Wiim players and Alexa

Computer Audio Asylum

Music servers and other computer based digital audio technologies.

I spent some time earlier this week getting my Wiim Pro & Mini integrated with Alexa. I'm trying to get my system as easy-to-use as possible for my wife. It took a little back & forth and a reboot or two on each Wiim to get the Alexa app on my phone to show the Wiim players as "speakers" for Alexa. Then, I changed the names of the players that Alexa will use -- "living room" for the Pro and "office" for the Mini.

Once that was done, things started working on a basic level. The command "Alexa, play Mozart in the living room" did indeed play material by Mozart over my main stereo instead of the Echo. Even adding "Mozart piano concertos" or "Mozart piano concerto no 24" gave the desired results.

However, some things were complicated. I found it nearly impossible to give a precise enough command to get a particular classical performance by a specific artist, group, conductor or symphony. There was a similar issue with non-classical material -- saying "Alexa, play Jackson Browne's Pretender" would play just the song, not the album. Asking for the album in several different ways didn't change the results. Had the same issue with some other albums.

I intend to keep experimenting with this to see if I can get better at this, but there are times where using your phone/tablet/computer to select songs is just a lot easier than using voice commands.

I currently have Qobuz for music along with the music throw-in Amazon gives with your Prime subscription, but for this experiment I signed up for the Amazon Unlimited 30 day free trial. The difference is that Prime provides a 320kB MP3 stream and Unlimited gives CD quality or better. And, when you ask Prime to play a particular artist, it will mix in other, similar artists, while Unlimited will stick with the requested material.

I also have a Qobuz subscription and their classical catalog seems much deeper. For example, I wanted to play Martin Stadtfeld's "Handel's Variations" and Amazon didn't have it. Bumped into the same issue with a few of my other favorites.

And, even though Amazon does have a few other Stadtfeld albums, when you ask Alexa to play anything by this pianist, Alexa claims they don't have anything. Once again, as convenient as voice commands may be on one level, there are some real limitations.

Just thought I'd share the early results of this experiment.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Parts Connexion

Topic - Wiim players and Alexa - mlsstl 18:25:15 05/24/23 (8)

RE: Wiim players and Alexa - DIY John 04:18:27 05/26/23 (3)

RE: Wiim players and Alexa - Doublej 04:45:55 05/27/23 (2)

RE: Wiim players and Alexa - DIY John 06:39:32 05/28/23 (1)

RE: Wiim players and Alexa - Doublej 05:06:23 05/29/23 (0)

You are lucky - Jon L 18:03:36 05/25/23 (2)

RE: You are lucky - mlsstl 19:25:07 05/25/23 (1)

Amazon Music .................... - Cut-Throat 04:50:11 05/26/23 (0)

I feel your pain - voolston 22:25:51 05/24/23 (0)

FAQ

Post a Message!

Forgot Password?

Moniker (Username):
Password (Optional):
	Remember my Moniker & Password (What's this?) Eat Me
E-Mail (Optional):
Subject:

Message:	(Posts are subject to Content Rules)

Optional Link URL:
Optional Link Title:
Optional Image URL:
Upload Image:
E-mail Replies:	Automagically notify you when someone responds.

To view your new posting or follow-up, click on the RELOAD or REFRESH button on your browser.