How To Set Up Alexa On Sonos
The research
- Why you should trust us
- What is Alexa and who should get it
- How we picked and tested
- Our pick: Amazon Repeat (4th Gen)
- Flaws merely not dealbreakers
- Upkeep pick: Amazon Repeat Dot (4th Gen)
- Upgrade option: Sonos Ane
- Also great for the outdoors: Ultimate Ears Megablast
- Too nifty: Marshall Stanmore II Voice
- Security and privacy
- Other Alexa speakers we like
- The competition
Why you should trust us
I've reviewed consumer electronics for about 20 years and accept held peak editorial positions at magazines including Electronic Firm, E-Gear, Dealerscope, and others. I've likewise written reviews for Sound & Vision, Large Picture Large Sound, and Consumers Digest. I've been an invited speaker at both the CEDIA and CES merchandise shows on the discipline of smart-dwelling house systems. In addition to turning my house into a laboratory for DIY abode-automation products, I completed THX Level II home-theater design grooming and am a certified Control4 programmer.
What is Alexa and who should get it
Alexa (whose name is partly inspired by Arab republic of egypt'due south legendary Library of Alexandria) is the voice platform that powers Amazon's Repeat speakers, including the standard Echo, the piddling Echo Dot, the video-enabled Repeat Evidence smart brandish, and a bunch of uniform speakers from other manufacturers. Alexa speakers include built-in microphones, so they can listen to your commands and then send a recording of them to Amazon'southward cloud services, where the recording is analyzed and the appropriate response is triggered. That process usually takes just a couple of seconds.
Several Alexa speakers are skillful as music systems. Only the real reason to get i—as opposed to a non-smart speaker or a Bluetooth speaker—is to admission the Alexa phonation-control platform, which makes interacting with your speaker and other devices much easier. To access a song, an artist, or a music channel, you merely request information technology. You can say, "Alexa, play Panther Burns," and your speaker starts playing the music you requested (assuming you lot've connected it to your music subscriptions).
All Amazon Echo speakers tin can play music from Amazon Prime number Music, Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and even Apple Music. Some services, such as Pandora and TuneIn, don't cost anything actress, just Amazon Prime Music requires a Prime subscription (and you can become Amazon Music Unlimited for an additional, per-speaker cost). Apple Music, SiriusXM, and Spotify Premium require subscriptions.
You can as well set up Alexa speakers as a multi-room audio arrangement, an organisation that allows you to play the same music all over your business firm or unlike tunes in unlike rooms (though your music subscriptions may impose some restrictions on that). The Alexa app allows you to group speakers in different rooms or zones, and you just have to tell your speaker which room yous want the music to play in (or whether it should play in all of them). Setting up the system is a little trickier than using a similarly featured Sonos system.
The Alexa app is mostly for setup and configuration, or to add new abilities or view to-practice and shopping lists. Virtually of the time, you lot access Alexa'south features without having to collaborate with a screen at all (the Repeat Show devices include born screens). You can walk into a tranquillity room and ask for music or step into a night room and ask for lights.
Across streaming tunes, Alexa can respond general questions ("Alexa, who was Guy Fawkes?"), make quick cooking conversions ("Alexa, how many pints are in a gallon?"), help with math homework ("Alexa, what's 9 times 48?"), or create a to-practise list ("Alexa, add 'make dr.'due south engagement' to my to-do list."). You can also use an Alexa speaker to make phone calls or as part of an in-house intercom organization to talk through other Alexa speakers inside and outside your home. With a growing list of born capabilities and thousands of third-party Skills, your Alexa device keeps improving the longer you lot ain it.
How we picked and tested
Because Alexa speakers started with the Amazon Echo and all the Echo spinoffs, including the Echo Dot and the Repeat Prove, we tried every one of those initially, and nosotros proceed to update our reviews every bit new generations are released. We've also looked at Alexa-compatible speakers from other companies, particularly those that accept substantial histories as manufacturers of Bluetooth or Wi-Fi speakers (such as Marshall, Riva, Sonos, and Ultimate Ears). For this guide we did non review Alexa speakers with a built-in brandish, such every bit the Echo Show; we reviewed those separately for our guide to the best smart displays. We also reviewed Alexa soundbars—including the Polk Command Bar and Sonos Beam—separately.
Well-nigh Alexa speakers practise essentially the same things. Considering they all utilize the Alexa platform, they're all uniform with the same smart-home devices, and they all include substantially the aforementioned skill ready. All of them have book controls, a button to turn off the microphones, and a push to get the device to listen without your having to speak the wake word. Many also function as Bluetooth speakers and can send their audio to another Bluetooth speaker. Annotation that not-Amazon-branded speakers sometimes don't work with all the aforementioned music services, or tin can't integrate equally easily in multi-room setups, or don't let y'all brand speakerphone calls. They also can exist the concluding speakers to get Alexa feature updates. In testing, we consider both the speaker'southward performance equally a smart speaker and its sound qualities, along with whatsoever additional features, such as an included screen or a rechargeable battery.
In improver to the general Alexa features, we evaluate each speaker on the following criteria:
- Listening: A voice-controlled device is useless if it tin't hear you, so nosotros test them at various distances and vocalization volumes, and with and without background noise (including the speaker's own music).
- Sound quality: We listen to a diverseness of music, both through standard streaming services and via Bluetooth. Sound quality varies greatly because some of the Alexa speakers are designed for more than critical listening than others. But we wait for reasonably expert sound in line with the cost and size of the speaker.
- Design: Smart speakers aren't devices that you hide away, and then you're likely to prefer a speaker that looks skillful on a shelf or counter, especially if you lot plan to use more than than one in your home.
- Setup and employ: Although all Alexa speakers use the Alexa app, all not-Amazon speakers require extra setup steps that tin can make the procedure more complicated. Some include connections for other speakers or other sources, and a few can run on bombardment power and stay out in the rain.
Our pick: Amazon Echo (4th Gen)
Our pick
The Amazon Echo (4th Gen) is the latest version of the original smart speaker. If you lot want an piece of cake manner to accept music in any room, and if yous desire the convenience of telling a smart speaker to plough off your lights, this is the speaker to get. It offers the complete range of Alexa functions (including back up for most Zigbee smart-dwelling devices), and it's always the outset to receive an update when Amazon adds new abilities. It's also reasonably priced.
For the size and toll, the fourth-generation Echo sounds impressive. New for this model, the 360-degree audio design was replaced with a more direct driver design and Dolby processing to enhance the stereo upshot from a single speaker. The latest Echo plays slightly louder than previous versions, and information technology sounds pretty make clean at high volumes. And it has more bass than concluding twelvemonth's model, though it nonetheless lags behind the more expensive Echo Studio. The update has picked up a new feature (likewise found in the Studio): the ability to dynamically equalize its sound based on the ambience conditions in the room. An blaster—which you tin access via voice ("Alexa, turn up the bass") or in the app—allows you to manually adjust the bass, treble, and midrange to your liking. As with the previous Echo, with the fourth-generation version, you tin link two if you want a traditional stereo pair.
Existence a nifty listener is important in any relationship, so we call back you'll appreciate that the Echo is pretty skillful at hearing, even with some ambient racket in the room. When it is playing at full volume, you may have to walk over to the Echo and press the microphone push button to get its attention. But at normal to moderately high book, it will usually take hold of your voice through the din.
You lot can also pair the Repeat with your smartphone via Bluetooth for playback of your stored tunes, podcast apps, or whatever music service Alexa doesn't support, and you tin can pair information technology with another Echo speaker for true stereo sound. The main Echo, and all other Echo devices, tin work as a multi-room audio arrangement similar to Sonos: You can create groups with multiple Echo speakers and play the same music on all of them at once.
Echo's smart-home abilities—always pretty good—accept been updated with this model. Like the Echo Plus, the fourth-generation Echo now has built-in Zigbee technology, so it can connect directly to other Zigbee-enabled smart-dwelling house devices without requiring a separate hub or smart gateway. This may make it easier for people to add things such as smart bulbs or smart locks because yous won't have to install an additional app for each new device. (Amazon has a list of uniform Zigbee devices.) I tested it with Philips Hue smart bulbs, and the Echo connected to and controlled the bulbs easily. This Repeat also includes a temperature sensor and a new Amazon wireless networking characteristic chosen Sidewalk. The temperature sensor can work with Alexa Routines to automatically trigger other devices, such every bit a fan or an air conditioner. Amazon is nonetheless rolling Sidewalk out but says it will enable devices—yours, your neighbors', strangers'—to temporarily share a tiny portion of wireless signal, turning them into network bridges for other uniform devices such equally Tile trackers and Ring smart lights. Some owners have reported that an Alexa app update automatically opted them in to Sidewalk. The company says the connections are encrypted and users won't know when someone else is connected to their Sidewalk device. Since the characteristic is and so new, at the moment we recommend that you plow Sidewalk off in the settings menu in your Alexa app. Once Sidewalk is upward and running, we'll run into what we can make of it and written report back.
You tin can find Alexa speakers that sound better (for more money) or that have features the Repeat lacks (such as a display screen or rechargeable bombardment), but unless those are your tiptop priorities, nosotros recall nigh people should starting time with an Repeat. Non-Amazon Alexa speakers crave two apps (one from the manufacturer, plus the Alexa app), making setup more than complicated. They don't receive Amazon's latest feature updates as quickly equally Echo speakers do, and often they're not uniform at all with some features, such equally Alexa Guard.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Although Alexa is pretty good at answering basic questions, its search results aren't as deep and its answers aren't equally comprehensive as Google'south. This goes for all Alexa-powered smart speakers, not merely the Amazon Echo. We think the best platform for answering a wider range of questions is Google Banana, institute on the Google Home and Google Nest Hub speakers. Alexa has a wider range of abilities, works with more smart-home devices, and comes in more speaker models—overall making it an easier platform to integrate into your home.
Though we can't exactly phone call this a flaw, nosotros're not completely taken with the new Echo's spherical design. The grapefruit-sized speaker doesn't disappear into the background as seamlessly as previous models. The controls are nonetheless easily attainable from the height, just the indicator calorie-free is now at the bottom and not quite equally simple to meet.
Budget choice: Amazon Echo Dot (4th Gen)
Upkeep pick
For half the cost of a full-size Echo—and with the ability to connect wirelessly to your selection of speaker or sound system—the Echo Dot (quaternary Gen) is a smart option. The new Dot, like the new Echo, is now sphere-shaped and material-covered. The shape makes information technology quite a bit larger than the before Dot, but its sound is as well a bit bigger. This Dot includes volume and microphone buttons on superlative, like the current Repeat (and the original Dot). For $10 more you lot tin can go a version with an LED clock built in or one with a child-friendly design (with a tiger or panda printed on the fabric).
The Dot gives y'all all the control and search features of Alexa, and it includes a speaker that'south decent for hearing the Dot's voice and alarms or for listening to music. For this speaker's small size, the sound is surprisingly good and would satisfy anyone looking to supervene upon a bedside or desk-bound radio. For better sound, yous can connect the Dot to any Bluetooth speaker, or use a 3½-millimeter stereo jack for a wired audio connection into a powered speaker or an audio receiver.
None of the Dot versions include Zigbee, a temperature sensor, or Sidewalk, simply they still command all of your other smart-home devices just as well. This version also won't mount to a wall or work with any of the third-party accessories made for earlier Dots. But it appears the tertiary-generation Dot won't be disappearing right away, so if those things are important to you, go the older one.
Upgrade pick: Sonos One
Upgrade pick
The Sonos I looks and sounds like the Sonos Play:1 speaker, merely the I includes microphones and has Alexa and Google Banana back up built in. It sounds improve than any of the Amazon Echo speakers, simply it likewise costs twice as much equally the Repeat. The Sonos platform supports well-nigh major streaming services—many more than Alexa alone.
I matter you can't do with a Sonos I is stream to information technology via Bluetooth, though on iOS y'all can use AirPlay 2 via Wi-Fi to stream from your telephone. And although the Sonos Ane is compatible with more than than 100 music streaming services, you tin use the Alexa voice feature to call up only the services Alexa works with; for all the others, such as Slacker, you need to apply the app. Sonos as a platform is great for multi-room music, and the Sonos One works well with all other Sonos speakers, or you tin brand information technology role of your multi-room Alexa system.
The Sonos I sounds much better than the Echo, with better bass and more detail. As with the Echo, the Sonos I can be paired with some other One to create a true stereo organisation. Although the One sounds better, it doesn't listen nigh as well as an Echo—in 2 years of testing, nosotros've found that the Sonos One is relatively hard of hearing and sometimes fails to trigger unless we are facing it directly when giving a command.
In add-on to the One, Sonos makes another smart speaker with Alexa, the Sonos Beam. Information technology's designed for use with a Goggle box and can work alone or with additional Sonos One speakers in a surround-sound arrangement. Nosotros discuss the Beam farther in our guide to the best soundbars.
Although the Sonos One is great for music, if your involvement is primarily in smart-home features, it may not be the best choice. For i affair, it doesn't support Alexa Routines that include music, so you lot tin can't create a Routine that plays the Beatles'south "A Day in the Life" when your smart bulb gets you upward in the morn. It likewise doesn't support Alexa Guard.
Likewise peachy for the outdoors: Ultimate Ears Megablast
As well groovy
If you want to take your Alexa speaker outside and not have to worry about power or a piffling rain, get the Ultimate Ears Megablast. The UE Megablast and the smaller UE Blast are substantially Alexa versions of the company'southward outdoor waterproof Megaboom and Nail Bluetooth speakers, respectively, but with the addition of Wi-Fi plus microphones and voice control. UE claims an IP67 rating for the Megablast, so a douse in the pool or a rain shower won't impale it, and information technology runs for nearly 12 hours on rechargeable batteries. The speaker sounds keen, with stiff bass and detail. The microphones aren't nearly equally sensitive equally those in the latest-generation Echo speaker, and then you may notice yourself frequently reaching for the microphone button when the speaker can't hear you through the music. And I don't like the bottom placement of the charging-cable port considering it forces you to plow the speaker upside down to charge it, but you can buy a wireless charging base of operations separately.
The volume controls aren't as piece of cake to use as those on other Alexa speakers: It takes a picayune more effort than should be required to push the big plus and minus symbols on the side. But the pattern helps go along the speaker waterproof, so information technology's a fair merchandise-off. As well, if you're out of Wi-Fi range, the Megablast functions like a normal Bluetooth speaker without the Alexa functionality.
Also smashing: Marshall Stanmore 2 Vocalisation
Too slap-up
The Marshall Stanmore II Vox is big and full of ability, and it'due south the speaker to get if you lot want the best-sounding Alexa speaker. Styled like a classic Marshall guitar amp and about every bit heavy every bit one, it has traditional volume, bass, and treble knobs on meridian and 3 built-in amplifiers (including a 50-watt amp just for the low-end frequencies). Its sound (like that of the Bluetooth-only version of this speaker) is clear, powerful, and more bass-filled than that of any other Alexa speaker.
Sound quality is the main reason to choose the Marshall over the Sonos, since the Marshall offers more bass, detail, and volume (simply it doesn't have all of the Sonos speaker'south music options). The two tuning knobs on top of the Marshall brand tweaking the sound easier than on any other speaker we tried. If that doesn't give you enough flexibility, the Marshall app includes an equalizer and several music presets for different kinds of music.
Marshall says the Stanmore Ii Voice includes merely ii far-field microphones for phonation command. That's a little thin compared with an Repeat'southward seven, but the Marshall speaker is still remarkably practiced at hearing commands, even over loud music.
Security and privacy
Wirecutter takes security and privacy issues very seriously. So to help you understand what information the companies you lot're bringing into your dwelling house may be taking out with them, we've compiled this table to answer some of the about common questions people accept regarding privacy and security. We reached out to the companies that produce our summit picks and asked them to reply to an extensive questionnaire to confirm issues nosotros call up should be of main concern for any potential heir-apparent. Below are some of the most important questions you should consider before making a purchase. Naturally, some people don't like the thought of being listened to by artificial intelligence, and we address that event in detail in this blog post.
| Amazon Echo and Echo Dot | Sonos One | Ultimate Ears Megablast | Marshall Stanmore Vocalization II | |
| Does this device offering ii-factor hallmark? If then, is it required? | Yes/No | No | No (Aye/No for use with Alexa) | Yes/No (for use with Alexa) |
| Is a user's identifying information (such equally email addresses or Wi-Fi info) encrypted when stored in the deject? | Yes | We shop all personal data on computer systems that have limited admission and are in controlled facilities. In addition, any data nosotros transmit over the internet is protected using encryption. | All user's identifying data and interactions are kept private in accordance with Ultimate Ears published privacy policy. All interactions with Alexa are in accordance with Amazon'south privacy policy. | (The visitor didn't specifically answer, merely all communication is facilitated via Alexa, so information technology follows the aforementioned protocols equally Alexa.) |
| Do you share data with third parties, affiliates, and partners? | Yes, but only data that is needed to fulfill user requests. Also, users tin can control what information each enabled Skill gets in Alexa'southward privacy settings. | No. For third-party voice assistant services, Sonos does share the phonation recordings but only with the partner whose voice service has been authorized (Alexa or Google Assistant) to ensure the connected service is working properly. Sonos volition never store third-party voice recordings or data. | No, outside of that shared via Alexa. | The make never shares any data with 3rd parties, affiliates or partners without whatsoever permission. |
| Does this device tape and share location data (address and/or country)? | Aye, Echo devices record zippo code and other location information to provide users with certain functions, such as local time. The Alexa app besides requests mobile device permissions in order to hear requests, provide personalized results, help set up Alexa-enabled devices, and back up certain features. | Sonos stores location data (region and zip code) to provide region-specific services and local radio, and to identify nearby Wi-Fi networks to help with setup, or troubleshooting when you're no longer on the same Wi-Fi network equally your Sonos system. | No | (The company didn't specifically answer, simply since all advice is facilitated via Alexa, information technology follows the same protocols as Alexa.) |
| Does the device include a mute microphone feature? | Yes | Yes | Aye | Yes |
| Does the platform allow users to review and delete phonation interactions? | Yes | Any voice service interaction on Sonos is handled by the third party directly. Sonos does not shop voice interactions. Additionally, all voice information is encrypted when shared with partners. | Recordings are not preserved on the speaker, and user interactions are kept individual in accord with Ultimate Ears published privacy policy. All interactions with Alexa are in accordance with Amazon'southward privacy policy. | Aye |
Other Alexa speakers we similar
The Repeat Studio is Amazon's biggest and best-sounding Alexa speaker. Inside are v drivers, including a 5¼-inch bass woofer. Information technology tin can stream lossless music from Amazon's new Amazon Music Hard disk high-resolution music service, though that's an additional cost on pinnacle of Prime Music. Compared with the chief Echo, the Studio delivers much more detail and bass, and during testing information technology got loud enough to make full my abode-theater room. If you have a Fire TV, you can wirelessly connect it to the media thespian to serve as a soundbar, of sorts, which will exist an comeback over any congenital-in TV speakers (though probably not better than an actual soundbar). It's a nifty-sounding speaker, specially for the cost. The only affair keeping this from existence a pick is the identically priced Sonos One, which sounds a little more than detailed, gets just nigh as loud, works with more music services (through the Sonos app), is compatible with Google Banana, and is half the size. However, the Studio is a meliorate listener than the Sonos One. Even when played at a fairly loftier volume, the Studio could hear my commands. Another reason you might adopt the Studio is that, similar the Echo Plus, it includes a Zigbee receiver, which turns it into a smart-habitation hub. Different the main Echo, however, the Echo Studio comes in only ane look: black.
The Bose Home Speaker 300 is slightly larger than an Echo but sounds significantly better, offer a wider soundstage, more particular, and bass you tin feel. It's a good-sounding small speaker, capable of filling a room quite easily. In improver to working with Alexa, it likewise allows you to command it past vox with Google Assistant. The downside is that it'south usually more than twice the price of an Echo, and if you want a compact speaker that sounds actually adept, nosotros recommend the Sonos Ane, which costs less and has more features.
The competition
The Echo Flex is the smallest and cheapest Alexa speaker from Amazon. Dissimilar the Echo Dot, the Flex plugs directly into an outlet, so in that location's no cord, and it stays off tables or countertops. This also means placement is restricted to wherever your outlets are, which isn't always user-friendly. The Flex does everything any other Alexa speaker does, just the audio quality is equivalent to putting your smartphone in a plastic cup. There's too no book control on the device. Y'all tin heighten it with one of two accessories—a nighttime-light or a motility sensor—that adhere directly to the Flex. Both work well in Alexa Routines. The Flex may be skilful for people who desire to inexpensively extend Alexa's reach into other parts of their domicile, but most users should get a Dot or standard Echo.
Concluding yr nosotros suggested that if y'all wanted more smart-home control, you might consider the Repeat Plus due to its built-in Zigbee features. However, now that the quaternary-generation Echo besides has Zigbee, as well as some other enhancements over the Plus, there'south really no reason to consider information technology. Amazon hasn't updated the Plus for 2022, and though no annunciation has been fabricated, nosotros don't await it to be bachelor for much longer.
What sets the Bose Dwelling Speaker 500 apart from other Alexa speakers is its small LCD screen. Unlike the screen on an Echo Show or Echo Spot, this Bose model's screen—at but 1¾ by 2¼ inches—is for showing runway or station information only, and you can't apply it for any of the things (such as camera views) that y'all tin can practice on a smart brandish. A recent update brought Google Assistant, in addition to Alexa, to this Bose speaker. We oasis't yet listened to this ane ourselves. And although reviews of the Speaker 500's sound quality have generally been expert, it'south expensive, and information technology has more complicated (and more often than not unnecessary, in a voice speaker) controls. We think someone looking for great sound should try the Marshall, because information technology costs less, looks better, and sounds actually practiced.
The Halo comes from the Zolo family, Anker's latest smart-speaker line. It's priced between an Echo Dot and a standard Repeat, just its audio functioning is only slightly better than the Dot's. To set it upwards, you take to download the Zolo app, register with a password, and then download the Alexa app to connect it to your Amazon account. In our tests of the Halo, setup with the Zolo app was a little clunky and failed the get-go couple of times. We nevertheless think you're better off springing for an Echo (or a Dot, if you're just seeking a small-scale device for voice commands or connecting information technology to some other audio organization) because the Halo won't piece of work with all Alexa features, notably the calling functions.
The Fabriq Chorus is most the size of the 2nd-generation Echo and costs the same, but it'south portable and equipped with a battery and charging cradle, and then you lot don't demand to keep information technology plugged in. It sounds pretty good for its size, but not nearly as practiced as the two portable Ultimate Ears speakers. Information technology comes in a variety of cloth patterns and colors. Unfortunately, information technology has no IPX rating for outdoor use, so if you accept it exterior, don't expose it to rain. The battery is skillful for simply near half-dozen hours.
How To Set Up Alexa On Sonos,
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-alexa-speakers/
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