Sound quality is the best I've heard on a speaker of this size!!! Definitely worth paying a little extra for this one over the 2nd generation model. I'm not going to discuss the functionality as there's tons of info already out there. One important note: If you set up the Alexa app on your phone, IT WILL IMPORT ALL OF YOUR PHONE CONTACTS. I didn't think I gave it permission to do so but Alexa did indeed import my contacts! You may have read stories how, WITHOUT YOUR KNOWLEDGE, Alexa can record what's being said in your home and then send it to ANY or ALL of those contacts! Yikes! And, I won't want any of my kids to accidentally send messages to or call people on my contact list. So, if you want to keep your contacts from Alexa and prevent that from happening here's how I did it:
Before installiing the Alexa app on your phone, export your contacts to a file and save it for later. Then, go back to the phone and delete those contacts (don't worry, you'll import them back in later). Now, install the Alexa app on your phone and go through the set up process. At some point, you'll have the option to allow Alexa to automatically import any additions to your contacts. Please "disable" that option. After you're done with the installation, you'll notice there are no contacts in your Alexa app! Now, you can import your contacts back into your phonebook using the file that you initially created and you're good to go!
If you already installed the app but want to delete your contacts from Alexa, it's not too late. Simply export your phone contacts to a file and save for later. Then, delete the contacts from your phone. Now, open the Alexa app and click "Contacts." On the Contacts page, click on "Import Contacts" and enable it by moving the button to the right side. This will cause Alexa to replace your existing contacts with the now empty phonebook. After a few minutes, your Alexa contacts will be gone. Go back and disable "Import Contacts" to prevent Alexa from importing them in the future. You can now import the contact file that you created back into your phone.
Of course there may be some contacts you do want to use with Alexa. I simply added them manually by clicking "Add Contact."
I hope this info is helpful as I wasn't able to find an easy way to manage Alexa contacts.
I've been a happy owner of a 2nd generation Echo and three 2nd generation Echo Dots for a year now, and I was glad to add this to the arsenal. After using it for a few days I am generally pleased with it, but it does have limitations, especially when it comes to sound quality (no surprise there!). I will start by summarizing what's new about the 3rd Generation Dot, then I'll describe the device in more detail, and finally I'll add some thoughts about how to choose which Echo device may be best for you.
The most obvious update to the Dot is the new look: it's as if someone took a 2nd generation Dot, inflated it with an air pump, and wrapped the edge in fabric. And it's not bad!
What's different/updated in the 3rd Generation Dot:
1) It is slightly larger than the 2nd generation device, measuring 3.9" wide x 1.7" tall (2nd gen was 3.3" wide x 1.3" tall), and the top and bottom edges are more rounded. It is also substantially heavier at nearly twice the weight of the 2nd generation model.
2) The 2nd generation Dot came in two color options (black and white), each of which had a shiny plastic exterior that I personally thought looked a little cheap. The 3rd generation Dot has a fabric exterior which gives it a classier appearance, and it's available in three colors: heather grey, sandstone, and charcoal. The fabric and rounded edges give the 3rd generation Dot a much softer look than its predecessor.
4) The 3rd generation Dot has a larger speaker (1.6", versus 1.1" on the 2nd gen), which is paired with a larger driver as well. I'll talk below about the effect this has on audio quality.
5) The placement of the microphones is slightly different: while the 2nd generation had seven small far-field microphones on its top surface; the 3rd generation has four microphones.
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Overall appearance
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I purchased the "sandstone" version. The cloth is a polyester woven fabric made up of lighter and darker shades which gives it more visual interest than if it were just a solid, uniform gray. The neutral color blends in with nearly any decor, and the cloth gives the unit a softer look which is great for areas of your house where you don't want something that screams "I'm a device!"
Aside from its larger size and slight convex bulge, the top of the device is nearly identical to that of the 2nd generation Dot: it has four buttons (volume up, volume down, microphone off, and an "action" button) and a multi-colored light ring around the top edge that tells you about the Echo's status. The side of the device has an input for the power cable and a 3.5-mm output jack.
One notable improvement is the shape of the power cable, which sits flatter against the wall than the 2nd generation Dot's cable (see my photo to see them side by side). This may sound like an insignificant change, but it makes a huge difference if you want to plug the cable into an outlet that is behind a piece of furniture.
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Setup
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Setting up the Dot couldn't be easier. You simply plug in the power cable, then use the Alexa app on your phone to connect the Dot to your WiFi network. The app leads you through everything, and the whole process takes less than a minute. Boom.
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Audio
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I did a side-by-side audio comparison of the 2nd and 3rd Generation Echo Dots, first with music (orchestral, a jazz combo, and some AC/DC) and then with a few newscasts. Everything does sound better on the 3rd generation Dot, but to be honest, the sound is still pretty anemic. Compared with the 2nd generation Dot, the sound is slightly fuller, not as annoyingly tinny, and has a small amount of bass presence (not much, but the 2nd generation had none). Newscasts and other spoken texts benefit from the fuller sound as well, but the difference is more pronounced with music. Just for fun, I also compared the 3rd generation Dot with my 2nd generation Echo, and THAT'S where I noticed a big difference. Yes, the new Dot sounds a bit better than its predecessor, but they both sound weak compared to the full-sized Echo. (To its credit, Amazon doesn't claim that the Dot has room-filling sound.)
I'll be blunt: I really like the Dot, but I don't use it to listen to music. At all. With so many other speaker options out there, there's just no reason to use this as your primary music device.
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Voice recognition
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As I mentioned above, the number of microphones on the top surface has dropped from seven to four. I'm not sure what the rationale for this was, but after testing the Dot's ability to pick up my voice from different distances and angles, I didn't notice a substantial difference in the overall microphone sensitivity compared to the 2nd generation Dot. Like the other Echo devices, though, it seems to have more difficulty detecting voices that come from below it (which happens if I talk to it while I'm on the floor playing with my daughter).
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Functionality
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The bottom line is that the overall functionality -- what the 3rd generation Dot "does" -- is nearly identical to that of the previous generations (and of other Echo devices, or at least the ones without screens). This is largely because the Alexa assistant software on which all Echos operate is run on Amazon's cloud, not your individual device. This means that as Amazon adds new features and updates to Alexa they automatically become available on all Echo devices. So, you can use any of them to:
- Stream music via WiFi from multiple sources
- Control smart home devices with your voice
- Make hands-free calls to other Echo devices or phone numbers in North America
- Make purchases from your Amazon Prime account
- Listen to news feeds, podcasts, etc.
- Do anything else in Alexa's ever-growing skill set, such as make shopping lists, set timers/alarms/reminders, play games, tell you your daily schedule, and any other skills Amazon dreams up for Alexa in the future.
If you don't want to use the Dot's built-in speaker, you can connect it to your own speakers via Bluetooth or by using the 3.5-mm output jack.
One new feature for the 3rd generation Dot is a little puzzling to me: You can pair two Echo Dots in a "stereo mode," giving you essentially left and right speakers. I tried this briefly and the results were pretty much what I expected: yes, it's stereo, but it's still weak sound! You can also pair an Echo Sub with the Dots, creating a little 2.1 sound system. Frankly, I'm not sure why you would do this; if I were setting up for stereo sound, I would want speakers that are designed for decent audio performance, not two Echo Dots.
Alexa's skill set is enormous and always growing. In fact, part of the fun of owning an Echo device is seeing what new skills Amazon comes up with (even if many new skills are just silly or entertaining). I'll mention two of my favorite skills here: the Flash Briefing and the drop-in feature. The flash briefing is fully customizable daily digest of news and other information which you can hear any time by asking "What's my flash briefing?" There is a huge list of content you can add to your briefing including news updates, weather forecasts, sports and traffic updates, and educational snippets along with many that are just humorous or entertaining. Using the Alexa phone app or your Echo account page you can select exactly what content you want in your briefing and in what order you want to hear it. For example, I configured mine with news feeds from NPR, BBC, and Reuters. I love having an on-demand synopsis of the latest news from my favorite sources.
My other favorite feature, "drop in," essentially opens a two-way communication channel between any two Echo devices, sort of like an intercom. Simply ask Alexa to "drop in on [the living room, the kitchen...]" and you are instantly connected. My wife and I use this feature to communicate from opposite ends of the house. You can turn drop-in capability on or off for each of your Echo devices individually, and you can also choose whether each device can drop in with ANY Echo device or only those in your own home.
[Note that the drop-in feature is NOT the same thing as Alexa's hands-free calling feature. Hands-free calling allows you to call most phone numbers and Echo devices in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada from your Echo by saying your contact's name or number. Just like with a phone call, the other person must choose to answer your call before you can communicate. By contrast, with the drop-in feature communication is instantly established. For this reason you will probably want to use drop-in only with your closest family and friends, and probably only for certain rooms in your home!]
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A few (minor) complaints
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Unfortunately this 3rd Generation Dot shares an annoying trait of its predecessors: widely varying volume levels within the daily Flash Briefing. As you listen to the briefing, some components (such as BBC News) come through quietly while others (like Reuters) are much louder. Not a deal-breaker, but slightly annoying.
Also, occasionally when Alexa misunderstands a command, you have to "start over," which can be really irritating. For example, if Alexa thinks you asked to turn on a light but you really asked something else, she will repeatedly say "In which room?" until you say "Alexa, stop" and then start over. I'm guessing this type of thing will improve over time as voice recognition software becomes more advanced. This is really more of an Alexa issue than a Dot issue, but it drives me nuts at times.
Finally, I wish the Alexa phone app was easier to use. It works, but its organization is not intuitive and it feels rather clunky to navigate. Again, this is more of an "Alexa" issue than a "Dot" issue, but still... Hopefully Amazon will continue to make improvements to it!
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A few tips
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1) The Dot seems to pick up voices best when placed at or below eye level (i.e., roughly the level from which your voice emits). Mine has trouble detecting voices coming from below it, so I don't recommend placing this on a high shelf.
2) When you select news feeds for your Flash briefing I recommend picking one U.S. source and one international source (I use NPR and BBC - both are excellent). If you add too many feeds you'll get a lot of overlap and hear the same story several times.
3) If you have multiple Echo devices in your home, sometimes speaking to one will cause others to respond as well, especially if they are in close proximity (like in adjacent rooms). One way to prevent this is to change the wake word of one of the devices to "Echo" or "Amazon." The only downside is that you then have to remember which wake word you assigned to each device!
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Echo Dot vs. Echo vs. Echo Plus: Which one to buy?
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(Please note that I am only comparing Echo devices that do NOT have screens.)
When choosing between the Echo Dot and one of the larger Echo devices, perhaps the most important question to ask is "How much do you plan to LISTEN to the device?" This question is important because one of the biggest differences between the Echo Dot and the larger Echo devices is sound quality: the 1.6" speaker of the Dot simply cannot match the fullness and heft of the Echo or Echo Plus. (Remember, they all run on the same Alexa software, which means they all have nearly identical skill sets!)
So, if you don't currently own an Echo device, start by thinking carefully about how you plan to use it. Many Alexa skills fall into one of two broad categories: those that rely heavily on the speaker and those that don't. For example, features that benefit from good sound quality include playing music/newscasts/podcasts, the drop-in feature, and hands-free calling. (This is why I chose an Echo Plus for my kitchen - I use it every morning to listen to the news.) If you plan to use your device largely for these type of features, you would probably appreciate the better sound of the Echo or Echo Plus.
On the other hand, if plan to use the Echo mainly for "non-listening" purposes such as voice-controlling your smart home devices, then the sound quality isn't as important and a Dot is probably all you need. In fact, you could even save some money by purchasing a 2nd generation Dot instead -- especially if it's not going to be in a highly visible location or you don't mind its shiny plastic look. I have several "single-purpose" Dots in my house in rooms where I want to voice-control one thing, such as a lamp in the room, and 2nd generations Dots are just fine for this -- and now that their price has gone down they are a great value!
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Bottom line
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The Echo Dot is an extraordinarily useful and versatile device -- one that becomes more useful all the time as Alexa's skill set expands. The 3rd Generation model has a great new look, but despite marginal improvements in the speaker, it's still pretty unsatisfying as a playback device for music or newscasts. As long as you are willing to accept its acoustic limitations, the Dot can be a wonderful device to have in your home. And if you DO want better sound quality for the features you use most often, you can always connect the Dot to your own sound system via Bluetooth or the 3.5-mm audio jack. Hope this was helpful!
I had no idea I'd love Alexa so much - I wake up in the morning and she does the routine I've set up, and she's so comforting and useful and fun overall. My husband and I played Skills trivia games for hours last night. If we had kids it would be even more super useful (kids workouts, stories, games) - we even had a goodnight story read to us by Alexa and it was awesome. I'm really loving it. The Echo Dot itself is pretty great - the sound quality is pretty good, the bass when turned up is not that great, but if you really want to rock out you can connect it to other speakers or just use something else instead. I'm really surprised by how much I like the Alexa app (and the Echo Dot), because I'm a little resistant to technology, but it's pretty easy to figure out and feels like a new little buddy in the home. I'm excited to get some SmartHome stuff now so I can turn on/off lights, heat, etc. The only tiny issue I have is that for some reason Alexa doesn't pick up my husband's voice as much as it does mine - maybe because I've used it more? Really cool, though, overall - I feel like Judy Jetson!
I was debating between this and the regular echo. I've had both and we both know what the echo does so all I'll talk about is the sound quality.
I'm going to get to the chase. This is the BEST speaker I've ever heard for under $50. The functions of the echo along with the music playing functionality and the sound quality makes it a steal at this price point.
The sound is great for its size. It can get pretty loud but the bass is definitely lacking. The bass isn't god awful but it just isn't there.
Now I will say this... if your primary motivation for a speaker is to listen to music, go with the echo. If it is but your budget is under $50 then go with the dot. It won't blow anyone away during a get together in your living room but it'll get the job done. The dot will only flourish is an enclosed space. It needs walls nearby to bounce off to cover up the weakness of the bass.
If I had to compare the sound to another speaker, I'd say the UE Wonderboom or the older Beats Pill, all of which suffer from weak bass. For the size, I was impressed by the sound but with the Echo at its refurbished price of $69 I'll have to aim towards that direction.
I'd recommend this for someone who needs an echo for their kitchen, bedroom or bathroom. It's just not going to hold down a living room unfortunately but overall, I like the sound and if I need a second echo, I'll definitely get a dot.
It's louder with better bass response compared with the 2nd generation Dot that I also have. I listen to a lot of speech and that sounded muddy compared to 2nd gen. I learned from technical support that equalizer controls are avialable. They are accessed as follows:
1. In the Alexa App, tap on the Devices icon at the bottom-right
2.Tap on Echo & Alexa at the top-left corner
3. Down below, tap on your Echo Dot
4. Down below, tap on "Sounds"
5. Then tap on the Equalizer -- here you can adjust the Bass / Mid / Treble
Turning the bass way down and boosting the midrange helped a lot. It sounds more natural and is not as tinny as the 2nd gen model. Speech quality is not great but it's OK. For the price I think the sound quality is fine.
One problem I note is that the volume steps when using voice volume control ("Alexa louder," "Alexa softer") are large around my range of interest. It is either too loud or too soft. Using the controls on the Dot I get finer volume control and can get the volume just where I want. I had better voice volume control with the 2nd gen. Dot.
Feature Product
- Our most popular smart speaker - Now with a fabric design and improved speaker for richer and louder sound.
- Voice control your music - Stream songs from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Sirius XM, and others. You can also listen to audiobooks from Audible.
- Bigger, better sound - Pair with a second Echo Dot (3rd gen) for rich, stereo sound. Fill your home with music with compatible Echo devices in different rooms.
- Ready to help - Ask Alexa to play music, answer questions, read the news, check the weather, set alarms, control compatible smart home devices, and more.
- Connect with others - 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.
- Use another speaker - Connect to your own speakers over Bluetooth or with a 3.5 mm audio cable.
- Alexa has skills - With 50,000+ skills, Alexa is always getting smarter and adding new skills like tracking fitness, playing games, and more.
- Voice control your smart home - Turn on lights, adjust thermostats, lock doors, and more with compatible connected devices
Description
Smart speaker with Alexa
So we have 4 of the second generation dots and was excited to see the new one. Set up was super fast, sound and looks great! Can’t wait for the Black Friday special where I can add a few more in the house. Want a cool stand?, we used an old bath and body candle stand, works perfect and looks great!
I finally found a woman (Alexa) that listens and can be controlled. (Just kidding) Excellent product. This device saves a lot of time by automating my household items and by adding information and music to areas I spend a lot of time in. Eliminates the need from carrying a radio from room to room.
So far so good! The voice recognition is better. I don’t have to say Alexa multiple times for it to work. This one hears me everytime, the first time. The sound is much better so far.
This version of the dot is the first one I would recommend to someone who is interested in a smart speaker but not willing to spend much. The biggest drawback to the previous generation was the sound quality/loudness. I use my echoes mostly for controlling connected devices and listening to podcasts, so I felt like the older echo dot was OK for most things I would require. But even for casual music listening, it wasn't up to snuff. The new one actually has bass and sounds good to me, but it's not going to sound like a Sonos or anything and I'm not an audiophile but I do think this will satisfy the majority of people's expectations for $50. I also have the $100 full size Echo from 2017 and the new echo dot has about 65% of the sound quality and loudness of that model vs the older dot having about 15% of the sound quality of the full size echo. I have been using this new dot for a few days without any issues. I love it and I think you should get one!
I had the 2nd gen Dot every since i came out, I never used it to play music, because the speaker quality was just not fit to play music. Then yesterday I got this new 3d gen Dot, and gosh, not only the sound quality improved, the volume also improved! I got chemical burn on my private part from hair removal cream due to i didn't hear the timer on my 2nd gen dot, but the 3rd gen is so loud that you'll hear it for sure! The speaker quality on the 3rd gen dot is really good, i would even say it is better than my 2nd gen Eco!!! The sound from this 3rd gen Dot is loud, but smooth, unlike the 2nd gen Eco which hurts your ears when playing at loud volume and sounds are all distorted. I would def play music on this 3rd gen Dot from now, cuz it sounds good enough for listening music and won't sounds like if you were listening music on your great grandfather's handheld radio thingy. Oh also the look of this device is much better than the previous one as well. The previous one looks like if it was only $20.... but the look on this one at least $50 lol
The only reason i gave it a 4 star is because when playing music around volume 8-10 it can't hear me calling her name, and i have to scream on the top of my lung( like if someone were to stab me kinda scream) for her to hear me. So now i just walk to her and control her instead of using my voice cuz i'm too weak to scream to her multiple times a day.
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