Looking to purchase an Echo. Should I wait for V2 to come out??

[Grumpyjarhead]

Ive been debating if I should buy an Echo now or wait until there are a few upgrades/changes to it. Mainly an audio output jack to connect an external speaker and/or a bluetooth option to pair with a bluetooth speaker. If there is no talk of adding the audio out option in the near future then do I have any other options to get the Echo to play music from better external speakers? I'm not looking for for some ear shattering sound here. Just something a little better than the internal speakers which wont be loud enough when there are guest over and out on the deck.



Also, I am a Prime member and buy a LOT of stuff from Amazon. Id love to be able to just tell the Echo to put something in my shopping cart  i.e. dog food, etc.

[DParker]

I'm surprised you haven't heard about the Echo "Dot" (http://www.amazon.com/b/?node=14047587011).  It's exactly what you're looking for.



Pre-orders by Prime members will be shipping in 8 days, and you can get one for $89.99.

[Grumpyjarhead]

I did see that on Amazon but didnt pay much attention to it because I thought it was just an add on to the Echo. Am I understanding it correctly that the DOT is the same exact thing as the Echo minus the speakers?  If so and if it does have an audio out jack then Id love to be able to connect it to something like the Bose Wave and have the best of both worlds.

[DParker]

Am I understanding it correctly that the DOT is the same exact thing as the Echo minus the speakers?  If so and if it does have an audio out jack then Id love to be able to connect it to something like the Bose Wave and have the best of both worlds.

Per the description and all the reviews, yes....it's a shorter, cheaper Echo that omits the high-quality speaker in favor of both an audio-out jack AND the ability to output to bluetooth speakers.  It does have a built-in speaker, but it's much smaller and lower quality than its bigger cousin's, and is just good enough to give you clear voice responses.

[Grumpyjarhead]

Ill look into it but buying is will be the hard part as I do not have an Echo at the moment and that is the only way to pre order at the moment. Maybe Amazon is just doing that to see how much interest there is in it first.

Now I have to look for a nice powered bluetooth speaker. I like the Bose Wave but maybe there is something a little cheaper out there that I could use to.

Thanks for the info.

[DParker]

Ill look into it but buying is will be the hard part as I do not have an Echo at the moment and that is the only way to pre order at the moment.

Oh, shoot....my apologies.  I forgot about that requirement.  I already have 2 Echos, which is why I was given the option to pre-order a Dot.

[leehop71]

Ill look into it but buying is will be the hard part as I do not have an Echo at the moment and that is the only way to pre order at the moment.

Oh, shoot....my apologies.  I forgot about that requirement.  I already have 2 Echos, which is why I was given the option to pre-order a Dot.

2 Echos?  You must have a large house?

[DParker]

2 Echos?  You must have a large house?

Not that large....only 2,100 sq ft.  But 2 stories, so we keep 1 Echo downstairs in the family room and the other upstairs in the master bedroom.  And yes, I actually get a lot of use out of both of them.

[leehop71]

2 Echos?  You must have a large house?

Not that large....only 2,100 sq ft.  But 2 stories, so we keep 1 Echo downstairs in the family room and the other upstairs in the master bedroom.  And yes, I actually get a lot of use out of both of them.

Two stories is the key.  I wonder if the Dot would be able handle what you need for the 2 story dilemma?  I am blessed to have a single story 1556 sq feet.  I have Alexa in a very central location and she can hear commands from our bedroom, living and dining rooms.

I ordered the dot mainly because of it's bluetooth capabilities for my Bose Soundlink Mini. I'm waiting to hear reviews on the Tap to see if it would be worth a purchase for me.

[DParker]

Two stories is the key.  I wonder if the Dot would be able handle what you need for the 2 story dilemma?

For many people I'm sure the Dot will be an ideal solution.  But in my case it wouldn't have been.  I don't already have external speakers to hook one to, and I use both Echos for music capability (in addition to many other things).  Since I mostly listen to old blues and rock-n-roll the Echo's built-in speaker works great.

[leehop71]

Two stories is the key.  I wonder if the Dot would be able handle what you need for the 2 story dilemma?

For many people I'm sure the Dot will be an ideal solution.  But in my case it wouldn't have been.  I don't already have external speakers to hook one to, and I use both Echos for music capability (in addition to many other things).  Since I mostly listen to old blues and rock-n-roll the Echo's built-in speaker works great.

I listen to music on it as well.  However, nothing, that I've heard, compares with the Bose sound.  I am anxious to hear the reviews on the Tap, it's supposed to have a much better sound than the Echo!

[DParker]

I listen to music on it as well.  However, nothing, that I've heard, compares with the Bose sound.

Oh, no doubt.  There are lots of things that yield superior sound compared with the Echo's speaker.  But I'm listening to Elmore James tunes that were recorded in 1951 I'm hard-pressed to care about audio differences at that level.

I am anxious to hear the reviews on the Tap, it's supposed to have a much better sound than the Echo!

So I've heard.  But I think I'd find the Tap to be of little use as well.  Not only do I not have any good use cases for a portable version of the Echo, the requirement to manually activate the device by pressing a button on it before issuing a voice command almost completely eliminates its value to me.  I suppose having it sitting on a table next to you while you're sitting around the pool would be handy.  But I don't have a pool. 

[Grumpyjarhead]

Whoa, This started with the Echo and then stepped up to the Dot. Now what the heck is this Tap you guys speak of?

I just want a device that has the full software that will allow me to talk to Alexa, play Pandora music through either a bluetooth connection or a cable connected to an external speaker. I just ordered the Echo but its backordered until the April 3rd.  Should I cancel that order and look into the Dot or Tap?  I wish I had an Echo here to demo but I 'and no one I know has one.


Edit, scratch the Tap. It is not voice activated. Im still researching the Dot

[leehop71]

Whoa, This started with the Echo and then stepped up to the Dot. Now what the heck is this Tap you guys speak of?

I just want a device that has the full software that will allow me to talk to Alexa, play Pandora music through either a bluetooth connection or a cable connected to an external speaker. I just ordered the Echo but its backordered until the April 3rd.  Should I cancel that order and look into the Dot or Tap?  I wish I had an Echo here to demo but I 'and no one I know has one.

You can only preorder the Dot if you already have the Echo.  The Dot will operate bluetooth or cable connected speakers, which the Echo doesn't.  You can still use the Dot in other rooms where the Echo can't hear you.

The Tap is like the Echo, except portable, with a battery and it is supposed to have a better sound system for music.

Both the Dot and the Tap will be released on March 29th.

[Grumpyjarhead]

Well I feel like I wont ever use the Echo once I have the Dot so to me, the cost of the Echo is a waste and Amazon is forcing someone in my shoes to make two purchases.  Not sure how it works if someone else who already has an Echo orders a Dot for me on their account. It would most likely be connected to their account huh?