Limited-time deal: All-new Echo Dot (4th Gen, 2020 release) | Smart speaker with Alexa

Teddy6321

Apr 27, 2021 6:54 PM

519 Comments

Joined Nov 2018

Teddy6321Apr 27, 2021 6:54 PM

519 Comments

Besides audio, are there any other differences in the "smart" features between the 4th vs the 3rd gen?

1

rexcel13

Apr 27, 2021 7:12 PM

192 Comments

Joined Aug 2016

rexcel13Apr 27, 2021 7:12 PM

192 Comments

For those who want good sound, and this kind of defeats the purpose of 1 device and quickly getting that sound .... you can pair external speakers with these.

In my kitchen, I have 2 Wonderbooms (1st gen) that you can pair together. I have 1 of them paired with my Echo 2nd gen. so, when doing dishes or cooking dinner, I have the Wonderbooms turned on and connected, then I tell Alexa to play whatever. WAY better sound than just the Echo and I would guess better than the current gen dot.
Side question for anyone who knows: When paired with BT speaker, what mic is listening to your voice? the BT speaker and/or the Echo??

In the bathroom we have a full Echo which is nice, but I really like the sound with the Wonderbooms paired with Alexa. Of course you'd get even better sounds with a better speaker. It's just you need to turn them on/off and probably delays the music for about 30 seconds to a minute.

dananthony11

Apr 27, 2021 7:15 PM

44 Comments

Joined Nov 2011

dananthony11Apr 27, 2021 7:15 PM

44 Comments

Quote from dusteraz

:

Looks like you can trade in 3rd gen dot for $5 + 25% off.

How do I do this?

1

mountaindont

Apr 27, 2021 7:30 PM

9 Comments

Joined Sep 2007

mountaindontApr 27, 2021 7:30 PM

9 Comments

Quote from Jacknwater

:

Meh how do dots sound? I like full size echoes

If you can afford it get the Echo Studio. Fantastic sound! 4.5 stars on Amazon with 30k+ reviews. Best bluetooth speaker I've ever heard. $199

1

YouSayToStay

Apr 27, 2021 7:31 PM

91 Comments

Joined May 2019

YouSayToStayApr 27, 2021 7:31 PM

91 Comments

Quote from iwilmot75

:

If you're any kind of audiophile, you don't use these at all, though. For the rest of us peons, these things are pretty decent, and equate to a solid mini speaker 🤷

if you own an Echo, then you know what to expect, and this is just a small echo. it packs decent sound, but don't expect it to match a bigger/louder speaker

I mean, if you want to use the stereotype of extreme audiophile sure, but an audiophile is really someone that just enjoys high music quality but knows the differences between good and bad and can hear a lot of range difference that others might not notice. Doesn't mean they "can't" listen to more basic speakers.

Some companies make a really good large speaker but absolute garbage small speakers...like might as well listen to someone humming in a tin can bad. Others still produce good sound with a smaller profile, just with less range. I'd say the Echo Dot falls into the "good sound, smaller profile" category.

1

I-Candy

Apr 27, 2021 7:37 PM

193 Comments

Joined Feb 2015

I-CandyApr 27, 2021 7:37 PM

193 Comments

Quote from YouSayToStay

:

I mean, if you want to use the stereotype of extreme audiophile sure, but an audiophile is really someone that just enjoys high music quality but knows the differences between good and bad and can hear a lot of range difference that others might not notice. Doesn't mean they "can't" listen to more basic speakers.

Some companies make a really good large speaker but absolute garbage small speakers...like might as well listen to someone humming in a tin can bad. Others still produce good sound with a smaller profile, just with less range. I'd say the Echo Dot falls into the "good sound, smaller profile" category.

Over 1 million reviews for the previous generation, and it has a 4+ star rating - enjoy being in the minority, I guess? 🤷

And an audiophile literally is defined by someone who seeks superior performance in sound - they're not listening to an echo for maximum sound quality. But we can argue semantics all day. I have dots and echos from numerous generations and the dots sound just like a quieter echo. I also have an Anker Soundcore, and numerous other mini Bluetooth speakers, and the dots hold their own.

2

YouSayToStay

Apr 27, 2021 7:44 PM

91 Comments

Joined May 2019

YouSayToStayApr 27, 2021 7:44 PM

91 Comments

Quote from iwilmot75

:

Over 1 million reviews for the previous generation, and it has a 4+ star rating - enjoy being in the minority, I guess? 🤷

And an audiophile literally is defined by someone who seeks superior performance in sound - they're not listening to an echo for maximum sound quality. But we can argue semantics all day. I have dots and echos from numerous generations and the dots sound just like a quieter echo. I also have an Anker Soundcore, and numerous other mini Bluetooth speakers, and the dots hold their own.

I'm not sure why you think I'm shitting on the Echo Dot...I'm literally saying I think it sounds good, just doesn't have the same depth of sound as the full Echo. My first post says I have one, use it regularly, and like it quite a bit. I was originally posting because something thought another person was shitting on it when they seemed to me like they were asking if it still sounded good even though it was a smaller speaker, so I said in my opinion yes, it does sound good, just make sure you know what you're getting in comparison if you're picky.

I worked in home theater installation for over a decade, and there are certainly people out there who seem to think they should be able to get top notch quality out of some very small, very cheap devices. Having a preference for high quality sound doesn't always mean they've done the research even at a basic level to know the difference. That's all I was trying to say...this device isn't made to blow your mind, but it's still good sound.

dusteraz

Apr 27, 2021 7:45 PM

511 Comments

Joined Sep 2010

dusterazApr 27, 2021 7:45 PM

511 Comments

Quote from dananthony11

:

How do I do this?

Click the "Upgrade and save with Trade-in" button on the product page. Then you just search for the product or select one if it is already listed. Just note that sometimes you get the $5 and coupon immediately but sometimes they make you wait until they receive the item and by then the sale might be over.

CajunDavid

Apr 27, 2021 7:47 PM

344 Comments

Joined Dec 2009

CajunDavidApr 27, 2021 7:47 PM

344 Comments

Quote from Jacknwater

:

Meh how do dots sound? I like full size echoes

I have full sized Echoes in living areas where I listen to lots of music and Dots in bathrooms for a quick song and weather to wake me up. Certainly the full sized at 3 times the price sounds better. They both have their places.

1

I-Candy

Apr 27, 2021 9:19 PM

193 Comments

Joined Feb 2015

I-CandyApr 27, 2021 9:19 PM

193 Comments

Quote from YouSayToStay

:

I'm not sure why you think I'm shitting on the Echo Dot...I'm literally saying I think it sounds good, just doesn't have the same depth of sound as the full Echo. My first post says I have one, use it regularly, and like it quite a bit. I was originally posting because something thought another person was shitting on it when they seemed to me like they were asking if it still sounded good even though it was a smaller speaker, so I said in my opinion yes, it does sound good, just make sure you know what you're getting in comparison if you're picky.

I worked in home theater installation for over a decade, and there are certainly people out there who seem to think they should be able to get top notch quality out of some very small, very cheap devices. Having a preference for high quality sound doesn't always mean they've done the research even at a basic level to know the difference. That's all I was trying to say...this device isn't made to blow your mind, but it's still good sound.

I never said you were, but who in their right mind would be comparing the "full depth of sound" to a larger speaker in the first place? I don't think anyone has ever once made the claim that a dot sounds as good as an echo

2

Matt9038

Apr 27, 2021 9:44 PM

375 Comments

Joined Nov 2018

Matt9038Apr 27, 2021 9:44 PM

375 Comments

I love these things. I always thought they were a scam until I got one for free then I started picking them up everytime they went on sale lol

Quote from dusteraz

:

Looks like you can trade in 3rd gen dot for $5 + 25% off.

Is it worth it though?

SB1

Apr 27, 2021 9:54 PM

5.2K Comments

Joined Feb 2007

SB1Apr 27, 2021 9:54 PM

5.2K Comments

Quote from YouSayToStay

:

I mean, they are underwhelmed by the idea of a smaller speaker compared to what they are used to and then are asking for opinions on the sound quality. If you're into audio, it's a fair question as you'll lose a lot of depth of sound.

Personal opinion: if you're any kind of audiophile and want to use this mostly to stream music, it won't have the same depth you're used to with a full-sized Echo. If you're ok knowing that going in, they don't sound bad for the size they are. I use one to stream music while I'm cooking in the kitchen, but there are so many noises going on I'm just getting it as background noise and it works well. While it does stream music fine, I think the primary design focus of this is using it as a voice assistant and it has better-than-decent sound quality for music. I like the minis and use them frequently, but when I want to really get high quality audio I go to my full sound system.

You can do both. I have echo show 5s hooked up to crossovers that feed subwoofers/amplifiers/in-wall/in-ceiling speakers. Sounds great and you get all the echo show features. My family likes having the lyrics for the music shown on the echo show screen too = )

Teddy6321

Apr 27, 2021 10:08 PM

519 Comments

Joined Nov 2018

Teddy6321Apr 27, 2021 10:08 PM

519 Comments

Quote from Matt9038

:

I love these things. I always thought they were a scam until I got one for free then I started picking them up everytime they went on sale lol

Is it worth it though?

Going by the user feedback on Amazon doesn't seem so. Many say the sound quality is inferior to the 3rd gen dot or a step backward. The few people who have addressed the Alexa AI on Amazon seem to say it's the same old girl in both speakers.

kaabob

Apr 27, 2021 10:10 PM

2.5K Comments

Joined Jul 2003

kaabobApr 27, 2021 10:10 PM

2.5K Comments

Quote from dusteraz

:

Click the "Upgrade and save with Trade-in" button on the product page. Then you just search for the product or select one if it is already listed. Just note that sometimes you get the $5 and coupon immediately but sometimes they make you wait until they receive the item and by then the sale might be over.

Thanks!
My echo dot 3rd gen just failed to connect to home WiFi recently. Contacted Amazon support and they said it is out of warranty, but since it can connect to phone's hot spot it 'is not defective'. Submitted a trade in and got $10 off (instant 25% off) and also $5 gift card credit for the Echo Dot 4th gen with clock

Malphrusnk

Apr 27, 2021 11:12 PM

10 Comments

Joined Jan 2018

MalphrusnkApr 27, 2021 11:12 PM

10 Comments

Quote from Matt9038

:

I love these things. I always thought they were a scam until I got one for free then I started picking them up everytime they went on sale lol

Is it worth it though?

Worth it for me, have one that continues to get disconnected from wi-fi (every other dot works fine), past return point and customer service not too helpful, so it let me trade it in (stating there was something wrong with it), and I got this one for $18.84 after the $5 off and discount.

Limited-time deal: All-new Echo Dot (4th Gen, 2020 release) | Smart speaker with Alexa | Charcoal - $29.99

$30

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