How To Add Voice Control To Your Hi-Fi System

Hey Google, let’s see what my system can really do…

Voice control isn’t the sole preserve of wireless smart speakers, you know. Barking, “Alexa, open Just Eat!” at your Echo Dot or, “Hey Google, what’s in my calendar for today?” to your Google Assistant speaker just for the joy of hearing that your schedule is clear, is now commonplace. But using spoken word to command the main music system in your home – your serious, great-sounding hi-fi setup – may not seem so natural. It may be a jump many audio enthusiasts are reluctant to take, even. But give this a moment’s thought, music lover, because verbal control over your hi-fi might be just what your household needs.

Here, we explain the various ways in which you can have voice control as part of a hi-fi system. Whether you are keen to use Amazon’s Alexa, Google’s Assistant or Apple’s Siri platforms, and whether you want to bring your traditional ‘dumb’ system into 2021 or are looking to invest in a new set-up with virtual voice assistance at its core, read on…

Add voice control by connecting a smart speaker

One of the easiest routes to giving your vintage hi-fi system a voice is by connecting an external smart speaker to it.

Add Alexa

The Amazon Echo Dot smart speaker comes with its own built-in driver under its little spherical fabric jacket, but you can beef up its audio by making it play through the speakers in your sound system instead. (Amazon launched a speaker-less Echo Input device a few years ago for this very purpose, but it has now been discontinued.) This may be handy, but note that audio quality will be limited here.