Amazon Echo Sub (2018)

Compact and attractive ; Gets loud ; Goes deeper than expected ; Fills a room with decent bass

Won’t connect to anything but Echo speakers ; Can’t play sound from videos

The Echo Sub is designed and outfitted to do one very specific thing and do it well enough. It succeeds at offering loud, respectably deep and robust bass to eligible Amazon Echo speakers, and does it with ease. That’s where its utility stops, though....

Small and inexpensive. Successfully rounds out low frequency response when used with an Echo or Echo Plus.

Not particularly powerful or booming. Only works with Echo speakers. Doesn't work with Bluetooth connections to Echo speakers.

Bottom Line: The Amazon Echo Sub provides much-needed sub-bass to your Echo smart speaker as long as you're willing to overlook some frustrating limitations.

Perfect companion for Echo and Echo Plus speakers ; A lot of bass for not a lot of money ; Easy setup

Sound can be boomy without reducing the bass level ; Bass-drum hits can sound thuddy ; A few operational hiccups (which could disappear before the speaker ships)

Overall, I'm quite pleased with the Amazon Echo Sub. It adds good bass to the sound of Echo speakers. It's not audiophile quality—it can sound a bit boomy and thuddy on some material, and the extreme low end is not what I'd call prodigious. But neither...

Adds sorely missing bass to Echo speakers ; Works brilliant in a stereo pair with Echo Plus speakers ; Easy to set up

Few controls ; Can't fix mid-range issues with some Echo speakers

The Amazon Echo Sub is a decent upgrade for many Echo speakers, but it's at its best with two new Amazon Echo Plus devices.

Adds wonderful depth and low-end bass ; Gives flexibility other systems don't offer ; Simple setup ; Affordability

Alexa app could be better ; Some skills don't fire the Sub ; Won't pair with first-gen Echo devices (second and beyond only)

Add bass and depth to your second-gen Echo system. The Sub will appeal to those who have never considered spending big money on an music system, while enjoying the convenience and connectivity of Alexa. There are some foibles, but it's a great modular...

The Amazon Echo Sub improves the bass output of Echo speakers for an affordable price. It's attractive and the lack of fiddly controls makes it easy to use for newbies.

The bass can be overwhelming with certain music. It's not possible to adjust the volume or the crossover of the subwoofer individually. The addition of a line-in would have made the Sub more flexible.

The Amazon Echo Sub offers an instant bass upgrade to the Echo line of smart speakers, but stereo pairing two Echos makes for a better music experience.

Instantly brings out the bassy notes the Echo tends to miss

...but probably not enough to impress audiophiles ; Highlights how weak the bass is on Echo devices ; Not compatible with every Echo

The Amazon Echo Sub is in a unique position as far as Echoes go: it’s an upgrade, rather than a standalone product. And it works as advertised, making music richer and unquestionably more absorbing.