Everyone knows Amazon’s Alexa ecosystem, and it isn’t an exaggeration to say Amazon makes some of thebest smart speakersmoney can buy. Alexa’s deep integration with smart home hardware only continues to improve, especially with thenew Matter protocol. But sometimes, controlling your Amazon Echo’s speakers feels a bit one-note if you haven’t explored the possibilities.

You can manually turn your Amazon Echo volume buttons up or down, but Alexa’s sound settings offer more than basic controls for your music listening, alarms, and notifications. Here are all the ways you can manage your Amazon Echo’s sound settings.

An Amazon Echo Dot 4th gen sitting on a table with the bottom ring lit up

Amazon Echo: Essential tips for your first smart speaker

From basic uses to hidden Easter eggs, here’s how to get the most out of your Echo

How to adjust the volume on your Amazon Echo speaker

The easiest way to raise or lower the volume on your Echo speaker is to use the physical buttons at the top of the device. Another option is to ask it orally, which doesn’t require physical contact with the speaker. But sometimesAlexa doesn’t understand youif you’re far away, and using the Alexa app is a better option. For example, you might be away from the speaker and prefer the convenient option of remotely lowering or raising the volume from your phone. you’re able to even play with your speakers' volume when you’re not home, as the app doesn’t require you to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your speakers. However, it may not be apparent where the volume slider is, so here’s how to find it:

If the bottom bar doesn’t appear, or if you’re not currently listening to music, you can still adjust the sound settings on your speakers:

A screenshot of the Amazon Alexa app showing the currently playing music.

How to tweak your Amazon Echo equalizer settings

Echo speakers also let you customize the equalizer settings to match your preferences and music tastes. This only takes a few seconds, and you’ll repeat the process for every Echo speaker and smart display.

How to change the alarm and notification volume and sound on your Amazon Echo speaker

In addition to the audio volume and equalizer settings, you can control the notification and alarm volume independently on your Echo speakers. This means you don’t have to worry about your alarm not being loud enough after you turn down the music volume. You can customize the alarm and notification tones to further personalize your speaker according to your preferences.

How to turn on request sounds on your Amazon Echo speaker

When you talk to your Echo device, a blue light pulsates to let you know it’s listening. However, you can have it play a chime when it starts or stops listening, helping you know whether it heard you and is still listening without taking a peek at it. This is easy to configure.

Get acquainted with Alexa and all the things it can do

While you may be used to turning your Amazon Echo speakers up and down manually, customizing your audio settings gives you more control over notifications, music equalizing preferences, and how Alexa notifies you when it’s listening. It’s easy to personalize your speaker from the Alexa app, and when you know how, you can tweak the settings on each of your smart speakers.

If you’re a proud new Echo smart speaker or display owner, take a moment to check out ourfavorite Alexa tips and tricksto get an idea of all the interesting it can do.

A screenshot of the Amazon Alexa app showing the volume slider for the music player.

A screenshot of the Amazon Alexa app showing the Echo device list.

A screenshot of the Amazon Alexa app showing the Echo device settings.