Amazon has put its Echo Input (opens in new tab) device on sale for just $20, $15 off the original price of $34.99. This is one of the best prices we've seen on this new device.
The Echo Input is Amazon's first Alexa device with no speaker. That's right -- Alexa doesn't actually talk to you. Instead, you can plug it into any non-smart speaker to put Alexa in that device. That means you can use it to talk to Alexa on your mom's old stereo, for example.
(opens in new tab)The Echo Input is shaped like a very thin hockey puck, and small enough to hide very much out of sight. It's very easy to connect to whatever old speakers you have. We found its far-field microphones to be very sensitive, picking up low audio from 12 feet away.
The one inconvenience: you need to make sure your speaker is set to the proper input, or Alexa won't hear you.
The Echo Input is an excellent device for anyone who wants Alexa in their home, but already has a stereo system that sounds better than the Echo (or Echo Dot, Echo Plus, Echo Show etc.). If you're one of those people, this deal will help you save money over the Input's regular price, as well as over the price of an Echo speaker.