Amazon’s Smart Speaker with 3D Audio!
Amazon is a well-known company and it needs no introduction. It was in fact the first company to popularize the smart speaker with the popular and well received Alexa-based Echo which was five years ago. With constant tweaks, advancements and updates, Amazon came up with the Echo Studio. This device made its way to the Indian market just a few days ago. The Echo Studio encompasses features that are difficult to find in other smart speakers in the market. The Amazon Echo Studio is a proof of how far Amazon has come in the last few years. With a product like the Echo Studio, Amazon has definitely made a strong standing ground for itself in the audio segment.
The Echo Studio flaunts almost the same design as the previous Echo speakers. It is cylindrical in shape. The size is however larger than previous Echo and manages to throw a shade over the size of Apple Home Pod and Sonos One. The feature that sets the Echo Studio apart from not only most smart speakers but also most powered speakers in general is its support for 3D audio. Yes, the Echo Studio delivers on its claim of delivering 3D audio via tracks encoded in Sony’s 360 Reality Audio and Dolby Atmos.
The Echo Studio can also handle all the more conventional audio codecs you would expect, such as AAC, FLAC, MP3, Dolby Digital, Opus, Dolby Digital Plus etc.
One of the very impressive features of the Amazon Echo Studio is that it is fitted with an onboard DAC (Digital-to-analog converter) that can decode tracks with up to 24-bit resolution at sampling rates as high as 48kHz. The speaker has a dual-band Wi-Fi adapter and it also supports Bluetooth. The speakers are driven by Class D amplifiers delivering combines peak power of 330 watts via two two-inch side-mounted mid-range speakers, a two-inch upward firing midrange speaker, a 1-inch front facing tweeter, and a 5.25-inch downward-firing sealed woofer. The volume buttons sit up, along with the mic button and of course the Alexa-wake button with the signature blue-light ring present. As per claims, the Echo Studio delivers an impressive frequency range of 30Hz to 24kHz.
The Echo Studio also has a built-in Zigbee smart home hub. It can directly control smart home devices equipped with Zigbee radios- including Philips Hue smart bulbs. Zigbee is a smart home protocol, and there are also a huge number of smart home products- especially smart light bulbs. The inclusion of the Smart Hub Controller means that it can connect to 1000s of smart home products, without much fuss.
Overall, the Amazon Echo Studio is a fantastic speaker. This Alexa-powered smart speaker has its price capped at Rs.22,999 and it is absolutely worth it.
