British audio company KitSound has announced the KS Voice One, a speaker made in collaboration with Amazon, that pairs Alexa with a robust audio system than the Echo offers.

The KS Voice One functions just the same as the Echo, responding to questions and commands, but packs in two 10 Watt full-range drivers. The drivers are arranged in an opposing configuration, and deliver 360-degree omnidirectional sound. By comparison, the Echo has just one 2.5-inch woofer and a 2-inch tweeter.

The Voice One therefore is better suited to playing music than the Echo, although we'll leave it up to you to decide just how important sound quality and music playback is when choosing a smart speaker.

The drivers and audio processing technology is hidden behind a Nano coated woven grill casing, which protects against the odd splash of water. Just make sure you don't have it outside during a downpour.

KitSound has given the Voice One multi-room capabilities, so up to eight speakers can be connected in tandem. You can stream audio to one of the speakers, or connect an external source such as a turntable, and it will then act as a master to redistribute the song to all other speakers in the chain via Wi-Fi.

On paper, the KS Voice One has enough tricks up its sleeve to comfortably rival the Amazon Echo, and somehow, the British company has managed to undercut Amazon on price. The KitSound Voice One will be available from September for £129.