Is Chromecast the answer ?

topgazza

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So, busy looking at wireless speakers when it occurred to me I have some excellent Tannoy speakers and a Sony 1030 AV Receiver which together give me perfectly good music reproduction. In fact the Sony gives exactly the sound I like in terms of crispness and balanced bass,middle and treble and I'm very happy with that and the Tannoys

So then I started playing with Apple TV and then Spotify in Amazon Fire Stick (Alexa version) and bang brilliant sound that's easy to use with the fire stick as that's over WiFi of course. I could just leave it there but then I thought Chromecast Ultra looks a decent product.

As I already have the Fire stick is there any benefit to getting the Chromecast Ultra ? 4K I know but in terms of audio and ease of use ?
 
None. Nada. Zilch. It will only stream a digital signal that will be the same as the regular Chromecast for music.

There might be an advantage to the ChromeCast Audio if you like the sound of its DAC chip and its implementation better than the one in your receiver, but there should not be a big difference.

I tried at home, but something slightly different, as described here: Using a Chromecast Audio as streamer and DAC
 
I thought as much. The Spotify app on the Fire Stick is a bit limited in that you can't seem to save a track to a playlist. You save it in your music and have to find a desktop or iPhone to move it across. Using the receiver is a definite boon as my 1030 produces lovely detailed sound. Possibly only bettered when I get the 1080 which has Spotify Connect built in so I can use the app on my iPad/iPhone...
 
If you are an iOS user then using AirPlay to stream from your iOS device from any App you like (e.g. Spotify) would seem the best option. This could be via your Apple TV or directly, if you upgrade your Sony to the 1080.

As an iOS user I would not consider buying any standalone speaker until after the HomePod is out, as this may be the best option if you can accept the price.
 
Thanks again. I'm pretty much decided about NOT buying a standalone speaker. I can airplay now through my Apple TV and my receiver. Quality seems OK compared with direct WiFi
 
None. Nada. Zilch. It will only stream a digital signal that will be the same as the regular Chromecast for music.

There might be an advantage to the ChromeCast Audio if you like the sound of its DAC chip and its implementation better than the one in your receiver, but there should not be a big difference.

I tried at home, but something slightly different, as described here: Using a Chromecast Audio as streamer and DAC

I wouldn't use the DAC in a £25 wifi streamer over what the OP already has.

Therefore @topgazza use optical out from the Chromecast Audio, bypassing its DAC and using the DAC in the Sony 1030 AV Receiver instead - which you have stated that you enjoy the SQ of.

Voila same sound as ever before but now with wifi streaming capability and the potential to go multi-room with the minimum of hassle and expense - Chromecast audio is almost too good to be true :smashin:
 
Thanks... I decided to buy a new AV, a Denon x2400, with Spotify connect built in so I'll be using the AV DACs. The Firestick, plugged into the AV, Spotify app is OK but there is more things you can do with the Connect app on the iPhone. And its direct into the AV of course. Not sure if using the Firestick Spotify is using the Firestick DAC if there is one or the AV.
 

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