"This speaker takes the Echo brand's audio quality to a whole new level."
- Class-leading bass
- Slick and simple setup
- Dolby Atmos and 360 Reality Audio support
- Large, sprawling soundstage
- All the Alexa smarts
- Mid-range occasionally muffled
- Brittle touch to lighter instruments
- 3D music still in limited supply
Amazon's new Echo Studio smart speaker isn't just good - at times, it's downright superb. It's also one of the few smart speakers you can buy that actually competes with the Sonos One. It does so, in part, by offering impressive features you simply won't find in any other smart speaker on the market, not least of which is its surprising inclusion of Dolby Atmos support.
Even putting the Echo Studio in the same sentence as the One is proof of just how far Amazon has come in the last few years. With products like the Studio and the new Echo Buds, Amazon has proven it can no longer be left out of the audio conversation. Moving into the premium range has established its reputation as a serious contender for audiophiles.
In fact, with the Studio's 3D soundstage, and a burgeoning new Amazon ecosystem to feed it, Amazon is starting its own conversation that other speaker makers are sure to join. Boasting a sticker price of $200, it's undeniably more costly than the company's next new speaker, the all-around Amazon Echo (3rd gen). In a way, it looks as though it's Amazon who is setting the trend this time when it comes to premier smart speakers.
Roll out the barrel
With a large, rounded body and what looks like an oversized CD feeder cut through the base, the Echo Studio strikes a unique profile. It's not off-putting by any means, and its acoustic fabric exterior offers some cachet, but it is larger than the Sonos One and Apple's HomePod by a wide margin. The familiar Echo LED halo on the Studio's topside is wide enough to actually fit an angel's head.
There's good reason for the Studio's size. It's loaded with hardware, including dual 2-inch drivers at the sides, a 1-inch tweeter at the front, and a whopping 5.25-inch down-firing woofer to blast out bass. There's one more 2-inch driver on board as well, this one facing upward to the ceiling to help create the hemispheric immersion for which 3D sound formats like Dolby Atmos and Sony's new 360 Reality Audio system are prized. More on that later.
Along the Studio's circular topside are control keys, including the Action button for manually calling Alexa (in case you don't want to call the speaker with the "Alexa" command), volume keys, and my personal favorite, a mute key that turns that rainbow-blue Alexa LED Darth Vader red, assuring the speaker is not listening to you.
As someone with a natural aversion to allowing listening devices in my home, the red circlet is a comforting reminder that my conversations are safe. It's also part of an ongoing effort by Amazon to restore faith in its discretion.
Like all Echo speakers, a microphone array within the cabinet allows for voice activation via the voice command "Alexa" (or a few other cues), while also allowing for acoustic calibration to adjust the speaker's sound signature for wherever it's placed.
Ready, set, stream
Sonos, long the undisputed king of simple speaker setup, has real competition. Setting up the Studio seriously couldn't be easier. Sorry, Sonos. They learned it from watching you.
After installing the Alexa app on your phone, follow the on-screen instructions, and you'll be streaming in no time. You can quickly add your preferred streaming service, including Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Tidal, and, of course, Amazon Music (among others).
