Thoughts on speakers please

Just trying to get some simple event sounds. Something like play a "chime" when a door is opened, announce system armed or disarmed, things like that.

For simple things like that, any android tablet and Bluetooth speaker can get the job done cheaply.

Wouldn't it be easier to just get an echo dot? I wanted something better than a dot because I wanted to listen to music on it. But for TTS, echo dot would probably do.

Totally agree with you, but @StephenH was looking for an option without Alexa built-in.

Oh, sorry, I didn't see that part.

Yes.

No.

I had both and returned the second Gen because it sounded so tinny and was barely even usable for alarms. The new Dot isn't quite as good as a full Echo, but it's much closer. The previous ones were nowhere close. (It's also a bit larger and no logger powered via USB, probably due to increased demands.)

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Sorry. Got busy yesterday.

Yeah, the Tap has a battery and sounds MUCH better than the Dot.

Get a Fabriq. They retail for about $49 US.

You think so? I have a number of gen2 and gen3 dots, and they seem about the same to me - horrible for music, fine for voice use. I agree that the gen3 isn't worse, but for me it didn't seem much better either.

But maybe my ears are getting old. :smile: Actually, not maybe... My ears ARE getting old. I can tell when I practice guitar. :frowning: Too much loud music as a youth I guess.

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My wife and I looked at getting Gen3s and even though we don't use Echos for music, the tinny sound even for voice made me go for full Gen1 Echos. On eBay, you can find the Gen1s for close to the same price as Gen3 Dots.

You say that like it's a bad thing! I can't hear the kids on my lawn anymore. Lol Saves me from having to yell at them.

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Ha!!! :slight_smile:

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Could you provide some detail as to how you would accomplish this? How would you send the command to an android device? HTTP?

There's a good thread about using the Google Home Mini for 'home automation sounds' and I think it applies to this conversation as well when compared to the Dots.

I have 3 Echo's. Dot gen2, Dot gen 3 and an Echo 2nd gen. I had them working as TTS etc but the cookie problem always got in the way and just as I was about to start building the automated version of fetching the cookies I got a 'free' Google Home Mini

Plugged in, slide the mic off and it's good to go via the Chromecast integration. Really couldn't be simpler and Google isn't listening, although Amazon is. :smiley: That's a whole different thread :smiley:

Should be a couple of ways to do it. I havenā€™t personally tried them, though.

@arnb knows more than I do.

Google Home Mini is what Iā€™m using for exactly those things WITH THE MIC TURNED OFF.
Sound quality is surprising, what isnā€™t is the dodgy Aussie accent. :laughing:

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Ditto

How would any of these things hold up in the bathroom. No concerns about high humidity?

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I've had a Dot 2 out on the waterfront deck for almost 2 years now. Works fine.

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Part of my job is audio tech, and nothing will ever beat a great speaker, but when youā€™re in the kitchen with a fan on and you just want music to play, nothing beats being able to use the Echo hands-free. The sound definitely isnā€™t bad, though. Just not perfect. Streaming compression has always been my biggest issue, regardless, not speaker quality :slight_smile:

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Suddenly, I regret giving my free GHM devices to my coworkers :flushed: