Alexa Smart Speakers: Is Bluetooth Or Wired Better For Audio Quality?
Proud new owners and recipients of Amazon Alexa smart speakers can configure them to receive the best audio output for music, stereo sound, and more. There are two ways for these smart speakers to receive audio. The wired connection has been the tried-and-true method of transferring signals to play audio in speakers for decades, and that is also an option in many smart speakers, such as the Amazon Echo family. These speakers can also play music wirelessly thanks to Bluetooth technology, eliminating the need of cables. The question on consumers' minds, though is which method provides better sound quality?
Most Alexa smart speakers, including the new 4th Gen Amazon Echo, can be connected to either a more powerful sound speaker or music-playing device with the help of a 3.5mm male-to-male audio jack. This cable has been around for decades, and it is still the cable of choice for transferring audio to output devices. These audio jacks are still common to this day, primarily used for creating headphones for computers, smartphones, and TVs to provide users with loud and clear sound. Then again, Bluetooth has also been around for multiple decades, and has been as reliable as ever before in connecting two devices without the need for wires.
Smart speaker owners should have the means to create both wired and Bluetooth connections, if not one or the other. Nearly every consumer has a smartphone to demonstrate Bluetooth interactivity with an Alexa device, and if they do not own the right audio cable, they can find many inexpensive and widely-available cables for purchase. Three feet is the most common cable length one can get, but consumers can also get one from any length up to 50 feet. But thankfully, consumers do not need to find out for themselves which method gives better sound quality, as this has already been put to the test with Alexa smart speakers.
Many consumers are conditioned to believe that wired connections deliver stronger results than wireless, especially for those that observed how corded equipment like power tools provide more power compared to their cordless counterparts. For those that guess this rings true with smart speakers that play audio, they are correct. As Bluetooth is an option for playing music with smart speakers, the technology requires the audio to be compressed before being transferred to the speaker, meaning it won't sound as clear compared to audio transferred with an audio jack. This applies to any smart speaker, so those that feature Alexa are not singled out.
Despite the dip in audio quality, that is not to say that Bluetooth connections are never recommended. Bluetooth technology found in Amazon Echo speakers are still serviceable, and when users need a long-distance connection, it can be made across two corners of a room without the need for cables. Recent iterations of Echo speakers can connect to a Bluetooth device from up to 30 feet away, so users that don't mind a compressed sound experience are free to place their smart speaker anywhere they please for any occasion they see fit. Wired audio connections with Alexa devices limit where users can take them for listening, but that is the route for them to go if they desire the best sound quality.