Integrating Alexa into speakers is a bit of a no-brainer, but it can really enhance the experience, taking your sound setup from dumb to super smart. With an increasing number of TV manufacturers also including support for Alexa in their models, the voice assistant from Amazon is everywhere.
Marshall Acton II Voice wireless speaker
Available to preorder on the Marshall website for $299/£269 - not currently available in Australia.
Putting Alexa on a wireless speaker isn't exactly new, but it's great to see voice control finally making it to audio products more powerful than Echos. The 30W Acton II Voice is styled, of course, like an iconic Marshall guitar amp, but with a far-field microphone added.
Marshall Stanmore II Voice wireless speaker
Available from the Marshall website for $429 (£349) - not yet available in Australia.
Why are Marshall's new wireless speakers named after dreary London suburbs? You can ask the powerful 50W Stanmore II Voice speaker yourself, though this Alexa version is only the start - expect separate Google Assistant versions of the Action II Voice and Stanmore II Voice soon.
Optoma UHD51A projector
Reduced to $1495 from $1699 in the US (£1549.99 / around AU$3710)
The UHD51A is the first 4K Ultra HD projector to feature Amazon Alexa voice control. You can ask this 2400 lumens, HDR-capable DLP projector to switch on and off, change input and volume, and playback files on a USB stick.
Sony HT-ZF9 Dolby Atmos/DTS:X soundbar
Available for $799.99 (£649 / AU$1499)
A firmware update is imminent that will make this advanced 3.1 sound bar compatible with Alexa, so as well as being able to play Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks and create a 5.1.2 sound-field, you'll be able to ask it to play an artist, adjust the volume, and skip a track. A future update will make it possible to pair the ZF9 with other Amazon Echo products around the house; cue multi-room music.
- Read more: Sony HT-Z9F soundbar review
Bose Home Speaker 500
Available from the Bose store for $399.95 (£399.95 / AU$599.95)
Bose sensibly waited on Alexa until it could offer Spotify and Amazon Music streaming via voice. Unlike most smart speakers, it’s got a small LCD screen, as well as its own microphone for picking-out your utterances more accurately, and for now, it's Alexa only, though AirPlay 2 with Siri, and Google Assistant will be added in future.
Bose Soundbar 500
Available for $549.95 (£499.95 / AU$799.95)
If you're going to embrace Alexa, why not do so across an entire line-up? This soundbar, and a larger, higher spec version, the Bose Soundbar 700, have launched with Alexa support, with AirPlay 2 with Siri, and Google Assistant coming later.
66 Audio Pro Voice
Available in the US only for $119.99
Since headphones are always trying gesture control, having Alexa built-in seems natural. These US-only Bluetooth headphones from 66 Audio allow voice control that extends to synchronized smart home devices.
Denon AVR-X4500H
Available for $1599 (£1,499 / around AU$2240)
Denon may be the first to market with support for Apple’s AirPlay 2 audio standard, but it’s Alexa that catches the eye on this flagship 9.2-channel AV receiver. It features support for spoken commands for on/off, volume up/down, switching inputs, and regular Alexa-type questions.
Denon CEOL N10
Available from Argos for £499 (around $600 / AU$790)
There’s not been much talk about micro hi-fis of late, but you can now talk at one. This successor to the N7 offers both Alexa and Apple AirPlay 2, Bluetooth, Spotify Connect, web radio, and – wait for it – a CD player.
TCL QLED TV X8
Price and availability to be confirmed
A new TV brand for the UK, Chinese manufacturer TCL's upcoming QLED TVs have Alexa built-in. The 7.9mm-slim X8 is a 4K QLED TV with Dolby Vision HDR, Onkyo speakers that can handle Dolby Atmos immersive audio, and hands-free control by voice (Google Assistant as well as Alexa). It comes in 75, 65 and 55-inch sizes.
Anker Soundcore Flare S+ portable Bluetooth speaker
Coming soon for US$129.88 (around £100 / AU$130)
A waterproof 16-hour Bluetooth speaker, the Flare S+ connects directly to Alexa. Cue hands-free voice control and access to all 45,000 Alexa skills, with Flare S+'s light ring glowing in Alexa's signature blue when the device is streaming audio to the cloud.
Jabra Elite Active 65t Amazon Edition
Available for $169.99 on Amazon(£169.99 / AU$289.95)
The only true wireless earphones with Alexa are the Amazon Edition of Jabra’s Elite Active 65t. As well as being able to talk to Alexa via a connected phone, the 65t has one-touch access to Amazon Music, Audible and Prime Video. They also come with a three-month subscription to Amazon Music Unlimited.
Loewe Bild 5 OLED TV
Available in the UK only for £4,990
OK, so you’re not going to spend this big on a 55-inch 4K OLED just so you can shout at the TV, but German luxury AV brand Loewe does have a clever approach. Using Alexa it’s possible to control up to three Loewe TVs in your household, and also manage other smart home gear via the Alexa app.
LG OLED55C8PLA Smart TV
Available for around $1999 (£1999 / AU$3899)
"Alexa, turn down the volume on my living room TV". Having already dabbled with Google Assistant on its TVs, LG has now launched a SmartThinQ Skill for Alexa, which means its 2018 LG OLED TVs and LG Super UHD TVs with LG’s AI ThinQ technology can now be controlled with voice commands. Adjusting volume, play, pause, start, stop, fast forward controls, channel selection and searching for content is what it's there for.
Sony KD-65AF9 TV
Available for around $3500 (£3,999 / AU$4900)
Since Google Assistant plays so nicely with Chromecast, it's about time Alexa got friendly with Android TVs. Since Sony is persevering with Android TV, it's fallen to it to become the Alexa TV expert. Alexa voice control now covers all 2016, 2017 and 2018 models.
Sonos One
Available from Amazon for around $200 (£200 / AU$300)
OK, so it’s a big jump in price from an Echo, but the very capable Sonos One multi-room system now has voice support for Spotify, as well as for Amazon Music, Apple Music and internet radio. For good measure it also supports AirPlay 2.
Sonos Beam
Available on Amazon for $399 (£399/ AU$595)
This is the Sonos soundbar we've been waiting for. Its crowning feature is Alexa integration, but you'll need a Fire TV/Fire TV Stick/Fire TV Cube to get the most out of the Sonos Beam’s voice functionality. With the right gear, the Beam can search Netflix and Amazon Prime. Used on its own, you can still use voice to tweak the volume, ask for radio stations, and pause/play music.
Polk Command Bar
Available on Amazon for $499 (£349 / AU$649)
This soundbar has an Alexa action button built into the remote that wakes the voice assistant so that you don’t have to shout to be heard. That's all well and good, but it's also handy for when you lose the remote control altogether, a common occurrence for most soundbar owners.
Riva Concert
Available for $199 / £199 - not currently available in Australia
A water-resistant 50W speaker, the Riva Concert is part of the Riva Voice Series of official Alexa speakers. So as well as getting regular Alexa pass-through, you get Spotify, Amazon Music, and messaging to other Alexa devices. The line-up also includes the more powerful, wired Riva Stadium.
Toshiba TVs
Available in 2019, price TBC
Having just re-entered the UK TV market thanks to a tie-up with Vestel, Toshiba announced last month that its forthcoming OLED, 4K HDR and Full HD TVs for 2019 will be Alexa-enabled, allowing viewers to interact with Alexa via the TV. However, they won't rely on Amazon Echo, or a voice-activated remote control, but will pick up requests for Alexa using a far-field microphone.
