Echo (4th Gen) Review: Premium Sound and Smart Home Control

This device is a smart speaker that comes with premium sound, a smart home hub, and Alexa.

I recently purchased the Echo (4th Gen) and was pleasantly surprised by its performance. The setup was easy, and I was able to connect it to my wifi network in just a few minutes. The sound quality is superb, with rich and detailed sound that adapts to any room. I also appreciate the smart home hub feature, which allows me to control compatible lights, locks, and sensors with just my voice. The voice recognition is accurate and responsive, making it easy to stream music from different services like Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, SiriusXM, and more. Overall, I am very satisfied with my purchase of the Echo (4th Gen).

Premium Sound Quality

Providing rich and detailed sound, The Echo (4th Gen) offers a premium sound experience that adapts to any room. The device supports lossless HD audio available on select streaming services such as Amazon Music HD, ensuring the best possible audio quality for music lovers. Additionally, the device allows you to voice control your music, stream songs from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, SiriusXM, and more, making it easy to access your favorite tunes.

Smart Home Hub

Voice control compatible lights, locks, and sensors with The Echo (4th Gen), which also serves as a smart home hub. The device has a built-in hub that enables you to easily set up compatible Zigbee and Matter devices or select Ring Smart Lighting solar lights and bulbs. The device is designed to make it easy for you to control your smart home devices, making it a perfect addition to any smart home setup.

Echo: Alexa Assistance

Your daily tasks can be easily accomplished with the always ready Alexa. You can set timers, reminders, and alarms with voice commands like “Alexa, set a timer for 10 minutes.” Additionally, Alexa can answer questions like “Alexa, what time is it?” or “Alexa, what’s the weather today?” The device also has the ability to start your routines with motion, allowing you to turn on compatible lights, play your Flash Briefing, or turn on the coffee maker when you walk into the room.

Echo: Multi-Room Music

Fill your home with sound by playing synchronized music across Echo devices in different rooms with multi-room music. You can also pair your Echo with compatible Fire TV devices to feel scenes come to life with home theater audio. The device can even extend wifi coverage with a compatible eero network, allowing you to say goodbye to drop-offs and buffering.

Echo: Hands-Free Connectivity

Connect with others hands-free using The Echo (4th Gen). You can call friends and family who have the Alexa app or an Echo device. Additionally, you can instantly drop in on other rooms or announce to the whole house that dinner’s ready. The device’s privacy controls are designed to protect your privacy, with multiple layers of privacy controls, including a mic off button.

Echo: Easy Setup

The Echo (4th Gen) is easy and straightforward to set up. You just need to connect the device to the power supply, and it will guide you through the setup process. The device has a quick guide that provides step-by-step instructions, and you can use the Alexa app to complete the setup. Once set up, you can start using the device to voice control your smart home devices, play music, and get assistance with your daily tasks.

Pros:

• Premium sound quality, with automatic adaptability to any room and support for lossless HD audio on select streaming services like Amazon Music HD.
• Built-in smart home hub for voice control of compatible lights, locks, and sensors, as well as easy set up of compatible Zigbee and Matter devices or Ring Smart Lighting solar lights and bulbs.
• Multi-room music feature allows for synchronized music across Echo devices in different rooms, or pairing with compatible Fire TV devices for home theater audio, and extending wifi coverage with a compatible eero network.

Cons:

• Some users have reported difficulty with Alexa hearing voice commands, particularly for those with hearing impairments.
• Amazon’s additional fees and charges for music streaming services, including limited access to certain songs and the need to upgrade to higher-priced packages for multi-device listening, have been criticized by some customers.
• The design choice of putting the communication ring light on the bottom of the device has been criticized as a poor choice, particularly in darkened rooms.

Conclusion

If you are in the market for a smart speaker that delivers premium sound quality and comes with Alexa and a smart home hub, then the Echo (4th Gen) is definitely worth considering. The device is easy to set up and use, and the voice recognition is accurate and responsive. With the ability to stream music from various services and control compatible smart devices, the Echo (4th Gen) is a great addition to any smart home setup.

Questions & Answers:

Question: What are the main benefits of the Echo (4th Gen)?

Answer: The Echo (4th Gen) offers premium sound quality that adapts to any room, a built-in smart home hub for voice control of compatible devices, and multi-room music capabilities for synchronized playback across Echo devices or pairing with Fire TV devices.

Question: Are there any downsides to using the Echo (4th Gen)?

Answer: Some users have reported difficulty with Alexa hearing voice commands, particularly for those with hearing impairments. Additionally, Amazon’s additional fees and charges for music streaming services and the design choice of putting the communication ring light on the bottom of the device have been criticized by some customers.

Question: What distinguishes the Echo (4th Gen) from previous versions?

Answer: The Echo (4th Gen) offers a sleek, ball-shaped design with improved sound quality and automatic adaptability to any room. It also includes a built-in smart home hub and multi-room music capabilities, as well as compatibility with Matter devices and Ring Smart Lighting solar lights and bulbs.