Verdict
A few tweaks have n’t ( for better or worse ) commute the overall transonic character of the Echo Studio , which stay on a fun , energetic listen , and the best - sound Echo loudspeaker system usable . The unexampled spatial audio recording feature does n’t always have the best effect on music though , while the hike in price to over £ 200 may cool people ’s interest despite its living for 3D audio frequency .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The originalEcho Studiolaunched in 2019 as Amazon ’s option to spearhead its assault on the wireless verbaliser securities industry .
ItsEcho reach of wireless speakersplaced an emphasis on smarts over fidelity , but the Echo Studio saw Amazon make a power station of a speaker with backing forDolby AtmosandHi - res audioat a comparatively affordable cost .
And as it ’s link to the Internet , the Echo Studio can be update at any time , so in 2022 , Amazon tweak the speaker ’s spacial audio processing and frequency range .
Rather than ‘ update ’ our late review , we ’ve written a newfangled one as the changes and new damage seem solid enough to warrant another take . Is Amazon ’s premier wireless speaker better or regretful with these changes ?
Design
Nothing has been altered with the speaker system ’s exterior visual aspect aside from being available in a Glacial White finish . The Echo Studio has always resemble the looking at of Iron Man ’s question in its Mk I accommodate , and this makes it even clearer .
It ’s the same sizing at 206 mm marvelous and 175 mm blanket , and weighting at 3.5 kg . The Echo Studio is a heavy speaker with a footmark big than either the originalHomePodor theHomePod 2so it ’ll call for firm reinforcement to sit on .
The aperture towards the basis of the speaker maximises the sea bass production , and if you peek through at the right slant , you ’ll see the woofer vibrate . The speaker is covered in a simoleons - insubordinate fabric looking ( safe from prying household pet ) , and the lily-white reading bring with it the selection of placing the speaker in a room with more neutral or bright colours .
Around the top of the speaker are four button , one for turn the build - in microphone off for privacy reasons , plus button for volume , and an ‘ Action ’ button to call upAlexaand encircling the speaker ’s inside section is the omnipresent Alexa igniter ring . There ’s no remote provide but if you have aFire TV devicethe talker can be partner off for procedure and the Alexa remote control used for ascendence .
There ’s the capacity to sneak the Echo Studio to another source through the 3.5mm / mini optical air - in but there is n’t an ethernet interface , so you ’re reliant on Wi - Fi for an internet connection .
Features
Like Sonos’Auto Trueplayor Apple ’s HomePod , the Echo Studio can automatically calibrate its public presentation by analysing the area it ’s in . Unlike the HomePod , it ’ll only feed this procedure when it ’s turned off and on at the plug , the Alexa brightness level ring pulse rate at start - up for thirty mo to a minute as it optimises .
Initial set - up is through the Alexa app which takes a few minute to get the loudspeaker up to upper . The app include Alexa function , associate to other Amazon equipment and serve , as well as linking to euphony stream table service , though in the UK this only extend toAmazon Music , Apple Music , Deezerand Spotify ( and only Spotify Premium support Alexa voice ) .
As asmart speakerthe Echo Studio featuresZigbeebuilt - in and can communicate and control other devices through Alexa . Provision for theMatterhome impertinent standard has also been added .
Purchase a brace of Echo Studios and they can be used in a two-channel set - up , while anEcho Subtakes care of the basso . If you have aFire TV Cube , there ’s also the option of creating a Dolby Atmos - compatible home cinema system .
As well as Wi - Fi connectivity there ’s Bluetooth support , though Amazon ’s never stated which version , and there is no elbow room forTidal Connector Chromecast . File musical accompaniment includes FLAC , MP3 , AAC , Opus , Vorbis for euphony cyclosis , Dolby Digital , Dolby Digital Plus andDolby Atmos , whileSony 360 Reality Audioand MPEG - H for 3D sound recording .
The Echo Studio can , according to Amazon , act as tracks up to 24 - bit/44.1kHz , but the Music app can be vague in informing the solvent you are listen at , with no information useable when casting over Wi - Fi , though more information is provided over a Bluetooth connexion . It ’s a dumbfound office .
Sound Quality
In 2022 Amazon release an OTA ( over - the - aura ) update that add new spatial sound processing engineering and extend the frequency range . The former is said to help enhance two-channel sound with “ greater breadth , clarity and presence ” to mirror the carrying into action of a hi - fi system .
With the latter Amazon claims to have meliorate mid - range clarity and basso file name extension . As it ’s an update , it ’s freely useable across all Echo Studios , so regardless of whether you bribe one in 2019 or 2023 , they all fathom the same .
That makes it hard to compare the sound of the 2019 example to the 2022 , though await through my notes , the difference of opinion are nonaged rather than major .
Bass seems to have been tempered somewhat but can still go very deep , midrange pellucidity remains good , especially with voice and double is treated with lucidity in GoGo Penguin ’s erase by Sunlight though it could profit from more smartness and tonal variation .
With Amazon ’s spatial audio recording technology , I ’ll say that it ’s both interesting and a little singular . There ’s an increase sense of depth and width that expatiate two-channel music beyond the speaker system ’s form , but with that expansion make out a thinner presentation and less mother wit of definition . gamy frequencies seem most affected by turn on the Stereo Spatial Engagement feature , giving them a empty tintinnabulation . I should mention it ’s not activate for tracks that already support3D audio .
vocal are presented front and center , and there are suited amount of clearness and item to bestow out the modulation of Faye Webster ’s I Know I ’m Funny Haha or Chris Cornell ’s Black Hole Sun . Tonally the speaker errs towards a more even tonic balance wheel but has n’t lost its sense of vigour , momentum , or dynamism for what remains a full of life performance .
Bass is powerful – there is no loudspeaker in its price bracket that can rival it in those terms , and the low-pitched oftenness performance feels less hyperactive compare to the ‘ original ’ strait . There ’s a proper clump to Faye Webster ’s Better Distractions , while Sza ’s Shirt in Atmos has bass that explodes from the speaker and growl through the surface it is on . I think some will still find the bass operation too powerful , but with Rihanna ’s S&M it does n’t dominate as much as I call back .
With Atmos the performance depends on how the raceway was assorted , and maybe an issue with the Echo Studio is that its level of definition are n’t enough to fetch out the best of most song but with the right track it can be spectacular . Pink Floyd ’s Money shows an amazing reach in terms of height , the speech sound of the cash register is well above the speaker unit . Like the Era 300,Dolby Atmos musicis notable by sounding bigger , wider and have more deepness .
The Echo Studio does n’t carry the same levels of clarity as the more expensiveSonos epoch 300 ; the Sonos birth better profoundness and definition with Atmos tracks – the guitar at the beginning of Blondie ’s Call Me is intimately defined on the Era 300 – and with tracks such as Marvin Gaye ’s What ’s fail On and Gregory Porter ’s Mona Lisa there ’s clearer separation between the various component of the rail than the Echo Studio can muster .
Switch to Bluetooth and the volume must be pump to get a similar storey of energy and scale , but particular and definition level are n’t as good as casting over Wi - Fi .
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Should you buy it?
Despite the price hike , the Echo Studio is bum than the competition , and puts out a convinced 3D audio public presentation .
Some will find the bass part overwrought , but I find the higher final stage a small lacking in sparkle . 3D audio differentiates this speaker unit from the rest of its terms alternatives , but the competition is secure in some deference .
Final Thoughts
While it ’s hard to be definitive about how much of an gist these tweaks have had compare to the original Echo Studio ’s sound , it remains the well - voice Echo verbalizer on the market .
Its support for 3D audio recording differentiate it from other speakers in its cranial orbit , and if you like bass you ’ll enjoy the Echo Studio ’s propensity for give tracks mountain of welly , though your neighbour may not be as forgiving . There are area for improvement : gamy frequencies could profit from more smartness while the improver of the Stereo Spatial Enhancement feature has its plusses and subtraction .
The Echo Studio has also gone up in price . If you ’re not interested in 3D audio and the surcharge that comes with getting access to it , there are lot of alternatives such as theSonos One , Era 100andDenon Home 150 .
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every wireless speaker we review good over an extended full stop of time . We use diligence received tests to equate features in good order . We ’ll always tell you what we find . We never , ever , accept money to critique a product .
line up out more about how we prove in ourethics insurance .
FAQs
To heed to Atmos music on the Echo Studio , you ’ll need memory access to the Amazon Music Unlimited service and the you could play any euphony with the Dolby Atmos badge on it .
Full Specs
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