Amazon Echo Club

[copyrite]

Oh nice... especially since my Amazon Music Unlimited is only to my Echo! A portable bluetooth speaker means I have a wider area range to play those tunes!

Did you see in that link there's a mention of audio synchronization between Echo devices coming soon? That's interesting!

[Conan46]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Amazon Echo can now be connected to Bluetooth speakers

I'm impressed at how Amazon keeps improving these.
Just got my new Dot set up. I have it plugged into a bluetooth speaker I already had and it sounds good.
I really hope that Amazon can get a software update to these devices when the intercom and phone option begins. I'm not really sure why they can't do the phone thing already. My wife's car has a bluetooth setting where all her calls go through the car as long as bluetooth on the phone is turned on. It took just a couple minutes for the salesman to set it up.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by copyrite

Oh nice... especially since my Amazon Music Unlimited is only to my Echo! A portable bluetooth speaker means I have a wider area range to play those tunes!

That definitely add greater value to that subscription.

Did you see in that link there's a mention of audio synchronization between Echo devices coming soon? That's interesting!

I did and I thought I posted it already. Looking back, I forgot to do so.

Thanks for catching that. I'll correct my oversight.

[tubemonkey]

Audio synchronization coming to the Amazon Echo and Echo Dot for whole home audio support

The Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, and possibly other Alexa devices will soon be able to synchronize audio across multiple devices. Users have reported seeing a new audio synchronization feature appear in the Alexa app. The feature, often referred to as whole home audio, will allow you to use multiple Alexa devices to play music as if they were satellite speakers connected to the same audio source.

You’ll be able to trigger multiple Alexa devices to start playing the same thing by adding “everywhere” to the end of a request. So saying “Alexa, play music everywhere” to one device will start playback on multiple devices simultaneously. You’ll be able to select specifically which of your Alexa devices are triggered, when the “everywhere” request is made, from within the Alexa app.

[issybird]

I knew it's not realistic given the business it's in, but I wish that Amazon would put some emphasis on improving its data base and not just focus on media delivery. It's annoying when I ask Alexa a trivial question she can't answer, only to pull up Google on my tablet and repeat the question, to get a substantive response. It makes me wish I had picked up a Google Home when they were cheap at Christmas.

Some day when I'm at loose ends, I'll develop a questionnaire and compare the responses from Alexa, Siri and OK Google.*

*Terrible name. Feels like I'm gargling.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Audio synchronization coming to the Amazon Echo and Echo Dot for whole home audio support

I wonder if this would allow you to have an Echo music subscription play on more than one device.

[Conan46]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

I wonder if this would allow you to have an Echo music subscription play on more than one device.

I'm interested in knowing that as well. I have Amazon Unlimited Music on my Tap and can take my music with me through the house but would be awesome if I could have that option.

Even if it does, BT is fairly short range. In a house it probably won't reliably reach more than 30 feet or so. But I suspect Amazon will limit such BT connections to prevent multiple devices from using the unlimited service if the service is only for a single device. But that is just a guess on my part.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

I wonder if this would allow you to have an Echo music subscription play on more than one device.

That's what I want to know. I would get the 3.99 subscription if that was the case.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Even if it does, BT is fairly short range. In a house it probably won't reliably reach more than 30 feet or so. But I suspect Amazon will limit such BT connections to prevent multiple devices from using the unlimited service if the service is only for a single device. But that is just a guess on my part.

You just explained why I can reach all but one spot if I leave my tablet on the couch.
My house is about 30 by 30.

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

You just explained why I can reach all but one spot if I leave my tablet on the couch.
My house is about 30 by 30.

I find that some BT devices have better radios than others. My BT phone earpiece will lose connection after about 15 feet whereas some of my devices might make it to 30+ feet, depending on walls and other electronics that are running. A BT connection is a two-way communication between two devices which communicate with each other via BT radios. Therefore you are limited by the weakest radio.

I'm pretty sure Amazon will see to it that any Amazon device with a single device unlimited music plan will be limited to a single active BT connection while streaming via the Amazon device to third party BT speakers. It would certainly be cool to have multiple BT speakers set up throughout the house and simultaneously stream to all of them, but I seriously doubt Amazon will allow that. But even if they did, the single Amazon device will be controlling the stream and you will have to walk back near it to make any voice commands. I guess you could rig up intercoms near the Amazon device and all the BT speakers. But at some point the cost of buying more BT speakers is likely going to exceed the cost of just upgrading to a multi-device plan.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by jswinden

I find that some BT devices have better radios than others. My BT phone earpiece will lose connection after about 15 feet whereas some of my devices might make it to 30+ feet, depending on walls and other electronics that are running. A BT connection is a two-way communication between two devices which communicate with each other via BT radios. Therefore you are limited by the weakest radio.

I'm pretty sure Amazon will see to it that any Amazon device with a single device unlimited music plan will be limited to a single active BT connection while streaming via the Amazon device to third party BT speakers. It would certainly be cool to have multiple BT speakers set up throughout the house and simultaneously stream to all of them, but I seriously doubt Amazon will allow that. But even if they did, the single Amazon device will be controlling the stream and you will have to walk back near it to make any voice commands. I guess you could rig up intercoms near the Amazon device and all the BT speakers. But at some point the cost of buying more BT speakers is likely going to exceed the cost of just upgrading to a multi-device plan.

I have a Bluetooth speaker that will play with everything but my tablet if the wifi is on. I just use its audio cord.

BTW, I don't have a paid Amazon music plan because I liked Pandora better, and because Amazon unlimited music would never function properly on my Echo. CS never sorted that issue out so I didn't purchase an unlimited plan. But with Pandora, I can listen to it on any device that has their app, and I can stream it via BT to other devices like the Echo, my car radio, BT speakers, etc. However, Pandora will refuse multiple connections or streams. I assume Amazon will do the same unless you have the multi-device plan.

I think what is interesting with this additional feature to Echo devices to allow streaming via BT to third party speakers is that perhaps this is Amazon's way of admitting that the speakers in the Echo really are not that great. My iPad Pro 9.7 sounds way better than my Echo. My Dot has way better voice sound than my Echo. My Echo sounds like it is sitting inside a 55 gal drum--kind of muffled. It is okay, but my TV and other devices seem to have better sound. BTW, I think this feature has already been available for Dots. I think I was allowed to connect my Dot via BT to my stereo, though I never did so.

[Purple Lady]

One of the reasons I wondered about using this on multiple Echoes is because I thought that Amazon may limit you to one device to keep people from using the service for multiple people for multiple streams. If you are playing the same exact stream that would lessen that problem. I just want to be able to listen to music when I go from room to room.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Even if it does, BT is fairly short range. In a house it probably won't reliably reach more than 30 feet or so. But I suspect Amazon will limit such BT connections to prevent multiple devices from using the unlimited service if the service is only for a single device. But that is just a guess on my part.

Bluetooth works pretty well on my Galaxy S6. My husband took my car out and my phone connected to it while I was in the living room which is on another floor, but not directly below me. I also had my phone stay connected to my Bluetooth speaker on vacation. The bedroom was on a different floor on the other side of the house. I got a phone call and couldn't figure out why I couldn't hear the person who was calling.