Ditto for Google Home, even though Google Home is generally reported to "hear" better than Alexa. 

 

It is a tough problem. Both need to get better at identifying and masking background sounds. It would be great to have some setup where you turn on other sound sources so that Alexa/Home can identify them.

 

Ideally, Alexa or Google Assistant would be built-in to your receiver, with the sound output to the speakers also routed to Alexa/Assistant. Given the raw source material, it could be subtracted from the mic signal, after adjusting for delay, room response, etc. etc.

 

It should at least then be able to recognize that it's Jeanne Moos talking, and not you.

Corner placement may make Alexa more sensitive to bass sounds also and contribute to the problem. I know speakers produce bass sounds at a much higher volume when placed into corners so maybe the same thing applies.

 

Teken did some hinting on things he did with Alexa boxes, using some sound masking set ups. I need to do some experimenting with that.

 

In a one large room Gathering room you don't get a lot of places to install an Alexa appliance, not only due to lack of walls, but lack of receptacles.

 

Strangely enough, on one experiment, knowing my speakers saturate the microphones, I tried a Dot on top of the speaker columns. That worked slightly better. I tried to acoustically isolate it from the speaker cabinet with materials but that didn't help any, probably as it got higher off the cabinet and could hear the speaker front better.

 

Thanks for the Home observation. Eliminates any jump over urge for now.

Edited April 9, 20178 yr by larryllix

Alexa becomes unresponsive when the room volume is high. It effectively responds as people will in a loud environment, unable to hear what's being said. OTOH, people become more attentive when their name (wake word?) is mentioned. AI hasn't gotten there