Amazon Echo Studio vs Sonos One: which smart speaker is right for you?

Amazon Echo Studio vs Sonos One: which smart speaker is right for you?
The Amazon Echo Studio and Sonos One are some of the best smart speakers you can buy, offering voice control of your smart home devices, unmatched audio performance, and stylish looks. This means that choosing between the two can be difficult, especially if you're still trying to figure out what you want from a wireless speaker. Released in 2019, the Amazon Echo Studio is part of the company's popular Echo series of smart speakers. Powered by the Alexa voice assistant, the Studio markets itself as the best Echo speaker for audiophiles. With Dolby Atmos virtual surround sound, it can even function as a speaker for your TV instead of a sound bar. The Sonos One is a bit older, coming out in 2017, but that hasn't stopped it from topping our best smart speakers list three years in a row. It comes with Alexa and Google Assistant support, unmatched sound quality, and is part of Sonos' line of wireless speakers, which can be connected for seamless multi-room sound, without wires. annoying hanging around your house. So both speakers are pretty high-end, and really, either would make a great addition to your smart home setup. Unfortunately, that doesn't make your buying decision any easier, and with Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber ​​Monday just around the corner, you'll want to enter shopping season armed with the knowledge you need to make it happen. correct choice. To make things easier for you, we've compared the Amazon Echo Studio and the Sonos One, so you can part with your money with confidence.

What's so great about the Amazon Echo Studio?

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(Image credit: Amazon) Dolby Atmos and 3D audio Amazon Echo Studio supports 3D audio mixing and Dolby Atmos home theater soundtracks. While purists aren't sold on anything more than a surround sound system, the Studio does a good job of creating an immersive, directional soundstage. Dolby Atmos support means you can technically replace your sturdy soundbar with the Amazon Echo Studio and use it to upgrade your TV's built-in speakers - useful, if space is at a premium. With two 2-inch side midrange speakers, a 2-inch up-facing mid-range speaker, a 1-inch front tweeter, and a 5,25-inch down-firing sealed woofer, the Echo Studio certainly packs a punch. . 3D audio comes from a growing library of specially mixed tracks (numbering in the thousands). This is an exclusive feature for Echo Studio users who sign up for the company's new Amazon Music HD streaming service or Tidal, both of which offer high-resolution audio streams. Easy Fire TV Integration Those who plan to use the Amazon Echo Studio for TV viewing will find the ability to easily and wirelessly pair with an Amazon Fire TV device a big draw. You'll need one of the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K models, or the Amazon Fire TV Cube, and you'll be able to pair the Amazon Echo Studio with your TV streamer with just a few clicks from the Amazon Alexa device panel. application. This is where Dolby Atmos support really shines; With the Echo Studio, you get resonant bass response, powerful sound, and much more depth than a similarly priced soundbar can offer. Plus, it works on Prime Video, Netflix, and all other Atmos-compatible sources. Easy setup and Alexa intelligence Amazon Echo Studio works as a ZigBee hub, which means it'll connect to thousands of smart home devices right out of the box. In fact, if you're already familiar with the smaller Echo or Echo Dot, you'll find using Alexa a breeze. You can do everything your little predecessors can do, including answering your questions, providing weather updates, and setting reminders and alarms. Another cool feature is that you can easily connect two Echo Studio speakers in the Alexa app for stereo sound – again, very useful if you plan to use the speaker to stream audio from your TV. The device is too tall to place directly below the screen, and placing it on the side of the screen can disrupt the sweet spot of the sound. As such, pairing two studios together and placing them on either side of your TV is a decent compromise for those who don't want to invest in a soundbar or full surround sound system. Today's best Amazon Echo Studio deals Introducing the Echo Studio -... Amazon Echo Studio - Smart...

What's so great about the Sonos One?

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(Image credit: Sonos) Alexa and the Google Assistant Sonos One offers a choice between Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant, so you can take advantage of the ecosystem that works best for you. While many smart home devices are brand agnostic when it comes to voice assistant integration, it's helpful to have an option if you already own brand-specific devices like the Google Chromecast or Amazon Fire. TV stick. Unmatched sound quality The Amazon Echo Studio looks fantastic, but the Sonos One is the best smart speaker you can buy in 2020 in our opinion. Trueplay calibration means you can tune the Sonos One so its sound profile perfectly matches your the room you are in. You'll need an iOS device to do this, but it's worth it. Once set up, the Sonos One delivers powerful, powerful audio performance, with a sophisticated soundstage audiophiles will love. There's no 3D audio intelligence here, but if you're primarily using your speaker for listening to music, you're unlikely to miss out on this feature. Multi-Room Audio Integration One of the strengths of Sonos speakers is their ability to integrate seamlessly to form a wireless multi-room audio system. With the Sonos S2 app, you can connect as many Sonos devices as you like, using them to stream your music around the house. If you have a Sonos Arc or another Sonos soundbar, you can even use two Sonos One units as rear speakers in your home theater setup. Add the Sonos Sub and you do indeed have a very nice surround sound system. Today's best Sonos One deals

Verdict

As we mentioned before, the Amazon Echo Studio or Sonos One would make great additions to any home; Both look fantastic, offer control of your smart home and sporty exteriors. However, there are some areas where one speaker outperforms the other. In the case of boosting your TV's built-in speakers, the Amazon Echo Studio stands out. Desperate to add Dolby Atmos to your home theater setup without breaking the bank for an expensive soundbar? Already use an Amazon Fire TV Stick to stream your favorite shows and movies? Again, you should go for the Amazon Echo Studio. However, if you're a true audiophile looking for easy multi-room connectivity, the Sonos One is probably the speaker for you. And if you're not too concerned with 3D sound, it'll still work as part of a home theater setup, albeit paired with the Atmos-enabled Sonos Arc, and you'll be covered for immersive audio, too. . Go with Sonos if you prefer the Google Assistant ecosystem over Alexa, as the Echo Studio works exclusively with Amazon's voice assistant. Another important consideration is price. In the US and UK, the Amazon Echo Studio and Sonos One sell for similar prices, costing £200 / £189.99 and £199 / £199 respectively. If you're in Australia, though, the price difference is much bigger: you're looking at AU$299 for the Sonos One and AU$329 for the Echo Studio. Neither smart speaker is particularly cheap, but both could score deep discounts on Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday 2020, when retailers slash prices on their most popular products. Before then, we're looking forward to Amazon Prime Day 2020, when you can be sure the retail giant will be offering incredible discounts on its own line of smart speakers. Although the date has yet to be confirmed, we believe the first day will be in October, as it was postponed earlier this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.