Echo (3rd Gen) - $69.99, Echo Plus (2nd Gen) - $79.99

That's a nice deal for sure with the smart bulb. Nice find, OP!

I upgraded two 3rd Gen Echo Dots last Black Friday to two of these 3rd Gen Echo's, and it was a really nice step up for background music listening. If you're going to buy one, and intend to use it for music, I definitely encourage going for two to have true stereo sound. It makes a big difference. These tend to be fairly bass heavy. I generally leave the bass at neutral and bump the mids slightly and the treble to about 3/4 positive. If you like bass heavy music, you'll really like them. They put out a surprising amount of bass given their size.

I have had some odd Wi-Fi connectivity issues with one of my new Echo's that I never had with the Dots in the same location, so just something to be aware of in case it is a widespread issue. I think the big difference between the 3rd Gen Echo and the Plus is the inclusion of the smart home hub in the Plus. If you don't need that, and just use Alexa for simple things like turning on lights and such, the 3rd Gen Echo has basically the same speaker drivers. Save yourself $10 that way.

All things considered, I really enjoy having these in my living room. They look nice, sounds decent for the price, and can get moderately loud. I generally keep them at volume 3 or 4 while I'm in the same room. I definitely recommend with a thumbs up.

Any good trade in options for the Plus to make this more slick?

These drop in price so fast... I got a plus for $110 last year around this time. I use it in the garage as a speaker above the door motor. Fills the room nicely and works seamlessly with Spotify.

Refurbished Echo 3rd Generation is $55.99

Which one has better sound between the too, how about volume level?

I'm reading different things, the 3rd gen echo could be better than the 2nd gen echo plus... thanks

Also available on staples for the same price. Available now. I have a ton of echo devices. Echo 3 is by far the best. Picked up a black echo 3 yesterday from staples with rewards points.

Is the 3 objectively better than the 2nd Gen Plus? I have a HomePod and I like it but I feel like it's a bit too much since I don't use many smart home or automated home tasks.

I was in the market recently and did some research on these. The 3rd gen is completely identical in sound and appearance to the plus. They can even be used as a stereo pair. Which is what I am doing with a plus and a 3. Don't get the plus.

This may be a dumb question, but can I use these speakers to link up to my tv for surround sound? Do I need one of the Bluetooth USB adapters? Or can anyone give advice on how it would link up. I really wanna get these! I have a samsung smart tv from like 2016

Quote from peterpecher : Which one has better sound between the too, how about volume level? I'm reading different things, the 3rd gen echo could be better than the 2nd gen echo plus... thanks

I find the echo plus is bass balanced and not as muddled compared to the echo dot 3. I paired the echo plus with a second gen echo dot (inside a Vaux portable) paired in stereo gives the best in terms of highs and lows. I am not a fan of the echo dot 3.

Quote from Marvel11 : This may be a dumb question, but can I use these speakers to link up to my tv for surround sound? Do I need one of the Bluetooth USB adapters? Or can anyone give advice on how it would link up. I really wanna get these! I have a samsung smart tv from like 2016

I do this by using a 4k fire stick. Only way I know of. The echo devices seem to only pair with Amazon products, not directly with your TV.

Quote from pavendano94 : I was in the market recently and did some research on these. The 3rd gen is completely identical in sound and appearance to the plus. They can even be used as a stereo pair. Which is what I am doing with a plus and a 3. Don't get the plus.

Fro what I understand, the plus gen 2 is identical to the echo gen 3 except the plus also functions as a smart home hub.

Quote from Dr_Derogatory : That's a nice deal for sure with the smart bulb. Nice find, OP! I upgraded two 3rd Gen Echo Dots last Black Friday to two of these 3rd Gen Echo's, and it was a really nice step up for background music listening. If you're going to buy one, and intend to use it for music, I definitely encourage going for two to have true stereo sound. It makes a big difference. These tend to be fairly bass heavy. I generally leave the bass at neutral and bump the mids slightly and the treble to about 3/4 positive. If you like bass heavy music, you'll really like them. They put out a surprising amount of bass given their size. I have had some odd Wi-Fi connectivity issues with one of my new Echo's that I never had with the Dots in the same location, so just something to be aware of in case it is a widespread issue. I think the big difference between the 3rd Gen Echo and the Plus is the inclusion of the smart home hub in the Plus. If you don't need that, and just use Alexa for simple things like turning on lights and such, the 3rd Gen Echo has basically the same speaker drivers. Save yourself $10 that way. All things considered, I really enjoy having these in my living room. They look nice, sounds decent for the price, and can get moderately loud. I generally keep them at volume 3 or 4 while I'm in the same room. I definitely recommend with a thumbs up.

I have odd issues with my pair of gen 3 echos. Sometimes they play in a pair and sometimes they don't. Volume control is horrible. If I say Alexa volume up one, nothing will happen, then 3-4 minutes later the volume will shoot up. Or when I start playing music, the volume is really low and I have to wait a few minutes before it will go up to its normal listening level.

Quote from bdevillier19 : I have odd issues with my pair of gen 3 echos. Sometimes they play in a pair and sometimes they don't. Volume control is horrible. If I say Alexa volume up one, nothing will happen, then 3-4 minutes later the volume will shoot up. Or when I start playing music, the volume is really low and I have to wait a few minutes before it will go up to its normal listening level.

That sounds like a hardware problem. Theoretically they should have the same firmware. Have you contacted Amazon about it to see if you can get them replaced? Have you separated them and played them individually to try and isolate if it's one speaker or the other? I would also try, if you haven't already, factory resetting them, then reestablishing them to your account.