BFF For Alexa- Skull Statue Crafted Guard Station For Amazon Echo Dot 2nd And 1st generation Speaker,Jam Classic Speaker

This should NOT be called a speaker, of any kind. I assume its meant to amplify the sound, which a speakers function is, to make it LOUDER. However, if there is any increase in volume it is extremely minuscule, if even that. Its cool looking thats about it.For this to actually conduct sound, there needs to be a hole of some kind in the top, since the echo dot sound ports through the bottom of the unit. I would have sent it back, but my wife opened it and threw the box away. :(I want to add, that although this looks and feels as if it is cast ceramic, it is plastic. I managed to drill some holes in the bottom, it conducts sound much better. I also attempted to drill through the top, a large round hole, thinking it was ceramic, I used a ceramic bit and had water to keep it cool and prevent cracking and chipping. Imagine my surprise, when the entire top area just collapsed and fell in. I was able to piece it back together with some Loctite super glue, so it still looks as if it did when I got it. I also left a portion of the top out of it, and now sound carries through it and out the bottom, making a much better "speaker".

Apparently they have improved this as it fits perfectly. No mods required and plenty of room for power and audio. Packaged very well.

I really like the way it looks and it is made very well but the Access hole in the back is in the wrong place it sits a little to low for the dot 2 I had to enlarge the hole a bit . It is not hard to do with a dermal tool . That is why I only gave it three stars.

I have my first-gen Dot in this, and can confirm that it fits just right - the top of the Dot sits slightly higher than the edge of the opening (which is necessary for operating Dot 1's volume ring), and the back opening for ports is at the right spot too (at least for Dot 1, I'm not sure about Dot 2).The sculpt and finish are of nice quality too, but IMO not quite realistic enough. I understand it's a decorative item and don't expect it to be an exact replica of human skull, but a "frown" just look a little wrong when there's no skin or brows. The lower face/jaw bone features should protrude more toward the front, and the lower back of the head should come in more (especially since it doesn't need to hold anything inside the lower part) instead of going straight down. I'm taking off a star for these few little things, but it still looks great to the casual eye, and weighs enough to be secure without being too heavy.I love having the Dot on my mantelpiece now - whereas as it's always been a convenient place to issue voice commands to, it now also looks like Sherlock's mantelpiece, complete with a "skull friend" for conversation (and with Alexa inside, it actually responds too!)It would be even better (perhaps with a removable middle shelf) to have access to the lower part of the skull cavity, below where the Dot sits. It would be a great place to hide some small treasure, OR even to hold the optional battery pack available for the second-gen Dot - then it can be free of cables, and fit for any impromptu "To be, or not to be" soliloquy in the living room should it strike our fancy:-)

I really like this item. It is a little bigger than I had expected, which is good. It looks nice on my desk and the Echo Dot fits in with just enough space that getting it out will not be a problem. My only complaint is that the opening on the back for the cables is slightly lower than it should be for a second generation Dot as such I had to remove the rubber padding at the bottom so that the Dot would sit low enough to give appropriate clearance for the cables so the ports would not be damaged over time. If my family wasn't so against owls (don't ask me why, I don't get it either) I would certainly order one of those for our other Dot. If more designs are made I would consider buying them.

This product arrived on time and was in great condition when it arrived. It looks like the photo and did not have any scratches or chips.However, like a number of other reviewers mentioned the cut out for the plug does not align properly with the outlet. When you place the Echo in the stand, the outlet on the back of the Echo is positioned very high and because the bulkhead of the plug is so thick it cannot fit in the space. You would have to either create a bigger hole for the plug (and possible break the stand) or tilt the Echo so that the front part is much higher than the back to lower the positioning of the outlet. Either way makes the stand pretty much useless. I just returned the product.

As advertised, however the connector hole on the back is not aligned properly to the Echo Dot. You CAN plug in the power cord (barely!), but if you plug in a typical audio connector to go to external speaker, it DOES NOT FIT. I had to trim the opening with my Dremel tool to get the connector to fit. If you don't use the line out/speaker out connector you will probably be happy. Sorry, I did not take a BEFORE picture.

Very cool looking. Arrived in timely manner. Was well packaged and looked exactly like it was advertised. The reason for the 2 star review is that once you place the echo dot in the statue, the microphone must get blocked or covered. Once in the statue I had to shout at the echo in order for it to hear me. When I took it out, it went back to normal and I could use a regular (even slightly softer) speaking voice. Cool look, but when it robs your device of the intended functionally, the look just isn't worth the sacrifice.