This new Echo feature could make your soundbar redundant

If you want premium sound from your TV, investing in one of the best soundbars on the market is the way to go. External speakers, whether it’s a full surround sound set-up or a soundbar, deliver power and clarity way beyond TV speakers.

Amazon’s latest feature, however, could mean that you don’t need a soundbar at all. The Alexa Home Theatre function allows you to link up to five Echo Dot Max or Echo Studio devices, along with an optional Echo sub, to give you a 5.1 surround sound system.

The function requires a Fire TV Stick to control them, splitting the sound into the relevant channels, to give you front, centre and rear sound. This works in the same way as a traditional surround sound set-up, with the benefit that each Echo device can also deliver a decent amount of bass – especially the Echo Studio.

You don’t need all five speakers, either. The set-up also works with just two, three or four devices, and based on the demo I heard today, the sub is not essential. I listened to a range of tracks, from spatial music to soundscapes and movies. It certainly gives a soundbar a run for its money.

It’s also fairly competitive in terms of price, even if you don’t already own multiple devices. If you opted for the smaller Echo Dot Max (£99.99 / $99.99), five of them will set you back around £499 / $499, while an Echo Studio (£219.99 / $219.99) set would be £1100 / $1100 – similar to a mid-range or higher-end soundbar. At launch, you can’t mix speakers (like having Echo Studios at the front and Echo Dot Max at the rear) but that may change at a later date.

Personally, I’d like to have the ability to use the Echo speakers as satellite speakers in addition to a dedicated soundbar, allowing you to achieve 5.1 or 7.1 sound, much as the Sonos Era 100 speakers do with the Beam or Arc Ultra.

The fact that you can create a decent TV speaker set-up with two Echo Dot Max speakers for just a couple of hundred dollars or points makes this a much more flexible option. Plus, you’re still getting all the benefits of the Echo devices for music and Alexa. You can then build your system over time.