When Google announced that they were bringing a new casting device to the market that would bring traditional speakers to the streaming revolution, some were skeptical as to whether we actually need something like this. After all, a lot of the new speakers now have WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. But now that Chromecast Audio is actually here, there might actually be a great purpose to this device, and at its low cost, then it might be just worth it.
First of all, the look of the Chromecast Audio is pretty neat. Just like its Video counterpart, it looks like a tiny puck made from lightweight plastic. But since this is a music device, it’s outfitted with a vinyl record-like design with its molded grooves. But actually, design isn’t that crucial as it will mostly be at the back of the speakers anyway. It has a microUSB connector so you can charge it of course, plus a 3.5mm jack so you can connect it to your traditional speakers and HiFi systems. Although your audio quality is of course dependent on what kind of speakers you’re using and your source device, the AKM AK4430 DAC does help it along as you can get up to 24-bit, 96 kHz audio, at least on paper.
Setting it up is also pretty simple and you don’t need to pay someone to do it for you. All you need to do is plug the Chromecast Audio device to your speakers or amps, get the Chromecast app, then make sure that they’re connected to the same WiFi, just like you would in the regular Chromecast. After that, any app that can be casted will now be able to stream the music to the speakers. This includes the more popular ones like Spotify, Pandora, IHeartRadio, etc.
Since the Chromecast Audio connects directly, your music won’t be interrupted with message alerts or other peripheral noises coming from your source device. While there are still a lot of things the device cannot do that other Bluetooth enabled speakers can, for $35, this is a more than decent way to enjoy music on your speakers. However, as mentioned earlier, it is of course dependent on other things as well.
VIA: SlashGear
