The Echo Studio offers a unique feature set and a big sound that belies its relatively small size

Big, bold sound; Very well priced; Excellent connectivity options;

Sound is bass-heavy; Lacks some detail in mid-range; No remote for volume controls;

The Echo Studio offers a unique feature set and a big sound that belies its relatively small size

Big, bold sound; Very well priced; Excellent connectivity options;

Sound is bass-heavy; Lacks some detail in mid-range; No remote for volume controls;

For its sub-£200 price tag, the Echo Studio is bringing a lot to the party, and while debate will rage about whether it sounds as good as or better than its competitors, it emphatically squashes the perception that Echo speakers aren’t much cop for music. Right now 3D audio is not the main reason you should buy one. The library is majorly lacking and not every track is improved by a 3D mix. But when it does work, it’s amazing, and classical music in particular really benefits from the added height. And if you opt in for Amazon Music HD, you get its Hi-Res tier as well as any new 3D songs that are added over time. I’m not going to claim that the Echo Studio can compete with a proper home theater setup, but if you rely on your TV’s built-in speakers at the moment, not investing in a Fire TV device and pairing it with the chunky Studio would frankly be a crime against entertainment. And in case you’ve forgotten - it’s easy to amid all the 3D chatter - the Echo Studio also happens to be a faultless smart speaker. As long as you’re happy to ditch Spotify for Amazon and are comfortable with Alexa’s unstoppable uprising, you'll struggle to find a more feature-packed £190 audio package.

Excellent value; Works as well as any Echo in the smarts department; Certain 3D tracks sound incredible; Amazon Music HD’s better-than-3D-quality music trumps Apple and Spotify; You might not need a soundbar;

3D mixes are, well, a mixed bag; You really need Amazon Music HD to justify it; Its size might be an issue in some rooms;

Amazon was the first company to popularize the smart speaker with the release of the original Alexa-based Echo five years ago. There was just one problem however: It sounded like a clock radio wedged in a length of pipe. Successive updates have tweaked both the design and, more importantly, the sound quality -- which brings us to the Echo Studio.

The Echo Studio is the biggest and best-sounding speaker Amazon has produced to date.

The Amazon Echo Studio produces a monstrous cloud of sound that works great with action movies and spacious styles of music; It offers a lot of features, including Dolby Atmos, excellent connectivity and Fire TV hookup, for a relatively affordable price; The microphones are quite sensitive.

The sound isn't always very distinct, which makes it less suitable to showcasing 3D music or Atmos; Multiroom support lags behind Sonos and Apple AirPlay; Dolby Atmos soundtracks require a Fire TV device.

At under £200 / $200, the Echo Studio is a bargain, sounding at least as good as more expensive rivals while offering features they don’t such as support for HD and 3D audio.

Almost unbelievably priced, the Echo Studio is the most important Echo that Amazon has yet released. We'd like it in a more attractive colour though.

Unbelievable price point; Plenty of power; Full Alexa support; Dolby Atmos tech; Fire TV pairing; Lossless audio support through Amazon Music HD;

Design not attractive; Needs more colours;

Excellent value; Works as well as any Echo in the smarts department; Certain 3D tracks sound incredible; Amazon Music HD’s better-than-3D-quality music trumps Apple and Spotify; You might not need a soundbar;

3D mixes are, well, a mixed bag; You really need Amazon Music HD to justify it; Its size might be an issue in some rooms;