Stream music from phone to hi-fi
There are lots of ways to get music and radio on your smartphone or tablet, but how do you listen to it? A good way is to attach something that can receive audio wirelessly to your hi-fi, TV sound bar or multimedia speakers. This is the latest example of such a device, and at 30 quid it’s got to be worth a look.
The original Chromecast was a stick you plugged into your HDTV to play video from your phone and tablet. Google has recently updated that and added this, an audio-only version. Instead of an HDMI plug, the tiny disc has a jack cable to plug into a hi-fi system (using your own adapter if your stereo uses different sockets). It also needs power, so it comes with a microUSB mains brick.
Setting up the Chromecast Audio is easy. The awkward part is that it’s only designed to work with apps that support it. So far, that includes popular services like Spotify, but BBC iPlayer Radio is coming soon. If you have an Android device, you can play from incompatible apps by ‘mirroring’ the audio output, albeit reducing quality a bit. That doesn’t work with Apple devices, though.
Transmission is over your Wi-Fi network, and worked well for us, with strong reception and good sound quality. Unlike with the Gramofon, you can’t buy multiple Chromecasts and control them all from one place, but Google plans to add this ‘multi-room’ ability in a free update.
VERDICT
It’s not currently as flexible as the Gramofon, but the Chromecast Audio is excellent value. If the promised features materialise it should be worth five stars.
SPECIFICATIONS
802.11n Wi-Fi • 3.5mm stereo analogue/optical digital output • 13.5x52x52mm (HxWxD) • Requires a device with Android 4.1, iOS 7.0, OS X 10.7 or Windows 7 or later • One-year warranty