Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2019
I picked up a Cube on sale from another retailer (but all my other Echos are via Amazon). I kind of regret that as, they had a lousy return policy… Anyhow… Amazon has it registered with me… :-/
The Cube is like other internet TV and streaming devices. No one device is perfect and, you get what you pay for. So, if you pick up that one by the fruit company, it costs more but is better (except the remote, which stinks). Better chip, better reliability (mine have never crashed!), better on screen interface, etc. If you pick up one from the company that sounds like the title of a Akira Kurosawa movie or character, it is a great price but, has some issues too or lacks some channels or features and capabilities others have.
The Cube is just like this too. It has some great stuff, some good stuff, and some total disasters. The price is, middling even on sale. Especially considering the deficits it carries.
The good: It integrates well with your existing Alexa systems, sort of. I guess this is both good but, not quite complete yet. More on that in the bad.
It has HDMI! So you plug it in and… it works… sort of. But that is not the Cube's problem. It is more an HDMI can be a nightmare until it isn't problem. More on that in the bad.
People forget HDMI is multimedia and that includes digital audio! So if you have an HDMI AVR or HDTV (if you don't, by now, you probably should bite the bullet and get one, they are as cheap as ever) you can plug it into an AVR and play Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, TuneIn, Skills, and other music and audio stuff. Apple Music is also a Skill now. But it has limitations on Echo and the Cube so, read up on that if your purchase sits on the Apple Music condition.
So the audio the Cube offers ain't bad. I listen to The Jazz Groove, a non profit Jazz internet radio station via TuneIn and it is terrific audio for 99% of all people. Spotify and the others are fine but, on my reference level Maggies, not as good as Apple Music. If you are an audiophile and an Echo/Alexa user, the device for you is the Link. Just get a Link if you want top level audio options. (or wait for the price to drop or, wait for v2 to come out in a year or so)
But the Cube is as much about sound as it is about moving images. How does it do in that area? Well, as is well known now, not at all as good as the Fire TV Stick 4K. If you are way more into the latest and greatest 4K and Atmos, etc., just get the Stick and save a bundle. Actually, a Stick and Link would be the ideal mix for Alexa, audio, and video. But at $240 compared to lower price for say, that fruit company device. Albeit, minus Alexa and the "audiophile" abilities of the Link. But you gain Airplay 2, a crippled and push button only Siri, and some other features.
OK, again, for most people, a lot of that audiophile and Atmos stuff is not important. They have a sound bar or a couple of speakers and an AVR. Maybe more have 5.1. Maybe a subwoofer. But you know, stereo TV is fine. I have a 5.1 but just use stereo, center (but usually it is off), and a powered sub. Movies are just fine! Especially since I don't watch action movies very much. I am no longer 12…
With a more realistic idea of what these devices can do, what most people own and want, the Cube is fine. Except the price. If they tossed in some of this missing stuff, the full price would be fine. So, on sale at $60, the Cube is fine. Not great. Fine.
The Bad: Amazon is addicted to ads on Fire TV. This is, unfortunate. You can go into preferences and kill the auto play of ads and the sound. But they are still a pestilence on what otherwise would be a good UI/UX experience in general terms.
The apps are more choppy in quality. The fruit company has better discipline on its app makers. But some junky stuff makes it in to the Fire TV (FTV) world. Not as really very bad as Roku but, enough it is a problem. For instance, Acorn TV on the fruit player is fine. On the Cube, it is one of the worst user interfaces I have ever seen. And I have practiced in or taught UI design since 1994. Again, that is just the need for Amazon to be more disciplined with its app developers on not making bad apps for FTV.
I had an app lock up last night and, the only escape was to unplug the Cube. This does not happen on the other brands I have mentioned. Maybe it is because the Cube uses an Android OS? I dunno but, they need to become more strict with developers. No junk apps! Fruit company strict.
The Cube is tricky to set up. Paradoxically, it has one of the best set up sequence of any product I have ever used. But along the way, terms change but mean the same thing (they need an editor in that team!) This confuses the user and mistakes can be made. Also, sadly, again, HDMI is problematic. Not Amazon's fault but, they need to deal with it. The user of an AVR system with components needs to FIRST go to the settings of each device. The AVR, CD player, HDTV and make sure CEC is on but control of CEC is not on for those devices. Think of the Cube like a universal remote, but by voice and its remote. Then, turn off everything. Unplug it. Plug in the AVR, then the Cube, then each component. Then turn on in same order. This resets the HDMI and allows the Cube to see it all. (Note, you may need to do this all over again after set up but, depends on your particular system and components.)
Then you can go in and do the set up via the Cube. Go slow, read all the stuff on screen, THINK about it as you read each step (this will help you understand the bad editing and terminology mix up happening). Get your friend who is good at stereos to help you if you are at all not technical.
The Cube could have been great. I think they should have put in a Toslink or Coax digital link. Then, for people who want audio, like the Link, but have a decent AVR with DAC or amp and DAC, this is fine for them. Especially at $60 versus $200. They also should have made it more competitive. Some of the missing stuff the Stick 4K has should have been included. I have read it never will be as they made the Cube chip too wimpy to be updated. That, is sad…
One other odd problem is the way the Cube segregates itself from other Echos. This can cause a myriad of voice issues in a small home. I need an Echo in the kitchen. I need one in the front hall. But, sometimes, the Cube hears it and usually it is a command the Cube cannot do. Like, play music on first floor group.
Oh, forgot to mention, while the Cube can now join groups, because of HDMI sync delays, it is too much of a PITA to use it regularly. So, I just turned it off from being in any groups. Which is a bummer as, I partly bought it for that reason. With the Link, I do not think this is an issue…
So, I have a Cube. In the evening, I say “Alexa, turn on living room” and, all the lights come on, the HDTV and AVR come on and, the App that was last open on the Cube comes on. I use it to watch most TV. The Apple remote is too much of a hassle to use. I use HDHomeRun and a cable card for cable TV. I have Prime. I have Spotify, Showtime, and Hulu. Eventually, I will drop those three and do HBO and Apple Music which, will integrate better with my iTunes collection. Hopefully, by then, Apple Music on Alexa will be better integrated and more capable.
I would give the Cube a C+ grade over all. Alexa is great but, to get it for that, may not be the best move. The Dot 3 is great and cheap. If high quality stereo audio and video is your goal with your existing collection, the fruit company might be better. If you simply want Alexa on your system, get a Link and a Dot 3 (if you do not have any Echos). You pay more but, you get what you pay for in that instance.
Hopefully, Cube 2.0 will address many of its flaws. Better Alexa integration. Better stereo integration. Better sync. Easier set up. Better editing of the set up screen instructions and sequence. Just better!
If Amazon gives me a $60 trade in for this Cube to go to Cube 2.0 (as long as many of these problems have been fixed), I will do it in a flash!
