Amazon’s Home Theater System Rivals Sonos and Bose for Just a Fraction of the Price

Surround sound acoustics create a powerfully immersive home audio environment. It's easy to love going to the movies or experiencing a premier home theater audio setup, but the price tag on many modern systems puts the dream out of reach for many consumers. You might be convinced you can nab secondhand surround speakers, but older technology is becoming rapidly outdated due to limited wireless connectivity, audio engineering, and lack of integration with smart home devices. In a world where the best Bose surround sound system costs over $2,000, many consumers are on the hunt for alternatives that don't sacrifice audio quality. The surprising solution? The affordable, compact, Amazon Echo Studio and Sub.

We're already organically an Amazon devices household, so why didn't I make this connection sooner? With a few simple products, you can save *thousands* while achieving a high-end audio experience.

Related: Amazon’s Newest Smart Alarm Clock ‘Wakes Up’ its Traditional Echo Design

We're Using Echo Studio — And It Sounds Really, Really Good

We put two Echo Studios to work in our main TV-watching/video game-playing/entertaining room. To paint a picture, this room has a large projector screen and a 10-year-old Epson projector (it's high-def, but not a smart home projector). The projector was plugged into two old, computer speakers. And yes, the makeshift "surround sound speakers" were about as good as watching a movie on your 1998 PC — totally insufficient.

Our upgrade includes a pair of speakers – two Echo Studios – in opposite corners of the room. The two home theater speakers sit only a few inches off the ground – one on the base of a floor lamp, the other atop a shelf about 16" off the floor. The listening position was decided in part due to proximity to an electrical outlet. Can you install them as overhead speakers? Technically not; the product suggests that closer to the ground will perform better than if it's used like ceiling speakers.

To turn our old projector into "smart" product, we plugged an Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K into its HDMI port. Together, all three devices are managed through the built-in smart home hub. When the projector turns on, the audio is automatically synced, generating the most theater-like sound we've ever experienced at home. Do we feel that we need additional speakers or center speakers/rear speakers to round out the experience? Nope, two Echo Studios does the trick. The total cost? $459.97

Do you need to use an Echo Sub to get a great surround sound experience?

We're not using an Echo Sub for subwoofer output, but for an additional $129.99, it's an easy and affordable way to elevate your audio listening experience even further. It's especially good if you're going to use your speakers to create a concert-like music experience. The subwoofer easily registers to your two Echo speakers to form a Stereo Sub Pair that can deliver strong bass, mid-range, and treble — all things a dedicated audiophile would want to maximize audio quality.

Awesome Audio Output for a Fraction of the Price

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