Short & Sweet - For what it is, this device is amazing. Performance is quick, audio is great, and the built-in Zigbee hub works quite well.
Longer Review;
After dragging my heels for over a year, I finally bought our first Echo (2nd Generation) back in August. I loved it so much that I got us 2 more for other areas in the house. Being able to group them and play the same music or audio throughout the house is a novelty that won't grow old for me. I've only wished that they had a little more full sound, especially at higher volume. I'd considered the last Echo Plus, but the average of reviews I read didn't make it appear to perform significantly better than our already great 2nd Generation Echos.
When I saw this new Echo Plus listed, I pre-ordered it to "replace" the Heather Grey Echo in our kitchen and move that one to our bedroom. We tend to have music playing in the kitchen more than any other room, and I wanted slightly better sound than the regular Echo in there. I'm honestly glad we took a chance on this device without any reviews to go by.
Appearance;
As you can see in the photos, it's pretty much identical in height to the 2nd Generation Echo. It is a bit wider to accommodate the larger speakers, and the top is slightly domed instead of being flat. A similar 7-microphone array is on top and they seem to work just as well. There also appears to be a tripod-style connector on the base of the unit.
Setup;
Setup was surprisingly easy as this Echo Plus detected our network settings on its own. I plugged it in, it did its initial startup, and then told me the device was connected. Simple as that.
Audio compared to 2nd Generation Echo;
Highs are clearer.
Mids are more natural and better-defined.
Lows are deeper.
Overall volume is noticeably louder and sound quality is improved.
When paired with our other Echos, music and audio is in sync everywhere and this device stands out above the others in audio performance.
General Performance;
We have a quick network and I don't notice any perceivable performance difference between this new Echo Plus and our regular 2nd Generation Echos. Everything seems to work as it should.
I bought this with the "free" Philips Hue bulb promotion. This bulb is our first Zigbee device and works very well with the Echo Plus. It is easily controlled by either the Echo Plus or the other Echos we have in the house. I'll be keeping an eye out for deals on these bulbs in the future. Like our other Echos, it also has no problem controlling our Kasa Smart Plugs.
Overall;
While $150 is a lot for a single speaker, for what I was looking for, this thing excels. If you like the 2nd Generation Echo but hoped it sounded a bit better, I would highly recommend this. Based on what I've read, if you were disappointed with the audio performance with the 1st Generation Echo Plus but want everything else it had to offer, consider giving this wonderful speaker a try.
P.S.: The internal ambient temperature sensor seems fairly accurate and nice to have included.
I jumped on the Echo bandwagon as soon as the original was released a few years ago. Loved it. When the Echo Plus with Built in Hub was released in 2017 … Nice. The hub gave me the luxury of controlling my garage door after buying Nexx Garage. With these two Echo's - I also purchased the Amazon Voice Remote because the Echos did not have much range for "listening" around corners and from different rooms. The Voice Remote was essential, but solved the issue. I also added an Echo Dot in an obscure corner of the house for better Alexa coverage.
When the Echo Plus with ZigBee (2nd Generation) was released in October 2018 … I stressed over whether I should take the plunge and add another. Would it be "that" much better? I DID buy it and I am soooooooo glad about my decision.
PROS: #1 - Pairing accessories with this latest version is easy and intuitive. Everything works flawlessly. My previous two Echos had me ranting in frustration when trying to add a smart home device. And most ended up being returned out of failure to pair. #2 - The internal microphone is so finely tuned - I can call out commands from other rooms and even outside the house (when the windows are open) and Alexa responds perfectly. #3 - THE SPEAKERS. Oh the sound is phenomenol !! Yet - I was going to call Amazon support because there was a "rattle" sound frequently from the speakers/unit when playing music. I went next to the unit to record the "rattle" so I could play it for the tech rep when I called. It was them that I realized the speakers were so dynamic - they were rattling my fine glassware that was in close proximity to the Echo. Once the glassware was moved - the speakers are sensational and flawless. I play Spotify all the time now. It sounds wonderful on the new Echo !!!
This 2nd Generation Echo is worth every penny and then some. I now have my entire house paired with receptacles, light bulbs, my garage door opener and a Phillips Color Hue bulb. Pairing and grouping everything was absolutely simple !!! There is never a glitch in operating the accessories. AND best of all - I know what I will be buying for family holiday gifts.
These were on sale for Black Friday/ cyber Monday. I didn’t see the point in having a robot listen to mine and my family’s every word. I read reviews and my boyfriend and I laughed at people saying they have 7 or 22 of these around their home, “what weirdos” “how lonely do you have to be?!”. I thought you just ask questions and she replies. How stupid.... WELL we love this. We purchased this one and a 3rd generation dot (one for the living room and one for the kitchen) I ordered the 2nd generation for as a grab bag gift for Christmas because everyone almost passed out last year when they saw that this dot was in a pool of gifts. We’re keeping all three. Living room, bedroom and kitchen, we even bought the light bulbs that Alexa can turn on. This thing can make grocery lists and it’s automatically on mine and my boyfriends phone (love love love this shopping list feature!!). We can talk to each other from one room to the next, my boyfriend keeps playing the worst music from the bedroom into the living room while I’m cleaning just to get a laugh. This is a nifty thing and we love them. If the government is listening to our every word, we’re going to get our own reality show. AND if these things start speaking on their own, I’m throwing them out the window and will update my review. But for now we really dig them.
I really like the sound on these two speakers combined. I have a Bose, which always outperformed other small sound systems for me, but the Echo 2nd Gen--although individually not quite as good soundwise as Bose--sounds just as good when the two speakers are paired, and along with the subwoofer slightly outperform the Bose. The trebles are clear and the bass isn't overwhelming, but it's a good solid sound and feel. There's a good balance between treble and bass and you can ask Alexa to decrease or increase both. The volume level can also get extremely loud, which I found has been lacking in most speakers this size. The setup can be a little glitchy with the Alexa app, which seems buggy and is not that user friendly when it comes to setting up and pairing, but even I, who is no tech wiz, was able to figure it out and finally pair everything up. I've tried so many small speakers like this and have always been disappointed, so I'm glad I finally found some that live up to my expectations. Super happy I bought these. I'll definitely be keeping them.
I had been using a 2nd generation Dot in conjunction with an older Bose Bluetooth speaker which my spouse would run off with periodically, so when Amazon offered a good trade-in discount (and the Bose was missing again), I took advantage and ordered the sandstone speaker. I guess I was prepared to be disappointed in sound compared to the Bose, but this sounds great! Can’t really notice a difference! It’s nice not to have to separately turn the Bose on (how lazy is that?). It works great with the free Hue bulb, though I had to power the bulb off and on again to put it into pairing mode, apparently, because the Echo couldn’t find it at first. I feel it’s a good value and I’m really happy with the purchase.
Feature Product
- To set up your free bulb, plug in and set up your Echo Plus, plug in your bulb, and ask, "Alexa, discover my devices."
- Echo Plus has a built-in Zigbee hub to easily setup and control your compatible smart home devices, and an improved sound for streaming music.
- Premium speakers powered by Dolby play 360° audio with crisp vocals and dynamic bass response. You can also use your voice to adjust equalizer settings or pair with a second Echo Plus (2nd gen) for stereo sound.
- Ask Alexa to play music, answer questions, read the news, check the weather, set alarms, control compatible smart home devices, play Audible audiobooks, call almost anyone, and more.
- Set up your smart home without a separate hub. Ask Alexa to control compatible smart lights, switches, sensors, door locks, and more. Echo Plus also includes a built-in temperature sensor.
- Ask Alexa for a song, artist, or genre from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, SiriusXM, and more. With multi-room music, play music on compatible Echo devices in different rooms.
- Call almost anyone hands-free. Instantly drop in on other rooms in your home or make an announcement to every room with a compatible Echo device.
- With seven microphones, beamforming technology, and noise cancellation, Echo Plus hears you from any direction-even while music is playing.
Description
Premium sound with built-in smart home hub
Not that the sound of the "old" 1st Gen Echo was bad, but the 2nd Gen is noticeably better. Deep, richer and perhaps even louder than the old. I did like the old volume control (turning the top of the device) as opposed to buttons (so 1990s), but since I rarely use that function, I can live with it. The only down I can think of is the "smart home hub." I don't know what it is, how to use it, whether it can replace the ones I already own, or where to find information about it. I posted a question pre-sale, but never got a response. Maybe no one know, or perhaps it is not ready for prime time.
BTW, I "traded in" the old one for a credit and it was worth the investment just because the sound is superior.
I purchased Alexa Plus (gen 1) the day it came out and now this (gen 2) Plus Hub. I'll not rehash that experience so Amazon will not call me again. OK if you don't have one of these Hubs they are cool and I like over Wink, GE and Hue. Hue hub I gave away but still use Wink for Zwave and Stanley locks. I run all the switches and WiFi off Alexa/Echo hub. Now I have Alexa both gen 1 and 2 hubs running. Good news this one just sync's-up and no issues so far. So why did I purchase this well for temperature sensor and most important stand alone automation when WEB is down. Temperature works great if you wish to know as she runs 1.5 to 5 degrees hotter then the room when in use especially if you are enjoying the my opinion improves sound quality. So great if you want to take her temp but a word of caution if you are running heating/cooling automation off her reading alone. As for standalone light controller when internet is out also, guess that is some enhancement as I couldn't get it to work just got the typical RED ring. Why 4 stars, 1 because it is cool, 2 because it works kind-of, 3 because I purchased it after know what gen 1 was like out of the box and 4 so Amazon won't call asking me about my review. Really is a fun great product nice new Android App update is what I use as the main driver for home automation after giving up circa 1978 X10/BSR system till a few years ago. Why not 5 stars? I'll save that for when the product reaches the hype. I purchased not for what it can't do now but what it can do in the future. Except for new looks I have experienced nothing to praise over the older hub so far.
I’m amazed with the speaker quality, improved bass and more louder. Loved it
i Bought the Alexa plus wrote a bad review
So now that I have played with it and educated myself with the help of the fantastic Amazon tec support people I can give a better review. Ok to start with if you buy smart life bulbs and can’t get them to work there are like a dozen smart life apps my best suggestion is look at the picture of the name brand and then look for that same picture on the smart life app that it matches. Then you got the right app for that light. And if you still can’t get it to work ask amazon tec support to help you they are amazing 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼The Alexa plus is wonderful you don’t need Amazon music or any of that it’s built into the Alexa you just say Alexa play me some blues or play me some pop music and it will. Find out how cold or hot it is outside or the traffic she will tell you. I am now really enjoying my Alexa plus I just bough two echo dot’s on Black Friday for $20 each to put in different rooms
Easy to use and sounds better then the others.However, the light ring started turning green and and would a a pulsating thing. when I looked up what the color meant I read that either I was getting an incoming call or something was eavesdropping on me. immediately put it into "do not disturb" and after that I never saw the light again. I have multiple Alexa devices and have never had this happen.
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