We use Amazon’s Echo device at my house, mainly for voice control of our smart home devices like lights.

Recently, Amazon introduced their new and improved Alexa service called Alexa+, which is designed to be more conversational and have expanded capabilities.

Alexa+ is included with certain new Echo devices and for Amazon Prime subscribers.

Other users will be able use Alexa+ for $19.99 per month.

We can explore the new AI capabilities of Alexa+ in another column. Today I want to talk about the first thing everyone notices when the switch is made.

The new features of Alexa+ include a new default female voice that sounds faster and perkier than the original Alexa.

Everyone I’ve talked to so far has remarked about Alexa’s new voice. Most of them want the old voice back.

The Alexa+ service comes with eight voices and you can change between them at any time.

The new default voice for Alexa+ seems to be called Feminine 1, upbeat. She’s perky and speaks a bit faster than original Alexa.

If you’d like old Alexa’s voice back, you can just ask Alexa to change the voice to Feminine 2, which is described as Relaxed.

Also available are Feminine 3, described as Inviting, and Feminine 4, which Amazon calls Grounded.

The four male voices are Masculine 1, Friendly; Masculine 2, Warm; Masculine 3, Smooth; and Masculine 4, Calm.

You can also see the voice choices and hear a sample of what they sound like by going to the settings page for your Amazon Echo in the Alexa app on your phone.

Each Alexa device in your house has its own voice selection, so if you have multiple Echoes, like me, you have to change them all.

Also, I noted earlier that the new default Feminine 1 voice spoke a bit faster, which makes her a bit harder to understand (at least to my ears).

You can actually ask Alexa to slow down or speed up her speaking voice to your liking.

If you want to get Alexa back to sound like her old self, ask her to change to Feminine 2 and then tell her she’s speaking too fast and to slow down.

She will.

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