartest assistant out there. I can't compare it to the Google Assistant, but I can say that Alexa is more than competent. There are only a couple of times where she hasn't had an answer for what I'm looking for, but overall, she pretty much has a good answer. It's kind of silly, but one of my favorite things are her jokes. They're always a punny kind of funny, and it's one of those ways that Amazon made sure Alexa seems like a natural part of your home. The only thing Amazon should add to the Echo is the ability to search using Bing. I say Bing because Google uses its own search engine for its Home speakers, so Amazon will have to turn somewhere else for searches. Right now, the functionality is missing (as far as I know,) so adding at least some ability to search would put the Echo that much further ahead of the Google Home.

  If you get an Echo, you will more than likely get some form of smart home device. When I bought my 3rd Echo, I got an offer to buy a TP-Link mini plug for $10. I took the plunge and now use it to control the lamp next to my bed. Overall, Echo integration works well and makes lighting even more convenient. My favorite thing is the routines, where you can tell Alexa a catchphrase and she will do several things at once. For example, I have it set so that when I wake up, I say "Alexa, good morning," and she will turn on the lights and begin my flash briefing. It's really a slick process that you don't realize how much you'll use it until you have it in your home.

  Things that need work:

  BY FAR, the biggest con for Echo users is the Alexa app, at least on iOS. Setting up my Echo, it couldn't connect to my home Wifi network and failed three times. I had to use my phone as a hotspot and then come back in about an hour to connect it to my Wifi network. When I'm trying to pause music on the Alexa app, it usually won't actually pause the music. It's not necessarily huge things that ruin the Alexa app, but it's the sum of the little glitches that make it frustrating at least.

  The multi-room music works most of the time, but if one of the Echos gets turned off, it messes the entire thing up.

  The way Amazon has set up the households is annoying as well, mainly with relation to smart home. If you add a smart home device to one account, it won't automatically sync with the other accounts attached to your Echo, meaning you have to manually add each skill, smart device, and routine to each account. I get why skills and music doesn't transfer between the two, but really Amazon? If we're in the same house, we are going to use the same smart home devices. Please fix!

  The smart home section of the app could use some beefing up. Mainly, I want the ability to tell a group of lights to turn off at sunrise, on at sunset through the Alexa app. Can I do it through the individual apps of each device? Yes, but it would be a lot more convenient to be able to take care of it all through the Alexa app.

  Overall, I really do enjoy my Echo. The positives more than outweigh the negatives. If you've been wondering whether or not you are going to buy one for a while, take the plunge, especially with the $20 off deal going on right now. You won't regret it.

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• 

  UnbiasedReviewer

  5 out of 5 stars

  Tried The Competition...The Echo Is Superior!

  Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2017

  Color: Charcoal FabricConfiguration: Echo

  Verified Purchase

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  Let me start by saying I initially went with a set of two Google Home units and four Chromecast Audio pucks to outfit my home for audio distribution and home automation. I was very disappointed with the sound quality of the two Home speakers. The Chromecast audio units worked fine. The big problem: the software used/needed to drive the system while casting or listening to music would continuously crash.

  Enter the Amazon Echo and Alexa. I saw that Amazon was offering the Echo for $99, and if you buy three, they'd take $50 off the total. If you signed up for the amazon.com store card they'd give you an instant $40 gift card credit, along with 5% cash back on each purchase. Well that meant I could buy three and only pay for two. I really only needed two, but what the heck. They are now selling for $79. If you're on the fence, stop reading this and buy one, or three (ha ha) before the price goes back up. Come back when you've done that.

  Unpacking was easy, not a lot of junk in the box. An echo, and a power adapter. Some paperwork. That's it.

  I plugged her in, and Alexa soon began giving me instructions on how to get up and running. Turned on the alexa app on my iphone 6 and followed the instructions for getting her communicating through my home's wifi. Initially the software seemed to have trouble recognizing my very long password (note: never use anything less than a 26 hexadecimal password.) After a restart she hooked up on the first try.

  My wife, son, and I began asking some of the suggested questions, and so far so good. We've had fun with the jokes, and I enjoy how the system integrates with our calendar app. Most importantly though, was how Alexa sounded. Compared to the Google Home...WOW!! I have two very high end systems in my home. My ears are very sensitive to differences in quality between speaker types and tonality. Whereas the Google Home, with its single speaker element sounded flat and muffled, the Echo's two element system sounds very bright and airy, with as much bass as you could expect from such a small package, and the highs are clear, not muddy at all. The Echo gets louder too, with much more headroom at the higher volume levels. The Echo is a very balanced little gem. I have no problem listening to the Echo for a short period if I just want some ambient music in the background. It is not going to match the Sonos, but then again it also costs much less.

  We have one upstairs, one on the main floor in the kitchen, and one in the basement. It's nice to be able to use them as intercom units. We can "drop in" on our son and his friends in the basement if we need to talk to them, or my wife can talk to me without having to yell from the kitchen or upstairs if I am busy downstairs or in the basement.

  Alexa does have limitations and I can only hope the techies are working on them. My biggest gripe is that Alexa does not recognize the phrase 'top pop clean' when I want to listen to that particular station. Or any other 'clean' stations for that matter. You see, I am absolutely disgusted with the lyrics in many of todays new music tracks. I'm not sure what changed to allow music to be published or broadcast with all the f-bombs you hear nowadays (with the exception of "Who Are You") but as long as there are people ignorant enough to buy that sort of trash, there will be a market for it. My point here is the programmers need to make the minor change to recognize when the word 'clean' follows a known Amazon Music station Alexa should check the database for a [blank blank (clean)] option and either play it or come back with "there is no option for a clean version of [blank blank] station. Should I play it anyway?"

  Using Alexa to play Pandora stations does not seem to have the above limitation.

  Overall am very happy with the purchase. I really should only give it a four star rating due to the f-bombs we heard during testing of Amazon Music radio stations. Otherwise it's definitely a five star product! I may get an echo dot or two for complete whole home coverage of audio.

  **UPDATE** This morning, Dec. 6, I asked once again, "Alexa, play my Top Pop CLEAN station". Lo and behold! She recognized it! She responded, "playing your Top Pop CLEAN station." Awesome. I will experiment with the other clean Prime stations to see if it was just a fluke later on.

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• 

  Steven

  5 out of 5 stars

  Looks Great, Sound Has Improved Since the Initial Release Date

  Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2017

  Color: Heather Gray FabricConfiguration: Echo

  Verified Purchase

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  ***Update 11/4/17: I wish I hadn't raised my review to 5 stars yesterday, because I got the firmware update that other reviewers have commented on last night on 2 of my 3 new Echoes (version 592452420), and I'd like to be able to bump it up another star now that I have. These speakers sound great for their size, better than the original Echo. And they are definitely a great speaker at the $99 price point (and an even better deal if you get them cheaper). It's unfortunate that these speakers didn't ship with this version of the software. It would have saved Amazon a lot of returns. I'm glad I had faith that Amazon would fix it, because they certainly did.

  ***Update 11/3/17: raising my review to 5 stars from 3. The more I listen to the new Echo, the more I like the sound when playing music (perhaps my ears are just getting habituated to them? Perhaps, but the sound really does seem to be richer than when they came out of the box). These speakers sound is just very different than the first generation. As you can see from reviews so far, those of us who had the first generation Echo have been unusually harsh, while those who are just buying this Echo as their first full Echo product generally love it. I think it’s all about expectations.

  —-

  11/2/17: I purchased the three-pack of the All-new Echo because I wanted to grow my family of Echo products now that Amazon allows for multi-room audio syncing, which already included 3 of the original Echoes as well as an Echo Dot that I have hooked up to the Klipsch 2.1 Promedia speakers via a line-in connection.

  I think my impression of the new version of the Echo is in line with some reviews I've read online from some of the tech magazines, which is that the audio quality seems to be a step down from the original Echo rather than an improvement. The instrumental parts of a song get muddied together while the vocals get pushed forward a bit too much, and the bass is much weaker than it is with the original Echo. However, the size and looks of this speaker is a huge improvement over the original Echo (and it actually makes me much more aware of how ugly the grill on the original Echo really is [unfortunately, this had to be preserved on the non-cloth shells of the new Echo).

  That said, I noticed that the more I listened to one of the new speakers over a few hours, I started to notice that I was appreciating the sounds more. I'm not sure if my ear was just habituating to the speaker or if the speaker has a bit of a break-in period. But, when I went back to one of the other new speakers that hasn't been used much, I still noted a difference.

  I will also say that when I bought my first original Echo, I was likewise not very happy with the sound (and I had similar complaints). Yet, over time, the speaker seemed to sound better, and I eventually decided to buy two more on Prime Day last year. I think that Amazon regularly updates the software on their products, and I believe that they tweaked some of the EQ on the original Echo to make it sound better (however, I can't find any documentation to back that up; I have found the latest Tap update specifically says it was partially made to improve the bass on that speaker).

  Overall, I'd probably give this four stars if the "improved" sound hadn't been so hyped, only to see that they sound worse to me. I'm still impressed by Alexa and the ease with which I can play pretty much any music I want just by asking for it via Amazon Music Unlimited. I also love the multi-room audio feature. I'd love to see the ability to pair two speakers in a stereo mode, but just being able to sync them at all is pretty great for now. I also love the fact that Amazon appears committed to adding useful features, such as the ability to make voice calls with a simple voice prompt, which I've really appreciated when I'm trying to take care of my 8-month old.

  I will update my review as I use these speakers more, particularly if I notice any improvement in audio quality.

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  Steven

  5 out of 5 stars

  Looks Great, Sound Has Improved Since the Initial Release Date

  Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2017

  Color: Heather Gray FabricConfiguration: Echo

  Verified Purchase

  ***Update 11/4/17: I wish I hadn't raised my review to 5 stars yesterday, because I got the firmware update that other reviewers have commented on last night on 2 of my 3 new Echoes (version 592452420), and I'd like to be able to bump it up another star now that I have. These speakers sound great for their size, better than the original Echo. And they are definitely a great speaker at the $99 price point (and an even better deal if you get them cheaper). It's unfortunate that these speakers didn't ship with this version of the software. It would have saved Amazon a lot of returns. I'm glad I had faith that Amazon would fix it, because they certainly did.

  ***Update 11/3/17: raising my review to 5 stars from 3. The more I listen to the new Echo, the more I like the sound when playing music (perhaps my ears are just getting habituated to them? Perhaps, but the sound really does seem to be richer than when they came out of the box). These speakers sound is just very different than the first generation. As you can see from reviews so far, those of us who had the first generation Echo have been unusually harsh, while those who are just buying this Echo as their first full Echo product generally love it. I think it’s all about expectations.

  —-

  11/2/17: I purchased the three-pack of the All-new Echo because I wanted to grow my family of Echo products now that Amazon allows for multi-room audio syncing, which already included 3 of the original Echoes as well as an Echo Dot that I have hooked up to the Klipsch 2.1 Promedia speakers via a line-in connection.

  I think my impression of the new version of the Echo is in line with some reviews I've read online from some of the tech magazines, which is that the audio quality seems to be a step down from the original Echo rather than an improvement. The instrumental parts of a song get muddied together while the vocals get pushed forward a bit too much, and the bass is much weaker than it is with the original Echo. However, the size and looks of this speaker is a huge improvement over the original Echo (and it actually makes me much more aware of how ugly the grill on the original Echo really is [unfortunately, this had to be preserved on the non-cloth shells of the new Echo).

  That said, I noticed that the more I listened to one of the new speakers over a few hours, I started to notice that I was appreciating the sounds more. I'm not sure if my ear was just habituating to the speaker or if the speaker has a bit of a break-in period. But, when I went back to one of the other new speakers that hasn't been used much, I still noted a difference.

  I will also say that when I bought my first original Echo, I was likewise not very happy with the sound (and I had similar complaints). Yet, over time, the speaker seemed to sound better, and I eventually decided to buy two more on Prime Day last year. I think that Amazon regularly updates the software on their products, and I believe that they tweaked some of the EQ on the original Echo to make it sound better (however, I can't find any documentation to back that up; I have found the latest Tap update specifically says it was partially made to improve the bass on that speaker).

  Overall, I'd probably give this four stars if the "improved" sound hadn't been so hyped, only to see that they sound worse to me. I'm still impressed by Alexa and the ease with which I can play pretty much any music I want just by asking for it via Amazon Music Unlimited. I also love the multi-room audio feature. I'd love to see the ability to pair two speakers in a stereo mode, but just being able to sync them at all is pretty great for now. I also love the fact that Amazon appears committed to adding useful features, such as the ability to make voice calls with a simple voice prompt, which I've really appreciated when I'm trying to take care of my 8-month old.

  I will update my review as I use these speakers more, particularly if I notice any improvement in audio quality.

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• 

  Amy Biggs

  5 out of 5 stars

  Perfect smart home starter that just works

  Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2025

  Color: Sandstone FabricConfiguration: Echo

  Verified Purchase

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  I was hesitant to jump into the smart speaker world, but this Echo has completely won me over. The setup process was incredibly simple - literally just plugged it in and followed the app prompts. Within minutes, Alexa was responding to commands and playing music flawlessly.

  The sound quality genuinely surprised me for the size. The Dolby processing makes a noticeable difference, especially with music streaming. It fills my living room with clear, balanced audio that's perfect for background music or podcast listening. Obviously it's not replacing a high-end sound system, but for everyday use, it's more than adequate.

  What I love most is how natural the voice recognition has become. Alexa picks up my commands from across the room, even when music is playing or the TV is on. The far-field microphones work incredibly well, and I rarely have to repeat myself or speak louder than normal conversation.

  The sandstone fabric finish looks great and blends seamlessly with my home decor. It doesn't scream "tech gadget" like some smart devices do. After a year of use, the fabric still looks clean and new despite being in a high-traffic area.

  The smart home integration has been a game-changer. Controlling lights, setting timers while cooking, getting weather updates, and adding items to shopping lists hands-free has simplified my daily routine more than I expected.

  Unexpected benefit: My elderly mother can easily use voice commands when arthritis makes using her phone difficult.

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• 

  Bob and Sherry

  5 out of 5 stars

  Audio Now Sounds Great after Software Update - Read Review for Details

  Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2017

  Color: Charcoal FabricConfiguration: Echo

  Verified Purchase

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  Update: Amazon has pushed a software update and sound quality now sounds great.

  I was originally disappointed in the 2nd Gen as my original review (below) shows. Shortly after posting the review Amazon reached out to me for additional information. They contacted me again today and said they took my, and others, feedback regarding the sound quality seriously. The Amazon rep informed me my Echo was selected to be part of a test group asked me if I would want to install a new software update to address the problem. She walked me through the steps to ensure the update was applied and asked me to test the audio (she stayed on the phone while I did this).

  With my 2nd Gen and original 1st Gen Echo in a multi-room group (that's a really nice feature) I had Alexa fire up my playlist. I was surprised to find the 2nd Gen now sounded much improved. As I walked between rooms with the two Echo's I was also surprised that the 2nd Gen sounded better than my 1st Gen, the bass and mid-range had a better quality. Not believing my own ears I had my wife also give it a listen and she agreed.

  The Amazon rep said they were working with a small group of customers like me to verify the update and they would be pushing the update to all customers very soon (update to my update, looks like Amazon is now pushing out the software broadly!). You can check your software version by using the Alexa app and looking at your Echo device settings. FYI, after the update my Gen2 shows Device Software Version 592452420 (the original was 592452320).

  Other than audio, the Gen 2 is nearly identical to the original Gen 1 with exception of form factor. The Gen 2 is shorter (5.9") and wider (3.5"). For comparison Gen 1 was 9.2" x 3.3". The Gen 2 has many 'skin' options, I chose the fabric option. Comparatively the Gen 1 had a look of plastic and metal. The Gen 2 cover is removable so you can replace with other skins.

  As for responsiveness, Gen 2 specs show better microphone array. From my use I've not noticed anything improved. That said I was very happy with the Gen 1 responsiveness to commands, the Gen 2 continues to be as responsive.

  All other functions seem to be the same as Gen 1 including blue ring that indicates "listening", buttons on top to activate for "Alexa" and button to mute the microphone array. There is also a 3.5mm jack port and bluetooth to connect to other speakers. There is a design change, with Gen 1 you would turn the ring to change volume, that's been replaced with +/- buttons (following same design change as the Dot releases).

  ---[Original Review - 1 Star]---

  I bought my first Amazon Echo back in 2014. Since then I've added a second Echo (1st gen), a tap and 3 dots. I've added Vaux Cordless Home Speaker VAUX Cordless Home Speaker + Portable Battery for Amazon Echo Dot Gen 2 Gray/Ash to two of my Dots. I've given Echo as gifts. In other words I'm all in on Amazon Echo system and have been for a long time.

  Amazon advertises this as 2nd Generation as "improved sound". I thought the original Echo (1 gen) sounded great so I fell for the 2nd gen hook, line and sinker. Unfortunately after listening to it I find it's a sinker indeed, or perhaps a stinker.

  I did an informal test with my 1st gen and new 2nd gen Echo. I had them both play a set of songs. I'm just going by what my set of ears tells me, but the 2nd gen is DISAPPOINTING when it comes to sound quality. While it does seem to have a deeper bass, the overall quality sounds tinnier than the 1st gen. Whatever "powered by Dolby" is supposed to bring to the 2nd get unit is not much, this 2nd gen is just not up to par with the original when it comes to audio.

  The unit otherwise functions like the original and other than the form factor I see nothing that's an improvement. I haven't seen that it "hears" better. And it doesn't sound better for sure.

  Perhaps I'm too focused on the sound of Echo 2nd gen, but when Amazon makes it a point to expressly market it as being "improved sound", I'd expect the sound to be noticeably improved. It doesn't and therefore give it a 1 star rating.

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