Most small smart speakers have relatively poor overall sound quality and are great for simple tasks like timers, but less than ideal for much else. The Amazon Echo Dot Max changes that dynamic, using a two-way speaker system to fit both a high-excursion woofer and a custom-designed tweeter into the same compact space and delivering almost 300 percent more bass than the fifth-generation Echo Dot. Amazon’s AZ3 chip manages all aspects of the hardware, including an AI Accelerator that enables Alexa+ processing on the device. It includes a smart home hub, along with Omnisense technology that lets the device sense and respond to events in the room.
Head over to Amazon to get the Amazon Echo Dot Max for just $95, down from its usual price of $120. That’s a $25 discount and 21% off.
A convenient smart speaker that can go anywhere in your home
The two-way speaker system is a first for the Echo Dot product line. Previous generations used a single driver to produce both low– and high-frequency sounds, but this model separates the functions between a woofer designed for lower-frequency reproduction and a tweeter designed to reproduce higher-frequency sounds. Amazon has also incorporated the audio components directly into the housing rather than mounting them in a separate housing as before, and this design element is likely responsible for achieving greater bass levels than expected in a housing of similar size.
The ability to adjust to the characteristics of whatever room it sits in will be key to getting full use out of these drivers. To achieve this, the speaker uses acoustic sensing to measure the properties of the area it’s placed in and then adjusts its output accordingly. A unit resting on tile flooring in the kitchen will receive different treatment than one located on carpeting in a bedroom. Since no configuration is required and the speaker performs the necessary measurements internally, you don’t need to take any steps before using it.
The AZ3 chip is unique because Amazon designed it as custom silicon for this generation. It provides improved wake word detection that exceeds 50% compared to previous iterations, and it now has a larger microphone array that filters out ambient background noise, allowing Alexa to understand your voice clearly even if you speak to her while the TV is playing.
Omnisense takes data from multiple sources, meaning audio, ultrasound, Wi-Fi radar, and motion, to create a comprehensive view of what’s transpiring in proximity to the speaker. By having access to this information, Alexa can respond appropriately to the current situation, so she may remind you that a door remains open, or she can automatically start a routine when she detects someone entering.
Alexa+ is the next-generation iteration of Alexa that uses generative capabilities, enabling natural conversational dialogue rather than responding to commands one at a time. When you ask additional questions related to your initial query, Alexa responds similarly to a living being. The built-in smart home hub integrates light bulbs, wall sockets, and door locks, eliminating the need to buy a separate bridge for each item. The Amazon Echo Dot Max supports Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, and Tidal, and it comes in Graphite and Glacier White.
