Which Amazon Echo has the Best Sound/Speakers?

The family of Amazon Echo devices has grown exponentially since it first arrived on the market. Each new model features a few upgrades that improve on the previous. And now you have a bunch of Echo devices with a range of audio quality.

But the question of which one has the best speaker and sound still lingers. Getting a second-generation Echo Plus can give you decent sound quality. But an Echo Plus bundle might even put a smile on some audiophile’s faces.

This is why you should take a closer look at the second-generation Echo Plus bundle.

What’s in an Echo Plus Bundle?

The bundle comes with a pair of second-generation Echo Plus speakers and an Echo Sub. So it’s like a 2.1 wireless stereo system for the best Echo audio experience.

To be clear, the second-generation Echo Plus speakers have excellent sound on their own. Each features a 3-inch woofer and a 0.8-inch tweeter with neodymium, plus Dolby DSP is built-in. But if you want premium sound quality, the bundle is the way to go.

Why Does the Echo Plus Bundle Have the Best Sound?

So, one speaker is mono, but two speakers are capable of stereo sound. When done right, stereo sound always has much better separation and depth than mono.

Also, Echo is a smart speaker but it can’t defy physics. A 3-inch woofer can only play this much bass – which is not a lot. By offloading the bass to a subwoofer, everything will sound much more open, clear, and defined. You can add a small subwoofer to crappy TV speakers and still significantly improve the sound. Imagine what an Echo Sub can do.

The Best Soundbars with Subwoofers

Read More

The Echo Sub features a downward-firing woofer. This 6-inch subwoofer can play exceptionally low for its size. The built-in amplifier has 100W RMS to drive the woofer to really loud bass-thumping SPL.

The adaptive low-pass filter will route the bass to the Echo Sub and the mid and high frequencies to the Echo Plus. It’s like if you have a quarterback and a running back, you let the QB throw the ball and the RB run the ball. They’ll each be doing what they do best.

The latest Echo Plus is an improvement over the previous models. It also features multi-room options and stereo paring which makes it ideally suited for the bundle setup. The built-in low-pass filter is for integration with a subwoofer, such as the Echo Sub.

The vocal and instrumental solo sound spectrum are quite good, but of course if you try to ask the little 3-inch woofer to play low bass at loud volume, it’s going to distort. That’s why it makes sense to add an Echo Sub and let it handle the long wavelengths.

How Does the Echo Bundle Compare to the Competition?

The major Echo competitors are the Apple HomePod, Google Home Max, and Sonos wireless speakers. Even as a bundle, Amazon Echo Plus and Echo Sub are still more affordable than the competition. They’re not far behind in terms of sound quality either.

As a matter of fact, there is hardly any competition in the Amazon Echo Plus price range that comes even remotely close to the sound quality. We’re talking about smart active speakers, of course. You might be able to find better sounding hi-fi speakers at the same price range, but you’d need a receiver or amplifier and source components.

As for other features, these Echo smart speakers feature Dolby sound fields and Zigbee hub. Zigbee allows you to easily connect and control other smart home devices, even if they are not Alexa-compatible.

Is Any Other Echo Worth Considering?

The one that’s oft-compared to the second-generation Echo Plus is the Echo Show. However, this smart speaker seems to target a completely different audience.

It is the only square-shaped Echo and has an 8-inch screen. Echo Show is like a smart speaker/ multimedia device that would look better in your kitchen than the living room or the office. Either way, the Echo Show is very close in sound to the Echo Plus.

The Last Sound

To summarize, the best-sounding Amazon smart speaker is the second-generation Echo Plus. But why stop at just one Echo Plus? If you want a smart sound system that delivers premium sound quality, the Echo bundle is the way to go. The addition of a subwoofer makes everything sound more open and refined, and you can play much louder as well.

And don’t forget the other features, which further enhances the speaker’s smart home integration and versatility.