While both the full-sized Echo and Echo Dot have respectable sound for their given size, compared to much larger Bluetooth desktop speakers (or a full Bluetooth-enabled home theater system), they’re pretty anemic. Let’s see how you can pair them with bigger, more reliable speakers.
What you need for Bluetooth pairing
RELATED: How to Use Amazon Echo as a Bluetooth Speaker
This is not a tutorial on how to use bluetooth to send music on the your echo (e.g. to play music from your phone) is a tutorial on how to send sound With echo to larger speakers. If you’re interested in using your Echo as a Bluetooth speaker, please check out our guide here.
To achieve an Echo-to-Speaker configuration, you will need a few things. First, you’ll need an Echo device (obviously). Second, you’ll need some kind of Bluetooth speaker system to connect. While your choice of speakers can be as simple and compact as a bulky desktop Bluetooth device (like the Nyne Bass we showcased in our portable Bluetooth speaker buying guide), really anything that offers Bluetooth connectivity and good speakers is a potential candidate.
RELATED: The Complete Guide to Buying a Portable Bluetooth Speaker
For example, if you have a soundbar with Bluetooth connectivity — a feature we highlighted in our soundbar buying guide — you can link your echo to your soundbar. In fact, even if you have an old but still great floor standing speaker test, you can connect your echo to them via Bluetooth with a simple Bluetooth to analog adapter like the one we use in our guide to adding Bluetooth headphones to your HDTV. However, it’s worth noting that the Echo Dot has a physical audio output, whereas the full-sized Echo doesn’t — if you’re happy with the Echo Dots placed next to the speakers and want to skip the jump through the Bluetooth hoop, you can just use a 3.5mm headphone cable between men to connect Dot to the speakers. (This will also result in better quality, as Bluetooth unfortunately degrades sound quality somewhat.) Full-size Echo users should use Bluetooth.
How to Connect an Echo Device to Bluetooth Speakers
Once you’ve decided on your speaker setup (which is by far the most time-consuming part), you’re on to the easy part: Connect your Echo device to those speakers. Connect speakers and/or optional Bluetooth adapter if available. Connect an Echo device nearby (anywhere is generally fine, Bluetooth range is about 30 feet). Grab whatever device you normally use to access your Echo settings (such as your iPhone with the Alexa app installed, or your laptop with alexa.amazon.com loaded into a web browser).
First, put your Bluetooth speaker or adapter into pairing mode. This depends on your device, so check your user manual or Google model number for instructions.
Second, access the Alexa control panel through your phone or web browser. Click «Settings» and then select the echo device you want to connect from the «Devices» list.
