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Oh the lights at the back of my TV etc are LED strips I have attached, so the colours can just be toggled. I have seen Alexa strips which I think change colour according to the movie etc playing on the TV, though the strips I have a good enough and in good condition so not upgraded.
That speaker blends in well, you would hardly notice it which is good.
Interesting. I haven't tried LED strips before, but I've seen some clever examples of them in use –particularly for backlighting shelves.
The Symfonisk speaker blends really well, and it can also double as a small nightstand!
I have 3 LED strips they cost me around £10 each and had one of them for about six or seven years and still working, they are plugged directly into TV and PC USB ports so automatically light up when devices are switched on. I like back lighting on my TV and PC creates a good effect.
Most of my lights are voice activated TCP smart bulbs, I don't need a hub as they are all linked to my Alexa app, though I do have a hub with the Echo Plus. some of my bulbs are RGB, though all have 1 - 100% lighting options. Also you can set routines for what ever light you want to control eg turn all lights on at 9am or turn Lounge light off at 4pm etc.
Impressive! I think I'd get lost with voice activation and hubs, though I'm likely to "dip my toes" into that type of tech at some point. It's better to just start with a few bulbs/lamps you adjust via bluetooth on the phone and take it from there!
A good place to start is get a smart bulb and install relevant app on your phone/tablet and see how you go.
Routines are great if I say Sleep the command turns off all my lights and turns of my TV, Soundbar and Fire TV. The command Wake does the opposite.
Yes. I expect I won't need that many smart bulbs anyway, but it's interesting to see how it works in a home environment. I've only seen them used in offices so far, and office spaces are a bit different to a living room, for example – both in space and re. types of lighting.
It's handy that the same command can be applied to both lights, TV, soundbars and Fire TV. How is it like living with that many gadgets controlled by voice command? Are there just plus sides to it, or have you found any negatives?
It's convenient more than anything, I could be miles away and check my phone and see that I have left a light on or choose to switch one on. I could be in my kitchen getting a coffee and say wake so when I go in lounge everything is switched on already. Voice activation for movies is handy, watch Live and Let Die, skip 45mins voice commands. Though playing music everywhere is the best thing, having play lists on in every room whilst at home is great. No real downside though if I am having a private phone call I tend to mute the device in that room.
Interesting! If I were to make the jump into voice activated gadgets, it's probably smart speakers that I'd fancy the most. I have looked at Google Home Mini as an option, but haven't got as far as to buying one.
If any one uses a turntable, I'm curious what kind of a setup you have for sound? I have a very basic Samsung soundbar + subwoofer that serves the tv/bluray as well as the turntable, but am thinking of a modest upgrade that doesn't take up as much space, and would just for casually listening to records and not any fancy home theatre setup.
Not had a turn table for a few decades now and unwisely got rid of all my vinyl bar a few Bond and Movie LP's. A mate of mine still has a turn table though he plays II through his surround sound system. I wish I had kept my collection, some music will never sound as good as it does on vinyl.
It really is about choosing a streaming service you are committed to and the bulk of your digital media is on. Google I own only one album on TMWTGG. Literally all my other media is on Amazon, I bought TMWTGG. Album on there also lol
A soundbar and a subwoofer sounds like a decent setup, if you ask me @GeneralGogol! I imagine it will do just as well as many alternatives.
My turntable setup is mostly vintage: a Philips GA312 turntable, some Tandberg speakers (I got three different pairs), and some Tandberg amplifiers (one with a turntable mounted on top of it). I also got a Marshall Stanmore speaker which can also work with turntables – though you do need a preamp or a turntable with a built-in preamp.
It depends what you're looking for, but there are a lot of great bookshelf speakers out there: a friend of mine got a pair of Bowers & Wilkins 606 speakers and a compact integrated amplifier which I can't remember the name of. Might be a NAD one.
If you want to avoid getting additional components, you also got powered speakers. Klipsch's The Sixes is one example:
Exactly. Spotify is my music streaming service of choice these days, and iTunes for podcasts and digital downloads (Google too, for films).
Amazon products like Echo are available here, but you can't choose Norwegian as your preferred language on Alexa I think, unlike Google Assistant where that option has been available a couple of years or so already. Giving voice commands on English isn't an issue, but it's nice to be able to do so in your own language.
Do you plan to replace the sound bar with the Echo Studio speaker(s) @Fire_and_Ice_Returns, or will they be an addition to the speakers you already own? The reviews are favourable, so I definitely understand the wish to get one – or two!
When I watch Sky Sports or use any app native to my TV or use my Xbox I will use my Soundbar. Until I can find a work around to use Echo Studio x2, I will just use Echo Studio for 4K Fire TV Stick. I pretty much use Fire TV 90% of the time as YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, WWE apps are all on there plus I have hundreds of films and music on Fire TV its my primary content.
I will probably get another when it's Black Friday in a month, or sooner if it stays low priced by the time I have tested it. One either side of my TV should be pretty good Dolby Atmos sound, it also plays 3D music though not sure I want to pay extra for that subscription lol
Short demo and set up guide
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Edited: Just ordered a second.
Makes sense to get an Echo Studio (or two) if so much of the content you consume is viewed through the Fire TV Stick. Never tried Fire TV myself, I must admit, but it looks like a handy streaming device. I got an Apple TV I'm really happy with though, so the need for an additional streaming device isn't there right now.
Nice review. I'm currently just using the internal speaker when watching TV, which is alright, but I might consider something a bit more…exciting at some point. Will have to choose between a soundbar and something like these Echo Studio speakers when I do decide on an upgrade. The issue with Amazon speakers etc. for me, is that they don't deliver to Norway, so you need to order via a third party web store. Not a big issue, but you're likely to have to pay full price – or even a bit more.
It's way out of my price range, but I'd love to own a Beosound Stage soundbar!
Have you had a chance to listen to the one you've already ordered?
Beosound Stage soundbar looks good not seen it before, would blend well into the decor.
Both speakers are arriving on Friday, I ordered the second today as thought there is a good chance I was going to do it at some point and having the stereo set up immediately will be good. Long term I will have to get two stands for them, already seen some that may be suitable, though for now have two small tables to put them on.
That is a pain not being able to get items delivered directly from Amazon.
I haven't seen the Beosound Stage mentioned that often, which is strange being a Bang & Olufsen product. There are a lot of soundbars out there though, so some products won't get the same amount of mentions anyway.
Are the stands you're looking at made by Amazon as well? I have a couple of small tables for a pair of my vintage speakers. It does the job just fine, but it's not an optimal solution.
It's just the tech stuff though; I had to get my Kindle from a third party web store for example. For books and other stuff, you're usually able to get it delivered.
Something like these stands though need to workout what the best height for the speakers would be, these may be not tall enough. The speaker base of the Echo Studios are 17.6cm diameter so need a decent size stand width. I really don't want to spend too much, so will likely use the small tables for a while until I find some good cheap stands.
Sometimes in the UK Amazon may send stuff via Royal Mail or another delivery company, for the most part its there drivers that deliver stuff to me.
Yeah, figuring out the optimal height can be a bit tricky sometimes. I'm sure you'll find a decent pair if you look long enough; it's definitely worth taking the time to find a few decent options to choose from.
As we don't have an Amazon branch in Scandinavia (yet), it's all delivered by the regular postal services. On one occasion I had a package delivered as priority mail (for some reason it was about as cheap as the regular delivery), and that was delivered by DHL.
When I initially put the speakers on the table I will try to elevate them with empty boxes or books to try to get perfect height though admittedly that will likely effect the sound lol
In the UK there are numerous Amazon Lockers where items can be delivered to in case no one us home, it's a very gandy option to have.
I compared CR to SF (in Dolby Atoms) the difference is incredible. Then I watched the light speed skipping scene form The Rise of Skywalker and I was getting chills, these speakers are amazing, glad I got two.
Good idea! I did that with one of my vintage speaker pairs once. I had just bought them, and needed to elevate them a bit from where I was sitting to hear if they were functioning alright – which they did. They've been placed in all kinds of angles and heights since though, when in use.
I think you mentioned those lockers a while ago. It must be very handy to have that option. As an example: I ordered a book a few days ago (not from Amazon, it must be pointed out), which was supposed to be delivered at the door. The book was delivered today, but the delivery people left it in my post box with an open lid in the rain, rather than deliver the package at the door, which they were supposed to do. I was home at the time and left the house not long after anyway, but had I already left for the day, the package would have been soaking wet by the time I returned home, and the book probably in pretty bad shape. So having these lockers must make things so much easier. Are Amazon the only company offering services like these, or are there other, similar services in your area too?
Interesting! Write an update when you have them configured properly too. Placement and configuration can make the world of difference sometimes.
Good job you realised though I would have sent the book back if in a bad state. alway s take photos as evidence thats what I do lol
Here some delivery drivers drop package at door ring the bell and run to a safe distance which is a bit surreal though sign of the times. There are other Lockers for other services though not that I use as of yet. It really is handy, usually you get 3 or 4 days to pick up the item.
I have put the speakers on two identical glass tables either side of my TV stand looks quite good I may stick to that setup for a while, though long term the speakers at head height will probably be spot on for sound. I watched SP pre title sequence, the layers of sound is very impressive during the Day if the Dead parade. That sequence easily the best part of the film for me, I am not a fan of SP.
I watched some of MR the scenes on the Drax estate, I kept switching between my Bose Soundbar and Echo Studio speakers, far more detail on the latter so a good upgrade on my soundbar also.
I played some 3D music which is free to try from Amazon Music, it really is something else the clarity and depth of the sound is like nothing else. I am just not willing to pay a subscription to play it all the time, though as a reviewer of a video I watched said 'it is future music'. I did listen to DAF a purchased streamed Album I own from Amazon Music that sounded better than any other time I had listened to it on all my other speakers over the years,
A example of 3D sound wear headphones, it's surreal around the 3:00 mark.
Yes, if the book had been in bad shape, I would definitely have returned it. Fortunately it was perfectly fine; it was just the outer cardboard packaging that was a little wet.
Given the times we're in, that's not surprising. A bit unusual though, perhaps! I've only had one package delivered to the door after Covid-19, but didn't have to sign for it. Interesting that other delivery services use locker systems as well; I have most of my packages delivered to what we call "Post in Store", which has replaced most of the traditional post offices. My experiences with this system has been a mixed bag (not all stores are that careful with how they store packages), so a locker system would have been much, much better.
I imagine having the speakers at the same height is better for sound quality. The "sweet spot" is very depending on the room though; I always struggle finding the optimal placement for speakers.
Interesting that the sound quality between the Echo speakers and the soundbar is that different. Makes me rethink the soundbar a bit as an option. I could just go for a couple of small-ish speakers instead. But anything would be an upgrade on the internal TV speakers though. How did the sound "experience" on an older Bond film like MR compare to the SP PTS? When using internal TV speakers I rarely give sound much thought, and old and new movies don't really feel that much different.
Bohemian Rhapsody sounded really great in 3D! It will take some time for me to get used to 3D sound I think; I did listen quite a bit with 3D sound through the Boom 3D app you suggested, but it felt a bit unusual – especially with songs that I had listened to multiple times before.
I agree the 3D music is odd at first on some tracks whilst listening to vocals feels like it is bouncing around my brain.
The Dolby Atmos on the Atmos films I have on occasion you feel the waves of sound passing by your ears, I watched Apocalypse Now I felt like I was in some kind of Sound Centrifuge lol
Don't be put off by soundbars, my sound bar is good though the Echo Studio technology is just that much better. My sound bar is 4 or 5 years old now. You can get good sound bars with Dolby Atmos now at a reasonable price.
I am considering getting a Echo Sub, though after I have paid off my two Studio's first...
Didn't know there were soundbars with Dolby Atmos. I imagine they're a bit more expensive?
Part of the appeal with soundbars for me, is that it's literally just a narrow bar – much easier to add to your living room without taking up too much space. Something like the Echo Studios will be more… prominent in the living room. But then you have to consider what speakers like that can offer, which the soundbars can't.
A subwoofer could be a nice addition to the two speakers. Looking it up online, I see the Echo Sub only works with Echo speakers, which is a bit of a drawback, IMO. But I imagine you won't need a sub to work with any other components than those two speakers?
My soundbar is not Atmos though is dolby digital and you do notice a huge difference when playing dolby atmos on my sound bar.
Just made some isolation pads from some off cuts of sound proof black gym flooring I had and using self adhesive pads stuck as feet to both Echo Studios, Seems to have had a good effect with the speakers currently on glass tables.
Front three speakers - tweeter at ear height
Surround speakers - 2-3 feet above ear height.