Usually, what you hear is what you get when you buy a smart speaker. Software updates may add refinements and support for new formats and services, but overall sound quality tends to remain unchanged. After all, why would you put out anything less than what your speaker is capable of when you’re trying to impress buyers?

We liked the Echo Studio when Amazon first launched it in 2019. Towards the end of 2022, however, the company began rolling out a firmware update with big promises: better midrange clarity, deeper bass, and improved separation in the soundstage, even for music without spatial audio support.