Echo Plus (2nd Gen) – Premium Sound with Built-in Smart Home Hub - Charcoal Fabric: A Complete Review
Echo Plus (2nd Gen) – Premium sound with a built-in smart home hub - Charcoal fabric
The Echo Plus (2nd Gen) is a smart speaker that offers an enhanced audio experience and simplifies the control of compatible smart home devices. With its built-in Zigbee hub, users can effortlessly set up and manage their smart devices. The premium speakers, equipped with Dolby technology, deliver immersive 360° audio with clear vocals and powerful bass response. Users can customize the sound using the equalizer settings in the Alexa app. With Alexa voice assistant, users can enjoy hands-free control and access a wide range of features like playing music, checking the weather, and controlling their smart home devices.
Product Description
The Echo Plus (2nd Gen) is a powerful smart speaker that offers premium sound quality and a built-in smart home hub. With its sleek design and charcoal fabric finish, it seamlessly blends into any home decor.
One of the standout features of the Echo Plus is its built-in Zigbee hub. This hub simplifies the setup and control of compatible smart home devices. Whether you have smart lights, thermostats, locks, or other devices, the Echo Plus can easily connect and control them, eliminating the need for separate hubs or apps. This makes it incredibly convenient for users who want to create a smart home ecosystem.
In terms of sound quality, the Echo Plus delivers a truly immersive experience. Equipped with Dolby technology, its premium speakers offer 360° audio that fills the room with clear vocals and powerful bass response. Whether you're streaming music, listening to podcasts, or enjoying audiobooks, the sound quality is exceptional. What's more, users can further enhance their listening experience by customizing the equalizer settings in the Alexa app, allowing them to fine-tune the sound to their preferences.
The Echo Plus also comes with the Alexa voice assistant, which enables users to control the speaker and perform a wide range of tasks with just their voice. From playing music and reading the news to checking the weather forecasts and setting alarms, Alexa can do it all. Additionally, users can use the Echo Plus to control their smart home devices, make calls to other Echo devices or the Alexa app, and even use Skype for video calls.
With over 19,000 customer reviews and an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars, the Echo Plus (2nd Gen) has received high praise for its performance, sound quality, and smart home integration. It offers a premium audio experience and seamless control over your smart home devices, making it a top choice for those looking to elevate their home entertainment and automation systems.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Premium Sound Quality: The Echo Plus (2nd Gen) delivers exceptional sound quality that will impress even the most discerning audiophiles. Whether you're listening to music, podcasts, or watching movies, you'll experience rich and immersive audio that fills the room.
Built-in Smart Home Hub: One standout feature of the Echo Plus is its built-in smart home hub. This allows you to effortlessly control compatible smart devices using just your voice. From adjusting the lights and temperature to locking doors and controlling appliances, the Echo Plus simplifies home automation and adds convenience to your daily life.
Seamless Integration with Amazon Alexa: As part of the Amazon Echo family, the Echo Plus seamlessly integrates with Alexa, Amazon's intelligent voice assistant. With Alexa, you can ask questions, set reminders, play music, check the weather, and much more. The Echo Plus acts as a central hub for all your Alexa-enabled devices, making it easy to control your smart home and access a wide range of services.
Cons
Limited Compatibility with Non-Amazon Devices: While the Echo Plus is designed to work seamlessly with Amazon's ecosystem, it may have limited compatibility with non-Amazon devices. This means that if you have existing smart devices from other brands, you may need to check their compatibility before integrating them with the Echo Plus.
Price: At £139.99, the Echo Plus is more expensive compared to other smart speakers on the market. While its premium sound quality and built-in smart home hub justify the price for many, it might be a significant investment for some buyers.
Learning Curve for New Users: For those new to smart speakers and voice assistants, there may be a learning curve when setting up and using the Echo Plus. However, Amazon provides step-by-step guidance and the Alexa app offers a user-friendly interface to help users get started quickly.
Customer Reviews
The Echo Plus (2nd Gen) has received an impressive rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars from a whopping 19,361 customer ratings. This signifies the high level of satisfaction among users who have purchased and experienced the device firsthand. Let's dive deeper into what customers have to say about this smart speaker with a built-in smart home hub.
One satisfied customer rated the Echo Plus (2nd Gen) with 5 stars and praised its great sound quality. This is a significant aspect, especially for those who value excellent audio performance.
Another reviewer, giving the device 4 stars, mentioned that the Echo Plus has completely transformed the way they interact with technology and their home. They described it as a voice-activated marvel and appreciated its capabilities as a smart speaker.
A user who was initially skeptical about adopting new technology, specifically someone entrenched in the Apple ecosystem, gave the Echo Plus (2nd Gen) a 5-star rating. They emphasized that their skepticism melted away after experiencing the device and Alexa's functionality.
The overall sentiment from customers is overwhelmingly positive, with many praising the Echo Plus (2nd Gen) for its premium sound, transformative features, and seamless integration with various smart home devices. These reviews serve as a testament to the device's ability to enhance the user's daily life and provide a convenient and enjoyable smart home experience.
Conclusion
The Echo Plus (2nd Gen) is a remarkable device that combines the convenience of a smart home hub with premium sound quality. With its built-in Zigbee hub, setting up and controlling compatible smart home devices has never been easier. The improved sound quality, thanks to the Dolby technology and 360° audio, ensures an immersive listening experience with clear vocals and powerful bass response. The ability to customize the sound using the equalizer settings in the Alexa app further enhances the audio experience.
The Alexa voice assistant adds another layer of convenience, allowing users to effortlessly control their smart home devices, play music, get news updates, set alarms, make calls, and much more, simply by using their voice. The positive feedback from buyers further reinforces the quality and functionality of the Echo Plus.
While there may be some initial skepticism for those entrenched in other ecosystems, the Echo Plus proves to be a worthy addition to any smart home setup. It seamlessly integrates with various smart devices and offers a plethora of features that make daily tasks a breeze.
In conclusion, the Echo Plus (2nd Gen) is a top-notch smart speaker with premium sound quality and a built-in smart home hub. Its versatility, ease of use, and impressive features make it a must-have device for anyone looking to enhance their smart home experience. With its positive reviews and high customer rating, the Echo Plus is definitely a product worth investing in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the Echo Plus control all smart home devices? The Echo Plus is equipped with a built-in Zigbee hub, which allows it to easily connect and control compatible smart home devices. With this feature, you can easily set up and manage devices such as smart lights, locks, thermostats, and more. Simply ask Alexa to discover your devices, and you'll be able to control them with just your voice.
How is the sound quality of the Echo Plus? The Echo Plus boasts premium speakers that deliver immersive 360° audio. With Dolby technology, you can expect clear vocals and powerful bass response, providing a rich listening experience. If you want to further enhance your audio, you can customize the sound using the equalizer settings in the Alexa app. Whether you're streaming music, listening to podcasts, or enjoying audiobooks, the Echo Plus ensures exceptional sound quality.
Can I use the Echo Plus with other Echo devices? Absolutely! The Echo Plus seamlessly integrates with other Echo devices, allowing you to create a multi-room audio system. You can play music synchronized across multiple Echo devices, or use them as intercoms to communicate with other rooms in your home. Additionally, you can make calls to other Echo devices or the Alexa app, and even use Skype for voice and video calls. The Echo Plus enhances connectivity and makes it easier to stay connected throughout your home.
What can I do with Alexa on the Echo Plus? Alexa, the voice assistant on the Echo Plus, can perform a wide range of tasks. You can ask Alexa to play your favorite music from popular streaming services, read the latest news headlines, check the weather forecast, set alarms and timers, and control compatible smart home devices. Alexa is constantly learning and updating, so you can expect new features and skills to be added over time. From entertainment to productivity, Alexa is your personal assistant at home.
Is the Echo Plus compatible with Apple devices? Yes, the Echo Plus is compatible with Apple devices. Whether you're using an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you can easily connect and control the Echo Plus through the Alexa app. This allows you to enjoy the benefits of the Echo Plus and Alexa, even if you're already entrenched in the Apple ecosystem. With the Echo Plus, you can seamlessly integrate smart home control and voice assistance into your Apple devices.
