Echo 2nd Gen Speaker – Complete Review

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The Echo 2nd Gen (also Echo) is an Alexa-enabled speaker. It has powerful Dolby speakers with full-range audio capability. It has Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and a 3.5mm AUX audio output for connections with other devices.

The Echo makes your life easy. It automates your home and manages your compatible smart home appliances through Alexa. It has hands-free calling and messaging, multi-room connectivity, music playback, audio books and a lot more. The speaker is backed by more than 50,000 skills. Alexa keeps adding to its list of functions to stay up-to-date and be more useful.

Echo 2nd Gen Speaker – A Deep Dive Into Tech Specification & Features :

Technology And Performance :

The Echo is a voice-controlled smart speaker by Amazon. It relies on Alexa and a large pool of skills to control smart devices, play music, order food, tell jokes and stories and provide real-time sports, weather and traffic updates. You can ask Alexa anything and she will answer you. She can do mathematical calculations, read the news, answer general knowledge questions, explain meanings of words, and share educational content. The Echo gives you access to Amazon Music Unlimited available in over 30 countries. You can also connect it to your personal sound system if you want a larger soundstage. There are 2 options for connectivity – you can use Bluetooth or the 3.5mm AUX line-out at the back of the speaker. For the latter you will require an AUX audio cable. The Echo lets you make, take and end calls hands-free. It can also send text messages to people. All you have to do is tell Alexa what the message is and who you want it sent to, and it will be done. The Echo supports multi-room network with other Echo smart speakers. This is a cool feature. It gives you the freedom to make announcements in any room you want. You don’t have to knock on multiple doors to call the family for dinner, or shout to be heard in the bedroom upstairs. Just tell Alexa and your message will be relayed. It saves you a lot of time and effort, and you can get a lot done with minimal effort. The biggest advantage of the Echo, however, is its awesome 360ᵒ sound. It is fitted with full-range Dolby drivers that deliver impressive omni-directional sound. The device has such good range and projection, you can use it as a Bluetooth speaker for your personal entertainment. The Echo also has Bluetooth Audio Streaming and supports music apps like Amazon Music, Apple Music and TuneIn. It is compatible with iOS, Fire OS and Android systems. It has dual-band Wi-Fi that supports 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 and 5 GHz) networks. However, it cannot connect to ad-hoc (or peer-to-peer) Wi-Fi networks. The smart speaker is fitted with an array of 7 noise-cancelling microphones with beamforming technology. It can hear you no matter which way your voice is coming from and despite music playing in the background. Please note that availability of features on the Echo may vary from country to country. We advise you to check the supported features before going in for a purchase.

Product Design :

The Echo 2nd Gen is shaped like a small stout cylinder. It is 5.9 inches tall and has a diameter of 3.5 inches. It has a fabric cover and is available in 6 different fabric finishes. The top panel has four buttons – two for increasing and decreasing the volume, one for muting the microphone function, and one for activating the system in case it fails to start up. The top panel also has 7 tiny vents for the microphones to detect your voice. A glowing light ring goes around the edge of the panel giving it a smart sassy look. A power port and an AUX output port are provided side-by-side at the back of the gadget. The Echo has premium audio speakers. It has a 2.5-inch woofer and a 0.6 inch tweeter. Together they crank out loud and clear music with intelligible vocals, soaring highs and deep bass. The speakers are powered by Dolby and project omni-directional room-filling audio for an intimate sound experience. You can use the device as a separate wireless speaker for your room. It is loud enough for a small group of people to enjoy and have a good time. The product weighs 29.0 oz.

Difference Between The Echo 2nd Gen & Echo Dot 3rd Gen :

The Echo 2nd Gen is a smart speaker with excellent sound. It has a 2.5-inch woofer and a 0.6 inch tweeter with Dolby processing. It pumps out spacious audio with soaring high notes and rich rumbling bass. The Echo Dot 3rd Gen is also a smart speaker but lacks the audio prowess of the Echo. It automates your home like the Echo but cannot offer room-filling sound. It has a single 1.6-inch speaker which delivers decent audio but can barely compete with the Dolby sound of the Echo.

The Echo 2nd Gen is taller than the Echo Dot. It is shaped like a cylinder and has a height of 5.9 inches. The Echo Dot is shaped like a hockey-puck and is 1.7 inches tall.

The Echo 2nd Gen is available in 6 different fabrics and finishes. The Echo Dot 3rd Gen is available in 3 earthy shades.

The Echo Plus 2nd Gen has a 7 microphone array while the Eco Dot 3rd Gen has 4 microphones.

We have come to the end of our review. Let us quickly summarize the most important features of the Echo 2nd Gen.

Key Features :

  • Smart home speaker with Alexa voice control.
  • Omni-directional 360ᵒ Dolby sound, one 2.5-inch woofer, one 0.6 inch tweeter.
  • Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Aux output, hands-free calls and messages.
  • 7 microphones with beamforming and noise cancellation technology.
  • Controls smart home appliances, available in 6 fabrics.

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Do check our detailed review on the following smart devices from echo family –

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