Best Bluetooth Speaker for Echo Dot

The Echo Dot is a sweet buy—it does everything the Amazon Echo does, but costs only a fraction of the price.

Admittedly, the Dot’s speakers are rather tinny, but while it doesn’t have a balanced speaker like its bigger brother, the Echo, the Dot can be easily hooked up to external speakers for better audio.

Top Picks: 5 Top Rated Bluetooth Speakers For Echo 

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With a myriad of choices in the market, one can’t help but wonder, what are the best speakers for the Echo Dot?

So, You Can Connect A Speaker To Echo?

Like the Echo, the Echo Dot is also Bluetooth-enabled, and supports these Bluetooth profiles.

Now one of the best features of the Echo Dot is its connectivity, and, unlike its bigger counterpart, Bluetooth isn’t the only way you can connect a speaker to the Echo Dot: it has a mini USB port and also a 3.5mm audio port, which makes it possible to hook it up to virtually any speaker with a mini USB or 3.5mm jack.

If your speaker is neither mini USB nor 3.5mm compatible, you can still use adapters to hook it up to the Dot.

Amazon Alexa Devices

You're Not Talking About Amazon Tap?

The Amazon Tap is of course a great Bluetooth speaker, but we wanted to keep this to non-Amazon speakers only.

What Are The Advantages Of Adding A Speaker To Echo Dot?

The Echo Dot may be tiny, and is often described as the first inch or so of a Pringles can—but this diminutive device packs a whole lot of audio features, such as streaming music and a variety of Alexa-powered capabilities.

Having said that, the built-in speakers of the Dot are often not enough to offer the best sound experience. But by hooking the Dot up to external speakers, the Dot can even surpass its larger and more expensive counterparts, the Echo and Tap.

Some of the advantages of adding a speaker to your Echo are:

Increase Range

Even though the Echo Dot is small in size, it offers a listening range of over 25 feet. However, its small built-in speakers may only be loud enough for you to hear at a short distance. By adding a speaker, you can listen to music from anywhere in the room, or—if you live in a small space—anywhere in your house.

Even Better Sound Quality

If you’re an audiophile, or simply anyone who enjoys listening to music, then you can maximize the Dot’s music streaming capabilities. Imagine being able to ask Alexa to play virtually any song at any time you want, and she’ll play it back to you via your high quality speakers: pure audial bliss.

Keep Portability

Because of its size, the Dot is very portable. Say you’re having a picnic by the park or hanging out by the pool: bring your Dot along and hook it up to equally portable speakers and enjoy the music.

Are There Any Caveats?

Do remember that the Echo Dot’s listening capabilities are always on, so make sure you place your speakers at least 3 to 4 feet away from the device, so Alexa won’t have trouble hearing your commands.

If you’re using the 3.5mm port, remember to buy a 3.5mm cable that’s at least 3 feet long. For a wireless connection, you may opt to use a Bluetooth connection instead, but before you buy your Bluetooth speaker, remember to make sure that they’re Amazon-certified for best results.

How Do I Connect A Speaker?

To connect a speaker via the Echo Dot’s 3.5mm port, simply insert one end of the 3.5mm cable into the Dot’s audio jack, and make sure the other end of the cable is connected to the speaker as well. If your speaker doesn’t use a 3.5mm cable, it is still possible to connect it to the Echo Dot as long as you have the appropriate adapters/converters.

For wireless connections, here’s what you do:

1) Turn the speaker’s Bluetooth on. Refer to the manual if you’re not sure how to do this.

2) Access your Alexa app and then go to Settings. You will see a list of all your Alexa devices.

3) Choose the Echo Dot you’re pairing the speaker with. Select Bluetooth, then the option “Pair a New Device.”

4) Wait while the Echo Dot searches for Bluetooth devices. Your speaker will appear in the list when it’s found.

5) Select your speaker, and wait while your Echo Dot connects to it. Alexa will inform you if the connection is successful.

6) Click the Continue button on the Alexa app. Done!

5 Best Speakers for Amazon Echo Dot

1. Bose SoundLink Mini Bluetooth Speaker II

  • Excellent sound quality
  • Deep but clean bass
  • Sturdy construction
  • Instant reconnection
  • Long battery life, easy to recharge
  • This speaker is heavier than its peers at 1.5 pounds. Light enough to bring on family holidays or picnic trips though

For something that’s only slightly bigger than your average 250ml water bottle, you’d be surprised at the huge sound this speaker can deliver: it offers high volume, with a bass that is deep yet clean.

Connecting to your devices is easy too, as the device “remembers” the last few devices connected to it, so reconnection is instant.

Also, the Bose SoundLink Mini 2 runs on lithium-ion batteries, so it lasts a long time—up to 10 hours for a full charge. It also comes with a charging cradle, so all you have to do is place the speaker on the cradle to charge.


2. Sonos PLAY:5 Ultimate Wireless Smart Speaker (PL5G2US1BLK)

Sonos PLAY5 Ultimate Wireless Smart Speaker
  • Excellent sound quality
  • Three woofers for great bass
  • Can easily be synced to other Sonos speakers
  • Flawless integration with Alexa powered devices
  • Not cheap
  • Portability issues

If money is no object, then go for the Sonos Play 5. With six amplifiers, this speaker can easily fill a big room with crystal clear sound. But the main selling point here is Sonos’ integration with Alexa powered devices.

Also, it utilizes Wi Fi instead of Bluetooth, so streaming is faster and without the delay usually experienced by a Bluetooth connection.

Imagine if you bought several Echo Dots to fill your home, set them up with your Sonos speakers—you’ll end up with voice control and crystal clear sound system in your entire home.


3. Anker SoundCore Bluetooth Speaker (A3102011)

Anker SoundCore Bluetooth Speaker
  • Delivers clear sound quality
  • Affordable
  • Long lasting battery – up to 24 hours!
  • Lightweight
  • ?Bluetooth disconnects when idle for some time 
  • Lacks bass

The Anker SoundCore speaker delivers clear sound, which makes it a steal at $36. This speaker is portability at its finest—only weighing at 0.79 pounds, it also boasts of a 24-hour playtime on a single charge.

Please note: this speaker "unpairs" Bluetooth after a ?period of time, which may be annoying for some users. If you only use the speaker for occasional music use, then this won't be such a problem. However, if you want the speaker "always on", then you should look elsewhere...


4. AOMAIS Sport II Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speakers 4.0

AOMAIS Sport II Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speakers 4.0
  • Strong speakers enough to be heard in outdoor environment
  • Affordable
  • Long lasting battery (up to 10 hours)
  • Very durable
  • Speakers can be synced together
  • Bass tends to overwhelm the overall sound at high volumes

Waterproof, dustproof, shockproof, the list goes on and makes the IPX7 Aomais Sport II probably the best outdoor Bluetooth speakers in the market.

It even comes with a floating accessory so you can float the speaker in your pool. If you’re an outdoorsy person or you want to make this your permanent pool speaker, then it’s worth every penny for $50.

Even better, you can easily buy a couple of speakers with the price and link them together for stereo sound.


5. AmazonBasics Portable Bluetooth Speaker (BSK30BU)

AmazonBasics Portable Bluetooth Speaker
  • Decent quality sound
  • Low price
  • Battery can last up to 8 hours (playing at 70% volume)
  • Very durable
  • Functional, yes, but not an audiophile’s dream

If you’re looking for a speaker that performs okay with a price tag that’s easy on the wallet, then this AmazonBasics speaker is a cheap and cheerful option.

For $20, you get a lightweight, portable Bluetooth/3.5mm aux speaker that produces decent quality sound for the money. Just don't expect to blow your windows out with booming bass.

It's easy on the eyes too. Nothing to complain about here, as long as you’re not expecting too much. It is a budget speaker after all.


Wrapping Up

The $50 Echo Dot can outperform even the pricier Echo in terms of functionality. With the Dot’s advantage in connectivity, all it takes is the right speaker to give the user a maximized experience.

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2 Comments - Write a Comment

  1. The Anker Sound Core is a good little BT speaker but it SHOULD NOT be on this list, as it’s irritating habit of turning itself off (even when plugged in) makes it incompatible with the “always-on” nature of the Echo Dot. Same may be true of the Amazon Basics speak, although I’m not familiar with that one. For use with the Echo Dot, you have to find a speaker that stays on all the time.

    Reply
    1. · Edit

      Hi Rob,

      Thanks for your feedback.

      Hmmm, we didn’t spot that. That will be a problem for some. Others may not be so worried if they use the speaker occasionally for listening to music etc.

      Updating the post.

      Reply

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