Amazon Echo now availabe in Spain

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markwilding
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Re: Amazon Echo now availabe in Spain

Postby markwilding » Sat Oct 27, 2018 12:27 pm

I don't care either. If they are listening, in all they will hear is my wife and I arguing over my buying another piece of, in her words, useless tech.
What has actually peeved me the most is the introductory price. I bought 2 spots while in Ireland at what I thought was a good price and now they are quite a lot cheaper. At the moment 125 pounds on the UK site and 77 euros on the Spanish one.

There is a new product called Echo Sub on the Spanish site I which is not being advertised on the UK, one, although a search brings it up. available in Spain from next Tuesday but not in the UK until December.
https://www.amazon.es/dp/B07JFTNGBJ/ref ... _i=desktop
As far as radio goes the Spot and Echo gives me a sufficient quality sound and if I want to listen to Spotify I just ask it to connect to my Hi Fi system through Bluetooth. I also have an Echo spot, the cheap mini version with a separate battery to give portability to listen to while showering in the morning, and in my opinion that's the one to avoid. There is a new version which they say offers better quality sound though.

Just for the record, I got permission to buy the spots but not the dot so I got the usual silent treatment for a couple of days all of which was duly noted by Amazon to be used against me in some future moment.

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Re: Amazon Echo now availabe in Spain

Postby chrissiehope » Sat Oct 27, 2018 1:10 pm

Amazon.com allowed someone to use my name & email address on an account. Thankfully I was never charged for anything, but got rquests for reviews on items 'I had purchased' ! It seems to have stopped now, thank goodness :-)
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Re: Amazon Echo now availabe in Spain

Postby TorreDelAguila » Sat Oct 27, 2018 2:43 pm

If never charged for something never ordered, but asked for a review, then the request likely to have been a scam - to get you to click on a link in the e-mail.

We're getting these regularly now, or something related to 'unauthorized/unusual account activity': purportedly Amazon, Ebay, AliExpress, PayPal, Apple, etc etc. Some look like the real thing (they're getting better at this), but there are usually giveaway spelling and other errors, a ludicrous subject header to the document, and a suspicions-looking sender's e-mail address.

The advice is to never open a link or attachment in any of these, but if necessary simply check your genuine account via a separate web search, not the one given.
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Re: Amazon Echo now availabe in Spain

Postby chrissiehope » Sat Oct 27, 2018 11:42 pm

TDA, only some of the emails had links and they were genuine (hover over & see what shows at the bottom of the screen), but most of them didn't have any link, so that's what led me to believe they were genuine, even if wrong !
The last I heard was in March this year, when I got a notification from Amazon.com advising my email address had changed from [an old one of mine] to a Chinese sounding name @163.com !!
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Re: Amazon Echo now availabe in Spain

Postby elusive » Sun Oct 28, 2018 9:21 am

Better off closing your account as its obviously been compromised. Did you tell amazon

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Re: Amazon Echo now availabe in Spain

Postby Devils Advocate » Sun Oct 28, 2018 10:00 am

What actually are the benefits of these Amazon toys apart from voice activation? I'm an Amazon prime subscriber and rate them for what I use them for but still not quite getting what one of these brings to the party apart from what I mentioned above.

I've got a Raspberry pi's set up here as music streamers to any room I wish, it also fronts the main hifi as a source taking over from a more expensive DAC/Streamer which I'll now sell. Also we have SKY Q and Q minis in downstairs rooms with voice activation which we never use.

So in a nutshell, what would Alexa and the other gadgets bring me that I've not got now? Is it a gimmick I'd get bored with?

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Re: Amazon Echo now availabe in Spain

Postby El Cid » Sun Oct 28, 2018 10:27 am

Clearly you don't need it for its music playing facilities apart from the fact that you can ask it to play anything in the Amazon catalogue. However there are some other features that appeal to some people. It can be useful for setting alarms and reminders. It can control home automation devices. It will answer questions by accessing the Internet. The list goes on and there are thousands of "apps" for it. It is portable and for real portability you can buy a rechargeable battery pack.

If you want to experiment, buy the Echo Dot for about €40 and give it a try. If all else it makes a great voice activated kitchen timer!

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Re: Amazon Echo now availabe in Spain

Postby markwilding » Sun Oct 28, 2018 1:05 pm

It is also possible to order stuff from Amazon by voice. This is something which has not been possible here in Spain but might be now as it’s available here now. I suppose it might be difficult if you have to speak to it in Spainish and the set up is in English.

Don’t forget that it doesn’t only work with Amazon music, it also doea with Spotify. I can ask it to play songs, albums and playlists
DA,
I know you’re a HIFi buff and if your streaming is other than Bluetooth an alexa might not work with it but if you do use Bluetooth to stream, it might intergrate fine with your current set up.

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Re: Amazon Echo now availabe in Spain

Postby Devils Advocate » Sun Oct 28, 2018 1:22 pm

OK, thanks chaps for the info. It is something I've obviously thought about but just could never see what it could bring apart from novelty factor, in comparison to the kit I use now.

As for asking it questions etc., I can see that would grab a lot of peoples attention but it's so easy just to do a google on the phone, tablet,Laptop that I doubt I'd use the function after the first day or two.

I can see the point you make about asking it to play tunes, but how would you search a genre ie Funk/soul to find a track you'd long since forgot about but loved?

Yes, I like hifi and wouldn't really use this on the main system as you rightly say, however linking it to a few decent Bluetooth speakers around the house is an attraction. I'm assuming it can stream full fat FLAC files to get the most from a decent speaker?

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Re: Amazon Echo now availabe in Spain

Postby markwilding » Sun Oct 28, 2018 1:39 pm

That’s where you go above my pay grade.
As far as funk goes i have just tried a couple of requests
It didn’t recognise Shack up by Banbarra
It played shame by Evelyn Champagne King
When i asked for funk from the seventies, it played the Bee-Gees so no luck there
Then I asked it to play some jazz funk, the result was mush better and the first track was new to me so I asked it what is was and it told me the track was by Tyrone Washington and called land of eternity.
How I normally do it is to set up playlists and ask it the play one of them
I have to say i’m really enjoying the music it selected when I asked for jaz funk even though all the tracks so far are completely new to me.
Last edited by markwilding on Sun Oct 28, 2018 2:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Amazon Echo now availabe in Spain

Postby Devils Advocate » Sun Oct 28, 2018 1:50 pm

Shack up........good call lol. On my playlist too .

That's the beauty of being able to do a manual search of a genre, it throws up some beauties.

Pay grades aside :mrgreen: , Have you yet tried setting up a Raspberry as a dac/streamer combo yet? If not I know you'd be well impressed.
It puts some very high end kit firmly in its place for very modest money.

Loaded with Logitec Media Server it will stream any provider, inc. Tidal/Spotify etc in the best quality they supply, as well as radio stations from around the globe, and still allows search by genre.

I think what puts more people off using this device is its perceived difficulty to set up, which once you grasp becomes very simple.

Big firms use the PI as the heart of their multi thousand pound dac/streamers......you pay them for a nice aluminium machined box and their software lol.
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Re: Amazon Echo now availabe in Spain

Postby markwilding » Sun Oct 28, 2018 2:02 pm

The problem for me is once music gets to a certain quality, I cannot hear any difference so when I stream through Bluetooth to my current set up I’m happy. I like my home cinema system and when I put it forward as an option in a hifi thread some years back I was firmly put in my place.
I sort of understand because I can see the difference between HD and 4K while others don’t seem to be able to.

Still enjoying the jazz funk playlist chosen by Spotify though and seven or eight songs in, I still haven’t heard one I know.

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Re: Amazon Echo now availabe in Spain

Postby Devils Advocate » Sun Oct 28, 2018 2:09 pm

Yes it's weird the HD v 4k thing. I think BBC's HD beats Amazons 4k, but like hifi it is always subjective.

I believe if you listened to Tidal v Spotify with the same track you'd hear a difference though, it is night and day, even my tone deaf OH can hear it :mrgreen:

Wish I could see those 8 tracks you mention to see how many of them I have, or at least know!
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markwilding
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Re: Amazon Echo now availabe in Spain

Postby markwilding » Sun Oct 28, 2018 2:43 pm

Beatcaffine// 100 best jazz-funk songs. The song list comes up in the Spotify app
I must have had Spotify on shuffle because the I definately know first two songs. Expansions Lonnie Liston Smith and The Bottle
I should add that the Echo only tends to get used when I’m active round the house. If i’m sat down listening to music, I tend to use my phone or Ipad to control the music.

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Re: Amazon Echo now availabe in Spain

Postby Devils Advocate » Sun Oct 28, 2018 2:50 pm

Hmmm, what a strange compilation. Like you I'd probably know only 10% of those tracks tops.

Sure I've heard of most of the artists but they are doing what must have been obscure tracks and not the ones I'd associate with them.
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Re: Amazon Echo now availabe in Spain

Postby TorreDelAguila » Sun Oct 28, 2018 5:56 pm

Interesting what you both say re: tv picture and sound quality. A good few years ago, Sony did some research into people's perception and appreciation of tv screen picture quality. This was some time ago, as part of on-going development of both Betamax and U-matic, and their then benchmark Trinitron screens.

They asked people to rate picture quality in a series of carefully designed tests. As picture quality on the screens was increased, so did viewers' ratings of it - no surprise there. But then something interesting... If the picture quality was not changed, but the quality of the sound was altered, this had a marked effect on how folk rated the picture. Rating of average quality pictures was enhanced by superior sound.
_____________

Way back in the early 70s, I rigged up (from some Henry's Radio bits) a "tv sound tuner", which allowed my home hi-fi (Sansui, KEF) to be fed with tv broadcast sound. Even though this was Mono, it was on tv-uhf, and I was surprised just how much effort the BBC, in particular, took, sound-wise, with their studio broadcasts. In the case of newsreaders, you could hear their breathing, and script pages being turned! Sound quality was getting on for as good as their best FM Radio broadcasts.

When it came to BBC Proms, my preferred set up was tv (by then Sony 20" Trinitron, still mono, and with no audio out facility), plus the little tv tuner, feeding the hi-fi. Quickly realised, of course, that much better for the Proms was tv + R3 in stereo - which, thank goodness, the BBC had managed to perfectly sync.

TV picture quality, even 4:3 625-line, continued to improve in the 80s and 90s, but not many tv manufacturers bothered to put decent and front-facing speakers in their sets. There were a few exceptions - some B&O, a few Sony, iirc. Today, of course, decent speakers in even large screen LCDs and OLEDs has been abandoned, with skinny (and sometimes downward-facing) token jobbies built into the lower edge. This arrangement seems to keep a surprising number of buyers happy: heaven knows why. I suppose if you have nothing to compare it with, and the picture quality is really good, then it gets accepted.

But - and forget most "soundbars", which are generally quite mediocre - couple up a good modern screen to some half-decent sound equipment, and the viewing experience can be immersive.

We have some good hi-fi here, but for ordinary, everyday tv viewing (and radio throughout the day) some much smaller kit does the job: a 12+12W AS-13 stereo amp, with a pair of home-made speakers (Pyle Pro PWM5, wide dispersion piezo, and a with piezo crossover). At first sight, that looks a bit iffy, but performance is all there.

The effort put into tv and movie sound these days is extraordinary, and really ought to be experienced. But, as you say, it doesn't attract everyone. Blue Planet II would be a good ambassador! :)
Chris

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Re: Amazon Echo now availabe in Spain

Postby markwilding » Sun Oct 28, 2018 10:31 pm

Samsung are advertising an 8k tv. I wonder if they ay getting a bit ahead of themselves seeing that 4K product is still a little limited.

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Re: Amazon Echo now availabe in Spain

Postby gerrynag » Sun Oct 28, 2018 11:17 pm

I always best to wait at least a couple of years with new technology to a) see if it actually takes off and b) if it does, to allow them to get all the glitches out of it. Added bonus, is prices start to come down.

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Re: Amazon Echo now availabe in Spain

Postby TorreDelAguila » Sun Oct 28, 2018 11:31 pm

NHK in Japan have been doing a lot of development work with 8k, and are the main source of 8k television cameras at the moment.
I read some time back that 8k is effectively the limit of human vision, meaning for example that if you were to stand quite close to an 8k tv screen, you wouldn't be able to discern the pixels. That could mean there won't be progression beyond what 8k can offer detail-wise . . . until the next breakthrough occurs, that is! SFAIK, there are problems with broadcasting 8k, so transmission would have to be via fast broadband.
You're right about holding off purchase in the early days.
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Re: Amazon Echo now availabe in Spain

Postby 1bassleft » Mon Oct 29, 2018 12:01 am

I don't want to derail back too far, so I'll try to be brief (but fail). You're not being paranoid, TdA, the ****ards really are out to get you('re data). A month or so back, on the Talkbass forum, a commonly thick bassist (not me, for once) mentioned that he had discussed, over the dining table, a vacation destination. Shortly after, his phone and PC had sidebar ads and even an email for hotels etc at that location. Was this a coincidence, he enquired? :roll: , :yawn: NO, was the response from bassists who are employed by Gappleflix. As one put it, data is being collected habitually on the basis that "hey, it might turn out useful someday" and sold on for the same reason. Most likely, his smartphone's microphone even though he wasn't using it. Voice-response home controllers, well you're literally asking for it. El Cid might well be deleting ads for FlatuLess as I type :wink: .

Tim Cook's been banging on this month about how Congress needs to do a GDPR like the EU's but (a) I'm cynical that Apple says things to maintain brandlove but does another and (b) how many attempts has it taken you to remove Connexity, Merkle and Rakunet from your devices? I've even emailed them. We live in the EU, but the default settings are not and new data agencies set up all the time. Disabling them is a boring routine reminiscent of manually virus scanning back in the 90s. Personally, I get off my butt to switch the light on and make my own sandwich.


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