Category: Amazon Echo Dot

Top Tech of the Decade...by Year

12/28/2019

I have been keeping track of my favorite tech on this site going back to 2011. I thought it would be cool to show my top tech for each year since I started keeping track.

Note: I received some items for free in exchange for my review and I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products on this site. That being said, my reviews are solely based on my opinion. I have never been asked to to provide only a positive review and I would not participate in any program with that condition.

2011 Product of the Year

iPhone 4S

What initially wrote: iPhone 4S - While this was initially a disappointment because the rumor mill made it sound like we would all be using the "iPhone 5" to teleport ourselves to other dimensions and solving questions like "the meaning of life" (although Siri does try to provide us some answers to that question), the iPhone 4S is my favorite tech of the year. With its camera, Siri, speed, etc.. it is a huge update from the iPhone 3GS.

In hindsight, I think this is still one of the best iPhones that Apple ever made in this size. It introduced Siri before it had any competition. The two layers of glass that were squeezed between the two steel antenna band was just gorgeous. One of the only iPhones that I kept in my collection, though I haven't used it in quite a while.

2012 Product of the Year

Canon 5D Mark III

What I initially wrote: This was my favorite new device in 2012. While there were cameras that came to market with many more megapixels. This camera has better low light performance, faster frames per second, and is just a better all around camera, in my opinion and for my needs. Popular Photography also named it their camera of the year.

Yes, this was my workhorse until I change to Sony a couple years ago. I actually still keep it around as a second camera since it is so darn good. Since I mainly use Sony with a Metabones adapter, I can switch on and off Canon lenses without issue. Just an amazing all around camera and if I didn't want to switch to 4k video, I might still be using it as my main camera.

2013 Product of the Year

Directv Genie

What I wrote: I am a huge NFL fan, so I have been with Directv for several years mainly because of the NFL Sunday Ticket package. The Genie (HR44-500) has changed the way we watch TV. In the past, we would have to record some programs in the bedroom to get around the fact that we could only record two programs at once on our old DVR. Now we can record 5 shows in the living room at the same time. I also kept one of the old HR21 DVRs in the bedroom rather than changing it out for a Genie client. The main reason was because I have a Slingbox hooked up to it, but the side benefit is getting two more tuners. Since Directv lets you watch any recording on either DVR in either room, I don't have to go to the bedroom to watch programs if I want to watch them in the living room (and visa versa). There are other features like Pandora and YouTube that add even more options. It is rare to see tech that changes the way you interact and use a service, so the new Genie would be my tech of the year.

I stopped using Directv a while back because it was just too expensive when combined with my internet. I am using Comcast for both now, but I am even thinking about dropping the cable package all together since I stream so often these days. I still think this was a revelation at the time, but streaming continues to change the face of all media.

2014 Product of the Year

iPhone 6 Plus

What I wrote: Product of the year - Any time I get a new phone, it will most likely end up on this list. The iPhone 6 plus is the phone I have wanted since I bought my first smartphone several years ago (Kyocera 7135). It is finally large enough to be used for more than just email and music. The main upsides are the fact that it now has a 1920x1080, 5.5 inch screen, TouchID/ApplePay (which is amazing and probably deserves its own entry on this list), faster processor, better camera with optical stabilization, slo-mo video, specific landscape mode with certain apps, fantastic battery life, etc... See some of my impressions here and here.

Yes, this was one great phone. I actually held onto my 4s until I got this phone, so I was simply waiting on this form factor. If it wasn't for Airplay, I might have moved to Android. However, this phone also brought us TouchID which is amazing even now. I never did update to FaceID and with the talk of under display TouchID being rumored, maybe I won't ever have to?

2015 Product of the Year

iPhone 6s Plus

"With the 4k video capabilities, 3D Touch, 12MP photos, and faster everything, it is a worthwhile update to the iconic iPhone."

Yes, iPhone again. It is hard to argue with this one though. As I mentioned, they boosted the camera and added 4k video. I know a lot of people still rocking this phone for the headphone port since it was removed a year later.

2016 Product of the Year

The Amazon Echo Dot

This year, my choice was easy. The price for performance is unparalleled with this device. My preference is to be able to plug the Echo into my own speakers and the Dot is the best choice for that preference. It can play music, easily receive a Bluetooth signal from a phone or send a Bluetooth signal to a Bluetooth receiving device, control lights, control your entertainment center, etc. It is awesome!

I still have these spread around the house and even the very first model that required you to already own an Echo device (*unless you found the backdoor like I did :)) still gets daily use. I feel like Apple really missed the boat on this since they had Siri around earlier, but Amazon filled that gap and is till reaping rewards from it.

2017 Product of the Year

Netgear Orbi Whole Home Mesh Wifi

It is kind of strange for me to make a WiFi Router my favorite tech, but I have been on sites where people complain about Airplay drop outs or bad signals on nearly a weekly basis. I have recommended that people update their WiFi routers for years and from my experience, the Orbi system has run like a champ since I upgraded in February (when my Google Router bit the dust). My review is here. In short, the thing I love is its wide range and fast speeds.

As we become more and more reliant on streaming, internet of things, etc.. The wifi we have in our homes will become more and more important. I still have Orbi in the house (though I changed the main router to a version that connects directly to cable) and it works like a charm with fast speeds and coverage everywhere. Still highly recommended.

2018 Product of the Year

Apple Watch Series 4

This wasn't an easy choice, as usual. However, this Watch can literally be a life saver with features that will call for help if you fall and the EKG features that are forthcoming. The 44mm is easier to read that the older models, you now have the ability to download audio files to listen to later with headphones, and it gets faster every year. It still isn't perfect..they should allow you to listen to podcasts on its speaker and it should have some always on clock face options. However, it is such a big step forward from prior generations that it belonged at the top of this year's list.

2018 was the most difficult year to pick a favorite. I added the Sony Camera and a wonderful Espresso machine to my gear list (see a link to every year's complete list in the "Wrap Up"). However, when you add tech that can literally save your life while still just looking like your everyday smart watch, it is just too much to overlook. I did mention the lack of an always on display which was rectified with the iPhone 5, but I am waiting for something a bit more out of the box before I upgrade. They have made the display much more responsive to the wrist turn in the Series 4, so it isn't nearly as noticeable as it was in the Original Apple Watch.

2019 Product of the Year

Samsung 34-Inch CJ791 Ultrawide Curved Gaming Monitor

After years of using a 27 inch iMac in my office, I decided to get a monitor that has more flexibility for my needs. This fits the bill with USB-C inputs, HDMI input, etc. It works with my Mac mini, Dell PC, and with everything plugged into my Onkyo receiver. I can plug my MBP right into the USB-C and get a great image with power. It is a substantial upgrade, for my needs, from the iMac.

Not much more to add to this post since it is so recent, however, check out my new office tour if you get a chance:

The Wrap Up

No dount that the last decade was filled with great tech (see the full list for each year by clicking on the year: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011). In hindsight, there were a couple years where I could have picked something other than an Apple product, but they release these things late in the year, so my excitement level was peaked. Also, is there anything more personal than an iPhone or Apple Watch that are typically with you 24/7?

Make sure you review the rest of my lists because there was a lot of tech in all kinds of different categories that made an impact on my daily life.

Note: I receive items for free in exchange for my review and I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products on this site. My reviews are solely based on my opinion. I have never been asked to to provide only a positive review and I would not participate in any program with that condition.

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Yamaha WXC-50 - A Very Special Audio Device

12/14/2016

6 Comments

First Impressions

When I first unboxed the Yamaha WXC-50 (~$350), I was impressed by the looks of the device right out of the box. It is compact so it can fit in tight spaces, but the solid metal body with aluminum cover looks first class. However, I wasn't impressed that Yamaha chose not to include any audio cables with the setup. I realize that there are tons of ways you can use this device, but at minimum, they could have included analog RCA cables. Instead of being able to use this out of the box, I was digging through drawers searching for cables.

Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.

Despite the small size, which can be placed horizontally or vertically, theWXC-50 packs in a lot of features. It works with DLNA, Airplay, Bluetooth, has an optical input, and a standard aux input. It has digital outputs, a trigger in/out, and a subwoofer out if you want to use it with powered speakers., Its uses capable ESS DACs and the WXC-50 can handle hi resolution files, including DSD (up to 5.6 Mhz) and FLAC files up to 24/192.

The Yamaha MusicCast app give you complete control over the extensive features. You can also tweak sound quality, access your server, access internet radio, access Pandora, etc., with the app.

The device also comes with its own small remote. It can select the different inputs, access favorited internet stations with 6 presets, and pause, play, skip and go back to prior songs. The remote will even allow you to pause an Airplay signal or skip the song even though it is being served music from the iPhone.

All the Wonderful Things

I have tested Pandora, playing DSD files, playing 24/96 and 24/192 files, Airplay features, Bluetooth (both as a receiver and a transmitter) the optical input, the USB input, sent it an analog signal, and used the internet radio features. If you are using the pre-amp outputs everything works great with any signal. However, I should mention that that I was unable to get DSD audio from the Aux outputs (separate section from the pre-amp outs). Also, the Bluetooth transmitter seems slow to find devices. I was unable to get it to send a Bluetooth audio signal to my Echo Dot. It was able to find my Bluetooth Denon receiver and send audio to it. I also tried it with my Parrot Zik 2.0 headphones and those worked without a problem, as well. The issue with the Dot could be that it does not have the required specs to work with the WCX-50 or the Dot has an issue on its end, so I would not read a whole lot into that issue unless you are buying this specifically to send the Dot a Bluetooth signal.

Speaking of Bluetooth transmitting, it does not work with all audio. I could get it to play music on my Denon receiver when I would send it 24/192 files from my server, but it could not handle DSD. It worked with internet radio, but it would not send out an Airplay signal. It also worked with the optical digital input and the analog input. However, there is a lag between the main speakers and the Bluetooth receiver, so I would not recommend this as a whole home solution. I would pick which device you want to listen to music on and mute the other device. I should mention that Yamaha has many MusicCast devices and speakers and I would guess that they would handle the lag better, but I do not own any other MusicCast devices, so I can't comment on how they would work together.

How I Use It

The way I am using the WCX-50 is to feed a Little Dot MKIII Headphone amp (see above) via the pre-amp outs and I am also using it with a Marantz vintage receiver via the slightly more limited aux output. I have the Marantz hooked up to an iHome plug so that I can turn it on and off by voice using Siri orAlexa/Echo.

Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.

One of my favorite ways to use it with the Marantz is to tell the Alexa to send music to the WCX-50 (which pairs fine with the Echo Dot for receiving Bluetooth audio) and then telling it to turn on the Marantz and play music. I can do all of this from the couch via voice. I have my extensive music library on Amazon's servers, so I can listen to most of my favorite music that way.

For more serious listening, I use the Little Dot MKIII with a pair ofHiFiMan headphones and the sound quality from the WXC-50 is outstanding. Even when using Bluetooth as a source, its EQ capabilities, like advanced Bass Extension and Compressed Music Enhancer, make it sound very good.

In the picture above, you will also notice that I also have a Little Dot DAC1. I haven't removed it from the setup because I bought the amp and DAC together, but the Little Dot DAC1 will also take a USB feed from my iPhone via the Camera Connection Kit (USB3.0 to Lightning cable) and send the digital signal out via analog (using the DAC). To get that benefit, I have the Little Dot DAC1 feeding the analog inputs on the WXC-50, so it all works great together. Honestly, I could live with Airplay rather than a direct connection, but this just gives me a bit more flexibility if I am having home network issues.

A Quick Look at My Living Room

The picture above was taken before I put this setup together, but I wanted to show it because it gives you an idea of how it works in my setup. The red chair is where I listen to a lot of music. I have the WXC-50/Little Dot on the shelf next to it, so I can lean back in my "stressless" chair and have music fed right into my soul. The Marantz, which is on the top shelf is hooked up to some vintage Pinnacle speakers and is also getting an audio signal from the WXC-50. Finally, my main setup, with Monitor Audio speakers can be paired via Bluetooth and receive an audio signal from the WXC-50. All in all, it gives me a lot different ways to appreciate all of the WXC-50 features.

The Wrap Up

To wrap up, I was using an Airport Express in this setup in the past and it worked fine, but the WXC-50 looks better, sounds better, has many more audiophile features without shorting you on convenient features for when you just want background music. When you consider that stand-alone DACS can be priced in the same range, the WCX-50 is a bargain. All in all, this is a special audio device that has so many features that it would please almost any music fan. I know that I am very pleased with it!!!

Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.

6 Comments

Amazon Echo Dot Does Music!!

6/8/2016

2 Comments

Now that I have had the Amazon Echo Dot for a week or so, I have found the many music features to be very useful. I have a mix of different devices, so I thought I would discuss the many ways to use this gem for music.

Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.

I made a video to demonstrate some of the features:

Amazon Dot Physical Features

The Echo Dot is nothing if it isn’t versatile. Of course, it has its own speaker, which comes in handy if you want to move the little fella around the house (which is easy since you can power it from any micro-usb cable and it will automatically connect to the network when it is plugged back in). Its onboard speaker is perfectly adequate for background music or for reading books to you when placed on a bedside table. The volume can be increased or decreased via voice commands or by turning the top of the Dot.

While the internal speaker is convenient, the real magic is when you connect it to a speaker or stereo via the aux output. I have a Phillips SoundRing in our kitchen for Airplay audio. The SoundRing also has an Aux input, so I connected it to the Dot via the audio cable that Amazon provided and the sound was better and more space filling than just using the onboard speaker. I could see this being used with a Tivoli Pal, the stereo in an office, etc.

Bluetooth Streamer

The Dot can send audio via Bluetooth and receive audio via Bluetooth. Although, it can’t send and receive at the same time. In other words, you can’t send it audio from an iPhone and also send audio to a Bluetooth receiver. This is a slight weakness, but I am not sure if it is even possible with current tech.

The Bluetooth sending capabilities are very nice to have, though. In my case, I have a vintage Marantz stereo in my living room that gets very little use. However, I have a ClipR bluetooth receiver laying around and hooked it up to my stereo. I also have a Belkin Bluetooth receiver that I planned on using, but it requires a password, so the Echo will not pair with it.

I paired the Dot to the ClipR and it sent music that was playing in my kitchen to the living room Marantz receiver over Bluetooth. From my experience, I was only able to send audio to one device at a time, so when I sent audio to the ClipR, music stopped playing through the aux output. Still, this is pretty awesome if you have a setup like mine or if you have a pair of Bluetooth headphones.

Bluetooth Receiver

The other major benefit is that it will pair with an iPhone or an Android device. There are many services not supported by the Echo, so if you wanted to listen to Apple Music/Tidal, you would normally have to listen to it on your smartphone. However, by pairing your phone to the Echo, you can just send the audio to the Echo and it will send the audio out via the aux input to whatever you have it connected to.

In some ways, especially in the kitchen, when your hands are often full and you aren't critically listening for sound quality, Bluetooth is better than Airplay. If you have paired with the Dot at some point in the past and have something playing on your phone, you can just tell Alexa “Pair with iPhone” and audio will automatically go to the Dot’s connected speaker. You can also un-pair the iPhone via voice, so it is hands free. I did run into issues trying to use it with more than one iOS device, though. It seems to think anything connected to it is an iPhone. In other words, I had to forget the Echo on my iPhone to pair it with the Apple Watch or AppleTV. Not a big deal for me since I don't have multiple family members trying to use it this way, but it might be an issue for some.

In any event, its many features are pretty awesome for casual audio.

Services

Out of the box, the Echo comes with easy setup for Pandora, Amazon Prime, Tune in, iHeartRadio, and access to the Premium Spotify service. You simply pair your accounts via the Alexa app.

For example, If you are going to scramble some eggs and then go watch TV, it is so convenient just to say “Alexa, play me some jazz” or “Alexa, play Frank Sinatra radio on Pandora" and have music in the background while you are prepping your meal. You just say “Alexa, stop” or “Alexa, pause” when you are walking to your living room/Den.

I don’t use Premium Spotify anymore because I prefer Apple Music on iOS, so I can’t say how well that works, but I would imagine it would be very convenient for Spotify subscribers.

I did use iHeartMusic to play podcasts and I used Pandora to play my stations and it works great.

Amazon Prime

The Amazon Prime Music service doesn’t have the huge Apple Music library that I am accustomed to, but it is great to have in a pinch. You can also load up your music (although I have found that to be a time consuming headache, so far). The service doesn’t like my nested folders and it doesn’t like a lot of my Apple Lossless files. I have managed to get about 8,815 of my 25,000 files loaded, but it is no where near as easy to load as the overly-criticized iTunes Match (which was a set it and forget it process).

It should be mentioned that Amazon Prime has about 1 million songs that you can play. The service is ad free and has unlimited skips. It is great for just saying, "Alexa, play me some Classic Rock" or "Alexa, play me some jazz". It does require an Amazon Prime account, but it is icing on the cake for those of us that use Prime for shipping.

In any event, the Prime Music service is pretty awesome considering that it offers advantages over ad based freemium services and monthly paid services.

For Audio Tech Geeks Only

I have a full review of using the Dot with J River Media Center. However, in short, the feature is AWESOME!

J River Media Center, which I bought years ago for my PC (I have it running on the Windows 10 partition of my iMac via VMWare Fusion, but there is a J River option for the Mac), is an alternative to iTunes for managing your own media collection. It has more features and is much more flexible than iTunes. But to be honest, I have mainly been using iTunes because it is part of the Apple ecosystem (Home Sharing). However, since getting the Dot, I have been using J River a lot more since I discovered that it has an Alexa “skill". (Note: A “skill" is simply an add-on for the Echo that makes it work with many different services. Skills can be easily added right from the Alexa app.)

As I mentioned in the longer review of J River, I often use it in conjunction with Airfoil. Airfoil is an app that can send audio to any combination of Airplay receivers or even Bluetooth receivers. One of the ways I use it is by setting up Airfoil to send audio to my AppleTV.

Note: Newer Macs will let you chose an Airplay device to send native audio, so if you just have one Airplay speaker, you might not need Airfoil.

Assuming my computer and AppleTV are on, I just tell Alexa to “Launch House Band” and she will ask what I want to play from my collection, I tell her the album or artist and it plays over my Apple TV.

So, I know in my original article that I didn’t say how I turn on the AppleTV, my receiver, etc. without getting out a remote. Well, I have an iOS app called SimpleControl (it was once called Roomie Remote and I have reviewed it in the past) and it can actually be paired to work in limited ways via the Dot. I just tell Alexa “tell Simple Control to launch AppleTV” and the macro that launches the whole process takes place.

It is probably the easiest way to listen to your music collection, but I already owned all the components (J River, Airfoil 5, SimpleControl app, and Airplay receivers) to get started. It can get a bit pricey to add all that stuff from scratch, but it might be worth it to those wanting voice automation for their home audio collections.

As a side note, if I am in a separate room from Alexa, but want to use the JRiver features, I use the ~$5 Lexi app. It is an iPhone app that works like an Echo.

The Wrap Up

The Amazon Echo Dot makes music easy to access and it does it in many different ways. My favorite is the J River Media Center feature because I wasn't expecting it to work that way, but all of the features are useful. For any music fan, I think the Dot is a no-brainer because it offers so much more than a conventional Bluetooth receiving device and only cost ~$90. I would probably buy a couple more, but I am waiting to see if Apple bring to market something similar since it would most likely have better integration to my music via Apple Music and Airplay. However, the great thing about the Dot is that it is so versatile and small that I can always find a place and use for it.

2 Comments

Top Tech of the Decade...by Year

2011 Product of the Year

iPhone 4S

2012 Product of the Year

Canon 5D Mark III

2013 Product of the Year

Directv Genie

2014 Product of the Year

iPhone 6 Plus

2015 Product of the Year

iPhone 6s Plus

2016 Product of the Year

The Amazon Echo Dot

2017 Product of the Year

Netgear Orbi Whole Home Mesh Wifi

2018 Product of the Year

Apple Watch Series 4

2019 Product of the Year

Samsung 34-Inch CJ791 Ultrawide Curved Gaming Monitor

The Wrap Up

Yamaha WXC-50 - A Very Special Audio Device

First Impressions

All the Wonderful Things

How I Use It

A Quick Look at My Living Room

The Wrap Up

Amazon Echo Dot Does Music!!

Amazon Dot Physical Features

Bluetooth Streamer

Bluetooth Receiver

Services

Amazon Prime

For Audio Tech Geeks Only

The Wrap Up

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