Amazon Echo update could fix one of its biggest problems

The tech giant’s Alexa speaker is hugely popular and even more affordable with the Echo Dot starting at a mere £49.99.

But the biggest criticism of the speaker has always been its sound quality.

When Express.co.uk reviewed the Amazon Echo after it was stylishly redesigned, we admitted the product was not “likely to win any awards for its sound”.

Our review said: “Granted, the new Echo isn’t likely to win any awards for its sound, but it’s perfectly good enough when listening to the radio, podcasts or a few tracks via Prime Music or Spotify – two of the audio services compatible with Amazon’s smart speaker.

“In fact, the limitations of the device only really become apparent when the Echo is cranked-up to full volume.

“For the majority of the time, the Echo sounds absolutely fine.”

But it appears the device’s sound quality could be about to improve.

Today Amazon announced a new equaliser (EQ) and sound mode controls “across the Echo family of devices”.

This will allow the user to customise the way audio is outputted from the Echo.

Bass, midrange and treble can be individually adjusted within a range of six decibels (dB).

Settings can be adjusted using the Alexa app for smartphones and tablets or by simply saying “Alexa, increase bass” or “Alexa, decrease treble”.

However users will have to adjust their music preferences if they are changing the type of audio they are listening to.

This means if you adjust your music to be bass heavy and you go to watch a movie, the same settings will still be applied.

In addition to arriving on Amazon’s Echo family, the update is also available on other speakers that support Alexa.

That means devices such as Sonos’ new Beam soundbar and the Polk Command Bar have the new feature too.

In blog post Amazon developer Mike Maas wrote: “Today we are excited to announce equaliser (EQ) and sound mode controls for smart home entertainment devices, available today for customers in the US across the Amazon Echo family of devices, and on select Alexa-enabled devices built using the Alexa Voice Service (AVS).

“Now customers can personalise the tone of the audio playing on their speakers, AV receivers, and sound bars by simply saying, ‘Alexa, crank up the bass,’ ‘Alexa, turn up treble,’ or ‘Alexa, set TV mode’.”

Express.co.uk has asked Amazon to confirm whether the update is available in the UK.