The Amazon voice assistant gives it control over the usual smart home functions and music services you'd expect from an Alexa-powered device. The real hook, though, is its tie-in with cable service. You can use it to voice control the Altice One platform, whether you're switching channels or firing up a movie. Altice clearly hopes you'll buy this as a companion to your set-top box.

The Amplify's pricing reflects that strategy. You won't have to be a subscriber to buy the speaker when it arrives later in the year, but it'll be easier to buy if you do. Altice will charge non-subs $499 for the device, but it'll knock the price down to $399 if you're an Optimum or Suddenlink customer. There will also be a $10 per month option if the up-front price is too steep.

This could be a tough sell if you're happy with lower-cost speakers like the Sonos One, HomePod or Google Home Max, or just prefer a different voice assistant. However, there are only so many Alexa speakers with this form factor and (claimed) performance. If you're fine with Amazon's voice helper in the first place, it might be worth consideration.