Google Chromecast Audio on offer at Currys/PC World for £20 saving £10 on RRP. Collect in-store only.
Latest comments (77)
dreamypuma
24 Aug 17#77
Am I correct in thinking that the Allcast app would be required for me to play locally stored music from my SD card over Chromecast Audio?
If that's the case are there other similar apps I should consider in favour of Allcast?
montana78
5 Aug 17#23
whats the best free app to play own music via chromecast audio?? I'm using galaxy S7
spruceyb to montana78
5 Aug 17#25
Personally I use BubbleUPNP for my DLNA stuff for it's versatility. Music on phone to Chromecast or NAS to my Multiroom speakers etc play.google.com/sto…_GB
Although I'm open to other suggestions if anybody else is using anything better.
medical154 to spruceyb
5 Aug 17#26
Would you not just "cast screen" if you're listening to music on a phone.... There's no need for an additional app. Just use whichever app you're ordinarily using for playing music.
spruceyb to medical154
5 Aug 17#27
I have different devices. My only Chromecast is on my Android TV, my other devices are DLNA so if I move to another room.
Plus the Music app on Huawei phones doesn't have the cast option, so at least for those you need to download another music player that does. So why not have a tool that does more?
jaddy to montana78
6 Aug 17#36
Google music, upload 50.000 of your own tracks, inc full albums.
fuzzy_logic to jaddy
7 Aug 17#55
I've had loads of problems with uploading my own music to Google Play. A lot of the matches are wrong, it has split some albums into different versions of the same album, and replaced some songs with 'clean' versions. It is by far the worst music match service i have ever used. I much prefer Plex, but obviously it needs your own Plex Media server running.
jaddy to fuzzy_logic
11 Aug 17#73
Iv got hundreds of albums and never had any problems, but i did have them in windows media player first and they was all with art ect, maybe it was that, yes i also use plex on my nas but i havnt bothered with it for music as i have android auto so its google or spotify only on there.
vidl to montana78
23 Aug 17#76
Google's Play Music
Andy_Green
12 Aug 17#75
So I went with the QED toslink cable from eBay @ £17 to drive my Zeppelin instead of the Aux. Delivered next day, boxed in retail packaging so can't fault it.
Loving the new lease of life the Chromecast has given the Zeppelin, just need to see if I can remove the arm front the front now to make it that little bit cleaner looking.
oneeyedvic
5 Aug 17#6
I have a 2008 Ford Mondeo which has bluetooth but only for phonecalls. It does however have a phono in. Can I plug the Chromecast into the stereo, connect my iPhone via wireless to it and stream music - and then take phone calls via bluetooth?
spannerzone to oneeyedvic
5 Aug 17#7
This connects to your wifi so you'd need some wifi network in the car, so while it might be possible to do this with a phone's hot spot I think it would be a real hassle.
dergal to oneeyedvic
5 Aug 17#9
Nope... there are loads of solutions for that, but this isn't it... this is for more for home audio via wifi not Bluetooth...
oneeyedvic to dergal
5 Aug 17#10
What sort of thing? Can't be Bluetooth otherwise the hands free won't work (only connect to one bluetooth at a time)
RadiantDuck to oneeyedvic
5 Aug 17#15
If the car has an aux in, just use a auxiliary cable and plug into your headphone jack.
dergal to oneeyedvic
5 Aug 17#20
Ah ... my phone lets me say this one for audio and this for calls... I've had to use an fm Bluetooth thing which isn't perfect... tbh the best thing is the other suggestion of aux in
DingoDirk to oneeyedvic
5 Aug 17#21
Forget it.
The Chromecast needs to be connected to WiFi for it to work. You can't use your phone as a WiFi mobile hotspot because the phone also needs to be connected to the same network as the Chromecast in order to communicate with the Chromecast.
So you would need a second mobile device acting as a WiFi bridge for both the Chromecast and your phone.
There are some Android apps, most decent ones requiring root, that can do it with one device but it's very, very flaky and not worth the effort.
Then you also have to power the Chromecast via mains adapter or USB power.
It's not worth the hassle especially when for £150 you can buy a decentish car system with Bluetooth music support and integration with Android and iOS.
Otherwise, there are cheaper options available including for example this (which I've never used):
Use main phone as a hotspot, connect 2nd phone to the hotspot, use 2nd phone to setup the chromecast audio to the hotspot, once set up, you only need to connect the first phone to the chromecast via hotspot,
DingoDirk to jaddy
6 Aug 17#40
Sure. But this means you would need two devices strapped to a hands free cradle because it would be illegal to handle the Chromecast (phone) controller whilst driving. Better in terms of not breaking the law to have a dumb wi-fi bridge in the car although this would mean another data supply.
Point is there are just much easier solutions
jaddy to DingoDirk
6 Aug 17#44
bull rubbish, you only need one phone, the 2nd phone is only used the very first time to set the chromecast up, and isnt needed again, have it in a cradle and dont opperate when driving, just the same as if the car stereo was bluetooth. im well aware there are other options, the guy asked if it can be done the way he asked, the answer is yes.
diktiomenos to jaddy
6 Aug 17#48
You can also drive to Bristol from London via way of Inverness. The question is: It's rather pointless to use the CCA that way really.
jaddy to diktiomenos
11 Aug 17#72
it wasnt me wanting too, he asked a question, the answer is yes it can be done, i have android auto myself.
diktiomenos to jaddy
11 Aug 17#74
Yes, I'm not suggesting that you said so yourself.
There are a lot of people that confuse mirroring/streaming and casting, and so got a wrong understanding of what a CC (or CCA) can do or is sensible to do. Streaming is generally a simple concept, most people already know about it and if not, then it's quite easy to explain.
That's why, everytime there's a Chromecast deal posted here there are also people asking about Heath Robinsonian uses for it.
Andy_Green
9 Aug 17#62
Anyone decided to buy an optional / TOSLINK cable? I'm looking to connect my B&W Zeppelin and I believe I'm after a mini-TOSLINK (3.5mm) to mini-TOSLINK. There doesn't seem to be much choice, most cables seem to have one mini-toslink to standard TOSLINK connection. I have seen there's adapter's available to reduce the TOSLINK to a mini however not sure how these affect sound quality. Any thoughts or advice is welcome.
Yes, you are indeed, and it is a relatively niche cable as you've said. Arguably the best example you could buy would be this one: QED Performance Graphite Optical Mini to Mini Digital Lead, based on the number of positive reviews. However whether you want to spend £40 on a metre of cable only you can decide. Personally I've always found it hard to accept that the cable can have a lot of influence on the transmission of a digital signal but there are plenty of people who would tell you it does.
FYI, you can also buy the 'same' cable off ebay for £17, if you trust the seller... (link)
JamesSmith to Andy_Green
9 Aug 17#66
I think have one of these from an old audiophile soundcard that isn't getting used you can have for a fair price if I can locate it..
Generally speaking yeah, optically (just talking optical here) you expect a signal to go from seems-to-be-working to catastrophic, with signal muting in the latter case due to uncorrectable errors .. but it's certainly possible to hvae low level transmission errors or audible jitter with poor termination. Fiddly to objectively test with audio equipment. When I was working for the IT dept of a bank the optical WAN connection was done by specialists in glass cutting and mating perfectly, or we would see transmission errors and packets getting returned on the network .. ie. the data got through but delayed or with timing issues and you wouldn't know looking at the receiver-end data stream.. optical signals are hard to mate cleanly! Personally I would favour a one piece cable..
It does depend what you're connecting to.. if the source is being reclocked at the receiving end there's not much to worry about IMO.. For instance the aforementioned Arcam stuff is designed by a team obsessed with eliminating jitter, so I'd be more confident connecting something rogue to that..
OB1 to JamesSmith
9 Aug 17#67
The signal is much simpler than any computer network transmission.
"Audible jitter"? Please explain.
JamesSmith to OB1
9 Aug 17#69
Simpler in some ways not in others. Timing is typically more crucial in audio applications. Jitter relates to variations in timing of digital data between various sources that can make subtle but appreciable differences in audio quality. Here's a basic primer on the subject - not read this article thoroughly but it seems to explain the rudiments.
This is why asynchronous DACs are so cool. The DAC requests the data, and ties it to a rock solid precision internal clock. You can feed it any old digital rubbish, and it will be precision reclocked and jitter eliminated.
JamesSmith to Andy_Green
9 Aug 17#68
Well I think you should buy mine if I find it obviously since it's gathering dust.. :laughing:
Both of those cables I believe have the wrong connection one end, the cable here (link) is what I need, 3.5 mini TOSLINK both sides, and as @Northern_Dragon says it's a bit of a niche cable.
OB1
9 Aug 17#70
@JamesSmith , all interesting and a fun challenge for equipment manufacturers, but I'm not sure the toslink is going to introduce jitter in any significance compared to jitter from the chromecast, which itself is insignificant in the real world.
I'd love to see evidence of double-blind tests proving that cheap toslink adapters (or any toslink) introduce audible jitter (audible being key).
OB1
9 Aug 17#65
My understanding is that the light either gets through at a sufficient level, or doesn't. If it does, you get sound, if not you get silence. So if the sound doesn't keep cutting out, you know your 99p plastic fibre optic cable and adapter are doing the job just fine.
No point at all buying expensive connectors.
I'd like to know how good quality the chromecast audio DAC is though, for amplifiers too old to have toslink.
Northern_Dragon
9 Aug 17#60
Does anyone else have issues with the level when connecting to their Hi-Fi?
I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong but I have to wack the volume right up which is then a real pain with changing sources (e.g. switching back to the TV) and can mean I get audible background hiss. It's almost stopped me using my Chromecast, and I certainly would use it more if I could sort the problem.
OB1 to Northern_Dragon
9 Aug 17#61
Have you tried enabling full range, as mentioned above?
Northern_Dragon to OB1
9 Aug 17#63
I think I have, but tbh I can't remember. I was already thinking I'd check that when I got home, but I wouldn't really expect that to make a difference to the volume. Thanks for the reply though. :thumbsup:
OB1
8 Aug 17#59
Thrilled with mine, so superior to Bluetooth for usability and sound quality. Thanks OP.
Now if only it had hardware volume buttons and Alexa control....
Will spring for another one thanks op. Set up Logotech Media Server on a raspberry pi 2. This serves music to a pi model A running picoreplayer, two chromecast audios via LMS's chromecast bridge plugin, and a Joggler :innocent: running Squeezeplayer. LMS might be worth a look if you want to integrate Apple with Chromecast. It has lots of plugins to services like Spotify and Tuning Radio and the like and it is free.
kristmace
6 Aug 17#38
Good price. Voted hot.
Just be aware that it doesn't work with many apps. I was very disappointed when I borrowed one to try it out. Doesn't work with YouTube, Amazon Music, TuneIn Radio, Spotify (unless you pay £9.99 a month), Groove Music and others. Even though it's cheap I decided against getting one.
spannerzone to kristmace
6 Aug 17#46
On a newer Android device there is a 'cast' option that should cast any audio to this. I've just made a 1st Gen Moto G phone work as a media player and I loaded the latest Android OS onto it and can use the inbuilt cast option for any app that doesn't have the cast built in. No good for Apple users though I'm afraid.
DelTarrant to kristmace
7 Aug 17#54
For Youtube, you can also set up a tab on the Chrome browser on a Windows PC/laptop, to cast to these devices too. So play Youtube (or any music on a web page) from that tab, and you're good to go :grin: Not sure about Apple Mac or Linux, but not an option for the mobile version of Chrome though.
These are great devices, I already have 2 for downstairs/upstairs hifis, and they have brought good old gear into the modern age with music streaming. You could sync the whole house with music. I suscribe to Google Play Music, which is getting better & better. You can also upload & stream your own stuff for free with it too.
sgm400
7 Aug 17#53
is the chromecast still not compatiable with sky go?
homebanjo
7 Aug 17#52
Didn't know I neeeeeeeded this but now am very pleased to own one.
Well done OP Andy Green!
bresslaw73
6 Aug 17#41
I've got an Arcam Mini-blink so not sure I need one of these?
JamesSmith to bresslaw73
7 Aug 17#51
Arcam irDAC II here.. Both bluetooth so wireless already
This does however do uncompressed over wifi.. however the DAC will be inferior..
Not worth it for me...
Andy_Green
7 Aug 17#50
Good info, didn't realise it wasn't well supported by iOS. Collecting mine this lunchtime, will be discovering what it can & cant do this evening. @finleygibson
RJ1
5 Aug 17#4
Is this compatible with the iPod touch (3rd gen) and what's the sound quality like? Thanks
finleygibson to RJ1
6 Aug 17#49
Compatibility is very limited with apple devices. I've just bought this and got home to find that while it works well with Spotify (premium) and the sound quality is excellent, the default audio from apple is not compatible. That means no playing music from your library, no podcasts, no audio streamed through the internet browsers and while YouTube does support casting, you can't cast the audio only, and would need a video chromecast to cast to.
Disappointed. Especially as this lack of compatibility is entirely intentional in a brand battle. Would return it if I could be bothered.
damec
5 Aug 17#8
What speakers and an amp are recommended to use with these? Just for a small/medium size room, nothing too large or powerful.
mccririck to damec
5 Aug 17#29
You can use any. The best you can afford I guess, like always.
jaddy to damec
6 Aug 17#47
anything with a headphone socket, i have 6 1/2 pyle flush ceiling speakers from amazon and i use a leppy amp from amazon, its not going to blow your roof off but its more than enough , you can also link these like a sonos system, iv got my full house with google homes and chromecasts, and can chose zones or full house.
OB1
6 Aug 17#43
Funny how their eBay shop hasn't matched the reduction.
spannerzone to OB1
6 Aug 17#45
Clearing shop stock first I guess, then any left over go to ebay outlet maybe?
BristolBillyBob
5 Aug 17#1
Great deal, good find. I use mine all the time, love it. Make sure you enable Full Dynamic Range if you're using it with a proper hifi, kids. :smile: support.google.com/chr…-GB
M_z to BristolBillyBob
5 Aug 17#19
I think, if you use the optical output it defaults to full dynamic range.
Andy_Green to M_z
5 Aug 17#24
Yep, if using optical output it'll be full dynamic.
"When Chromecast Audio is connected through an optical interface (see here for compatible cables), it will always use Full Dynamic Range. Setting Full Dynamic Range to OFF won't have an effect as it will remain ON."
DrWig to BristolBillyBob
6 Aug 17#42
I did not know my cc audio was doing this...
Thank you
windhoek
5 Aug 17#12
The Chromecast Audio is one of the best Bang-for-Buck hi-fi gadgets available if not the best, period. I use mine primarily to stream music from my Synology NAS, although sometimes I use it to stream BBC R6, and it works exceptionally well as a DAC - assuming you've enabled Full Dynamic Range... let me say that again, FUUULL DY-NA-MIC RAAAANGE - feeding damn fine audio into my £2k+ amplifier or Sennheiser HD650s when it's late at night as it's also a great headphone amp.
CCA ftw ::
matthewsimms83 to windhoek
5 Aug 17#13
What app do you use to stream from Synology NAS to Chromecast Audio?
windhoek to matthewsimms83
5 Aug 17#17
I use Synology's own music app, DS Audio Station, with my Android phone and it does a great job all round - it even transcodes DSD to WAV on the fly to so that DSD files can be cast to the CCA. The only snag about the app (or CCA, I'm not sure which) is that there's a brief gap between tracks. Apparently, Hi-Fi Cast can play gapless, but in order to do that, the app casts audio to the CCA only after it has been received by the phone itself (meaning the phone must remain connected to the network for it to work), unlike the Synology app that casts directly from the NAS to CCA.
alexjameshaines to windhoek
6 Aug 17#39
OMG the late night headphones is an awesome idea. I wouldn't have thought of that!
spannerzone
6 Aug 17#33
There's nothing to suggest they're discontinuing these is there? I guess they could be bringing out a newer model at some point.
captainbeaky to spannerzone
6 Aug 17#35
A lot of shops seem to have stopped stocking them (Argos, John Lewis etc) - probably because they're a bit of a niche product.
spannerzone to captainbeaky
6 Aug 17#37
Ah yes that makes sense, I had noticed less shops selling them, maybe they're damaging sales of Sonos multi room kit as well?
OB1
6 Aug 17#32
So I guess these are being discontinued. Wonder why....
swanson
6 Aug 17#31
Wish the Birmingham city centre store had stock. Good deal
tascheman
5 Aug 17#30
These things are brilliant. I've already got three and tempted to buy another.
wakkaday
5 Aug 17#28
I have a sony soundbar as a primary speaker source that has optical in and a few hdmi ports it does have Bluetooth but that would mean changing the setting . Could I add this chromecasg audio and whenever I cast something fromy phome it will play via the soundbar .
David23
5 Aug 17#11
Wish they worked with Alexa rather than Google Home for voice control because Alexa is going to become the defacto system I just know it!
mcrobbj to David23
5 Aug 17#22
Don't think so, I have an echo dot and I am developing for it and Home, the Home model is far superior as you don't need to download skills - you get them all. Added to that google has google behind it rather than bing, its multi user, its also context aware so you etc. If google had a dot equivalent it would be killer. Alexa integration isn't that great, no deezer, google music, no chromecast ( so no Netflix, Now TV etc)
SpitTheDog
5 Aug 17#14
I've been waiting for these to drop to £15 again but this price will do. Thanks OP.
OBH6UK to SpitTheDog
5 Aug 17#16
I've been waiting for £15 or even £14, lowest I have seen recently was £23, so will probably go for this.
Thanks OP
Andy_Green to SpitTheDog
5 Aug 17#18
Yeah same here, the £15 1/2 price deal was a scorcher and I wish a bought one then but £20 is pretty close. Glad I could help.
Im bringing my B&W Zeppelin back to life with mine, don't link having to use Apple lightening adapter plus the digital audio (TOSLINK) output from the Chromecasr should keep sound quality reasonable (better than using Aux I assume).
allsa001
5 Aug 17#3
Will this allow me to play the audio from my computer through my Amp wirelessley?
ajdinmore to allsa001
5 Aug 17#5
A quick search says there are apps that enable that, yes.
Yes, but it depends on the app. Sound quality is excellent, as far as my untrained ears can tell.
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Opening post
Latest comments (77)
If that's the case are there other similar apps I should consider in favour of Allcast?
play.google.com/sto…_GB
Although I'm open to other suggestions if anybody else is using anything better.
Plus the Music app on Huawei phones doesn't have the cast option, so at least for those you need to download another music player that does. So why not have a tool that does more?
I much prefer Plex, but obviously it needs your own Plex Media server running.
Loving the new lease of life the Chromecast has given the Zeppelin, just need to see if I can remove the arm front the front now to make it that little bit cleaner looking.
Bluetooth otherwise the hands free won't work (only connect to one bluetooth at a time)
It's rather pointless to use the CCA that way really.
There are a lot of people that confuse mirroring/streaming and casting, and so got a wrong understanding of what a CC (or CCA) can do or is sensible to do. Streaming is generally a simple concept, most people already know about it and if not, then it's quite easy to explain.
That's why, everytime there's a Chromecast deal posted here there are also people asking about Heath Robinsonian uses for it.
bowers-wilkins.co.uk/Adm…pdf
FYI, you can also buy the 'same' cable off ebay for £17, if you trust the seller... (link)
Generally speaking yeah, optically (just talking optical here) you expect a signal to go from seems-to-be-working to catastrophic, with signal muting in the latter case due to uncorrectable errors .. but it's certainly possible to hvae low level transmission errors or audible jitter with poor termination. Fiddly to objectively test with audio equipment. When I was working for the IT dept of a bank the optical WAN connection was done by specialists in glass cutting and mating perfectly, or we would see transmission errors and packets getting returned on the network .. ie. the data got through but delayed or with timing issues and you wouldn't know looking at the receiver-end data stream.. optical signals are hard to mate cleanly! Personally I would favour a one piece cable..
It does depend what you're connecting to.. if the source is being reclocked at the receiving end there's not much to worry about IMO.. For instance the aforementioned Arcam stuff is designed by a team obsessed with eliminating jitter, so I'd be more confident connecting something rogue to that..
"Audible jitter"? Please explain.
stereophile.com/ref…tml
This is why asynchronous DACs are so cool. The DAC requests the data, and ties it to a rock solid precision internal clock. You can feed it any old digital rubbish, and it will be precision reclocked and jitter eliminated.
But I did notice cheaper ones than £17 on ebay...
ebay.co.uk/itm…657
ebay.co.uk/itm…523
I'd love to see evidence of double-blind tests proving that cheap toslink adapters (or any toslink) introduce audible jitter (audible being key).
No point at all buying expensive connectors.
I'd like to know how good quality the chromecast audio DAC is though, for amplifiers too old to have toslink.
I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong but I have to wack the volume right up which is then a real pain with changing sources (e.g. switching back to the TV) and can mean I get audible background hiss. It's almost stopped me using my Chromecast, and I certainly would use it more if I could sort the problem.
Now if only it had hardware volume buttons and Alexa control....
ebay.co.uk/itm…329
Just be aware that it doesn't work with many apps. I was very disappointed when I borrowed one to try it out. Doesn't work with YouTube, Amazon Music, TuneIn Radio, Spotify (unless you pay £9.99 a month), Groove Music and others. Even though it's cheap I decided against getting one.
These are great devices, I already have 2 for downstairs/upstairs hifis, and they have brought good old gear into the modern age with music streaming. You could sync the whole house with music. I suscribe to Google Play Music, which is getting better & better. You can also upload & stream your own stuff for free with it too.
Well done OP Andy Green!
This does however do uncompressed over wifi.. however the DAC will be inferior..
Not worth it for me...
Disappointed. Especially as this lack of compatibility is entirely intentional in a brand battle. Would return it if I could be bothered.
"When Chromecast Audio is connected through an optical interface (see here for compatible cables), it will always use Full Dynamic Range. Setting Full Dynamic Range to OFF won't have an effect as it will remain ON."
Thank you
CCA ftw ::
Thanks OP
Im bringing my B&W Zeppelin back to life with mine, don't link having to use Apple lightening adapter plus the digital audio (TOSLINK) output from the Chromecasr should keep sound quality reasonable (better than using Aux I assume).
Yes, but it depends on the app. Sound quality is excellent, as far as my untrained ears can tell.
need premium for spotify though ...