X
CNET logo Why You Can Trust CNET

Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement

Amazon Echo Sub is $130, turns Echos into a 2.1 system

Amazon has taken the wraps off the Echo Sub, designed to supplement either a single or stereo pair of Echo speakers.

Ty Pendlebury Editor
Ty Pendlebury is a journalism graduate of RMIT Melbourne, and has worked at CNET since 2006. He lives in New York City where he writes about streaming and home audio.
Expertise Ty has worked for radio, print, and online publications, and has been writing about home entertainment since 2004. He majored in Cinema Studies when studying at RMIT. He is an avid record collector and streaming music enthusiast. Credentials
  • Ty was nominated for Best New Journalist at the Australian IT Journalism awards, but he has only ever won one thing. As a youth, he was awarded a free session for the photography studio at a local supermarket.
See full bio
Ty Pendlebury
amazon-event-2018-product-photos-10
Ry Crist/CNET

Amazon on Thursday unveiled its first subwoofer, the $130 (£120, AU$199) Echo Sub, which is designed to pair with the Echo line of smart speakers.

See also

The Sub has a cloth-covered grill and can be used in a multiroom audio environment, so you can stream the same song or podcast to multiple speakers in more than one room. The Sub can form a 2.1 system with a pair of Echo speakers -- the ability to pair was announced today. The sub works with the Echo or two Echo Pluses (both second-gen models).

Shop for Amazon Echo Sub

See all prices

While Amazon was the first company to popularize speakers with an integrated voice assistant, its products have been eclipsed in terms of sound quality by brands such as Sonos. Competitors Google , Sonos and Apple can already do stereo pairing, but the only other sub in this space is the $699 Sonos Sub.

Specs include:

  • 100W amplifier 
  • 6-inch, down-firing woofer
  • 30 Hz (at -6 dB)
  • Crossover frequency 120-150 Hz
  • Wireless only, no analog input

The Echo Sub will be shipping on Oct. 11, with preorders available from today.

Watch this: Amazon unveils a slew of Alexa gadgets for the smart home

Amazon Echo event: Pictures from Seattle

+29 More
See all photos

Amazon Echo event live blog: All the latest news as it happened.

Amazon's new device lineup: Everything Amazon unveiled today.