Personally, I would recommend getting an Echo Dot as a first device. During the holidays they will probably be around $25. They sound great for a little speaker and it gives you all the Alexa functionality. Plus you are not tied to headphones. The echo buds are cool but they handle a few things differently with its interaction to the phone. If you always have earbuds in, maybe the echo buds would be a better choice. I hope this helps. Thanks for watching.
I paired two of these with an Amazon sub. I love the sound I get. Yes, I have these on their own shelf on each side of the room and the sub on the floor. The music it plays is the best I've heard unless I have my headphones on . Was it worth the money? To me yes, but everyone has their own budget and opinions about music. Am I an audiophile? No I'm not... It's returnable, easy to set up and it'll make you smile without ear buds or headphones. I bet you won't return it!
I spent last all last summer nights out on the deck streaming classic rock. Now thinking, could it be any better. So what do I do first? Add the second studio or the sub? That is the question.
This thing sounds really great. I had mine on release day and was impressed. I have it paired with the Echo Sub BUT I have turned off spatial sound on the app. The reason for this is that the studio is trying to "upscale" stereo music badly, with it turned off the volume jumps up and sounds better. Great purchase
Hello, that is great that you are loving yours. You must really have some good bass paired with the sub. That is a great tip about turning off the spatial sound. I did not know about that. I am glad to hear that it improves the sound that much. Thank for sharing this and watching.
I agree, it's as if it cuts out all the midrange with it on, though if you play a "3D" song it sounds amazing on. Too bad there are only a handful of 3d songs atm
keep stereo spatial enhancement on and listen to a song not sounds, you will hear the singers voice so much more clearly. Better in every way, it takes some getting used to because it feels weird at first.
Hello WS P, thank you very much. I appreciate you saying that. I am trying to have more fun and bring some of my humor to the table to hopefully add some entertainment. But, the information has to still be number one so I am not completely wasting your time. 😀👍 I do appreciate this comment. Others have not enjoyed my humor in this video. But, can't win them all. Thanks for watching and all of the support. Have a great day.
If you're going to start your intro with "Sorry Apple, this might be the best sounding speaker", compare how it sounds to the HomePod? Tell us how the bass compares, mids and highs. You could've even played a song or two on both...
From your review, I would not buy this to replay my full surround system. But it would have to be amazing to achieve that. But as an office or mancave speaker to replace a full stereo system, maybe. Compared to a full setup this would be a good piece of kit. I have too many systems for this to replace, but if one fails this would be a serious consideration. It is a shame you can't pair this with the echo show for awesome sound. Now that would be great in my kitchen. Another great video Craig. PS whisper mode has finally arrived in the UK. Just waiting for Alexa to know when I am home or away! And well still waiting for everything else I would like her to be able to do of course!
Hello Jonathan, thank you very much. I am glad that you enjoyed the video. I can't see replacing a surround system or audio system that you are happy with for this. But as a secondary unit, it would be great. It would be nice to have some more pairing options to take advantage of how good this sounds. I wish I could get Dolby Atmos out of my Apple TV to it. Glad to hear that whisper mode made it to the UK. I am surprised that it works in the UK. I know when it first came out the model to identify speech was by analyzing speaking patterns to determine whispering. With American and UK english we speak from different areas of our nose and throat. Maybe that doesn't affect whispering though. Thanks for the update and checking out the video. Have a great day.
I can see what you are saying. Personally, I find I don’t watch enough Netflix. Especially with there push to so much of their content. But if you watch plenty of Netflix and get a device with Atmos, it definitely makes sense to pay the extra $3. Thanks for checking out this video. Have a great day.
An excellent speaker that shines when used with 3D audio on Amazon HD, while a newer model is on the way that provides even greater spatial sound and a white color option.
Hello Jerryl, I am sure that is going to sound nice. It is crazy that they are sold out to the beginning of December. They are popular and Amazon has underestimated the interest. I hope you enjoy it when you get it. Thanks for watching.
I been thinking of doing the same thing. But it’s sold out til December and I still haven’t done any Christmas shopping yet so I won’t be able to do it but I want to grab at least one
I am a traveling nurse so I can not carry a huge sound system with me to enjoy great music but THIS!! Unpack, find WIFI, enjoy!!! It makes a lonely room MUCH more home!!! Small price to pay for a great resource!!!
Hello Gareth, thank you buddy. Glad I can spread some new infromation. Some of found my humor annoying. Oh well, cant win them all. Thanks for checking out the video and remember, you don't smell sound. You can taste it and hear it. Have a great day Gareth.
@@CraigsTechTalk I'm firmly in the camp of people who find that your humour add's to the video's you create, so I hope you keep putting that humour into what you do 👍
Hi Craig. Got mine on launch day and so far I’m very impressed with it, the bass is can boom some and so far I’m enjoying using it as a home theatre set up so much so I’ve ordered a second one.
Hello Kenneth, that is great that you are enjoying it that much that you have another one coming. That is a good endorsement. One viewer was saying that it sounds even better if you turn off the spatial audio. I have to try that out. Thanks for sharing and I hope you enjoy your second one as a pair. Thanks for watching.
Hello Charles, glad to hear that you are liking it better than the Sonos one and it is working well for you. It is a nice device. For music, I can see the quality of sound being worth the size. I see using it more as a sound bar for the dolby atmos and it just looks like an eye sitting there. But that is just me. Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts. Have a great day.
Hello Ian, thank you buddy. Having a good time making videos. Glad you are enjoying it. I have seen some comments about my “crappy jokes.” Thanks for checking this video out.
Hello, It is crazy that they are out of stock until then. It is out of stock until December 10th in the states. Glad you enjoyed the video and saw it as balanced. It is a great device that I have a little hesitation about because of it's size and not sure if the extra audio features are worth it for me. Thanks for watching. Have a great day.
(Note: This was written by me and posted elsewhere, so ignore the personal references - I pasted the text here so that I didn’t have to write it again) Ty: Two regular Echo speakers paired in stereo mode don't even come close to the ear-pleasing sound that comes from two Echo Studios in stereo mode. As you said, Ty, you listened to only one Studio speaker, and some of that listening was in a surround mode. The Echo Studio does not "shine" with just one Studio (when playing regular stereo music files, which are the most common). Two of them paired in stereo mode sound exponentially better. I humbly ask you to reconsider your 7 rating for sound quality and change it to 9 or 10, for the benefit of potential buyers interested in purchasing high quality equipment (no profit or financial interest for me). If using two Echo Studios in stereo mode, turn off the "Upmixing" toggle switch in the Alexa app (also called “Stereo Spatial Enhancement” in different versions of the Alexa app). Upmixing tries to adapt regular 2-channel stereo music to the 3D potential of the Studio. If you don't turn off upmixing, the sound will not be that clear and direct, and you will get the wrong impression about how good these speakers really are. The speaker will try to add some processing to the sound and that doesn't sound very good in stereo mode with two paired Studios. That processing may sound “ok” with just one Studio, but even then it's hit-or-miss, depending on which song is playing. Up-mixing is not perfect, as it is a fake or simulated (artificial) 3D effect; it’s not best for all songs and is awful on some songs (regular 2-channel stereo music). Note that upmixing is not needed for audio that is already encoded in 3D (like Sony’s 360 Reality Audio). Comparison of the Echo Studio to the Regular Echo: The regular $99 Echo has drivers (internal speaker units) whose sound gets somewhat trapped inside the enclosure case, as the separate woofer and tweeter drivers face each other with a small space between them (they point down and up, not out -- one pointing at the other!) instead of facing outwardly like the Echo Studio’s drivers. But the 3 midrange drivers and one tweeter inside each Echo Studio are facing outward and project the sound outside of the enclosure. That makes a big difference -- there's much more clarity and presence in the midrange and treble. It does not get muffled or trapped inside the enclosure at all; it is allowed to come out clearly and completely. I am hearing detail in songs I’ve been playing for decades -- details I’ve never heard before. Those details are clear as can be without being harsh or grating to the ears. The outward facing circular arrangement of the midrange and tweeter array act like sort of a wide-dispersion tweeter - no matter where you are standing you hear each speaker channel’s sound very clearly (ideal for when you are moving around, working in the kitchen, etc. And I am talking about stereo mode here, not a surround mode). The bass is clear and mostly tight - just right without overdoing it. And if you listen to talk radio on these, the sound (EQ) automatically adjusts itself so that the talker's voice doesn’t sound boomy (those built-in optimizing microphones work well). Finally, it is recommended to adjust the EQ settings using the Alexa app, and set the EQ to: Bass middle (5 on the scale), Midrange boosted to about 6 or 7 out of 10, and Treble to about 8 out of 10 (this sounds best in the very small alcove that I have these speakers set up in). Use a good-sounding music file for test listening - an audio file that has never been compressed more than once, and has been encoded well, and been recorded in high quality (not necessarily a hi-res file). An excellent sounding sample to buy and use for testing purposes is Rudolf from Burl Ives’ album “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas”. Sure, it’s an old-fashioned song but it is extremely well-recorded and encoded (at least on the specific album I mentioned). You can purchase it for 99 cents on Amazon’s online digital music store if you want to have it stored in the cloud and playable on demand -- on these speakers. Note about Setup: if you have a weak Wi-Fi signal, the slow signal from your Wi-Fi router may cause some confusing delays during setup, so if you encounter this, begin by finding a way to get an adequate signal strength to these excellent speakers. Move your router closer or maybe buy a Wi-Fi extender if your Wi-Fi signal is weak in the spot where the two Studios are located. After a minute or so of getting established, they will find their way to sync with each other and play in perfect, flawless stereo without you having to do anything after the setup. Written by Bob M (from Rhode Island)
Update on previous review.I got an update this morning for the studios.Home cinema 2.1 with atmos works great now.Jack Ryan is mindblowing,brings a whole new dimension to the action on screen.150% impressed with atmos and home cinema.3d sounds remains hit & miss for me but everything else is amazing including hd and ultra hd music from Amazon.
Hello Roger, I appreciate the update that is great that it is sounding better for you with your 2.1 setup. The atmos is really cool. Jack Ryan does sound great with it. I look forward to it being incorporated into more apps. I need Apple to add the Fire TV Cube version of the app. I want to see if I get atmos from that. Glad to hear that it’s getting better. Thanks for the update. Have a great day Roger.
I love the price point of the Echo Studio. I'm in the process of deciding whether to go toward either the Amazon Smart home ecosystem or Google's or Apple's Homekit. I like that Amazon's Alexa works with so many devices and Amazon also seems laser focused on their offerings; unlike Google which seems a little scatter brained with the Google offerings.
Hello Tim, I hope you are doing well. Haven’t heard from you in a bit. thank you very much. I appreciate the nice words. I am glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for checking it out. Be well my friend.
I've found that the mics are way more sensitive than the ones in the echo that I had in the living room. Now, when there's no music I just have to whisper.
Hello Wolfman, I agree with jmchez, the mics are more sensitive than other echos. I should have remembered to include that in the video. I found I never had to speak over the music to be heard. I felt like I was talking under the music and it still heard my commands. I was surprised how well it worked. Thanks for working.
Personally. I find this device amazing. I will am planning on purchasing one due to the fact that I was purchasing a sound bar for my tv to stop using the stock speakers and speakers for my turntable. Planning on using this guy for all of the above saving me money on mediocre speakers, and an ok sound bar slightly better than tv speakers. So personally I find so much value in it.
Hello Jeff, thank you very much. I am glad that you enjoyed the video. I hope you enjoy your echo studios when they come. They should pack a punch with two of them. Thanks for checking out the video. Have a great day Jeff.
Hi, I just buy 2 of them for my TV do stereo. The question is if I will can do this to use to watch TV in stereo sound, outside of the fire tv, like watch cable TV. It's will possible??
Hello, I think your right about that. It definitely has enough power for a small group. I think it a great speaker. Thanks for watching. Have a great day.
Hello Yuri, thank you very much. I am glad that you are loving the videos and are enjoying the echo videos. I appreciate all the support. Thank you for watching this video. Have a great day.
I have a happy little problem. And need some help deciding between the Echo 3rd gen or Echo Studio for my apartment's bedroom. I needed a replacement for my aging bedroom clock radio. It's pretty old. Radio reception was disappointing. Time to modernize it. A buddy suggested getting an Echo. So I looked it up. Then debated briefly between the Dot and the Echo. Then maybe the Dot with clock face. Went with the Echo 3rd Gen. It was sold out on Amazon. But the local Best Buy had it. So I got it. Had some difficulty connecting it to my apartment's wifi for some reason. But after 10 minutes of doing that it finally connected. And wow. It's awesome. It works great as my new alarm clock. It works better than my previous radio for playing my local radio's internet broadcast. And it sounds surpassingly good for such a small thing. It's not as good as my Kilpsch 5.1 home theatre sound system in the living room, nor my 5.1 Logitech/THX speaker set up for my computer gaming rig. Nor would I ever expect it be. Overall I'm really happy with it. Such an awesome little device for $80 (on sale). Since we got the Echo earlier this week. I've been using it to listen to more things in the bedroom. I'm really enjoying that. But, when i was at Best Buy, I got to briefly demo the sold out Echo Studio. And WOW. That thing sounded better, and louder. It's $200. It has more speaker components in it. It's also sold out everywhere. So I went with the Echo. BB has a nice special return policy until Jan 14th 2020. So i'm wondering if I should exchange my Echo for the Studio? I think i'd enjoy and appreciate the Studio's better sound. Though I won't be necessarily playing it too loud, due to being in an apartment.
I'm trying to decide between a pair of echo dots plus an echo sub, or one echo studio alone. It's for a small-medium sized bedroom to be used for music as well as with the fire TV. What would you recommend?
Nice review. I'm also not sure where I would place it. Seems like you wouldn't want it in an entertainment center or any kind of shelving because of the one speaker that fires upwards, and you're right that it needs to be pointing at the listener as well.
Hello, that is a good point about placing it in an entertainment center or a shelf with the top covered. I am thinking of mounting a small shelve under my TV but far enough beneath it to let the top speaker do its think. Thanks for mentioning this and watching.
I always like to hear audio comparisons to the other echo devices. Would you be doing a video like that for this? I want to hear the difference between it & the show 10"
Hello Anthony, I was trying to do an audio comparison and it just was not capturing the audio well and doing the device justice. I felt that my shotgun mic was getting too much of the front facing 1" tweeter and was not capturing the bass or top and side firing speakers. My recording sounded horrible compared to real world experience and didn't think it was a good representation. The echo 3rd gen and homepod are more of a balanced 3d sound. I will have to compare it to the Echo show 10 and see if I can find a better way to capture it. Thanks for checking out the video.
Hello David, I did try it with the HomePod, but I felt the recording wasn't go it justice. I may put up on Instagram that sound comparison. If you would like to hear it, let me know and make sure to follow me on Instagram. Thanks for checking out the video.
It's by far the best sound from any Echo alexa devices. A must for anyone listening to music. My complaint is there is no remote control for this. There must be a technical issue, as I can't believe Amazon has not resolved this. There are remote's for other echo's be they won't connect to the studio.
Hello Joe, you would only be able to pair this up with another Echo Studio or a Sub. They have to be the same echo to pair as a stereo pair. But you could make a multi room audio group with any echos you want for listening to the same music across a group of echos. Thanks for watching.
I think you didi a great job evaluating the speaker. I am replacing a BOSE Lifestyle 38 because its so proprietary and its now functionally obsolete. I just need great sound at a low price. this is my basement where i need music for my poker buddies and gaming sometimes.
Great review, Craig! Thanks! It's a very interesting device and worthy of consideration - if I didn't already have a surround sound system. Otherwise, heck, this is where I would've started years ago if it came out earlier. As always, really good content and very much appreciated! :)
Hello Michael, thank you very much. I am glad you enjoyed it. It is an interesting device. I am with you and can't see getting rid of my surround system for a simulated system. No matter how good it sounds. I am still old school and like wires running through the ceiling to my speakers in the corner of the room that are hooked up to a receiver. Don't have to worry about connection issues or power. I am curious what it would take for me to change from that. It is cool to have choices like the Echo Studio out now. I think they need to figure out how to hook multiple dots with one of these or with a sub for a complete surround sound. Thanks for checking out the video. Have a great day buddy.
Hello Justin, that is great that you got yours. They do sound great. I can only imagine how it will sound with the power of two of them. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for watching the video. Have a great day.
Thank you Les. That is very nice of you to say. I am glad that you enjoyed the video. I hope you enjoy your Echo Studio. It does have great sound. Thanks for watching and the nice comment.
@@CraigsTechTalk I'm casting music using chromecast audio at present. I'm an Amazon Prime and Music HD subscriber, and have 10 and 8in Fire tablets. Amazon Music HD doesn't cast in HD to chromecast (it cast low bitrate), so it'll be good to get the Echo Studio. One question. Can I stream music to Echo using my regular android music player. Does Echo support wi-fi? I guess that's two questions. Top reviews mate, I'm gonna sub.
Casual music listener and not pairing with TV. Which will give me a better music experience - One Echo studio or Two, Echo 3rd gen speakers that are stereo paired? Any other combination? Thanks much in advance
Craig, I know this video has been up a while but hope you see this. Do you have any tips for finding 3D music? I find it a real struggle. I subscribe to Amazon Music and try several phrases, but none of them seem to come up with music that is in 3D that I can listen to. Hope you can help. Great video as always, I bought my Studio based on your review and it was the best thing I ever did, I love it.
Hi Craig, i really enjoyed watching this video, light hearted but very informative, at the moment i have a amazon subwoffer pair with the echo devices so it's two point one, and i subscribe to HD music, and i really enjoyed the sound, so i am really unsure what to do now
Hello David, thank you. I am glad that you enjoyed the video. That is great to hear. trying to have fun and still keep it informative. That is a tough one to answer. I don’t know if the improvement is going to be enough because of the sub that you have. I feel like that is the biggest difference between the two is more bass that balances out the sound nicely. I don’t have HD music to be able to tell the difference. There is not a lot that is mastered in 3D. I think that is where you might notice a bigger difference. This is meant for 3D, HD and atmos. Two devices paired is not. I hate to say it, but I think you would have to try one to see if the value is there. Sound is so subjective. For me and my limited listening of music on my echos, I think the pair of echos would be better for me. I wish I had a better answer. Thanks for watching.
@@CraigsTechTalk, thank you so much for your thoughts on this matter, it's really appreciated, i will probably leave things as they are for the time being
I tossed it on my desk in the office for a nice listening experience while I'm working and sometimes I bring it into the garage while I'm working in there. It's a nice little package.
Hello Mike, I am afraid how big this thing would need to be to get 8 hours of listening out of it. I was hoping for an echo dot with a battery. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and watching. Have a great day.
I recently bought the Echo Studio - mainly for the Dolby Atmos feature and to replace my existing TV soundbar. I've now come to learn that for the Dolby Atmos to work with a TV that allows this functionality - or to recognise it - you need to connect via HDMI/HDMI ARC - which is the case with any Dolby related product. So am I thinking this is slightly false advertising or needs to be made clearer in the specs - or is there a fix/way around this before I decide to return the Studio
Hi Craig my name is Dave I really enjoy your videos on all the echo products I purchased the studio now I’m seeing videos about disabling the 3-D audio what’s your opinion and can that be done?
Hello, I would say no you are not going to get that same 360 degree sound that you would get from a HomePod. The homepod has a speaker design that is designed to be heard from any angle. It will optimize if placed against the wall. I would I can rotate around the echo and not hear as much of an audio change from different positions around the device. Amazon made specific choices that affect the best place to listen. I think amazon means 360 sound as more a room filling description vs 360 listening around the device. the studio has a front 1” speaker, a left, right and top speaker. That design makes it really made for listening from in front of the studio. You will notice changes in audio as you move around the device. Especially not being in front of that 1” front tweeter that gives much of the higher end range of music. I hope this makes sense. Thanks for watching.
Just got a Studio and I agree the sound is excellent but I have a weird issue when I connect it to my Fire 4K stick. Before I added the studio to the Fire TV the Fire TV allowed me to set Audio as best available BUT as soon as I set up the Home Cinema with the Studio the Audio is locked on Dolby Digital Plus and I cannot get Atmos (and yes I am trying to play something that does have Atmos) At a real loss as to what to do, excellent sound but just not what it should be!
Thinking about getting this on Prime Day if the price is right for my projector. Should I get two to use in theater mode with my Fire TV Stick 4K, or will one be enough with the different directional speakers?
Hello Jeremy, I have heard that it is not necessarily worth replacing sonos one speakers since those sound good. But like Roger said it is a closer consideration. It is great for those who may not have invested in sonos speakers. Thanks for watching.
Id rather it was larger and offered better quality sound, I don't care about atmos as I would be using a full hifi for movies but I still want quality audio around the home, this potentially offers that.
Craig,how do you think classical music will fit with this new amazon Echo speaker? Not necessarily the heavyweight classical(i.e.Beethoven's 9th)but more Debussy and Ravel? Is it worth it? Thank you and your reviews are very helpful.
Hello Daniel, you may want to create a speaker group with the Echo Plus and Sub and then create a Home Theater with the paired up devices and your fire TV. I believe that would be the process. If you have tried it that way with the plus and the sub paired first, you may need to break that pairing and then try to add both devices with the fire tv as a home theater. Thanks for the nice comment and watching.
Craig! Awesome reviews man. Have a question though. I'm headed back to apple and the iPhone but have a large amazon music library. I'm not opposed to switching to apple music, but I'm curious what you (or anyone else) recommends between this and the homepod? I'm more concerned about sound quality, but if the homepod sounds that much better, I'm willing to move to apple music. I appreciate any advice. Take it easy man.
:-) You convinced me to maybe buy this. I have been looking for a sound bar like speaker for my 75 inch basement TV which is in a narrow room. This may work well. Would be nice if it had an ARC HDMI connector.
Hello Michael, I can see being torn. I think a soundbar looks better. But if you think you might take advantage of Amazon music like Roger mentioned, it might be worth getting the Echo Studio. Or if you see yourself watching enough Dolby Atmos content. The fact that the Echo Studio does offer dolby atmos and HD music, is pretty impressive in a device at this price point. I would like to have an HDMI in option to get Atmos from others devices. Like jmchez said you can connect toslink to the Echo Studio. But from what I was reading that is not going to get you Dolby Atmos. Please, let us know if you end up going with this over a sound bar. Thanks for checking out the video.
Two questions: does it get loud enough and is the bass thumping? :) thank you for your videos! I’ve been following for a year now and really enjoy your look on tech! :)
Hello buddy, thank you very much. I am glad you like my take on tech. That is great to hear. I think it gets loud enough and definitely has more bass than I expected. I put it on a folding chair in my office and could feel it a little bit through the floor. It’s not like a dedicated sub. But it has the most bass I have heard out of any smart speakers. For me it gets plenty loud. I haven’t tried it yet, but one viewer was saying if you turn off the spatial sound it gets even louder and has a better sound. I had it hooked up with optical to my Apple TV and was watching Avengers and it was a full sound and loud. The only bummer was that I couldn’t turn the volume up from my Apple TV remote. When using optical from another device you have to use your voice and ask Alexa to turn it up or down. Tough part about a device like this is that it blows away smart speakers. But I don’t think it is going to compete with a nice receiver and speaker setup. Also, sound is so subject. Many say they love it in the comments. But then one user said that it isn’t good and it’s going back. Luckily Amazon is good about returns if you don’t like it. I hope that helps. Thanks for all of your support over the last year. Have a great day.
@@CraigsTechTalk Thank you for the reply! I like how the bass sounds in the Homepod I just wish the homepod was a bit louder, how would you compare those two? :)
From what I am hearing it is way better than the Google Home Max. But I have don't know about the Google home max personally. I don't think it does HD music or Dolby Atmos. Thanks for watching Tom.
@@CraigsTechTalk Though I generally prefer the google home assistant, the google home max is seriously UGLY in my eyes, this Amazon studio is pretty decent looking.
Size is an issue?? I used to have 4, 3 foot tall speakers with 10" woofers... Not to mention the huge 4 channel amp that rattled the neighbors windows. 😁 If you want good sound, you really need speakers that have the size to deliver it. Sounds like Amazon is stepping into the field with a good product. I wonder if you can pair it with the subwoofer they have?
Hello Russ, you have a great point. If you went back 20 years and dropped this in a living room you people would be blown away. With so many options that are slim and have separate subs, this one is feeling bulky. Amazon is definitely stepping up their game with audio. I know you can pair two together, but I was not aware that you could add a sub. Thanks jmchez for the information. Thank you both. Have a great day.
Craig I love your videos. I have a couple of questions for you though. Which is better between the Echo Studio and the HomePod? Also would it be possible for you to do a comparison video
Thank you very much. I think for overall sound I would have to go with the Echo Studio. For 360 degree sound I would HomePod. With the speaker configuration of the studio it is definitely meant to be listened to sitting in front of it. I think a big factor would be the preferred assistant and the streaming services you want to use for audio. The studio does open up more options being able to connect to the fire tv stick 4K and fire tv cube for video audio. I am hesitant to do an audio comparison because of the difficulty in capturing the audio with the equipment I have. I find that the when recording the fullness is lost on the echo studio. Especially with the front tweeter that faces forward. The left and right sound that your ears would hear is lost when recording. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for the info. I just got mine las Sunday 11/10. I like it a lot. The question that I have is, is there a way to get my ruko tv to sound on the speaker? I have tried and I can’t get it to work. Any help will be appreciated. Tanks
Hello, you are welcome. Thank you for watching. Glad to hear you are liking it. You can either hook up your TV or Roku using the toslink optical out to a 3.5mm mini toslink cable into the echo studio. I did this from my TV to be able to use my Apple TV. It sounds good. The only problem I have is the only way to turn up the volume is with your voice or remote for a fire TV device. But it goes work using the optical cable.
You mentioned Tidal, however without I have tidal on my iPad, so unless it has airplay, you will lose the HD quality due to Bluetooth compression. Unless you can get a Tidal app on the Alexa app? Any ideas on getting Tidal HD working on this?
You would connect your Tidal account to your support echo. If you go under the Alexa app, go to settings, music and then select link new service. You will see a tidal option. I don’t know how good the tidal integration is. If it works like Apple Music, you should be able to access any tidal playlist you may have made on other devices. Or it could be limited to just asking for Tidal music. Not having an account, I don’t know how well it is. Thanks for watching.
I am not sure I understood something you said. Is this device Dolby Atmos capable only with an Amazon FireTV streamer, or can any streamer capable of Dolby Atmos work with it? I want to avoid Amazon pulling an "Apple" on us as they did with the Fire TV Recast device. Lately, Amazon has been behaving sneakily by preventing users from customizing their streamers with their latest firmware updates and they seem like they are headed down the same path as Apple, a closed ecosystem.
Hello Streaming Junkie, the way I understand it is that it is only going to do Dolby Atmos from the Amazon Fire TV. From what I was reading is Dolby Atmos only comes down HDMI. You can get 7.1 or 5.1 surround sound through optical connections. So you would be able to get simulated surround sound by hooking up a 3.5mm toslink to the standard toslink optical cable to another device. But at the end of the day, I think Amazon is trying to build their own closed ecosystem. I think they are keeping it as open as they may have to but no more. They aren't advertising you can hook up other components digitally with that optical in connection. They want you on the Amazon devices. All the good features are going to only work with their devices. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and watching. Have a great day.
@@CraigsTechTalk okay, thanks. That's what I was afraid of. It looks like Amazon is building up its own walled garden like Apple. Not something I want. They are even blocking users from installing apps on external storage on 4K sticks and Cubes. Good thing someone found how to hack their firmware. But the question remains for how long will that hack work since Amazon could push down another firmware update to disable the hack anytime they want to.
I've noticed the echo studio has a distorted sound anomaly, it's in my office and it picks up interference from my modem or router because it's that digital chirp sound that (CDMA) cell phones used to cause with audio equipment if the phone was too close to (your car's head unit/stereo)
That is interesting. I know the sound you are talking about. I hadn’t heard that on a studio. I wonder if it is bad internal grounding or something else internally with the studio. That is not good that it does that. This is the first I had heard about that. Thanks for sharing.
Hello, you can use an analog 3.5mm jack or a mini-optical for digital sound like Erinescence said. I am thinking of connecting mine that way to my tv so I can get digital sound from my apple TV on to it. Thanks for watching.
Thank you J. That is funny. I have heard that before. I don’t know if that is a good thing or bad. Glad that you are here for it. I appreciate you watching.
Wait! What? What happened to the usual Imagine Dragons comparison? 😱 I was hoping to see you compare the sound to an Echo Plus, Echo and Echo Dot for relative sound comparison. 😬 Just kidding Craig! Another great video. I have two Echo 2’s and a Sub in my family room. Was considering replacing the two Echo’s with two Studios, but not sure if it’s overkill. That said, I like that it will connect to the Fire TV (FINALLY!) My Sub Pair won’t. 🤦🏻♂️ i wish it would just pair with the TV this was I could use it through Apple TV and my Sony Android TV. I hate my Vizio sound bar and was hoping Amazon would have a solution before I give up and get a better sound bar system. 🤷🏻♂️ Thanks again! Have a great day! 👍🏻
Hello Tony, hey buddy. Hope you are doing well. Sorry no more imagine dragons. I don’t want any copyright strikes. For this video I could not get good sound that would do the speaker justice with my shot gun mic. It was picking up the 1” tweeter too much. I thought the recorded sound actually made the device sound bad and was a fair representation. This could be overkill or it could be perfect. It is nice that you can setup your two echos and sub as a home theater with your fire tv now. I need to do a video on that. The nice thing about the Echo Studio is that you can go standard optical out from your TV to a 3.5mm mini toslink optical cable into the Echo Studio. I tried it today to get my TV and Apple TV running through to the Echo Studio. It worked great. The only limitation I had was that I could not use a remote for volume control. I had to use my voice since the TV won’t change the volume and the Apple TV can’t change the volume is the echo. It be worth picking up one and seeing if you like it as a sound bar. If you are ok with using just your voice for volume. Thanks for checking out the video have a great day too Tony.
Craig's Tech Talk Hey Craig! I’m am now seriously considering getting 2 Studios to replace my 2 Echos and Sub in my Family Room. Especially if they have a decent Black Friday deal! Right now I have at least a 50% better set up with both my speakers and remotes. I had a Fire TV Remote with power and volume control from another 4K Stick. Set it up on my Fire TV 4K Pendent. I’ll eventually replace it with the Stick. With my Stereo Pair and Sub now a Home Theater and using that remote, it now turns on my TV, and uses the volume control for my Echo Home Theater Sound. Love it way better. As for my Apple TV, I now have it set up to use the Sony TV speaker and the Apple remote controls it’s volume. I found that switching inputs was as easy as pressing the Home button on the Fire TV remote or the Menu button on the Apple remote. So, it all dialed in pretty nicely, and I finally got rid of my Sony Remote, Vizio remote and old Harmony 650 remote. 😃👍🏻 I’m finding that with all the apps now bring on both streaming devices, my biggest need for Apple TV is to mirror my iPhones and iPad. I was using Apple TV to stream videos from my NAS, but found I can do the same with the Plex App on my Fire TV. So, now I if I want quality sound, I can just flip to my Fire TV, plus I can give my son my old Vizio sound bar! 😎 So, life is good. I’ll let you know if I take the Studio plunge in a few weeks. 😱 Take care bud! Thanks again. 👍🏻👍🏻
Hello Paul, I saw that. Unfortunately the app is not out on the Fire TV cube yet. Just on the Fire TV sticks. I am curious if the app delivers dolby atmos. The dolby page says apple tv supports dolby on their devices. But the Apple TV app is new. I am hoping it does pass dolby audio too. Thanks for sharing and watching. Have a great day.
Hello Tony, you are welcome. I am glad that you enjoyed the video. Thank you. I am glad that you enjoyed the humor. I have received some grief for "crappy jokes." But I do them for you and me. As long as we are laughing 😀👍Thanks for the nice comment and watching Tony.
Well you had me cracking up this morning on the way to work on the train. Great way to start the day! Especially liked your imitation of a audiophile expert or whatever it was. Lol!
Hello Ron, I don't have a Sonos One. A few viewers have said it is better than the Sonos one. Another video I saw the guy was saying they aren't worth replacing Sonos one with them. Sorry I am not much help. Thanks for watching.
@@CraigsTechTalk I appreciate you being on here and watch most of your videos on Amazon products, but I got 3 Sonos One, I bought one at a time because the 1st one I bought was amazing to my ears. It sounded better than my Hi-Def system I have set up. So I bought a second one to pair, then bought a 3rd to have my whole living room fill every corner, it's just amazing to me. Then Studio comes out and I watch your video and you have me going, I believed I had found the holy grail of sound with Sonos and now this. But with your help and other websites I think the Sonos One beats Studio with audio. Studio may beat Sonos with features but I'm happy with what I have for now until someone come's out with something better.
🔴 Make sure to check out this video on the Amazon Echo Buds - Amazon Echo Buds: AIRPODS Don't Do This! - ruclips.net/video/DOKsYV_0Pz4/видео.html
Would you recommend it for someone getting there first echo device? Or would the echo be better?
Personally, I would recommend getting an Echo Dot as a first device. During the holidays they will probably be around $25. They sound great for a little speaker and it gives you all the Alexa functionality. Plus you are not tied to headphones. The echo buds are cool but they handle a few things differently with its interaction to the phone. If you always have earbuds in, maybe the echo buds would be a better choice. I hope this helps. Thanks for watching.
I paired two of these with an Amazon sub. I love the sound I get. Yes, I have these on their own shelf on each side of the room and the sub on the floor. The music it plays is the best I've heard unless I have my headphones on . Was it worth the money? To me yes, but everyone has their own budget and opinions about music. Am I an audiophile? No I'm not... It's returnable, easy to set up and it'll make you smile without ear buds or headphones. I bet you won't return it!
I spent last all last summer nights out on the deck streaming classic rock. Now thinking, could it be any better. So what do I do first? Add the second studio or the sub? That is the question.
This thing sounds really great. I had mine on release day and was impressed. I have it paired with the Echo Sub BUT I have turned off spatial sound on the app. The reason for this is that the studio is trying to "upscale" stereo music badly, with it turned off the volume jumps up and sounds better.
Great purchase
Hello, that is great that you are loving yours. You must really have some good bass paired with the sub. That is a great tip about turning off the spatial sound. I did not know about that. I am glad to hear that it improves the sound that much. Thank for sharing this and watching.
I agree, it's as if it cuts out all the midrange with it on, though if you play a "3D" song it sounds amazing on. Too bad there are only a handful of 3d songs atm
keep stereo spatial enhancement on and listen to a song not sounds, you will hear the singers voice so much more clearly. Better in every way, it takes some getting used to because it feels weird at first.
Hilarious..... I'm seriously thinking of getting one after this. I don't think I've ever seen you so excited about any Echo device. Thank you!
Personally, I like the "new", more animated Craig. Still putting out useful information, but more fun to watch.
Hello WS P, thank you very much. I appreciate you saying that. I am trying to have more fun and bring some of my humor to the table to hopefully add some entertainment. But, the information has to still be number one so I am not completely wasting your time. 😀👍 I do appreciate this comment. Others have not enjoyed my humor in this video. But, can't win them all. Thanks for watching and all of the support. Have a great day.
Hello Eric, I appreciate it buddy. Thanks for the support and watching.
If you're going to start your intro with "Sorry Apple, this might be the best sounding speaker", compare how it sounds to the HomePod? Tell us how the bass compares, mids and highs. You could've even played a song or two on both...
From your review, I would not buy this to replay my full surround system. But it would have to be amazing to achieve that. But as an office or mancave speaker to replace a full stereo system, maybe. Compared to a full setup this would be a good piece of kit. I have too many systems for this to replace, but if one fails this would be a serious consideration. It is a shame you can't pair this with the echo show for awesome sound. Now that would be great in my kitchen.
Another great video Craig.
PS whisper mode has finally arrived in the UK. Just waiting for Alexa to know when I am home or away! And well still waiting for everything else I would like her to be able to do of course!
Hello Jonathan, thank you very much. I am glad that you enjoyed the video. I can't see replacing a surround system or audio system that you are happy with for this. But as a secondary unit, it would be great. It would be nice to have some more pairing options to take advantage of how good this sounds. I wish I could get Dolby Atmos out of my Apple TV to it.
Glad to hear that whisper mode made it to the UK. I am surprised that it works in the UK. I know when it first came out the model to identify speech was by analyzing speaking patterns to determine whispering. With American and UK english we speak from different areas of our nose and throat. Maybe that doesn't affect whispering though. Thanks for the update and checking out the video. Have a great day.
The premiere tier for Netflix is only like $3 more. Definitely worth it considering that a typical cable package is over $100.
I can see what you are saying. Personally, I find I don’t watch enough Netflix. Especially with there push to so much of their content. But if you watch plenty of Netflix and get a device with Atmos, it definitely makes sense to pay the extra $3. Thanks for checking out this video. Have a great day.
An excellent speaker that shines when used with 3D audio on Amazon HD, while a newer model is on the way that provides even greater spatial sound and a white color option.
I can't wait to get a 2nd for 2.1 with the sub.
Sold out until December!
Hello Jerryl, I am sure that is going to sound nice. It is crazy that they are sold out to the beginning of December. They are popular and Amazon has underestimated the interest. I hope you enjoy it when you get it. Thanks for watching.
I been thinking of doing the same thing. But it’s sold out til December and I still haven’t done any Christmas shopping yet so I won’t be able to do it but I want to grab at least one
Only channel I watch for Amazon Alexa product reviews.
I am a traveling nurse so I can not carry a huge sound system with me to enjoy great music but THIS!! Unpack, find WIFI, enjoy!!! It makes a lonely room MUCH more home!!! Small price to pay for a great resource!!!
Great review & important learning points too Craig "You don't smell sound" 😆😆
Hello Gareth, thank you buddy. Glad I can spread some new infromation. Some of found my humor annoying. Oh well, cant win them all. Thanks for checking out the video and remember, you don't smell sound. You can taste it and hear it. Have a great day Gareth.
@@CraigsTechTalk I'm firmly in the camp of people who find that your humour add's to the video's you create, so I hope you keep putting that humour into what you do 👍
Check out the definition of synthesia...you can smell sound...and taste it, and see it. Great review and I do appreciate your humor.
I wanted to hear about the optical input. I think that is an important feature even though it doesn’t support the HD sound.
One of the best reviews of this product out now ! Great job!
Hello, thank you very much. I am glad you enjoyed it and I appreciate you saying this. Thank you for the nice comment and watching.
Hi Craig. Got mine on launch day and so far I’m very impressed with it, the bass is can boom some and so far I’m enjoying using it as a home theatre set up so much so I’ve ordered a second one.
Hello Kenneth, that is great that you are enjoying it that much that you have another one coming. That is a good endorsement. One viewer was saying that it sounds even better if you turn off the spatial audio. I have to try that out. Thanks for sharing and I hope you enjoy your second one as a pair. Thanks for watching.
Love to play "Ederlezi" on the loudest.. to my neighbor who play electric guitar at 3 am.
I just received mine. It is better than the Sonos one. The size is really not an issue. I am satisfied with the sound.
Hello Charles, glad to hear that you are liking it better than the Sonos one and it is working well for you. It is a nice device. For music, I can see the quality of sound being worth the size. I see using it more as a sound bar for the dolby atmos and it just looks like an eye sitting there. But that is just me. Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts. Have a great day.
I LOVE the animated Craig! Great job, bud!
Hello Ian, thank you buddy. Having a good time making videos. Glad you are enjoying it. I have seen some comments about my “crappy jokes.” Thanks for checking this video out.
Damn, in stock December 25th here in the UK! Yet another balanced review Craig.
go to argos... pickup in 2 days right now
Hello, It is crazy that they are out of stock until then. It is out of stock until December 10th in the states. Glad you enjoyed the video and saw it as balanced. It is a great device that I have a little hesitation about because of it's size and not sure if the extra audio features are worth it for me. Thanks for watching. Have a great day.
(Note: This was written by me and posted elsewhere, so ignore the personal references - I pasted the text here so that I didn’t have to write it again) Ty: Two regular Echo speakers paired in stereo mode don't even come close to the ear-pleasing sound that comes from two Echo Studios in stereo mode. As you said, Ty, you listened to only one Studio speaker, and some of that listening was in a surround mode. The Echo Studio does not "shine" with just one Studio (when playing regular stereo music files, which are the most common). Two of them paired in stereo mode sound exponentially better. I humbly ask you to reconsider your 7 rating for sound quality and change it to 9 or 10, for the benefit of potential buyers interested in purchasing high quality equipment (no profit or financial interest for me). If using two Echo Studios in stereo mode, turn off the "Upmixing" toggle switch in the Alexa app (also called “Stereo Spatial Enhancement” in different versions of the Alexa app). Upmixing tries to adapt regular 2-channel stereo music to the 3D potential of the Studio. If you don't turn off upmixing, the sound will not be that clear and direct, and you will get the wrong impression about how good these speakers really are. The speaker will try to add some processing to the sound and that doesn't sound very good in stereo mode with two paired Studios. That processing may sound “ok” with just one Studio, but even then it's hit-or-miss, depending on which song is playing. Up-mixing is not perfect, as it is a fake or simulated (artificial) 3D effect; it’s not best for all songs and is awful on some songs (regular 2-channel stereo music). Note that upmixing is not needed for audio that is already encoded in 3D (like Sony’s 360 Reality Audio).
Comparison of the Echo Studio to the Regular Echo:
The regular $99 Echo has drivers (internal speaker units) whose sound gets somewhat trapped inside the enclosure case, as the separate woofer and tweeter drivers face each other with a small space between them (they point down and up, not out -- one pointing at the other!) instead of facing outwardly like the Echo Studio’s drivers. But the 3 midrange drivers and one tweeter inside each Echo Studio are facing outward and project the sound outside of the enclosure. That makes a big difference -- there's much more clarity and presence in the midrange and treble. It does not get muffled or trapped inside the enclosure at all; it is allowed to come out clearly and completely. I am hearing detail in songs I’ve been playing for decades -- details I’ve never heard before. Those details are clear as can be without being harsh or grating to the ears. The outward facing circular arrangement of the midrange and tweeter array act like sort of a wide-dispersion tweeter - no matter where you are standing you hear each speaker channel’s sound very clearly (ideal for when you are moving around, working in the kitchen, etc. And I am talking about stereo mode here, not a surround mode). The bass is clear and mostly tight - just right without overdoing it. And if you listen to talk radio on these, the sound (EQ) automatically adjusts itself so that the talker's voice doesn’t sound boomy (those built-in optimizing microphones work well).
Finally, it is recommended to adjust the EQ settings using the Alexa app, and set the EQ to: Bass middle (5 on the scale), Midrange boosted to about 6 or 7 out of 10, and Treble to about 8 out of 10 (this sounds best in the very small alcove that I have these speakers set up in). Use a good-sounding music file for test listening - an audio file that has never been compressed more than once, and has been encoded well, and been recorded in high quality (not necessarily a hi-res file). An excellent sounding sample to buy and use for testing purposes is Rudolf from Burl Ives’ album “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas”. Sure, it’s an old-fashioned song but it is extremely well-recorded and encoded (at least on the specific album I mentioned). You can purchase it for 99 cents on Amazon’s online digital music store if you want to have it stored in the cloud and playable on demand -- on these speakers.
Note about Setup: if you have a weak Wi-Fi signal, the slow signal from your Wi-Fi router may cause some confusing delays during setup, so if you encounter this, begin by finding a way to get an adequate signal strength to these excellent speakers. Move your router closer or maybe buy a Wi-Fi extender if your Wi-Fi signal is weak in the spot where the two Studios are located. After a minute or so of getting established, they will find their way to sync with each other and play in perfect, flawless stereo without you having to do anything after the setup. Written by Bob M (from Rhode Island)
Craig's reviews are without a doubt the best on youtube....i go to Craig whenever i am contemplating a purchase...THANKS
Update on previous review.I got an update this morning for the studios.Home cinema 2.1 with atmos works great now.Jack Ryan is mindblowing,brings a whole new dimension to the action on screen.150% impressed with atmos and home cinema.3d sounds remains hit & miss for me but everything else is amazing including hd and ultra hd music from Amazon.
Hello Roger, I appreciate the update that is great that it is sounding better for you with your 2.1 setup. The atmos is really cool. Jack Ryan does sound great with it. I look forward to it being incorporated into more apps. I need Apple to add the Fire TV Cube version of the app. I want to see if I get atmos from that. Glad to hear that it’s getting better. Thanks for the update. Have a great day Roger.
@@CraigsTechTalk Totally agree once we get Disney+ and Apple TV+ apps on the new cube that will be so much better
I love the price point of the Echo Studio. I'm in the process of deciding whether to go toward either the Amazon Smart home ecosystem or Google's or Apple's Homekit. I like that Amazon's Alexa works with so many devices and Amazon also seems laser focused on their offerings; unlike Google which seems a little scatter brained with the Google offerings.
Great honest review Brother! As usual.
Hello Tim, I hope you are doing well. Haven’t heard from you in a bit. thank you very much. I appreciate the nice words. I am glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for checking it out. Be well my friend.
Good review but I also would have like to see how the mics cope with voice commands when playing music or video at a reasonably high volume
I've found that the mics are way more sensitive than the ones in the echo that I had in the living room. Now, when there's no music I just have to whisper.
Hello Wolfman, I agree with jmchez, the mics are more sensitive than other echos. I should have remembered to include that in the video. I found I never had to speak over the music to be heard. I felt like I was talking under the music and it still heard my commands. I was surprised how well it worked. Thanks for working.
Personally. I find this device amazing. I will am planning on purchasing one due to the fact that I was purchasing a sound bar for my tv to stop using the stock speakers and speakers for my turntable. Planning on using this guy for all of the above saving me money on mediocre speakers, and an ok sound bar slightly better than tv speakers. So personally I find so much value in it.
Great video Craig, And the one I have waited for. I ordered 2 of them after watching this video. I cant wait to get them.
Hello Jeff, thank you very much. I am glad that you enjoyed the video. I hope you enjoy your echo studios when they come. They should pack a punch with two of them. Thanks for checking out the video. Have a great day Jeff.
Hi, I just buy 2 of them for my TV do stereo. The question is if I will can do this to use to watch TV in stereo sound, outside of the fire tv, like watch cable TV. It's will possible??
It would probably be great for a small party or reunion
Hello, I think your right about that. It definitely has enough power for a small group. I think it a great speaker. Thanks for watching. Have a great day.
Lov all your videos about tech specially echo products...
Always thumbs up for you.
thanks
👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
Hello Yuri, thank you very much. I am glad that you are loving the videos and are enjoying the echo videos. I appreciate all the support. Thank you for watching this video. Have a great day.
if i put it on my nightstand 3 ft from me and I stay in one place will I get the dolby amtos effect>
Exactly the review I was looking for!! You answered all the questions I was thinking, great job!!! I subribed
I have a happy little problem. And need some help deciding between the Echo 3rd gen or Echo Studio for my apartment's bedroom.
I needed a replacement for my aging bedroom clock radio. It's pretty old. Radio reception was disappointing. Time to modernize it. A buddy suggested getting an Echo. So I looked it up. Then debated briefly between the Dot and the Echo. Then maybe the Dot with clock face. Went with the Echo 3rd Gen. It was sold out on Amazon. But the local Best Buy had it. So I got it. Had some difficulty connecting it to my apartment's wifi for some reason. But after 10 minutes of doing that it finally connected. And wow. It's awesome. It works great as my new alarm clock. It works better than my previous radio for playing my local radio's internet broadcast. And it sounds surpassingly good for such a small thing. It's not as good as my Kilpsch 5.1 home theatre sound system in the living room, nor my 5.1 Logitech/THX speaker set up for my computer gaming rig. Nor would I ever expect it be. Overall I'm really happy with it. Such an awesome little device for $80 (on sale). Since we got the Echo earlier this week. I've been using it to listen to more things in the bedroom. I'm really enjoying that.
But, when i was at Best Buy, I got to briefly demo the sold out Echo Studio. And WOW. That thing sounded better, and louder. It's $200. It has more speaker components in it. It's also sold out everywhere. So I went with the Echo. BB has a nice special return policy until Jan 14th 2020.
So i'm wondering if I should exchange my Echo for the Studio? I think i'd enjoy and appreciate the Studio's better sound. Though I won't be necessarily playing it too loud, due to being in an apartment.
It's like a Maserati to a Yugo
echo 4 or 5 can use an optional battery base.
I decided on the echo 3rd gen. will be here tomorrow . Nice video I was waiting for this video
Hello, glad you liked the video. The Echo 3rd gens sound great. I hope you enjoy yours. Thanks for watching.
I'm trying to decide between a pair of echo dots plus an echo sub, or one echo studio alone. It's for a small-medium sized bedroom to be used for music as well as with the fire TV. What would you recommend?
I have got one delivered on 7th Nov and seriously considering to buy the second one, amazing sound I must say
Nice review. I'm also not sure where I would place it. Seems like you wouldn't want it in an entertainment center or any kind of shelving because of the one speaker that fires upwards, and you're right that it needs to be pointing at the listener as well.
Hello, that is a good point about placing it in an entertainment center or a shelf with the top covered. I am thinking of mounting a small shelve under my TV but far enough beneath it to let the top speaker do its think. Thanks for mentioning this and watching.
What sounds better, a stereo pair of new 3rd gen echos or the echo studio?
Hello, I think the echo studio is going to sound a little better because of the better bass and the direction speakers. Thanks for watching.
I always like to hear audio comparisons to the other echo devices. Would you be doing a video like that for this? I want to hear the difference between it & the show 10"
Good point. I too would like to hear a sound comparisson to both the 10" show and homepod.
Hello Anthony, I was trying to do an audio comparison and it just was not capturing the audio well and doing the device justice. I felt that my shotgun mic was getting too much of the front facing 1" tweeter and was not capturing the bass or top and side firing speakers. My recording sounded horrible compared to real world experience and didn't think it was a good representation. The echo 3rd gen and homepod are more of a balanced 3d sound. I will have to compare it to the Echo show 10 and see if I can find a better way to capture it. Thanks for checking out the video.
Hello David, I did try it with the HomePod, but I felt the recording wasn't go it justice. I may put up on Instagram that sound comparison. If you would like to hear it, let me know and make sure to follow me on Instagram. Thanks for checking out the video.
It's by far the best sound from any Echo alexa devices. A must for anyone listening to music. My complaint is there is no remote control for this. There must be a technical issue, as I can't believe Amazon has not resolved this. There are remote's for other echo's be they won't connect to the studio.
Cool review.
Ummm has anyone said you look like Biff from back to the future? 😃
🤣 Was thinking the same. Mcfly!
Can you pair this with another device - say an Echo 2.0 or does it only pair with another of its own kind?
Hello Joe, you would only be able to pair this up with another Echo Studio or a Sub. They have to be the same echo to pair as a stereo pair. But you could make a multi room audio group with any echos you want for listening to the same music across a group of echos. Thanks for watching.
does it have battery backup for portabilty?mayb that's coming in the near future which will make this obsolete.
I think you didi a great job evaluating the speaker. I am replacing a BOSE Lifestyle 38 because its so proprietary and its now functionally obsolete. I just need great sound at a low price. this is my basement where i need music for my poker buddies and gaming sometimes.
Great review, Craig! Thanks!
It's a very interesting device and worthy of consideration - if I didn't already have a surround sound system.
Otherwise, heck, this is where I would've started years ago if it came out earlier.
As always, really good content and very much appreciated! :)
Hello Michael, thank you very much. I am glad you enjoyed it. It is an interesting device. I am with you and can't see getting rid of my surround system for a simulated system. No matter how good it sounds. I am still old school and like wires running through the ceiling to my speakers in the corner of the room that are hooked up to a receiver. Don't have to worry about connection issues or power. I am curious what it would take for me to change from that. It is cool to have choices like the Echo Studio out now. I think they need to figure out how to hook multiple dots with one of these or with a sub for a complete surround sound. Thanks for checking out the video. Have a great day buddy.
Can’t use Studio in hotspots...just like HomePod or HomePod Mini...but on a modem I bet incredibly good 😌
I'm wating for it to bundle wit a air fryer...
I got mine on release and it’s amazing and thinking of getting another and linking them together
Hello Justin, that is great that you got yours. They do sound great. I can only imagine how it will sound with the power of two of them. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for watching the video. Have a great day.
Your review, I was smiling all through. Love your style. I got one comming Thurs. so looking forward to it. Cheers from London, UK.
Thank you Les. That is very nice of you to say. I am glad that you enjoyed the video. I hope you enjoy your Echo Studio. It does have great sound. Thanks for watching and the nice comment.
@@CraigsTechTalk I'm casting music using chromecast audio at present. I'm an Amazon Prime and Music HD subscriber, and have 10 and 8in Fire tablets. Amazon Music HD doesn't cast in HD to chromecast (it cast low bitrate), so it'll be good to get the Echo Studio. One question. Can I stream music to Echo using my regular android music player. Does Echo support wi-fi? I guess that's two questions. Top reviews mate, I'm gonna sub.
Casual music listener and not pairing with TV.
Which will give me a better music experience - One Echo studio or Two, Echo 3rd gen speakers that are stereo paired? Any other combination?
Thanks much in advance
Do you notice that the Tweeter only works with 3-D sound enabled? Doesn’t matter if it’s
Spotify or Amazon music or whatever.
Ed M the tweeter works with everything
So i guess when in the kitchen cooking or eating the echo 3rd gen is good enough for music vs the studio?
Craig, I know this video has been up a while but hope you see this.
Do you have any tips for finding 3D music? I find it a real struggle. I subscribe to Amazon Music and try several phrases, but none of them seem to come up with music that is in 3D that I can listen to. Hope you can help. Great video as always, I bought my Studio based on your review and it was the best thing I ever did, I love it.
Hi Craig, i really enjoyed watching this video, light hearted but very informative, at the moment i have a amazon subwoffer pair with the echo devices so it's two point one, and i subscribe to HD music, and i really enjoyed the sound, so i am really unsure what to do now
Hello David, thank you. I am glad that you enjoyed the video. That is great to hear. trying to have fun and still keep it informative.
That is a tough one to answer. I don’t know if the improvement is going to be enough because of the sub that you have. I feel like that is the biggest difference between the two is more bass that balances out the sound nicely. I don’t have HD music to be able to tell the difference. There is not a lot that is mastered in 3D. I think that is where you might notice a bigger difference. This is meant for 3D, HD and atmos. Two devices paired is not. I hate to say it, but I think you would have to try one to see if the value is there. Sound is so subjective. For me and my limited listening of music on my echos, I think the pair of echos would be better for me. I wish I had a better answer. Thanks for watching.
@@CraigsTechTalk, thank you so much for your thoughts on this matter, it's really appreciated, i will probably leave things as they are for the time being
I thought the midrange was kind of lacking, but I could mostly compensate with the app's equalizer.
I tossed it on my desk in the office for a nice listening experience while I'm working and sometimes I bring it into the garage while I'm working in there. It's a nice little package.
Turn off the upscaling to 3d, which is on by default. Non 3d music will have its midrange lowered in 3d. Turn it off and the sound becomes "sharper"
@@jmchez I'll have to try that, thanks.
@@jmchez I assume you are talking about "Stereo Spatial Enchancement"?
@@bangsboomsandfloofies Yes, that's what Amazon calls it.
Would you play music on that and your dot/shows/regular echos - all at the same time?
Hope they can make it with internal battery. Like 8 hours playing time is great. 😊
Hello Mike, I am afraid how big this thing would need to be to get 8 hours of listening out of it. I was hoping for an echo dot with a battery. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and watching. Have a great day.
my jbl control x are about the same size with built in batteries. so it should be possible, but will weigh a lot more and get a little bigger
Great review. I may get a set
Hello Brian, thank you. I am glad you enjoyed the video. I appreciate the nice comment and hope you enjoy them if you get a set. Thanks for watching.
I recently bought the Echo Studio - mainly for the Dolby Atmos feature and to replace my existing TV soundbar. I've now come to learn that for the Dolby Atmos to work with a TV that allows this functionality - or to recognise it - you need to connect via HDMI/HDMI ARC - which is the case with any Dolby related product. So am I thinking this is slightly false advertising or needs to be made clearer in the specs - or is there a fix/way around this before I decide to return the Studio
Hi Craig my name is Dave I really enjoy your videos on all the echo products I purchased the studio now I’m seeing videos about disabling the 3-D audio what’s your opinion and can that be done?
Well if it’s a 360 degree speaker you shouldn’t have to sit in front of it like the HomePod get 360 full sound no mattter where right ?
Hello, I would say no you are not going to get that same 360 degree sound that you would get from a HomePod. The homepod has a speaker design that is designed to be heard from any angle. It will optimize if placed against the wall. I would I can rotate around the echo and not hear as much of an audio change from different positions around the device.
Amazon made specific choices that affect the best place to listen. I think amazon means 360 sound as more a room filling description vs 360 listening around the device. the studio has a front 1” speaker, a left, right and top speaker. That design makes it really made for listening from in front of the studio. You will notice changes in audio as you move around the device. Especially not being in front of that 1” front tweeter that gives much of the higher end range of music. I hope this makes sense. Thanks for watching.
Totally agree
@Craig's Tech Talk I expect you compare Eco Studio with Huawei Soundx which should be the best sound quality of any smart speaker, period.
Just got a Studio and I agree the sound is excellent but I have a weird issue when I connect it to my Fire 4K stick. Before I added the studio to the Fire TV the Fire TV allowed me to set Audio as best available BUT as soon as I set up the Home Cinema with the Studio the Audio is locked on Dolby Digital Plus and I cannot get Atmos (and yes I am trying to play something that does have Atmos) At a real loss as to what to do, excellent sound but just not what it should be!
Thinking about getting this on Prime Day if the price is right for my projector. Should I get two to use in theater mode with my Fire TV Stick 4K, or will one be enough with the different directional speakers?
Would you use one of these to replace Sonos one speakers?
Probably not but it's a closer consideration than many would think.For the price Amazon is ready to take on a challenge.
Hello Jeremy, I have heard that it is not necessarily worth replacing sonos one speakers since those sound good. But like Roger said it is a closer consideration. It is great for those who may not have invested in sonos speakers. Thanks for watching.
Id rather it was larger and offered better quality sound, I don't care about atmos as I would be using a full hifi for movies but I still want quality audio around the home, this potentially offers that.
So I can’t get Dolby Atmos with an Apple TV 4K and a optical cable?
Craig,how do you think classical music will fit with this new amazon Echo speaker? Not necessarily the heavyweight classical(i.e.Beethoven's 9th)but more Debussy and Ravel? Is it worth it?
Thank you and your reviews are very helpful.
My Cat goes to the letterbox at my front door the sound is absolutely amazing.... To fool a cat that's when you you know your with a big boy
How would this sound on a book case given that it adjusts its own acoustics?
Hi there! Please help us to pair the Echos Plus and Sub as a HomeTheater at the Fire TV! Thanks and keep the good work!
Hello Daniel, you may want to create a speaker group with the Echo Plus and Sub and then create a Home Theater with the paired up devices and your fire TV. I believe that would be the process. If you have tried it that way with the plus and the sub paired first, you may need to break that pairing and then try to add both devices with the fire tv as a home theater. Thanks for the nice comment and watching.
Craig! Awesome reviews man. Have a question though. I'm headed back to apple and the iPhone but have a large amazon music library. I'm not opposed to switching to apple music, but I'm curious what you (or anyone else) recommends between this and the homepod? I'm more concerned about sound quality, but if the homepod sounds that much better, I'm willing to move to apple music. I appreciate any advice. Take it easy man.
What about having it as your home theater speaker system??
:-) You convinced me to maybe buy this. I have been looking for a sound bar like speaker for my 75 inch basement TV which is in a narrow room. This may work well. Would be nice if it had an ARC HDMI connector.
I'd stick with getting a soundbar unless you intend on subbing to Amazon music hd & listening to music more than watching tv or movies.
It has a mini toslink connector so you can plug the unprocessed digital signal coming out of your TV.
Hello Michael, I can see being torn. I think a soundbar looks better. But if you think you might take advantage of Amazon music like Roger mentioned, it might be worth getting the Echo Studio. Or if you see yourself watching enough Dolby Atmos content. The fact that the Echo Studio does offer dolby atmos and HD music, is pretty impressive in a device at this price point. I would like to have an HDMI in option to get Atmos from others devices. Like jmchez said you can connect toslink to the Echo Studio. But from what I was reading that is not going to get you Dolby Atmos. Please, let us know if you end up going with this over a sound bar. Thanks for checking out the video.
Two questions: does it get loud enough and is the bass thumping? :) thank you for your videos! I’ve been following for a year now and really enjoy your look on tech! :)
Hello buddy, thank you very much. I am glad you like my take on tech. That is great to hear. I think it gets loud enough and definitely has more bass than I expected. I put it on a folding chair in my office and could feel it a little bit through the floor. It’s not like a dedicated sub. But it has the most bass I have heard out of any smart speakers. For me it gets plenty loud. I haven’t tried it yet, but one viewer was saying if you turn off the spatial sound it gets even louder and has a better sound. I had it hooked up with optical to my Apple TV and was watching Avengers and it was a full sound and loud. The only bummer was that I couldn’t turn the volume up from my Apple TV remote. When using optical from another device you have to use your voice and ask Alexa to turn it up or down. Tough part about a device like this is that it blows away smart speakers. But I don’t think it is going to compete with a nice receiver and speaker setup. Also, sound is so subject. Many say they love it in the comments. But then one user said that it isn’t good and it’s going back. Luckily Amazon is good about returns if you don’t like it. I hope that helps. Thanks for all of your support over the last year. Have a great day.
@@CraigsTechTalk Thank you for the reply! I like how the bass sounds in the Homepod I just wish the homepod was a bit louder, how would you compare those two? :)
What is the best sounding speaker for music"?
Have you listened to a Sonos play:3? If you have, how does it compare to the studio?
So is it like the Google Home Max?
From what I am hearing it is way better than the Google Home Max. But I have don't know about the Google home max personally. I don't think it does HD music or Dolby Atmos. Thanks for watching Tom.
@@CraigsTechTalk Though I generally prefer the google home assistant, the google home max is seriously UGLY in my eyes, this Amazon studio is pretty decent looking.
Size is an issue??
I used to have 4, 3 foot tall speakers with 10" woofers...
Not to mention the huge 4 channel amp that rattled the neighbors windows. 😁
If you want good sound, you really need speakers that have the size to deliver it.
Sounds like Amazon is stepping into the field with a good product. I wonder if you can pair it with the subwoofer they have?
The alexa app has a section to pair another echo or add the sub.
Hello Russ, you have a great point. If you went back 20 years and dropped this in a living room you people would be blown away. With so many options that are slim and have separate subs, this one is feeling bulky.
Amazon is definitely stepping up their game with audio. I know you can pair two together, but I was not aware that you could add a sub. Thanks jmchez for the information. Thank you both. Have a great day.
Craig I love your videos. I have a couple of questions for you though. Which is better between the Echo Studio and the HomePod? Also would it be possible for you to do a comparison video
Thank you very much. I think for overall sound I would have to go with the Echo Studio. For 360 degree sound I would HomePod. With the speaker configuration of the studio it is definitely meant to be listened to sitting in front of it. I think a big factor would be the preferred assistant and the streaming services you want to use for audio. The studio does open up more options being able to connect to the fire tv stick 4K and fire tv cube for video audio. I am hesitant to do an audio comparison because of the difficulty in capturing the audio with the equipment I have. I find that the when recording the fullness is lost on the echo studio. Especially with the front tweeter that faces forward. The left and right sound that your ears would hear is lost when recording. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for the info. I just got mine las Sunday 11/10. I like it a lot. The question that I have is, is there a way to get my ruko tv to sound on the speaker? I have tried and I can’t get it to work. Any help will be appreciated. Tanks
Hello, you are welcome. Thank you for watching. Glad to hear you are liking it. You can either hook up your TV or Roku using the toslink optical out to a 3.5mm mini toslink cable into the echo studio. I did this from my TV to be able to use my Apple TV. It sounds good. The only problem I have is the only way to turn up the volume is with your voice or remote for a fire TV device. But it goes work using the optical cable.
I really really want one
Taking notes 📝
Hello Ace, I like that. Great comment. Hope it was helpful. Thank you for checking out the video. Have a great day.
You mentioned Tidal, however without I have tidal on my iPad, so unless it has airplay, you will lose the HD quality due to Bluetooth compression. Unless you can get a Tidal app on the Alexa app? Any ideas on getting Tidal HD working on this?
You would connect your Tidal account to your support echo. If you go under the Alexa app, go to settings, music and then select link new service. You will see a tidal option. I don’t know how good the tidal integration is. If it works like Apple Music, you should be able to access any tidal playlist you may have made on other devices. Or it could be limited to just asking for Tidal music. Not having an account, I don’t know how well it is. Thanks for watching.
@@CraigsTechTalk thank you for being so helpful and responsive with your viewers. Oh have gained a new subscriber :)
In terms of sound quality how does it compare to the Logitech UE Megaboom 3?
I am not sure I understood something you said. Is this device Dolby Atmos capable only with an Amazon FireTV streamer, or can any streamer capable of Dolby Atmos work with it? I want to avoid Amazon pulling an "Apple" on us as they did with the Fire TV Recast device. Lately, Amazon has been behaving sneakily by preventing users from customizing their streamers with their latest firmware updates and they seem like they are headed down the same path as Apple, a closed ecosystem.
Hello Streaming Junkie, the way I understand it is that it is only going to do Dolby Atmos from the Amazon Fire TV. From what I was reading is Dolby Atmos only comes down HDMI. You can get 7.1 or 5.1 surround sound through optical connections. So you would be able to get simulated surround sound by hooking up a 3.5mm toslink to the standard toslink optical cable to another device. But at the end of the day, I think Amazon is trying to build their own closed ecosystem. I think they are keeping it as open as they may have to but no more. They aren't advertising you can hook up other components digitally with that optical in connection. They want you on the Amazon devices. All the good features are going to only work with their devices. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and watching. Have a great day.
@@CraigsTechTalk okay, thanks. That's what I was afraid of. It looks like Amazon is building up its own walled garden like Apple. Not something I want. They are even blocking users from installing apps on external storage on 4K sticks and Cubes. Good thing someone found how to hack their firmware. But the question remains for how long will that hack work since Amazon could push down another firmware update to disable the hack anytime they want to.
I'm getting two 😁
I've noticed the echo studio has a distorted sound anomaly, it's in my office and it picks up interference from my modem or router because it's that digital chirp sound that (CDMA) cell phones used to cause with audio equipment if the phone was too close to (your car's head unit/stereo)
That is interesting. I know the sound you are talking about. I hadn’t heard that on a studio. I wonder if it is bad internal grounding or something else internally with the studio. That is not good that it does that. This is the first I had heard about that. Thanks for sharing.
How would this compare to a decent $400 sound bar in terms of sound?
Hi.
Can you have a home theater with two of them?
I don’t have a TV. Can I watch amazon prime on the echo show 10 and have the audio coming from the studio?
Sounds like you can use it as a TV sound bar.
Anyway of connecting this to a tv without a Fire TV Stick ?
It has a mini-optical jack, so maybe?
Hello, you can use an analog 3.5mm jack or a mini-optical for digital sound like Erinescence said. I am thinking of connecting mine that way to my tv so I can get digital sound from my apple TV on to it. Thanks for watching.
@@CraigsTechTalk will i be able to get Dolby Atmos from Amazon Prime if i connect it by a mini-optical ? i have Amazon prime on my xbox so i hope so.
Love the vids! Off topic comment: you look like Gary Busey and I’m here for it.
Thank you J. That is funny. I have heard that before. I don’t know if that is a good thing or bad. Glad that you are here for it. I appreciate you watching.
Wait! What? What happened to the usual Imagine Dragons comparison? 😱 I was hoping to see you compare the sound to an Echo Plus, Echo and Echo Dot for relative sound comparison. 😬 Just kidding Craig! Another great video. I have two Echo 2’s and a Sub in my family room. Was considering replacing the two Echo’s with two Studios, but not sure if it’s overkill. That said, I like that it will connect to the Fire TV (FINALLY!) My Sub Pair won’t. 🤦🏻♂️ i wish it would just pair with the TV this was I could use it through Apple TV and my Sony Android TV. I hate my Vizio sound bar and was hoping Amazon would have a solution before I give up and get a better sound bar system. 🤷🏻♂️ Thanks again! Have a great day! 👍🏻
Hello Tony, hey buddy. Hope you are doing well. Sorry no more imagine dragons. I don’t want any copyright strikes. For this video I could not get good sound that would do the speaker justice with my shot gun mic. It was picking up the 1” tweeter too much. I thought the recorded sound actually made the device sound bad and was a fair representation. This could be overkill or it could be perfect. It is nice that you can setup your two echos and sub as a home theater with your fire tv now. I need to do a video on that. The nice thing about the Echo Studio is that you can go standard optical out from your TV to a 3.5mm mini toslink optical cable into the Echo Studio. I tried it today to get my TV and Apple TV running through to the Echo Studio. It worked great. The only limitation I had was that I could not use a remote for volume control. I had to use my voice since the TV won’t change the volume and the Apple TV can’t change the volume is the echo. It be worth picking up one and seeing if you like it as a sound bar. If you are ok with using just your voice for volume. Thanks for checking out the video have a great day too Tony.
Craig's Tech Talk Hey Craig! I’m am now seriously considering getting 2 Studios to replace my 2 Echos and Sub in my Family Room. Especially if they have a decent Black Friday deal! Right now I have at least a 50% better set up with both my speakers and remotes. I had a Fire TV Remote with power and volume control from another 4K Stick. Set it up on my Fire TV 4K Pendent. I’ll eventually replace it with the Stick. With my Stereo Pair and Sub now a Home Theater and using that remote, it now turns on my TV, and uses the volume control for my Echo Home Theater Sound. Love it way better. As for my Apple TV, I now have it set up to use the Sony TV speaker and the Apple remote controls it’s volume. I found that switching inputs was as easy as pressing the Home button on the Fire TV remote or the Menu button on the Apple remote. So, it all dialed in pretty nicely, and I finally got rid of my Sony Remote, Vizio remote and old Harmony 650 remote. 😃👍🏻 I’m finding that with all the apps now bring on both streaming devices, my biggest need for Apple TV is to mirror my iPhones and iPad. I was using Apple TV to stream videos from my NAS, but found I can do the same with the Plex App on my Fire TV. So, now I if I want quality sound, I can just flip to my Fire TV, plus I can give my son my old Vizio sound bar! 😎 So, life is good. I’ll let you know if I take the Studio plunge in a few weeks. 😱 Take care bud! Thanks again. 👍🏻👍🏻
What kind of strip is on your wall back there?
Hello, It is the LifX Z strip. I am a big fan of LifX and use them for all my lights. I did a video on the LifX Z strips. Thanks for watching.
Apple TV is now available on firetv
Hello Paul, I saw that. Unfortunately the app is not out on the Fire TV cube yet. Just on the Fire TV sticks. I am curious if the app delivers dolby atmos. The dolby page says apple tv supports dolby on their devices. But the Apple TV app is new. I am hoping it does pass dolby audio too. Thanks for sharing and watching. Have a great day.
Thanks for the comprehensive review and all the information. Love the humor you bring in too!!
Hello Tony, you are welcome. I am glad that you enjoyed the video. Thank you. I am glad that you enjoyed the humor. I have received some grief for "crappy jokes." But I do them for you and me. As long as we are laughing 😀👍Thanks for the nice comment and watching Tony.
Well you had me cracking up this morning on the way to work on the train. Great way to start the day! Especially liked your imitation of a audiophile expert or whatever it was. Lol!
I'd like to know how it compares to Sonos One.
Hello Ron, I don't have a Sonos One. A few viewers have said it is better than the Sonos one. Another video I saw the guy was saying they aren't worth replacing Sonos one with them. Sorry I am not much help. Thanks for watching.
@@CraigsTechTalk I appreciate you being on here and watch most of your videos on Amazon products, but I got 3 Sonos One, I bought one at a time because the 1st one I bought was amazing to my ears. It sounded better than my Hi-Def system I have set up. So I bought a second one to pair, then bought a 3rd to have my whole living room fill every corner, it's just amazing to me. Then Studio comes out and I watch your video and you have me going, I believed I had found the holy grail of sound with Sonos and now this. But with your help and other websites I think the Sonos One beats Studio with audio. Studio may beat Sonos with features but I'm happy with what I have for now until someone come's out with something better.