For in wall installation, would the gen 2 be better because the speaker points outward instead of firing to the sides on the gen 3?
I don’t plan on using it for music. Mainly using for home automation commands.
Both are likely to overheat if you are thinking about a can type installation. They are intended for full exposure placement. But I would ask Amazon support, they should know.
The mount for the 3rd gen by Mount Genie leaves an air gap around the sides so the speaker is able to allow sound distribution out the front.
I’ve never heard of anyone using the 2nd gen for flush mounting having any issues with overheating.
I really wish they had factored wall/ceiling mounts into these. The usual ‘nail hanger slot’ would be great.
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It’s less about the sound coming out then it is about the sound going in. They were designed acoustically to catch people anywhere in the room or walking past it. There are seven farfield microphones.
As soon as you enclose that, you dramatically change the ability of the device to understand someone either walking past or at certain places in the room.
In addition, most people tend to bend slightly forward as they walk, directing sound of their voice downwards rather than upwards.
I understand the aesthetic desire to ceilingmount them, but as acoustic input devices they will probably work a lot better sitting on the coffeetable. So I also understand why they weren’t designed with ceiling mount add-ons.
I get that, but in many instances it’s impractical.
I have them hanging on my walls, hanging from headers. They hear us just fine.
Thanks for the feedback. Have you tested a wall or ceiling mounted application out?
I haven’t, no. But again, I would talk to Amazon support about it, they should know what people are reporting.
I see over 100 positive reviews on Amazon for the 2nd gen flush mount with only a few negatives.
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I’m not really concerned with “overheating”.
I started this thread to see from people who have installed the second and 3rd gen to see if they notice differences in sound when flush mounted.
2nd gen speakers fire out from the top. 3rd gen speakers are louder/better, but they fire out the sides.
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I have both 2nd and 3rd Gen wall mounted. They both work good but I like the 3rd Gen better. I would not recommend in wall.
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I asked the question on Amazon of whether or not the Mount Genie for the third generation echo dot decreases the sound quality and multiple customers responded that it actually improves the sound quality because of the air channel and the way it directs the sound out.
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What about voice recognition for the sound in? That’s always been the echo’s big advantage.
Nobody at all has said anything about the microphone performance being diminished. I’m not really following you on why this would diminish its performance. The microphone is not below wall surface it is sticking out slightly or level with the wall surface.
On the third GEN mount , there is an air gap between the edge of the Echo Dot and the mount. So the microphones are completely exposed and no different than just having it sitting there.
Because I’m dependent on voice recognition technology (a very limited use of my hands) I’ve worked with a lot of different types over the years. Both at home and in physical therapy centers. Ceiling mount microphones are often less accurate than ones at waist level because of the way sound travels around the room.
There’s a lot of technical stuff that goes into the acoustic engineering. Just as one example, explaining why the microphones in most sound studios are below the singer/speaker’s nose, NOT ceiling mounted:
Another factor is the vertical position, with an important issue here being that higher frequencies tend to beam slightly downwards from the nose and mouth, so positions below the nose will tend to be brighter than those above. Some consonants, such as ‘S’ and ‘P’ sounds, tend to be worst directly on‑axis vertically.
Here’s a great example from a sound engineer where he puts a mic in six different positions and you can really hear the differences.
The point is that those differences can affect the ability of the voice parser to correctly identify the words that were spoken. Particularly with natural language processing.
And then there’s the whole issue of what else is on the ceiling. Fans, vents, acoustic tiles can all make it more difficult for the microphone to capture the sound correctly. See the following from a major microphone manufacturer:
To an interior designer of a conference room, the only place to mount a microphone (if there even has to be one) is on the ceiling. The mic will be out of sight; the mic will not clutter the conference table surface; the look of the mic will not spoil the overall design of the room. If the interior designer has the final word, the ceiling is the perfect home for all microphones.
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But to an experienced audio engineer, the ceiling is the last place to mount a microphone. Why? Because it is far away from the desired audio source (the talker) and close to undesired sound sources (loudspeakers, air conditioning vents, or fluorescent lights that buzz).
Will it make a difference for any one individual person? It just depends. Do they speak precisely in a specific voice pattern most of the time? Does their voice slur? Does it vary from day to day? Are they a child?
The echo is amazing at how well it recognizes different types of voices voices across a room when there is music on. But I would bet 20 virtual dollars that it does it a lot better when it’s around waist height than when it’s ceiling mount. But it may be that it’s good enough for most purposes anyway. It’s just something to be aware of.
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I get what you’re saying but it appears nobody at all has complained about it even when mounting on the ceiling.
I however was planning to mount on the wall just above 6 feet or at waist level.
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You first stated “In Wall”…most people would assume that you meant having the Dot somehow buried in the wall…This would not be good because of the way the Echos uses voice recognition.
Second, ceiling installs are not going to be good either again because of the way sound waves work.
Even vertical installs, as the one I posted above, is not as good as the Dot being on a horizontal surface in a central location.
For localized installs, meaning audio will generally coming from a certain direction, it’s less important.
Your original question was which would be better for in wall because of “Speaker”…The answer is either because “in wall” is bad. For “on wall” either.
Also, your original question almost seemed like speakers didn’t matter because you were focused more on the mics…If that’s your focus then the answer is again either.
Both work great hearing voices. The 2nd Gen has weaker sound than the 3rd because the 3rd is physically bigger and has more noticeable bass.
In reality, both sux for playback but both are great for voice control.
Finally, here’s why I believe I know a little about Echo Devices:
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Lol!
“In wall” in regards to installation of speakers would never mean “buried” in wall.
The hundreds of Amazon reviews would beg to differ with your assessments of the mics. But hey, you own a ton of these devices so you probably have superhero sensitivity to the differences in placement.
For the rest of us who have a few, I’m sure we wouldn’t be able to tell, nor care if 1 Echo Dot in 1 room picks up a voice slightly better than in another room.
Again, there are zero people stating mic problems with their in wall - not buried in the wall installations.
I wanted to know, originally if the speakers fire straight out the top on the gen 2, opposed to the gen 3 on the sides. I’m sure most people would understand why I would ask that question in regards to in wall - not buried in the wall installations.
Was only pointing out the difference between the term “in wall” vs “on wall”. Terminology does matter. I am also a home audio installer so I guess because of the terminology, it might have thrown me off a little. I asummed “flush mounting”.
Either way, if on wall then both will suffice. Positioning does matter. Seems like you have enough info to make an informed decision. I do apologize for any confusion.
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look up the 3rd gen Echo Dot Mount Genie in wall mount on Amazon. Tell me what you think.
I asked on Amazon and numerous people said it actually “enhanced” the sound.