Tap First Impressions?

[leehop71]

Haven't heard any reviews on this.  Anyone?

[kilofox]

I got one today..... volume is great. I paired it with my iPhone. The music sounds great coming out of it. Pretty much on par with the Echo.

I really like the charging dock that came with it. I wasn't expecting that. You can grab it off the charger and go!

You can also charge the unit without the charging pad too.

Question.... Can you have the Tap remember more than one Wifi access point? I don't see how you can. It sure would be nice to be able to auto connect it to known Wifi points.

[leehop71]

I got one today..... volume is great. I paired it with my iPhone. The music sounds great coming out of it. Pretty much on par with the Echo.

So you don't hear a significant difference in sound quality between the Tap and the Echo?

[EugB]

Regarding wifi...in the app it looks like you can save different wifi settings to Amazon...perhaps the unit will remember some locally...easy enough to try out I suppose between your home wifi and your phone hotspot or maybe local coffee shop?

[mike27oct]

OK, been setting up a Tap and 2-Dots this evening, it's late, I should be in bed, but I told leehop I would let him know if it's OK to buy a Tap.  It's a class act like the Echo was. It sounds very "pleasant", it probably can get as loud as an Echo. and it has a smoother sound compared to the Echo. It plays in stereo, I have just the music to test that out; even with round speakers.

I would not trade in my mini BT speaker for it, but I like it about the same as my BT speaker.  It is no match, I am sure to the more expensive UE Boom 2 BT speaker, for sheer volume, boom and punch, but the Tap has so many more features than it, I think the better bang for buck award goes to Tap.  My mini Jambox could have more punch than Tap as well, and I will check that out for sure tomorrow. 

I asked Tap, Dot and Echo to say the Pledge of Allegiance, and the Tap sounded best, and warmer sounding. Alexa gets a voice makeover with the Tap.  She sounds pretty bad on the Dot speakers, but great through the stereo via Dot.  I'll save the Dot comment for that thread for now.

So, if I want a better BT speaker than I have, I would not recommend this for the BT speakers alone, but I do for all the other "Echo" features it has, along with its real good BT speakers.

More comments later, of course.

[Mattroid]

Started playing with mine last night but haven't done a whole lot with it yet. I got it knowing I probably wouldn't use it much since I can't create a wifi hotspot from my cell but figured I might prefer carrying it vs my normal BT speaker. I only have cheapo BT speakers (never saw the point in paying a lot for those things), so this one sounds perfectly fine to me.

So far I like most everything about it - it sounds good for what it is and having the Alexa stuff built in when wifi is available is nice vs just a speaker. The only thing it doesn't seem to support (which I assumed it wouldn't) is using a wake word when charging. I kind of wish there was an option for it to work more like a standard Echo while on the charging station. Not the end of the world by any means, but it's an option I'd love to see added later (though I understand if they don't officially support that feature since it'd basically be a way of undercutting the standard Echo sales).

[leehop71]

Thanks for the reviews guys.  As of right now, I think I will pass.  I am considering another Dot, setting it up with the third option wake up as Echo.  Even though the Echo can hear us from the family across to the living room where it is set up. We have to have a little more volume and make sure we speak clearly.

If I put a Dot in the family room, with the third wake up name, they would not be conflicting with each other.

[saturnkk]

Started playing with mine last night but haven't done a whole lot with it yet. I got it knowing I probably wouldn't use it much since I can't create a wifi hotspot from my cell but figured I might prefer carrying it vs my normal BT speaker. I only have cheapo BT speakers (never saw the point in paying a lot for those things), so this one sounds perfectly fine to me.

So far I like most everything about it - it sounds good for what it is and having the Alexa stuff built in when wifi is available is nice vs just a speaker. The only thing it doesn't seem to support (which I assumed it wouldn't) is using a wake word when charging. I kind of wish there was an option for it to work more like a standard Echo while on the charging station. Not the end of the world by any means, but it's an option I'd love to see added later (though I understand if they don't officially support that feature since it'd basically be a way of undercutting the standard Echo sales).

I bought the battery for my Echo so I can eventually use it similar to a tap and take it outside or room to room.  Seems a bit of a missed opportunity not have VR on the Tap.

[DParker]

Seems a bit of a missed opportunity not have VR on the Tap.

Not a missed opportunity.  Just a decision to give it a reasonable battery life while keeping the size, weight and cost of the product down.  There is no free lunch, and everything is a trade-off.

[Mattroid]

Seems a bit of a missed opportunity not have VR on the Tap.

Not a missed opportunity.  Just a decision to give it a reasonable battery life while keeping the size, weight and cost of the product down.  There is no free lunch, and everything is a trade-off.

Agreed, though I think an option for it would be preferable and wouldn't harm anything from a technical standpoint. I'd be fine if voice control only worked when connection to the charging dock. But chances are that I'll just get a Dot to use in the house where I was planning to keep the Tap when not being portable.

[saturnkk]

Seems a bit of a missed opportunity not have VR on the Tap.

Not a missed opportunity.  Just a decision to give it a reasonable battery life while keeping the size, weight and cost of the product down.  There is no free lunch, and everything is a trade-off.

The trade-off made me not purchase one.  So, yes, from my perspective, a missed opportunity. 

[mike27oct]

More first impressions as I use the Tap.  I really like it; it stayed outside with me the whole day, in garage and yard, playing whatever TuneIn station I wanted.  My Wi-Fi signal is very good, and hardly ever lost a connection, and it was momentary at worst.  I am almost ready to put the original Echo up on eBay!  Not really, although it sounds a heck of a lot better than the Echo with its having stereo sound and better bass. And, if it's being a portable internet radio all day, hardly used the VR, which a button push handled fine if I used something to shield my dirty hands from touching the thing.  Got the Sling case for it: I could see it's a requirement for picking it up with one finger using rubber loop on top.

So, first and foremost, finding to be great as a portable internet radio, with VR to Alexa when ya need it (although I never felt compelled to ask it to tell me a joke, add stuff to a shopping list or to-do list, nor ask it the weather all day since I was pleasantly in the weather all day.  And, really, the push button access is not that big a deal if you view it as a radio first and Alexa as secondary. 

Inside, it's so portable, I easily take it wherever I want quiet music alone, like at the PC.  I am glad I also ordered the Sling cover/case.  Rubber loop at top makes for easy one-finger toting around.

Update:  Comparison of Tap vs my mini Jambox BT speaker.  I put them head to head, both playing the same music tracks from Amazon Prime. Tap played, and new Dot played directly into BT speaker as wired.  Tap won to my surprise.  It is just more "listenable" with is smoother bass and less-bright highs.  The BT speaker is a great little speaker; until I heard it along side of Tap.  I never realized how bright the hi freqs are on it.  I would listen to either, but if asked to grab one to go off and listen to, I will choose the Tap. Not just for the speakers, but it is so much more than a speaker.

[Scarpad]

I'm going to use mine , which i should have Wed, on my nightstand , so the button is close, i'm also intending using it room to room and on the patio, think there would be any issue with overcharging if its on the base alot, or does the charge portion of it stop if charged fully "?

[mike27oct]

I believe the charge stand is designed to stop charging when battery is full.  Amazon obviously intends on many Taps to be seated in the cute little charging stand.  Now, I find I will not be able to use the stand, because I bought the Sling case for mine. and find that unless I want to remove the Tap from the protective and handy, very snug Sling too often, my choice is not to use the stand. I will be using the USB charging port in the rear of the Tap.  Not a problem for me, because the Sling case was a great idea for a portable device like the Tap.  It provides a better grip and helps keep the Tap cleaner, because cleaning the Sling will be a lot easier than cleaning the fabric cover of the Tap.  I think a few years from now, my Tap could still look brand new by being inside the Sling.

[henryr10]

First off make SURE you have the Alexa App set up on your phone or PC/Laptop, whatever.

Got mine today.
Had a bit of a problem getting it to accept the Wi-Fi but that's due to my system.
Once up and running it did GREAT.

I set the Charging Base up in a separate room from my Echo and Fire Stick. Told it to play a station from my Pandora and w/ no lag started right up.
Took the Tap into every room and all areas of our yard. No drop.
Fired it up to full volume outside...and the neighbors looked over. So I carried it over there... no drop at about 75' from my router.
Had it tell them a joke.... ;-)
Coming by my Echo I told Alexa to play a different station from Pandora. Both stations were cranking along perfectly, Tap and Echo.
Tested the Phillips Hue lighting. Tap found them w/ no problem and no reset on the Hue Bridge.
Added two Items to our shopping list from Tap. Flawless.

Sound is good...not Great.... same w/ Echo but I have a serious whole house/yard sound system for that.
Tap and Echo are used when I don't want to break it out. PLUS can't do anything but listen to the Sound System.
We use Echo dozens of times a day for assistant type things. Shopping Lists, Lights, Talking Books, Weather, Jokes, .......

Haven't tried the Bluetooth but it did pair up first time and fast.