Amazon Echo Club

[John F]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Echo Dot 3 = $20 each

Echo Dot 4 = $25 each (includes free color smart bulb)

If you get two, you can set them up as a stereo pair and get left and right channels.
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Just to nitpick, I'm not sure the sound you get would be considered traditional "stereo"; you will get the same sound out of both speakers?

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by John F

Just to nitpick, I'm not sure the sound you get would be considered traditional "stereo"; you will get the same sound out of both speakers?

When set up as a stereo pair, you get proper stereo, not just synchronised mono from two speakers.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/cus...JUDLBM6WF79QW2

[John F]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

When set up as a stereo pair, you get proper stereo, not just synchronised mono from two speakers.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/cus...JUDLBM6WF79QW2

Thank you for the correction.

[OtinG]

I'll second what pdurrant said: You do get true stereo sound. I've got two Dot3s connected together and they actually sound pretty good for what they are; two rather small speaker devices. The key is separation though. If you place them an inch apart, then the stereo audio won’t sound that great. If you separate them at least a few feet apart, then the stereo audio will sound pretty good for a pair of smallish speakers.

[tubemonkey]

Alexa finally gets a new name and voice: How to switch them up on your Amazon Echo

Now Alexa has a masculine-sounding voice option and you can call your device Ziggy. Plus, you can mix and match.

The digital assistant I've always called Alexa has a new name option -- Ziggy -- and a new, masculine-sounding voice to either pair with "Ziggy" or not. You're free to mix -- and remix -- those options however you want, since there are separate settings for voice and wake word (and one isn't linked to the other).

Alexa already had several other, er, "names" (if you can call them that): Your Echo device could already to respond to "Amazon," "Echo," or "Computer," as well as "Alexa." "Ziggy" is the first name name to appear as an option besides "Alexa."

more...

[tubemonkey]

Alexa, Alexa, Alexa: What to do with all your extra Amazon Echos

Is an Amazon Echo speaker in every room overkill? Yes, which is why you should do it. Here's how to make it all work.

I bet you've got an unused Echo Dot stuffed somewhere in your house. I had two -- both white third-gen models that I'd since replaced with the better-sounding fourth-gen "orbs." But those old hockey pucks still slapped, especially when paired with my black Echo Show 8, so I dug them out and found homes for the both of them.

One third-gen dot went in my half-bath, the other in my upstairs hallway -- bringing my menagerie of Alexa devices up to a whopping 11 smart speakers and displays, including an Echo Flex (see photo for how ridiculously small those are). That means I now have one Alexa speaker or display for every 122 square feet of house, give or take.

Is that overkill? For sure. Should you put an Alexa speaker in every room of your house (including the hallway and garage) anyway? Absolutely. Once you do, you'll never go back. That's because there are some unique advantages to keeping a houseful of Alexa. (Keep reading -- that's what the rest of this story is about, plus how to keep everything in order.)

Organization is key, because having a chorus of Alexa devices within earshot of each other can cause some interesting problems. Alexa can supposedly tell which device you're speaking to (and respond accordingly) but in my experience, the opposite is more often true. But these problems have solutions, and that's what I'm here to show you.

This is how I manage my expanding cornucopia of Alexa devices, plus some of the cool things I do with them, like pipe music through my whole house.

Why so many Alexas? Because more is better

• Announcements | Drop In | Multiroom audio (but in the same room)

Choose wake words, but choose them wisely

• Voices: Female (original) | Male (new)
  
• Wake Words: Alexa | Amazon | Computer | Echo | Ziggy

Pair Alexas for stereo and multiroom audio groups


Note: read article for details

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Alexa finally gets a new name and voice: How to switch them up on your Amazon Echo

It comes with a face too! Kind of reminds me of the Pat character from SNL back in the 1980s or 1990s.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by OtinG

It comes with a face too! Kind of reminds me of the Pat character from SNL back in the 1980s or 1990s.

If it matches the image you posted, Tom Wilson II will be very interested unless, of course, he's already been paid.

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by DNSB

If it matches the image you posted, Tom Wilson II will be very interested unless, of course, he's already been paid.

My quip, "It comes with a face too!" was merely a joke. There is no face to Echo names of course. But I did immediately think of the Ziggy cartoons I used to see in the newspapers years ago. Ziggy seems like an odd name for Amazon to choose though. I still wish we could select any name or phrase, but I doubt that will ever happen.

[CRussel]

I'm just glad that we now have a choice that is _unlikely_ to come up accidentally. All the others were ones that either are part of our routine in-house discussion, or have TV series that use the name regularly.

[OtinG]

Unfortunately, when listening to TV the ending sound of the name sometimes activates my Echo Plus. So if a word with an emphasized “ō” sound occurs with the name set to Echo, it will start listening and sometimes start jabbering on about something. Using Amazon or Alexa gets it triggered a lot. Computer also gets it triggered occasionally, though not too often. When using Alexa, it gets triggered a lot by the “a” sound in other words. I’m wondering if Ziggy will get triggered by the “ē” sound. Words like “dizzy” might trigger it.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by OtinG

Ziggy seems like an odd name for Amazon to choose though.

Originally Posted by CRussel

All the others were ones that either are part of our routine in-house discussion, or have TV series that use the name regularly.

Touching on both points, I suspect "Ziggy" might be an homage to the computer from "Quantum Leap."

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by ApK

Touching on both points, I suspect "Ziggy" might be an homage to the computer from "Quantum Leap."

I remember the TV series in the 1990s, but I don’t remember the computer. Looks like you are referring to a movie rather than the series though.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by OtinG

I remember the TV series in the 1990s, but I don’t remember the computer. Looks like you are referring to a movie rather than the series though.

Wow, you DON'T remember the series much!
In almost every episode, Al would say something like "Ziggy predicts a 75% probability that you're here to save Jimmy from drowning" or whatever the episode was about.
Ziggy was frequently referenced, and was eventually seen and heard in a couple episodes.
There were several bits about Sam's swiss-cheese memory and having to be reminded that "Ziggy is the super-hybrid computer you designed to run project Quantum Leap. Gushie is the programmer...little guy...bad breath."

There is apparently some low budget fan made "movie" I'd never heard of till reading that wiki page today.

[WT Sharpe]

Ziggy would be a great name for my Tap, especially as I frequently carry it into rooms with other Echos which sometimes leads to confusion as to which device I'm addressing. Too bad the option isn't available on it.