Echo & Alexa Forums
General Category => Amazon Echo Discussion => Topic started by: badbob001 on October 28, 2016, 12:01:44 pm
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The Dot seems good, but if you want to use it for music, trying to find speakers to connect to it is a real pain. Most bluetooth speakers will power off after some time and that is not really compatible with the always-on nature of Echo.
Some $100-$200+ speakers offer an option to disable auto-sleep, but if you're spending that much, then why not just get the original Echo? And all bluetooth speakers come with batteries and if you plan to use them solely for the Dot, then the battery is useless and makes me a little nervous, given recent events of things catching fire.
Connecting regular computer speakers looks tacky. I guess you can connect to an existing home sound system but that is not something you would leave powered on all the time and you can only connect one Dot to that. Google Home's equivalent product with built-in speakers is coming soon for $80 and so the challenge is to find good $30 speakers to go with the $50 Dot. Maybe Amazon should just make an optional speaker to stack the Dot on and kill off the expensive original Echo.
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Some have connected a Y audio out to the dot, one end going to a small, always on speaker. The other goes to a receiver. When the receiver is turned on (possibly by the Dot) those speakers drown out the small speaker. I like my Echoes for music, and use the Dots for everything else (news, weather, automation control, etc.)
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I thought this myself, buying a Dot THEN buying speakers to make it sound better may end up dearer than the Echo in the 1st place.
Seriously I thought PC Speakers (2+1 system 2 satellites and a centre sub) can be got for a good price and CAN sound really good for the money as PC speakers are cut throat pricing.
As you say, the on-off/power type thing is an issue to work out though.
I did think.
Why not just fit a smart switch to the speakers, so you just say to the DOT, "Speaker On" your speakers turn on THEN you start using it.
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I got the pricing of Google Home mixed up and it's really $130 and not $80. One thing that I like about Home is that it can sync audio playback over multiple units, which is something Echo can't currently do. The speaker sync is similar to what SONOS speakers do, but those cost at least $200 per speak AND integration with Echo will not happen until 2017.
I want to put an Echo Dot in each of my kid's rooms so I rather not have a mess of wires from a pc speaker system.
I looked into bluetooth speakers from Anker but I've confirmed with them that they all will timeout after 30 minutes and you have to press a button to reconnect. Anker has 18 month warranties on their products when everyone else is just 3 months so it's a shame I have to skip them.
The Bose Soundlink mini II has button-combo to disable sleep when it's charging, but $200 is a bit much.
Cambridge Soundworks has some speakers that may work out. The $28 Oontz Angle3 and $109 Oontz Angle3XL will stay on as long as they are charging. The large 3XL version is interesting because the battery is removable and you can run it off external power with the battery removed, which is great for something you don't really need to be portable. The 3XL also has an interesting feature where you can pair it with another 3XL over bluetooth and you can have each speaker play the left/right stereo audio or have both play the same, kind of like a crappy and shorter-range version of the SONOS speakers.
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If you wish a Bluetooth speaker recommendation, whilst I do not have one, I have heard nothing but amazing reviews about this, for it's power and sound quality, Price is quite reasonable (considering), looks modern and something I would probably go for it I wanted to get a Bluetooth speaker for my echo:
UK Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/PLAY-Bang-Olufsen-Beoplay-Bluetooth/dp/B01560EUCC
US Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/PLAY-by-Bang-Olufsen-BO1625326/dp/B0155VM8YY/
Short B&O Video Guide: https://www.amazon.com/PLAY-by-Bang-Olufsen-BO1625326/dp/B0155VM8YY/
In Home Review (this guy felt the treble was a fraction sharp, but I like a crisp treble)
You can hear just how much it fills his BIG room for a single one of these
https://youtu.be/bM4to_99jFc
More in the hands (feeling of build) review:
https://youtu.be/Cv8WooSJDVQ
Certainly something I would be VERY tempted to buy. Probably in the White to go with a White Dot :)
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Why not just fit a smart switch to the speakers, so you just say to the DOT, "Speaker On" your speakers turn on THEN you start using it.
This got me thinking, if i connect my Dot to my Onkyo AV receiver with a 3.5mm cable. will the Dot sound always go to the receiver even if it is off!?
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yes
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Aplogies, I shoul dhave been clearer with what I said.
I think you could pair a Bluetooth speaker, and then the Dot would use it's own speaker.
Then put a smart switch to power the Bluetooth speaker, so then you you ask the Dot to "Alexa, turn on dot speaker" that would bring the speaker to live, it would pair up, and after that the audio would come from that and no the dot.
Until you told the dot to turn off the speaker, it would un-pair and the dot's speaker would work again.
Please correct me if I'm wrong here :)
However, I believe that the physical act of plugging a jack plug into the dot, will physically kill all dot audio till the plug is pulled out.
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I got a Fluance Fi30 BT speaker to use with a Dot.
It's AC powered, and lately is around $70 at Amazon.
It doesn't shut itself off and has never disconnected.
I use it mainly for listening to classical & jazz music in our kitchen and the sound is fine.
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I got a Fluance Fi30 BT speaker to use with a Dot.
It's AC powered, and lately is around $70 at Amazon.
It doesn't shut itself off and has never disconnected.
I use it mainly for listening to classical & jazz music in our kitchen and the sound is fine.
Thanks for recommending this. I probably would not have come across this on my own. It seems to meet all my requirements, is cheaper than the Angle 3XL I was considering, has a two year warranty, and even supports the higher-quality apt-x codec (I don't know if the Dot supports that, but better to have than not). Now to choose either black or white...
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I bought two of these, then bought two more.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/182089178432
Dirt cheap (under a fiver). The jack plug is not a fixture, it is a double headed jack, so you can remove it, and then you have a normal socket you plug a jack to phono into, if that is what you amp/speaker takes.
So far, with a couple of initial hiccups only, they are on as long as they are powered (see below). I have one connecting a Dot to my desktop speakers in my office, and I've been coming into the office for the last week, in the expectation that it will all be working without an issue, and so far no problems. I have another connected to the aux of the radio in my kitchen, and similarly it is always there.
(They do seem to have an internal battery, but it is when they are on battery that they power off when not in use. While connected to USB power, mine haven't powered off.)
Worth a risk, for a fiver?
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I would be interested to know, what speakers you can get that have a very VERY low current draw when there is no signal being sent to them.
I guess it's a question of how fast can a chip turn on power to an amp that is driving the speakers.
What would help a LOT, and I'm guessing this is not the case, but Amazon could alter this.
Take this scenario. You have the Dot, its sitting waiting for the keyword.
You say Alexa, the blue dial lights up as it's now listening.
At this very moment, the second the blue light goes on, it could send some, even silent(ish) signal to the external speaker to give it that extra few seconds to, as it were fire up, whilst you are speaking, ready for a glitch free audio response from the Dot.
Even if you said "Alexa, what is the time" that's still a generous 2 seconds at least really.
I don't know how it's done, but that could be enough time for a amp to go from standby and a very low power/standby mode into being able to output audio.
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i just use bose bluetooth speaker. yes it goes to sleep but i moved speaker to accessible location. now i just ask dot to play music and press on the bose. it then switches audio immediately over to the dot without the need to say connect etc
depends how you want it setup
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Take this scenario. You have the Dot, its sitting waiting for the keyword.
You say Alexa, the blue dial lights up as it's now listening.
At this very moment, the second the blue light goes on, it could send some, even silent(ish) signal to the external speaker to give it that extra few seconds to, as it were fire up, whilst you are speaking, ready for a glitch free audio response from the Dot.
Even if you said "Alexa, what is the time" that's still a generous 2 seconds at least really.
I don't know how it's done, but that could be enough time for a amp to go from standby and a very low power/standby mode into being able to output audio.
I solved this by turning on the Wake Word tone on my Dot that is connected to the sleeping speakers (in my case, a Sonos speaker). Alexa sends the tone out when she hears the wake word, which allows the speaker to come alive in time for the response. I never miss the first part of Alexa's response since setting this option.
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Thanks.
So you get this tone every time after that, or can you turn the tone on/off via voice once you have started using the Dot ?
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Thanks.
So you get this tone every time after that, or can you turn the tone on/off via voice once you have started using the Dot ?
Not by voice (at least, not as far as I know), but you can disable it using your device configuration options in the app.
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I got a Fluance Fi30 BT speaker to use with a Dot.
It's AC powered, and lately is around $70 at Amazon.
It doesn't shut itself off and has never disconnected.
I use it mainly for listening to classical & jazz music in our kitchen and the sound is fine.
So the dot never disconnects from the Fi30? I read that the Fi30 makes an annoying sound when disconnecting and reconnecting, so I certainly don't want that to happen all through the night on its own.
Another issue I've read about is that there is no button to initiate bluetooth pairing, so the speakers are always ready to pair. There is a button to wipe existing pairings but that is not the same. One fear is that my neighbors or any anyone off the street can potentially pair with my speakers. Perhaps if the speakers are constantly paired with the dot, then it will not allow any other pairings until the dot is disconnected? Wow, won't it be creepy if your neighbor secretly pairs with your speakers and pipes over some scary sounds.
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So the dot never disconnects from the Fi30? I read that the Fi30 makes an annoying sound when disconnecting and reconnecting, so I certainly don't want that to happen all through the night on its own.
Another issue I've read about is that there is no button to initiate bluetooth pairing, so the speakers are always ready to pair. There is a button to wipe existing pairings but that is not the same. One fear is that my neighbors or any anyone off the street can potentially pair with my speakers. Perhaps if the speakers are constantly paired with the dot, then it will not allow any other pairings until the dot is disconnected? Wow, won't it be creepy if your neighbor secretly pairs with your speakers and pipes over some scary sounds.
Bluetooth "pairing" and "connecting" are different things. Pairing establishes a sort of trust relationship between two BT devices, making them aware of one another's existence and allowing for subsequent connections between them. Once established, this pairing exists even when the devices are not actively connected. Connections are more transient, and are what need to be active in order for the devices to exchange the data that results in what you hear from one of them.
I might find one of my neighbors using something to pair with and connect to one of my BT devices annoying, but I don't think I'd call that a "scary" proposition.
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I use an Anker Premium Stereo Bluetooth Speaker 4.0 (A3143) with my Dot. No issues with this speaker disconnecting as other's have reported with their's. Connection is via Bluetooth, although I leave it plugged into a power source. Good luck!
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I have a pair of powered Audioengine speakers with a Logitech Bluetooth input, which is paired with my Echo Dot. The speakers instantly come on when they detect an audio signal. When I walk in my office in the morning, I say, "Alexa, play," and the music starts right up.
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So I went with the option to connect to an existing receiver using the AmazonBasics Bluetooth 4.0 Audio Receiver:
https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Bluetooth-4-0-Audio-Receiver/dp/B00I59VBH4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1508880078&sr=8-2&keywords=amazon+bluetooth+receiver (https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Bluetooth-4-0-Audio-Receiver/dp/B00I59VBH4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1508880078&sr=8-2&keywords=amazon+bluetooth+receiver)
While audio works the interface via Alexa is so broken it's laughable.
The AmazonBasics BT device has no on-off switch. Why would it? It's just not needed.
The problem: "Alexa, disconnect" (the documented command) actually works and causes Alexa to disconnect from the Bluetooth audio and switch to the internal speaker at which point Alexa verbally confirms this to you over the internal speaker and then immediately switches back to the Bluetooth audio. While this is normal behavior for BT whoever let this pass QA completely failed in understanding the Echo UI.
I have documented this with Amazon Support and created a ticket number. If you would like Amazon to properly support switching back to the internal speaker (and who knows what else they might fix in acknowledging this issue) please follow the link below and open your own ticket and reference mine.
https://www.amazonforum.com/forums/echo-alexa/echo-devices/2246-speaker-selection-doesnt-work-bluetooth-not (https://www.amazonforum.com/forums/echo-alexa/echo-devices/2246-speaker-selection-doesnt-work-bluetooth-not)
One additional issue: For those that have actually tried this you may have noticed there's no discrete control for the UI volume. This means you set your music volume and the UI can be too loud or barely audible and there's no way to separately adjust it [e.g. like you would in your car]. FWIW I don't view this as a "feature request" given this platform is intended as an audio solution. That would be like calling tires "extras" on cars. I also have a ticket open for this:
https://www.amazonforum.com/forums/echo-alexa/echo-devices/2248-amazon-echo-show-dot-ui-access-to-discrete-audio (https://www.amazonforum.com/forums/echo-alexa/echo-devices/2248-amazon-echo-show-dot-ui-access-to-discrete-audio)
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https://www.amazon.com/PLAY-by-Bang-Olufsen-BO1625326/dp/B0155VM8YY/
te
It might sound great but OMG, that is one FUGLY black space rock -- perfect for one's home decor if they lived in a gravel pit. ;) But seriously, I was thinking of a wired speaker for the Echo 2 I just purchased (not that it could replace my audio system), but it sounds good enough on its own for home background music. I'm considering obtaining a Dot so am happy to follow developments re sound on it here.
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https://www.amazon.com/PLAY-by-Bang-Olufsen-BO1625326/dp/B0155VM8YY/
te
It might sound great but OMG, that is one FUGLY black space rock -- perfect for one's home decor if they lived in a gravel pit. ;) But seriously, I was thinking of a wired speaker for the Echo 2 I just purchased (not that it could replace my audio system), but it sounds good enough on its own for home background music. I'm considering obtaining a Dot so am happy to follow developments re sound on it here.
B&O has always had some odd stuff... some beautiful, some not so much. But the Audio quality is usually excellent. The price on that one listed is actually pretty decent as well, for B&O. They have some other ones that are 599.00 and up as well... I'd have to see the "Space Rock" in person to decide whether I think it's really that ugly... but it doesn't appear to be one of their prettiest pieces ever. Price out their A9 speaker... $3k ish... weird but neat design as well. And the Space rock is available in white as well... does look a lot less clunky in white...
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My solution is to have a Dot plugged into my stereo system AUX in. I also have other audio devices plugged into stereo's inputs, and for over 40 years my stereo system has been left ON 24/7/365. This is better for stereo than turning it on and off during this time. All I need to do is move source switch of stereo to the input I want to hear, including the Dot. Great sound at any time from any device.