Alexa has become a household name, seamlessly integrating into our lives to control smart homes, play music, answer questions, and much more. With a variety of Amazon Echo devices available, choosing the best one for your needs can be a challenge. This guide breaks down two of the top Alexa devices: the Amazon Echo (4th Gen) and the Amazon Echo Studio, to help you decide which is the perfect fit for your home.
Amazon Echo (4th Gen): The Best Overall Alexa Device for Most People
Photo: Michael Hession
The Amazon Echo (4th Gen) is the latest iteration of the original smart speaker, offering a blend of impressive sound quality and comprehensive Alexa functionality at a reasonable price. It’s a fantastic all-rounder, suitable for most users looking to bring Alexa into their homes.
Very Good Audio Performance at a Modest Price
The Echo (4th Gen) delivers surprisingly good audio for its size. It features a redesigned driver system with dual 0.8-inch tweeters and a top-mounted 3-inch woofer. This configuration provides a noticeable stereo effect from a single speaker, enhancing your music listening experience. While the direct driver design means the stereo effect and overall sound quality can vary slightly depending on your position in the room, the sound remains clear and enjoyable even at higher volumes.
The inclusion of Dolby processing further enriches the audio, creating a wider soundstage. For those seeking true stereo sound, pairing two Echo (4th Gen) speakers is an option. The speaker also boasts Automatic Room Adaptation, dynamically adjusting the sound based on your room’s acoustics. Additionally, a customizable equalizer, accessible via voice command or the Alexa app, allows you to fine-tune bass, treble, and midrange levels to your preference.
alt=”Top view of Amazon Echo 4th Gen showcasing button layout and fabric texture, highlighting its user-friendly design”
The Echo (4th Gen) excels as a listener, effectively capturing voice commands even with background noise at moderate volumes. While you might need to approach the speaker and use the microphone button when playing music at full volume, it generally responds reliably to voice prompts.
Beyond music, the Echo (4th Gen) offers versatile connectivity. Bluetooth pairing with smartphones enables playback from local libraries or streaming services not natively supported by Alexa. Furthermore, you can create a multiroom audio system by linking multiple Echo devices, similar to Sonos, for synchronized audio throughout your home.
Smart Home Hub and Beyond
For users invested in smart home technology, the Echo (4th Gen) is a significant asset. It integrates a built-in Zigbee hub, expanding compatibility with a wider range of smart home devices compared to Wi-Fi-only Echo devices like the Echo Dot. This eliminates the need for separate hubs for many smart home products.
The inclusion of an ambient temperature sensor allows for smart home automation based on temperature changes. For instance, you can set up routines to automatically turn on a fan when the room temperature reaches a certain point. However, it’s worth noting that the temperature readings may not always be perfectly accurate, sometimes showing less sensitivity to temperature fluctuations.
Amazon Echo Studio: The Best Alexa Device for Premium Audio
The Amazon Echo Studio, our upgrade pick for the best Amazon speaker.
Photo: Michael Hession
If audio quality is your top priority, the Amazon Echo Studio stands out as the best-sounding Alexa device. While it comes with a higher price tag, comparable to the Sonos One, the Echo Studio delivers a significant upgrade in audio fidelity and features.
Fantastic Sound for Audiophiles
The Echo Studio is engineered for exceptional sound, housing five speaker drivers: a front-firing tweeter, dual side-firing and upward-firing midrange drivers, and a down-firing woofer. This powerful configuration results in a rich, immersive audio experience with significantly more bass than other Echo devices.
A key feature of the Echo Studio is its support for Amazon’s lossless audio files. Subscribing to Amazon Music HD unlocks high-resolution music streaming, allowing you to fully appreciate the speaker’s audio capabilities. The Echo Studio also supports Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio, adding a spatial dimension to compatible music tracks and creating a more three-dimensional listening experience. While direct streaming of Atmos-mixed music from services like Tidal isn’t supported, Amazon Music HD offers a growing library of 3D audio content. The Echo Studio can also upmix stereo music to simulate 3D audio, though the quality of this upmixing can be variable.
The Amazon Echo Studio, our upgrade pick for the best Amazon speaker.alt=”Close-up of Amazon Echo Studio in black fabric, highlighting speaker components and premium build for audiophile-grade sound”
Despite its powerful audio output, the Echo Studio maintains excellent voice recognition. It responds quickly and reliably to voice commands even at high volumes, a testament to its native Echo speaker design. Like the Echo (4th Gen), the Studio features Automatic Room Adaptation, continuously optimizing audio output based on room acoustics, similar to Sonos’s Trueplay technology but without requiring a smartphone for setup.
For a truly immersive home theater experience, the Echo Studio can be paired with a Fire TV to function as a soundbar, offering a substantial improvement over built-in TV speakers, although dedicated soundbars may still provide superior performance. For multiroom audio, pairing the Echo Studio with other Echo devices, such as the Echo (4th Gen), creates a versatile and high-fidelity whole-home audio system.
Which Alexa Device is Right for You?
Choosing between the Amazon Echo (4th Gen) and the Echo Studio depends on your priorities:
- Amazon Echo (4th Gen): Ideal for most users seeking a well-rounded smart speaker with good sound quality, smart home integration, and a reasonable price. It’s perfect for general music listening, smart home control, and everyday Alexa use.
- Amazon Echo Studio: The best choice for audiophiles and those who prioritize premium sound quality. It offers a significant audio upgrade with lossless audio and spatial audio support, making it ideal for critical listening and immersive audio experiences. However, it comes at a higher price.
Ultimately, both the Amazon Echo (4th Gen) and the Echo Studio are excellent Alexa devices. Consider your budget and audio expectations to determine which one best fits your needs and brings the power of Alexa into your home.
