Get Better Quality Sound from Amazon Echo & Smarten Up Your Speakers
Disappointed with the sound quality of your Amazon Echo and Amazon Tap, check out these options to get better audio quality of your Amazon Echo and Amazon Tap and at the same time making your sound system smarter.
There are so many things that Amazon got right with the Amazon Echo and Amazon Tap but sound quality is not one of them. The speakers while designed to push music in all directions (360° omni-directional audio), and spit out information with the online assistant service (Alexa Voice Service) fares poorly when playing music.
But it’s not the end, there is still hope in the form of Bluetooth speaker, your home Hi-Fi sound system or Sonos wireless multi-room speaker.
If you already have the Amazon Echo then you are stuck with the on-board speaker. While it can work as a Bluetooth speaker, it cannot work as a Bluetooth source to pair with another speaker. It does not have stereo output socket either so no connection to your own amplifier and speaker. All you have is to use it with Sonos for streaming over WiFi. (see options below)
But if you have the pug sized Amazon Echo Dot, things can get very exciting for you as it works with a any one of these options; Hi-Fi sound system, Bluetooth speaker or Sonos Wireless multi-room speaker.
Get Better Quality Sound from Amazon Echo & Echo Dot
So the options for better sound quality according to the devices you have are as follows. These would depend on your existing sound system or if you haven’t got one, see our recommended list below. To find the latest prices on Amazon, use the links below.
For Amazon Echo and Amazon Tap
- Sonos Speakers or other Alexa enabled multi-room speakers
For Amazon Echo Dot
- wired to Hi-Fi Sound System
- pair with Bluetooth speaker
- Sonos Speakers
Hi-Fi Sound System
The wired route is pretty obvious for audiophiles and those already owning a Hi-Fi sound system. A simple cable, 3.5mm male to dual RCA male adapter to hook up the Echo Dot gives it superior sound quality and add streaming service be it Prime Music or Spotify, TuneIn or more to your existing Hi-Fi or amplifier.
Superior Sound Quality Bluetooth Speakers for Amazon Echo Dot
The second option would be to pair a Bluetooth speaker with the Amazon Echo Dot, effectively making it a smart voice activated speaker. This option is the quickest and easiest if you do not have a HiFi sound system or Alexa enable multi-room speaker such as the Sonos. Check out your options for some of the best Bluetooth speakers if you haven’t already got one.
Sonos Speakers Integration with Amazon Echo Dot
No, we are not talking about wiring the Echo Dot to a Sonos Play:5 or Sonos Connect via line-in with the Echo Dot as a music source, although that will work too. With software update from Sonos, you will be able to stream to any Sonos speaker or speakers in any room via WiFi. All you need is the Sonos Skills for your Alexa.
You can then get high quality sound from your existing Sonos multi-room sound system, bringing voice activated services to your speakers. Here, you are not restricted to your tablet or smartphone using the Sonos App to spin your tunes, simply ask for it to be played on the speaker of your choice.
Sonos and Alexa service integration will take your multi-room sound system to a whole new level. Control your Sonos speakers from Amazon Echo, Echo Dot and Amazon Tap using voice commands. Tell Alexa what to play, navigate your tracks and pause or stop. You can even tell Alexa which Sonos speaker to play on and have your usual serving of daily briefing, shopping list, schedule and task list as well.
Take advantage of the far-field voice recognition system on Amazon Echo and Echo Dot and enjoy the best sound quality you deserve with your favourite Bluetooth Speaker or with Sonos.
Sonos third party support will also be extended to Spotify. Simply fire up the Spotify app, and as long as your device in on the same network, you will be able to select Sonos as a speaker to play your tunes. This is different from selecting a Bluetooth speaker as Sonos does not have Bluetooth Radio.
Your app will simply act as a remote control and pass the streaming job directly to the Sonos speaker, playing your tunes from the Internet via Wi-Fi. You will need Spotify Connect app and it is likely that this feature will only be available to Spotify Premium users.
If you are only just considering a Sonos speaker, the Sonos One and Sonos Beam sound bar come with Alexa built-in so no need for a separate Echo device. The voice controlled smart speaker works independently with its own far field microphone and access to Alexa voice service. It even has AirPlay 2 support so you can send you tunes directly to the speaker from any iOS device.
If you do not already have a multi-room sound system and are thinking of starting one, here are the different Sonos speakers you can get.
Sonos PLAY:1 Compact Wireless Multi-room Speaker (Black or White)
Sonos PLAY:3 Mid-Sized Wireless Multi-room Speaker (Black or White)
Sonos PLAY:5 Ultimate Wireless Multi-room Speaker (Black or White)
Sonos PLAYBAR Wireless Streaming TV and Music Speaker (Black)
Sonos SUB Wireless Subwoofer (Black or White)
Sonos Home Theater System – using combination of PLAY:1s, PLAYBAR and SUB
January 28, 2020 @ 3:44 am
The quality is so much better when connecting to my Denon via bluetooth than via the audio out from my echo dot Gen 2. It MUST be sending the digital stream directly and not converting it to audio bluetooth. The difference is remarkable. It is SO MUCH audibly better over bluetooth, allowing the Denon to do the D/A conversion. I’m here because I’m curious to know exactly how it works. I’ve upgraded to Amazon Music HD and am wondering if I can tell the difference.
August 25, 2020 @ 5:15 pm
Interesting. I would not have bet this. I just ordered a Denon AVR-S750H and was going to pair the Dot via aux to RCA. Everything I’ve read about bluetooth says aux would be better but you say otherwise! I’ll chime back in when I get everything up and running. Although, I’m leaning towards returning the Dot since my receiver has built in ethernet which I plan to use with Spotify Connect directly (if possible).
August 27, 2020 @ 10:42 am
Hi Frank, a multipoint AV receiver or Hi-Fi amp with full size stereo speakers will trump a Bluetooth speaker any day. But if you must use Bluetooth, we recommend superior and better sounding Bluetooth speakers. This is not to say that connecting via Bluetooth is better, the analogue connection in your case will do just as well if not better. Our recommendation for better quality sound is to pick an Hi-Fi sound system OR superior Bluetooth speakers. Look forward to hearing about your set-up.