Echo Dot with Stereo Made Easier

[@tkowalski73]

I would really appreciate a video of specially how you hooked this up. That would be really helpful and where you got that light sensor. Thanks.

[@gregmahloch3419]

I was watching this video and when he got to the point where he asks Alexa what time it was my Echo Dot also responded. Lol. I was hoping my receiver could communicate via Bluetooth to my Dots and Spots in my home but so far no such luck. I have my IPhone connected to all my Echo devices and my receiver with no problems. Thanks for the video, it gave me some ideas.

[@mrmikeh-nv7cq]

hi, thanks for replying. it was only later after i came down to reality after being so impressed with the practicality of the echo that i realised i would need a separate dac...and not just an ordinary dac but a naim dac to match my system. having said that i am very impressed with what you did with your system....good job. happy new year and best wishes to you and your family. mike h

[@alanb4778]

I have an Dot. I purchased a bluetooth receiver on Ebay for under $5 and paired it to the dot. I also bought on Ebay an FM microphone transmitter which is connected to the bluetooth receiver. When I ask Alexa to play music it starts playing. Then I tell it to connect to bluetooth, and the music comes from the receiver on the entertainment center, and radios located all around the house. Quality is great. Stereo separation is great. Bass and treble are great. When I want to return to the Dot's audio I just tell it to turn off bluetooth, and the radios all over the house and yard stop. Only thing I have that is not common, is a 16 camera security system. I use the plus side of the power supply for the cameras as the antenna. Not counting the $49 for the Dot, the whole system cost less than $15. Scrapped an Oldsmobile Aura, so I removed the stereo system from the car and mounted it in a five gallon bucked with a gel cell to power it. That's my favorite companion when I'm out in the garden working. Set a walkietalkie next to the dot in the house and I carry the other walkietalkie with me outside. Works occasionally but I need better quality walkietalkies for it to be really usable. Looking for a cordless phone with an intercom function.

[@whistlingtechav5804]

That's a very creative setup! Nice job! I think my first attempt with bluetooth was just a case where I picked the wrong bluetooth receiver. I have to say though, I eventually added another Echo Dot in another area of the house without connecting it to a speaker system and after being used to hearing Alexa always responding through my stereo system the voice through the internal speaker just sounds terrible! That's a silly problem, I know, but I definitely appreciate having it always connected to speakers after using it that way for so long. Thanks for commenting!

[@alanb4778]

I love this setup. I also have a second Dot without anything connected to it. It's in the computer room so it helps with spelling and other neat things. Really don't need good sound for questions and answers so all is great. I found a hack for the transmitter that should get me up to about 400 foot range so will be doing that soon,

[@alaingiaume7610]

This is a nicer project, not like the other guy who got a $600 set up and worry about his amp's consuption

[@strategeryvids]

Thanks for the vid. Your setup is very close to what I need as well. I am hoping that you can perhaps create another vid that goes into detail about you actually set up the URC system part.

[@whistlingtechav5804]

Thank you for the comment! Yes, the URC part of the system is drawing a lot of interest and I am considering another short video detailing some of what was involved. The drawback is that this particular product from URC is only sold to audio/video professionals since it requires some training to properly set up and program, so it's kind of a level up from being a normal do it yourself type of solution.

[@gavinwalsh5238]

Im going to have to replicate this for my own setup thats awsome

[@GHOSTPAYNE]

I finally got it to work this is really cool thanks again it was my fault I was using the wrong sensor URC kicks ass👍🏻

[@whistlingtechav5804]

Great job GHOSTPAYNE!

[@refaelmiz]

very creative. Thanks. im going to implemant this on my RTI controller

[@ChrisM-yr5tt]

Good video and description. I would suggest showing all the connections. I just bought a lon3.5 cord to rca for my receiver and have no music or sound from the dot with it turned on. Not really happy and dI am pretty good with home stereo and surround systems. The one thing that I would suggest is to edit the video and I don't like to bring this up. I am in sales my self so I hear everything a person says. I would edit out the ums and ahs in between the main phrases you wish to share with your audience. I don't like to bring that up my friend but I have been in public speaking for about 40 years. It just takes practice in front of a camera or an audience which you have when camera is on. Keep up the good work

[@whistlingtechav5804]

Thanks for the tips. I'm just a regular guy that knows a lot about home entertainment technology. Sometimes I don't come across as the best speaker but hopefully my experience shows and helps someone out here and there. I appreciate you taking the time to watch my video and I hope it helped you out in some way.

[@res1tah71]

I love your videos

[@GHOSTPAYNE]

Thanks keep up with the good videos

[@losavila21]

Omg ! Finally a video about my specific dilemma. Wondering if this can be accomplish with an easier approach using a bluetooth receiver 🤔?

[@ModifiedGamingx1]

Is there a cheaper alternative to receiving the same result without shelling out $500+ on a URC total control system + light sensor?

[@whistlingtechav5804]

The only parts required for the URC part of the system is an MRX-8 processor and SEN-LITE light sensor. As of the date this video was made, URC only sells the Total Control products to audio/video professionals, since it requires some training to learn to set up and program properly. You can find a dealer near you at URC's website here: www.universalremote.com/where-to-buy/for-the-home/for-the-home-dealers/

[@DonalRomano]

WhistlingTechAV anyway to preform this using zwave or zig bee control, maybe a light sensor perhaps? I'd like to embed a chair rail of recessed RGBW LED strips around my first floor of the house (open floor plan), this strip would do normal ambient lighting but when Alexa light ring is triggered the strip around the house would also turn blue for about 5 seconds then return to its preset color. As of now I have Vera Plus and Wink 2 as control hubs and castea light switches (27) and some Philips hue bulbs in up light cans......yes I'm a geek and I'm all in!

[@whistlingtechav5804]

That sounds awesome! I would think you could accomplish that with z-wave, as long as you can rig up the light sensor to reliably sense the echo light ring. Most of the z-wave sensors are set up to detect ambient light instead of lights on electronics but you might be able to make it work. I want to see a video once you get it working!

[@juliewinter2751]

WhistlingTechAV m

[@louididdy]

Nice solution to that issue, check out my setup, would love to hear your thoughts. Good job.

[@whistlingtechav5804]

I like it! I think you have a pretty creative setup there that just about anyone can duplicate, which is helpful. There are some limitations, but it's tricky to get 100% of the way there without using a more sophisticated (and expensive) control system. Good job!

[@miguelrodriguez86]

Awesome wish I was tech savvy to do the same here at home

[@venturabluesman]

Great video. If you don't program, you can't do it? Parts list?

[@rodxpin]

Awesome vid bruh, Kudos. Can I replicate the light sensor “trick” on my Harmony Elite?

[@whistlingtechav5804]

Thanks! I'm not familiar enough with the Harmony Elite system to be able to say for sure, although I know that they don't typically include advanced features like that given their DIY target market. I did just post another video on this topic that might apply to you however. Check it out on my channel. Thanks for watching!

[@mrmikeh-nv7cq]

hi, thanks for the upload. I am in liverpool uk and i have an amazon alexa set up in my bedroom. since reading reviews of the echo dot it got me thinking of how i can use it on my pride and joy naim audio hifi in my living room. The amplifier does not have bluetooth or even a 3.5 jack plug. It uses 5 pin din interconnects, my hifi dealer says a way around this is to have a custom lead set up with 3.5 jack on one end going to 5 pin din to plug into my preamp. Naim audio products are designed to be left on so ive no issues with additional electricity charges. When you consider that Naim make an intrnet audio streamer costing thousands of pounds (which i was considering buying) i think the echo dot is a no brainer. I just have one question, i presume you like to listen to your music with great detail (like i do) is the sound quality lossless digital or is it compressed. In other words, Did you notice any difference in sound from the echodot compared to your cd's. I realise that the dot has an adjustable volume but if i leave it at a default setting i could bybass that with my amps remote. kind regards mike

[@whistlingtechav5804]

Thanks for commenting Mike! You're right, I love listening to high quality music on a great system. I wouldn't consider the Echo Dot to be a hi fidelity source however, for two reasons. First, the internet streaming services it has available don't offer lossless music file formats (at least that I'm aware of). I use Spotify and Pandora mostly. Secondly there isn't a way to output a digital signal to an audio system, and at $40 retail I'm pretty sure the built-in DACs are not very good. That being said, it still sounds good and the level of convenience is fantastic. I show a little of my enthusiasm for that in the "Echo Dot First Impressions" video I did. With your audio system, you'll no doubt be hearing music from the Dot at a much better quality than most other people. I would just use it for casual listening, and use a better source for more critical listening. Thanks again for commenting!

[@foam27]

Why does your shirt say: "HOME THEATER GUT?

[@GHOSTPAYNE]

I was wondering if you can make a video how actually you programmed the light sensor to Alexa as I am trying and it's not working out for me maybe show the steps and URC's program step 4 and step 12 and so on great Thanks

[@gunnerman1880]

Nice one dude but where do you plug and set up the sensor?

[@Chapelfield]

Can u turn ON your AVR with voice command through the ECHO ? HDMI ARC? or something like that ? Thx

[@peterpowis4145]

awesome setup...bit beyond me tho, not sure I could ever work out how to do it...

[@whistlingtechav5804]

This idea is a level above do it yourself, for sure. The URC Total Control stuff requires a little bit of training to program and I've had enough experience using it that I was able to come up with this solution. It's fun to come up with ways to make something cool even cooler and this was an example of that. Thanks for commenting!

[@peterpowis4145]

well done, it's impressive. yes I agree, satisfying when you can do something yourself and make it do what you want

[@louididdy]

Peter Powis Check out my set up, it's a little simpler.

[@rexthomas6376]

Great Video. Is the Dot plugged into your zone amp and you just trigger a macro to switch inputs on it, or does it go back to some other prepro for switching?

[@whistlingtechav5804]

Yes that's right. It's plugged into an input on the amp and a macro switches to that input while it answers the question, then switches back to the active source input once it's done. If there is no other activity then it just sits on the dot input.

[@williamrc2010]

Hello can you show the equipment that you used for hooking up Echo Dot to your Home theater. Thanks

[@psfgtech]

I have an old school Sony, I only want the echo to turn it on and off via voice. Now I turn on my Sony with the remote and then I go to iTunes. But can I bypass this?

[@redicalic1]

Have you considered using an audio mixer with a ducker to combine inputs from the rest of your sound system with your echo? I'm considering doing this, but want to get your thoughts or learn from your experience.

[@whistlingtechav5804]

That is an interesting idea! It sounds like a solution a pro audio guy might arrive at. I think it would work with a basic stereo setup but I imagine you'd run into problems with digital audio in a surround sound system. Most video sources, especially those with HD programming, output sound over HDMI or another digital connection, and I don't imagine they would play nicely with a mixer. Then again, I don't know much about that side of the audio industry!

[@JUGGERNAUSTANG]

that was awesome how did you do the programming

[@whistlingtechav5804]

Magic! I had a variable track the source that was active and then when the light sensor trips it checks the variable and pauses or resumes the source. Love me some variables!

[@scotty2221]

I have a bose lifestyle system, I hook up the aux cables and there is a ton of white noise/static, how do I fix this? I tried diff cables, surge protectors, nothing is improving.

[@GHOSTPAYNE]

In what steps did you do that macro to pause live TV when you talk to your echo

[@GHOSTPAYNE]

In URC program which step did you do to pause live TV when you talk to the echo

[@whistlingtechav5804]

In step 12 I setup an automation trigger that activates when the light sensor is tripped.

[@kpr711]

I have a denon avr e-400 using a URC mrf530, would this work for me, how would I connect the echo dot to the receiver?

[@whistlingtechav5804]

Unfortunately the MRF-350 is just a translator to pass commands from URC's RF remote controls to the connected equipment. It isn't able to "listen" and react to system activity like the setup that I've shown. You would replace the MRF-350 with an MRX-8. In that case you would probably need a different remote control as well, assuming you have one.

[@kpr711]

thanks

[@bh-ps6ex]

hmmm interesting. i like some.of the ideas here. Right now i have my hooked up through a blue tooth adapter into the stereo and the adapter and stereo are on a smart switch that is part of my hub service controld but the dot ...so you tell alexa turn on stereo and she kicks on the stereo and adapted and then she automatically connects to the adapter and goes stereo. the you can stream music ithrough the dot to the stereo when done i tell her to turn off stereo and she back to be just the dot...but now i have even more ideas

[@whistlingtechav5804]

That sounds pretty cool! I tried using Bluetooth initially but couldn't get the Dot to disconnect. My plan was to have it connect only when I wanted to play it through the stereo system and then disconnect when finished so I could just hear its responses through the internal speaker. Every time I told Alexa to disconnect bluetooth it automatically reconnected. The way I'm doing it now is better than my first idea though. What hub control piece are you using?

[@bh-ps6ex]

WhistlingTechAV Honda relatively easy to get the Bluetooth to connect and disconnect I think I paid $5 for my Bluetooth adapter and probably about $4 for the RCA cable to connect the into to the stereo and once I showed Echo how to connect to the stereo it just took the command word of disconnect Bluetooth to get it to stop using the Bluetooth putting the receiver on a Smart Switch along with the Bluetooth might also be helpful for a not reconnecting since I use Alexa to turn them both off because of Bluetooth plugs into the back of my receiver into the power Outlet I really appreciate the video at help very much that gives me lots of ideas

[@whistlingtechav5804]

No problem! Glad to hear your setup worked as well. Maybe my bluetooth receiver was bad or something. Thanks for watching!

[@GHOSTPAYNE]

Nice thanks

[@CarlosCanoPhotography]

How is the light sensor connected to the system?

[@whistlingtechav5804]

It's an accessory for the URC Total Control system and it plugs into the main processor with a 3.5mm connector. It looks just like an IR emitter but instead of flashing IR light at a component it receives light and triggers an event. It's a pretty cool little add on and makes the system a lot more flexible with what it can do.

[@steveos111]

If i connect my Echo dot to stereo speakers i only get audio out of the left speaker. Can you tell me why this is happening? Thanks...

[@whistlingtechav5804]

Assuming both speakers work when you listen to other things, I would first make sure the RCA connectors are fully seated on your stereo. If they are, try reversing the connection (white to red and vice versa) and see if the problem switches to the other speaker. If it does, then you probably have a bad cable. If it doesn't move, then you have a bad input on your stereo.

[@steveos111]

I switched the RCA adapters around like you said (white to red and vice versa) and i now have audio out of both speakers....weird. I tried 3 different cables so i was confused as hell. Anyway thank you for the help.

[@andreapelino1501]

very creative solution, but doesnt solve when you are listening music from alexa, cause light will be off

[@whistlingtechav5804]

Yes you're right that if I went from watching TV to listening to music it wouldn't stay on the right input to hear the music. When the TV is off the system is always tuned to the echo so if I want to listen to music I just have to make sure the TV is off and it works great.

[@tkowalski73]

What exactly is the " urc total control system"?

[@tkowalski73]

Is it the mrx series?

[@whistlingtechav5804]

Hi Tom. Yes, the MRX products are part of the Total Control line. They're basically the "brain" of the control system. In my system, I'm using the MRX-10. Really to do this the least you would need is the MRX-8 and a SEN-LITE (light sensor). The bad news is that this is a line URC only sells to home audio video professionals because it takes a bit of training to learn how to set up and program it properly so you might have to get in touch with a URC dealer in your area to help you get it set up.

[@whistlingtechav5804]

The Total Control system is like an advanced universal remote system. It's a central processor that makes all of your electronics controllable from one remote control or from a smartphone or tablet. It can also automate some things by "listening" for activity from the connected devices, which is exactly what I was doing here in this video. This way things can happen without having to push any buttons on a remote or in an app.

[@matthewlentini1223]

where did you get the light sensor?

[@whistlingtechav5804]

It's an accessory to the Total Control line from URC. It's called an SEN-LITE.

[@duckpond-studio]

Where do you plug the DOT into the stereo ?

[@whistlingtechav5804]

You can plug it into any open red and white rca input on your stereo. When you choose that input on your receiver you should hear the echo dot through your speakers.

[@furtrapper11]

a simpler solution would be to buy a second eco dot for $20

[@4u25out]

Jacques Pasquinel you can buy one for .99cents.

[@GHOSTPAYNE]

So I'm in step 12 in edit special macros I dropped down on the menu at automation trigger macros and to add a macro it's grayed out now what

[@Harleyguy03]

Great video, however please put you camera on a tripod....or enable image stabilization.

[@4xDiscovery]

I do :)

[@seang34ify]

Why not just pay another echo dot for 20 dollars

[@gartoy]

Dude I am more confused what the hell did you say

[@vidneypopples]

You show us what you have, but not how it's done.

[@SadieMaeSmiley]

You could've gotten to the point in like 35 seconds instead of 7 minutes. Just saying.

[@RunningMoose357]

I like that he went through to explain each problem he had and then the solution.

[@Nose77904]

I don't give a flip about your electric bill, nor did I want a dissertation on how the world works. Long, long winded video of this guy over complicating what he says he makes easier. WASTE of TIME!

[@darrenkunkel]

Well, you sir, are a dick

[@raimidrissi]

I would really appreciate a video of specially how you hooked this up. That would be really helpful and where you got that light sensor. Thanks.

[@res1tah71]

I love your videos

[@whistlingtechav5804]

Thank you sir! More coming soon.