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Thread: Amazon Echo/Alexa ported to audio system

  1. #31
    RIP 2021 SEAWOLF97's Avatar
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    Why Apple should fire Siri and hire Cortana

    .
    Does anyone really like using this laughable excuse (siri) for a voice interface? There is a better choice -- and it comes from a natural partner that everyone is overlooking

    https://www.zdnet.com/article/siri-y...nal-assistant/
    Some kind of happiness is measured out in miles

  2. #32
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    Alexa can now find the right Amazon Music playlist by having a conversation with you


    https://www.theverge.com/2018/12/6/1...ations-feature
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  3. #33
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    Here in the PNW, we are super sensitive to weather conditions. Local TV forecasts are sometimes lacking.

    I ran across this free Alexa skill, BIG SKY ==>>https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-g...alexa-speaker/ that is very complete and can provide everything that we need.

    How to get better weather forecasts on your Alexa speaker

    Alexa's built-in weather forecasts is suitable for some users. But if you want more in-depth information, you'll need to use this skill.


    the Alexa news/developments seem to be coming daily.

    Voice-first approach
    Alexa, why are voice-controlled devices booming in Switzerland?


    https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/voice-f...land-/44597002
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  4. #34
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    Alexa, Should We Trust You?

    The voice revolution has only just begun. Today, Alexa is a humble servant. Very soon, she could be much more—a teacher, a therapist, a confidant, an informant.

    https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine...nge-us/570844/
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  5. #35
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    well, the GHM wasn't going to work out for me. It was OK, but I am
    already in the Echo ecosystem, so I put it on CL

    Somebody got a new echo for Xmas , but wanted a GHM ... so we traded,
    both happy.

    the JBL charge2+ on the dot kept dropping out on BT, tho only 6 inches away from the dot.
    On a/c it would not stay on, went into sleep mode and could not figure how to change it.

    Ended up wiring into the 3.5mm jack...going to a Denon mini amp...then pushing
    the B&W Rock Solid speakers. Far superior sound to the JBL, and can stay on 24/7.
    Some kind of happiness is measured out in miles

  6. #36
    Senior Member brutal's Avatar
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    Had a hell of a time getting the two new 3rd gen dots in the kitchen talking stereo. If they're not on the same "network" they don't talk. Apparently that means the same AP, even though the SSID I'm connecting to (I have many defined) is the same and one's a repeater. Same channel too (2.4Ghz vs 5Ghz). They're in a spot where they may hit one AP or the other at random.

    Still haven't had time to see if they'll work as a BT stereo target with the new RX-A3070.

    Picked up a pair of Flip 4. JBL's stereo pairing app "Connect" is a big POS and needs some work for reliability.


  7. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by brutal View Post
    Picked up a pair of Flip 4. JBL's stereo pairing app "Connect" is a big POS and needs some work for reliability.
    Really? For me it worked with no issues right after its download. I picked up a 2nd Flip 4 to match the one that came with our travel trailer and I've yet to be disappointed in the speakers or the app. The system is good enough for all my portable sound needs and also replaces a traditional system in the garage. It far surpasses the first JBL bluetooth speaker I had, a single smaller enclosure which may have been an early Charge. In my opinion, products like these will kill off parts of the old standing hifi market as us graybeards fade away.

  8. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by brutal View Post
    Picked up a pair of Flip 4. JBL's stereo pairing app "Connect" is a big POS and needs some work for reliability.
    picked up a used Flip last Monday. Had hopes after the comments in this thread. But it won't do anything, except power up.

    Someday I'll get smarter about JBL Ch1nese plastic ____________
    (fill in your favorite derogatory term)
    Some kind of happiness is measured out in miles

  9. #39
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    so yesterday I picked up one of these. I'm NOT a Boze fan, but it sounds OK,
    a little punchy, highs OK. Goes plenty loud. FM not very impressive, but
    I ran a line into it's AUX from the Dot. works well in that config.

    Now just have to figure if it stays or gets flipped ?
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  10. #40
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    You Bought Smart Speakers Over the Holiday. Now What Are Amazon and Google Doing With Your Data?

    https://www.motherjones.com/politics...-spying-on-me/

    https://www.fool.com/investing/2019/...PCBVMJ5ZNAevjg

    >>Still, research indicates that most people typically use smart speakers for mundane tasks like listening to music, checking the weather, or turning their lights on and off. This is not surprising, since Adobe says 63% of speaker owners have one in their living rooms, and 42% in their bedrooms. Another 37% have one in the kitchen, which may be why buying things through a smart speaker -- so-called "voice commerce" -- has yet to take off.

    Darned exactly right in my case ..."listening to music, checking the weather, or turning their lights on and off" is spot on* ..."63% of speaker owners have one in their living rooms, and 42% in their bedrooms" ... dead on again, that's where my 2 are

    *plus I control the home thermostat.

    Have now hooked the Rock Solids up in tandem with the Wave radio and getting pretty good music response on the Echo now.
    Some kind of happiness is measured out in miles

  11. #41
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    Not everything makes the cut

    .
    Superbowl commercial

    https://youtu.be/8y-1h_C8ad8

    had 2 more Echo dots given to me by owners that can't figure out
    how to connect them to a router ...ez

    I don't have enough locations for the 5 that are currently here, so I guess
    the older ones are off to CL.

    Amazon Says It Has Over 10,000 Employees Working on Alexa, Echo
    Number of employees doubles the staff in that division a little more than a year ago


    https://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-...cho-1542138284
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  12. #42
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    Got to wondering what the dot had for a dac ... took a bit of surfing,
    but finally got it.

    TLV320DAC3203 (ACTIVE)
    Ultra Low Power Stereo Audio Codec With Integrated Headphone Amplifiers

    Sampling Rate (Max) (kHz) 192
    Resolution (Bits) 32

    my,my ..dac prices have sure dropped
    Approx. price (US$) $.85

    a tear-down:
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  13. #43
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    Amazon has now opened up their music streaming services to
    users other than Prime. (tho limited to only 2,000,000 songs )

    It's ad based like free Pandora, but the ads seem a little less obnoxious.

    Sound quality is pretty good and routed through the Dot to a pair of B&W Rock Solids
    (for detail) & a Bose Wave radio (for bass) ..it's quite acceptable.
    Some kind of happiness is measured out in miles

  14. #44
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    Almost no one is buying Google smart speakers anymore

    https://bgr.com/2019/11/15/amazon-vs...third-quarter/
    Some kind of happiness is measured out in miles

  15. #45
    Senior Member brutal's Avatar
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    Not only can I use Alexa to voice control my home automation, after recently (September) switching platforms from Wink to Hubitat, I can now have my HA platform control Alexa and make her talk and do things using a community sourced TTS app called Echo Speaks that was ported over from SmartThings.

    Pretty cool stuff. I just used the app to build an action that sets the Alexa Do Not Disturb to off so it can announce an intruder when the house is locked down.


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