Can you feed audio from an Echo into a C4 controller?

[zaphod]

Can you feed the output of an Echo into a C4 controller and then use that as digital media anywhere in your system, even in a spot that doesn't have a physical connection to that Echo?

[Crustyloafer]

Yes, but there is a delay applied to the source as it is being digitised. It can then be played as a source out of any other controller or even a Triad One.

[South Africa C4 user]

Yes, as above... although I am not mad on the quality.

[msgreenf]

Right. Amazon has the Alexa link ( I think) that is optical and should have better audio quality

[ILoveC4]

Here’s a question. If I have an echo dot in the rack hooked up the audio distribution system...and my kids have Echo Show’s in their room, can they tell Alexa to play whatever, and have it play over the Echo Dot through their in ceiling speakers?

[Aayush Arya]

Yes, you have two ways to do that:

1. You can command the Echo Show to play music through the rack Echo Dot. For example, if the rack Echo is named "House Speakers", you may say "Alexa, play some ’80s rock on the house speakers".

2. You can set up the Echo Dot to be the default playback device using the Alexa app, and then all you'd have to say to the Echo Show would be "Alexa, play some ’80s rock".

You can also use audio sensing to automatically turn on audio zones when the rack Echo starts playing music.

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk

[zaphod]

19 hours ago, South Africa C4 user said:

Yes, as above... although I am not mad on the quality.

Would the quality of this be any different than the quality of using the Echo Dot's audio output into a matrix? I guess you have one more D-A step as the music is going Digital (stream from Spotify or whatever) -Analog(audio output of Echo)-Digital (digitized by audio input of C4 controller) -> Analog (output of C4 controller).

So that has one more D-A path then plugging the output of an Echo into a matrix.  But then this has the downside of limiting the zones where the Alexa source is available.

[zaphod]

19 hours ago, msgreenf said:

Right. Amazon has the Alexa link ( I think) that is optical and should have better audio quality

It looks like the link also has coax out.  So I guess the way to do this would be to go from the coax out of the link to the coax in on a controller like an EA3.

edit - If multiple outputs are active on the link then you could even do this both ways - coax out to an EA controller and RCA analog out to a matrix amp.

[South Africa C4 user]

20 hours ago, zaphod said:

Would the quality of this be any different than the quality of using the Echo Dot's audio output into a matrix? I guess you have one more D-A step as the music is going Digital (stream from Spotify or whatever) -Analog(audio output of Echo)-Digital (digitized by audio input of C4 controller) -> Analog (output of C4 controller).

So that has one more D-A path then plugging the output of an Echo into a matrix.  But then this has the downside of limiting the zones where the Alexa source is available.

Quite right. My comparison is between this sort of setup and Tidal streamed directly (maybe a bit unfair), as well as Apple Music airplayed from a Mac... The Dot comes out worst by a fair bit (to my ears).

[bdo21]

What is the best practice approach to audio through ceiling speakers, controlled by Alexa? I have a triad matrix and triad amplifiers (and triad ceiling speakers). I would like a family member to be able to say to an Alexa in a particular room “Play [song title]” and it plays through the ceiling speakers.

Does it depend on the streaming service? For example, do Tidal or Deezer integrate better than Spotify?

Does the Echo Link have a role to play as an input to the matrix?

Thanks!

[Aayush Arya]

 

 

You can do exactly that by following the second step in this guide.

 

 

Yes, you have two ways to do that:

 

1. You can command the Echo Show to play music through the rack Echo Dot. For example, if the rack Echo is named "House Speakers", you may say "Alexa, play some ’80s rock on the house speakers".

 

2. You can set up the Echo Dot to be the default playback device using the Alexa app, and then all you'd have to say to the Echo Show would be "Alexa, play some ’80s rock".

 

You can also use audio sensing to automatically turn on audio zones when the rack Echo starts playing music.

 

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk

 

 

 

The Echo Link will feed better quality audio to your audio system.

 

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk

 

 

 

[bdo21]

Sorry if I am being slow but if different family members will want to play different music at the same time in different rooms, do I need an individual Echo (dot or Link) for every room in the rack?

For example, to play music from three bedrooms, I would need three echos, one in each bedroom, and three more in the rack?

For another example, if I have six rooms but am happy to be limited to three simultaneous streams, I need six echos, one in each room, and three echos in the rack connected to the matrix. In this case, each echo in the rack could be named but how does it know which room to play on? Can it work in a similar way to lights as described in msgreenf’s post (https://www.c4forums.com/topic/33713-making-voice-control-smarter-both-alexa-and-google/?tab=comments#comment-265456)? Or is it just easier to have an echo in the rack for every room?

Thank you!

[msgreenf]

50 minutes ago, bdo21 said:

Sorry if I am being slow but if different family members will want to play different music at the same time in different rooms, do I need an individual Echo (dot or Link) for every room in the rack?

yes, you one one source per independent feed.

 

[Baubas Cat]

couldn't you get the same results from a C4 WMB as you can from using an Alexa Link?

[zaphod]

Haven't the WMB been deprecated a few OSes ago?  Plus you wouldn't get proper Alexa control for requesting music.

[msgreenf]

They still work but meh not worth the hassle

[Aayush Arya]

 

 

 

 

For another example, if I have six rooms but am happy to be limited to three simultaneous streams, I need six echos, one in each room, and three echos in the rack connected to the matrix. In this case, each echo in the rack could be named but how does it know which room to play on? Can it work in a similar way to lights as described in msgreenf’s post (https://www.c4forums.com/topic/33713-making-voice-control-smarter-both-alexa-and-google/?tab=comments#comment-265456)? Or is it just easier to have an echo in the rack for every room?

 

The simplest (though most expensive) way is to have an Echo in the rack for each room, configured as the default speaker for the Echo in their corresponding rooms. Then if you tell the Echo in the master bedroom to "play some soft rock", the master bedroom Echo in the rack will start playing the music, and you can use audio sensing to route the music to your master bedroom speakers. It would be the most seamless solution for the end user.

 

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

 

[msgreenf]

No you don't need an ea that handles the number of streams. The EA isn't digitalizing or outputting the audio. You need a matrix switch

[Aayush Arya]

Can I have the four inputs on a 4-zone matrix amplifier playing to its four outputs (zones) with an EA-1?

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk

[msgreenf]

Yea

[Baubas Cat]

Is this possible with a single Alex Link? If I say "Alexa play some '80s rock", '80s rock plays in whatever room I am in. I'm thinking if I put a Dot in each room and make each room with its own Dot, its own group. Then set up the Alex Link to be the default playback device for all rooms. Is it possible to make the Alex Link the default playback device for all rooms? And if so, would the room I'm in be the only room to turn on if it's in a group?

[Neo1738]

1 hour ago, Baubas Cat said:

Is this possible with a single Alex Link? If I say "Alexa play some '80s rock", '80s rock plays in whatever room I am in. I'm thinking if I put a Dot in each room and make each room with its own Dot, its own group. Then set up the Alex Link to be the default playback device for all rooms. Is it possible to make the Alex Link the default playback device for all rooms? And if so, would the room I'm in be the only room to turn on if it's in a group?

If the Alexa Link is what's plugged into the matrix what tells the matrix which output to use (ie which room to play music in)? This won't work. Seems C4 doesn't have the ability to program the matrix to turn on a specific zone when that rooms Alexa is initiated (at least as of now). You can tell Alexa to play xyz then initiate another command to have the C4 switch to appropriate room. Only way to do it seamlessly is have a dot for each room and each zone in the rack into the matrix.