Back in late 2014, I was highly skeptical when Amazon (AMZN) introduced its Amazon Echo and Alexa voice assistant. After all, who would want a speaker in their homes they could talk to?

It turns out a lot of people. Enough, in fact, for Amazon to launch five more smart speakers since then, including the all-new Echo. Available now for $99 — that’s less than the original’s $179 price tag — the new Echo improves upon both its predecessor’s looks and performance.

It’s a great buy for consumers who are just getting into the smart assistant market. However, there might not be much reason for existing users to upgrade since the cloud-based Alexa gets all the same improved functionality in both the new and old versions of the Echo.

An Echo that’s at home in your home

The original Echo stood out for both its impressive capabilities as a smart speaker and almost alien design. Amazon crafted the Echo in the shape of a tall, black cylinder that was instantly recognizable. But as competitors like Google’s (GOOG, GOOGL) Home and Apple’s (AAPL) upcoming HomePod opt for more traditionally decorative designs, Amazon is adjusting the Echo’s look.

The new Echo is still a cylinder, but it’s squatter than the original. And like Google’s Home, which has a customizable base, the Echo now has an interchangeable shell that you can fit to your home’s style. The base shells come in black or grey fabric and are genuinely attractive. I can see both easily fitting in on my end table or night stand. I can also see my cats deciding to tear into them like they did with my Google Home’s fabric base.

If you want a different look, you can purchase walnut, oak, or silver finish shells for $29 a piece. Replacing them is a snap. You simply push the small indent in the bottom of the Echo and push the speaker out of the shell. Slide it into your new one and you’re all set.

Unlike the first-generation Echo, this new version doesn’t have a twistable volume ring at its top. Instead, Amazon has included volume up and down buttons. It’s not a big change and really makes no functional difference. Still, I liked the simplicity of being able to twist the top of the Echo to quickly adjust the volume when I needed to turn down Taylor Swift before the delivery guy got to my door and found me out.

Amazon did, however, add an AUX jack to the new Echo, which means you can connect it to any speaker. Want to turn your big home entertainment center into a giant smart speaker? You’ve got it.

Pump up the jam

Consumers don’t just use their smart speakers to talk to disembodied voices. They’re also solid standalone speakers for listening to music and podcasts. But Amazon couldn’t just release a new Echo with the same speakers as the previous model. So the company upped the audio capabilities of the Echo by dropping in a 2.5-inch subwoofer and 0.6-inch tweeter.