Amazon Australia has brought its smart voice assistant, Alexa, to high-fidelity stereo system owners, with the release of its new ‘Echo Link‘ ( $299) and ‘Echo Link Amp‘ ($459).
The companion products are designed for music enthusiasts, who wish to harness Alexa voice commands when streaming high-fidelity audio through existing sound equipment.
The new Echo Link includes analog, optical, coax, 3.5mm amplified headphone and subwoofer line-outs for “maximum output flexibility.”
With analog, optical, and coax line-ins users can also connect and play music straight from another audio component (e.g. amplified turntable or MP3 player).
Users can set-up a multi-room music group for whole-home audio streaming via Alexa, complemented by a volume knob and Ethernet port for reliable connectivity.
The new Echo Link Amp boasts all the same features as the Echo Link, with the addition of an integrated 60W per channel, 2-channel amplifier plus left and right speaker binding posts for wiring passive/non-powered speakers.
The products expand Alexa into the high-fidelity market, as the smart assistant battle against Google continues to intensify.
Users can say “Alexa, play music in the theatre room” to stream music on their existing stereo system – forging the expense of buying a whole new next-generation unit.
Both products can also be controlled via the Alexa app, or through another mic-enabled Echo device in a user’s account.
