Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsFantastic bit of kit, well worth for what it is the full 5 Stars, well done Amazon!.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 2 February 2022
As a newbie to all this Ai voice command malarkey, having previously played Youtube videos (at lowest quality settings to save bandwidth, for others), near enough all day long.
I came across this devise available for what price it even is now.
I won't say what that price is as we are not supposed to talk about that in case these prices go up and later folks think they have missed out.
Of cause in this case they would have missed out. SUCH VFM at present is phenomenal.
As other negative reviews go on about sound quality/volume. The answer is match it up to a Bluetooth set of speakers, a stand alone set or even a soundbar device.
OR do what I did and match it up to Bluetooth HEADPHONES.
(BTW That STRANGELY Amazon does not elude to us that it is even 'possible', not on this or any other ECHO devices marketing, no idea why!!. There ARE other such devices with other Ai voice command systems out there you know, rival ones.
I'd say it'd be a good idea to promote the notion that Bluetooth headphones can be used, if only with the Echo & Echo dot devices.
Great sound then with Bluetooth even on £20/$25 headphones, with the added benefit of going about your business in your abode with mobility and without DISTURBING others so much as what speakers would. (Though hardly a high volume with an Echo Flex, but with open windows in the warmer times could be).
Disturbing other occupants, if any, and even others not abiding in your abode.
I have fixed up in addition to the Amazon Music (free version), almost good enough on its own, no great probs with it, and have another account with Spotify & Deezer.
I flit from one to the other, asking Alexa to play eg. Best Coast on Spotify, the advert comes on, though funny enough I find I soon decide as you are able to, to ask Alexa to play ie. Wolf Alice on Deezer.
And on it goes, Yes thinking about it an ADVERT pops up and Alexa gets a talking to and another Music provider is chosen. It being Choice/option in our lives isn't it, if you use your loaf.
Of cause where are these Music providers heads at??.
Think about it logically folks, and Music providers. IF we had the money to purchase goods advertised and did not like hearing these adverts we would likely BUY the advert free option.
But we cannot afford these ad free package's, ergo we are therefore UNLIKELY to purchase the goods advertised.
Logical isn't it.
So the advertisers to me are virtually WASTING their money, as hardly any goods are purchased, just repeated time & time again that folks soon get fed up of and they MAY EVEN BECOME ADVERSE to the product.
Hence Advertisers are in some cases PAYING to alienate potential customers. Maybe gaining a few but losing a load as well. YES, product recognition, but one not so likely to be purchased, so what good is that cost & effort.
Who wants to hear the music of Billy Eyelash on Spotify after hearing her incoherent 20 sec babble she has recorded as an advert for Spotify?. Not me, can't stand the negative reinforcement of her. (Where was her head at in being used as a constant & repetative annoyance used against Free Spotify users?).
Just poor thinking in these advertisers Senior management's thinking. Sucked into the notion of advertising in these particular mediums.
FAR too expensive £9.99 a Month for these Music Subscriptions anyway, mostly all that price aren't they, NOT price fixed amongst them all then?, is it?, is it really??. Yes Amazon music ad free packages can be CHEAPER, the rest of the music providing outfits look 'price fixed' to me. Collusion involved?.
In these days of massive Electricity bills it is mainly the well healed that can afford the ad free packages, wait until the UK April 2022 Energy price cap rise. Be sitting down for that official announcement.
(EDIT: and wasn't it!!!, up to 54% extra in Gas prices & maybe even the Electricity from these mainly Euro based parent company energy supplier chancers in the UK.
10% UK Inflation by end of 2022 with 20+% inflation in 2023.
The UK will not last 24 months after April 2022 IF that price rise/cap raising is enacted.
Financial institutions in the UK will crash, DRAGGING down the Euro block AND the USA with it.
This is an Important matter. It will sadly effect us all.
The 2007-2008 Global Financial Crash came from the domino effect of but a few large companies falling.
When an entire 'Nation' crashes as the UK would do with a 54% energy price increase, we CANNOT withstand that, not possible. From that point onwards April 2022 the UK is finished, totally finished.
Dragging down other Nations, you see.
It will effect all Private Enterprise throughout the World, AMAZON itself will be effected.
Effected in the UK just by the People of the UK having far LESS in their pockets to purchase goods from them. The more we pay on raw energy the less to spend on other companies goods & services.
The UK would crash, financially & otherwise as said within 24 months of April 2022, IT WILL EFFECT the entire World in a knock on effect, badly, you see). It will happen.
Hence ALL Private Enterprise in the World & Govt's of the World actively need to quash the UK Govt's harmful 54% Energy price increase set for April 2022. As it will ultimately harm them, harm us all.
If it is not quashed, great hardship & suffering will come of it.
Not just an obscure Echo Flex review then.
This will effect everybody on the Planet, you see, and badly effect Private Enterprise.
The 2023-2024 World Financial Crash stemming from in part the crash of the UK.
An Important message here then, foretold before the event, I guarantee it will effect us all. End of EDIT).
OK then, from that practical (not political) matter that needs fixing, back to this matter of the Echo Flex, the actual device itself, is ideal, you just plug it in the wall socket or extension lead.
It then converts 230/240 volts (In the UK!). to a lower voltage and powers it.
The wattage draw is minimal, (great for the ecology), so so small compared to larger more expensive devices, that it could be paired to a battery pack base device!!!, HOW ABOUT THAT ONE!!!.
The larger Echo's & Echo Dot's can be fitted up to a battery base, they are available, makes it a big package though for mobility, none that I have found will fit the Echo Flex though, except £100/$125 bulky ones.
But a battery base that accepts a 3 pin plug, a compact one could be manufactured or found from an existing supplier, similar shape to the Echo Flex.
Then plug it in and cart it about all over the place, with a wattage draw that the battery would EASILY last all day, 16 hours at a time if you want. What a great bit of kit that'd be. Inexpensive but so practical.
Ironically if you think about it, it would need to convert the lesser voltage of the compact battery pack from the low voltage of what it is, 12 volts, 18 volts or 24 volts or so up to 230/240 volts, (the UK version of the Echo Flex!).
THEN as it already does internally it converts that down to a much lower voltage.
The best THING would be for the Echo Flex to have a little switch that changes the voltage setting from mains to battery pack.
WHAT a brilliant piece if kit that would be!!, the sheer mobility of the device, its longevity, then it truly would be an Echo Flex as in Flexible.
Some guy on Youtube shows how it can be fitted with soldering, though he has expertise in these matters. Maybe not viable for those with no experience, though a boffin could be found and slipped a few, £$€, they may do it mainly for the fun of it.
Totally invalidating any warranty, but again a choice/option available to us. What Humanity has always been about, the modification of tools.
Yes the Echo Flex with this inbuilt function would cost more to originally make if fitted by design, and add weight & bulk to the device fitting a voltage changing/regulating device unit.
Then folks would be not so inclined to purchase more expensive Echo devices, as unless they wanted better speakers, this addition to the Echo Flex would even make it better than what it already for sure is.
To me though with the Echo Flex's easy set up using a mobile phone, that yes Alexa type Ai voice control is available and music could be played/cast into Bluetooth headphones using a phone.
BUT some phones have NON REMOVABLE batteries and that battery would soon be depleted, time & time again.
So a new phone costing over £40/$50, some are £80/$100 or more would be needed in no time, ergo impracticable. New batteries slab packs soon needed even if removable.
THIS Echo Flex device to me is all about VFM. Best stick to that all the way along and things will be fine.
This Echo Flex IS practicable. An idea tool for musical enjoyment.
OK then I know I have gone on, touching a very important matter, that folks may not think will effect them, but it will. In any massage of mine I like to see you all get your moneys worth.
BUY this Echo Flex device and for sure you 'will' be getting your money's worth from Amazon.
Amazon have garnished a lot of good will from this device for that price.
FAR less of a asking price than what the unit costs to make, of cause it is, even being produced in China. So a massive WELL DONE to Amazon. BIG Goodwill has come of that decision, a 'fish to catch a mackerel' maybe, but well appreciated, from me for sure.
You have got your act together with this device, I wish the actual range of the Bluetooth could be extended BUT that is the case for almost every Bluetooth device.
From router to echo flex for me is NO PROBLEM, but from device to Bluetooth headphones is.
Going into another room can be difficult, hence battery pack device would be ideal.
Other than that, that as said would effect most other devices, Bluetooth and its piddly 10 meters limit, newer Bluetooth 5.2 versions may fare better, having a much lower wattage draw, maybe the range has been tweaked up a bit.
Just seen detailed articles about it, around nearly twice the range OUTSIDE with certain chip sets can be obtained with Bluetooth 5.2. Indoors likely to be less than twice. Maybe around 1.5 times or so.
So a 10 metre range can maybe be upped to 15 meters then depending upon structure in the way of the direct signal. Big difference though, an extra 5 metres, making all the difference for some folk.
Though this device is not Bluetooth 5.2 and maybe will never be, not many devices around that are. They cannot be software updated, it is all to do with the chip in it itself.
OK then OTHER reviews give details about this device, I have covered other aspects to it and other matters that may well have been of interest to some.
Of cause if an article or a message of someones is not doing much for you, best to pack up reading it almost from the start.
Why put yourself through reading the entirety of something, as some book/movie reviewers do and then say at the end I didn't like reading/watching all that & then go about the place & social media moaning on about it.
Cannot understand that, that would not make sense to me, BUYING this Echo Flex device though DOES make sense. Total sense it is a bit of FUN. Great fun. With Bluetooth headphones it is great.
Use your sense folks and buy one at that giveaway price. They are what they are, and to me they are fab. Totally fab, truly worth 5 stars.
Well done indeed Amazon.
