The perfect receiver for Alexa +

I vividly remember checking out the first echo studio. Even though that was almost six years ago, I can clearly remember my surprise that Amazon finally created a smart speaker that actually sounded good. Of course, it helped that Amazon created a device that is properly produced for local sound, and one that provides power for movies in the living room (if you buy a couple of them).

I was similarly surprised to see the expanded echo studio when Amazon unveiled it a few weeks ago. Could the company offer the same audio performance in a speaker that was 40 percent smaller? The 2025 Echo Studio ($220) includes three fully functional 1.5-inch drivers. There is certainly a lot to like about the studio’s complete reboot after a long time, but for now, there are also several caveats.

What’s great about echo studio?

Amazon has completely redesigned the Echo Studio, opting for a compact compam, round appearance compared to the previous large cylinder. To me, this is progress; It looks like a speaker and like a piece of home decor. Amazon also moved the light commercial ring to the front, something that lights up when you talk to Alexa, so it’s easy to see where you’re looking with the speaker. The lights will also show the volume level in white when making adjustments, Flash Red when you mute the microphone and show blue in Bluetooth pair mode. When you use the Drop feature, the ECHO intercom of GROMS, the ring lights up when you enter the experience in the departure room.

The company also sent all the controls. The volume buttons and power buttons that were once standard are now on the front panel, providing a satisfying movement when you press them. And those are the only three buttons you get on the ECHO Studio, as Amazon wants you to use voice commands for everything else when playing music or podcasts. Or, you know, you can reach for your phone.

There are optional tap controls that can be used to snooze alarms, stop timers and end both calls and drop ins. Simply tap on the top of echo studio for this. In addition, you can enable “advanced” tip control that allows you to play/pause media with the same action.

Amazon promises “powerful bass and crystal-clear vocals” on the new Echo studio, and I’d say the latter rings true. There is great clarity in the sound here, and the arrangement certainly favors the highs and mids in almost every genre. For example, vowels and vowels in Tron: ares A nine-inch soundtrack is more prominent than a drum machine or bass line. However, I felt the quality of immersion in these songs, but not much that I saw using headphones or ears. There is a third lowest tone in threes’s Horons / Westand Overall, the instrumentals offer a quality that covers more than most other albums I’ve reviewed. Just know that there is a lot of variation from album to album and genre.

Like the original Echo studio, this model supports Spatial Audio, DOLBY ATDOS and Sony 360 audio content. Those are available on various streaming platforms, including Amazon Music Unlimited. Amazon only sent me one of the new speakers, so it’s hard to judge the focused atmos here, but I gave it a pretty good shot. The echo studio does a little better with Dolby Atmos tunes from Amazon Music as those songs have more depth and a wider sourstage. However, the bass is still quite muted, so the spatial sound quality and the ultra HD quality does not save the low tone and the prominent modes.

A word about Alexa +

The new Echo Studio comes with early access to Alexa +, Amazon’s Next-Gen Virtual Assistant. The company has spent the last few years growing its brand, and partner Cherlynn has dropped an in-depth look at what to expect when you get to use it. I’ve been chatting with Alexa for about a week while testing this speaker, and to my surprise, this AI-powered assistant has really improved.

The biggest change I’ve seen is in ongoing discussions with more follow-up questions or ideas. The new AZ3 Pro chip inside the Echo Studio certainly helps keep things sunny, so there are no bad smells. I asked Alexa + to remind me to make pizza dough one afternoon, and it confirmed the request without hesitation. Taking the costume from Cherlynn, I then asked about my feeling after that, to which Alexa replied that I seemed to finish it based on my voice – “Monday vibe.”

Except it wasn’t Monday, it was Tuesday. When I fixed Alexa, the assistant played it cool, thanks for the help and sorry for the mistake. It then recalled the first request for pizza, commenting that it seemed I was on top of things that day, including my dough recipe and an upcoming project. It was the most human-to-human interaction I’ve ever had with a real Assistant, and it felt like the promise of casual conversations with technology like this was finally fulfilled. And, I have to say, I was giving out.

My longest fling has never been without a few bumps. Without an echo studio with a built-in temperature sensor, Alexa + cannot pull data from it. When you ask about the heat in your house, the assistant checks the connected thermostat, which is not compatible with the Alexa app. There are still times like this where you’ll run into some headwinds, but overall, the new Alexa is like a person – it’s like you when you interact with it. And, sometimes, it’s not a good laugh.

Once the early access period is over, you’ll need a premium membership to continue using Alexa+ for free. If you don’t have it, the next GG assistant will cost you a whopping $20/month. And right now, the preview is only available in US and US English.

What’s so bad about echo studio?

While the clarity and sound performance of the Intimmerive in the echo channel is a highlight, the lack of detail in the bass shaping is a stumbling block most of the time. There is visible bass when the song calls for it, but the low tone is muted, almost a lost quality of nuance. This makes songs like the water from your eyes ‘” sound softer and more compelling than what I heard with the second headphones and airpods Pro 3.

Amazon spent time at its latest launch event talking about Alexa Home Theater, a feature that will allow you to connect up to five Echo Studio speakers (or Echo Dot Max) with a compatible TV stick. The company promises that all you have to do is clip it to your gear and Alexa will handle the setup and programming for you automatically. Unfortunately, Alexa Home Theater is not currently available; The company says it will be released “in the coming weeks.” Of course, this means that I could not test it, which leaves one of the best features of the Echo studio – at least on paper – for future testing.

The company has also included the 3.5mm input from the original echo studio. While I appreciate that it was a much larger speaker, and 2019 was a different time, I did so Amazon gave us the option to connect with a cable to that device. With this new model, you are left with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Without enabling the sprinkler controls in the echo studio settings in the Alexa app, I could only get a few to work (snoozes, alarms, timeouts, last calls and stop dropping). I even made sure I was standing in front of the speaker so its proximity sensors didn’t know I was there, tapping awkwardly with the 3D cloth. Obviously, this does not prevent any work of the Speaker as you can use your voice for everything. However, the ability to at least play/pause through the speaker would be useful.

Finish it

The second iteration of echo studio is a refined speaker built for the Hot-Gen Ai voice assistant. The device is the perfect home for Alexa + and the new design is a real aesthetic improvement. While there are some sound features in the echo channel that I like, the setup doesn’t offer the full oomph of that first speaker. That is due to the lack of detail in the bass, although there is a lovely sound screenstate. One of the main features of the platform is still on the way, and the tap controls need to be well organized, so now, the new Echo studio has a huge amount of unfulfilled potential.