![]() At $35, it’s easily the best value for a tool in its class, and it works with Android, iOS, Chrome OS, and even Windows and OS X via tab casting in Chrome (assuming your audio source can be opened on the web). Regardless, the Chromecast Audio has its own benefits, and it costs a hell of a lot less than something like Sonos. Maybe it will be one day, but don’t buy it on that basis - Google talks a big game, but don’t be drawn in by that alone. Now, if you’re looking for something that comes with an “ecosystem” and tools and management and multi-speaker connectivity a la Sonos, sorry, it’s not here. The Chromecast obviates these concerns completely. It was cool for a few days, but the hassle of pairing / unpairing or turning it off when I didn’t want to use it - and turning it on when I did - was kind of a nightmare. I have a Moto Stream Bluetooth hooked up to my stereo receiver for a similar purpose. So, keep that one issue in mind.Īnyway, if you’ve got an old stereo and bookshelf speakers just languishing because of their un-smartness, the Chromecast Audio could be the perfect tool to bring them back to life. Doing both a live screen cast and streaming audio is probably too much for the device to handle at anything but relatively low bitrates, and it's here where the Chromecast Audio does have an advantage. I'm guessing the reason for the lower quality on the video Chromecast when screen casting is simply processor load. Chromecast Audio sound quality when audio-casting a non-supported app/source: Excellent.Chromecast Audio sound quality when casting a supported app (eg, Spotify): Excellent.Chromecast video sound quality when screen-casting a non-supported app/source: Mediocre. ![]() Chromecast video sound quality when casting a supported app (eg, Spotify): Excellent.However, the quality of audio on the video Chromecast when casting from supported apps like Spotify or Google Play Music seems comparable to the quality of audio for those apps being cast to the Chromecast Audio. Audio casted as part of screen casting on the regular video Chromecast is of substantially lower quality than the audio-out cast on the Chromecast Audio. The one exception here, I've found, is in regard to non-supported casting of audio. Your end device is basically irrelevant in terms of the audio quality, since the Chromecast is the one handling the data connection and playback.No one can “hijack” your Chromecast without your authorization - they need access to your secure PIN, which you can change at any time.There is essentially no battery drain on your phone unless you are doing direct audio casting, and even then, it’s minimal.The limits on audio quality are essentially down to the DAC hardware inside the Chromecast, not the data stream, since Wi-Fi offers huge bandwidth compared to Bluetooth - there’s no need for compression or wrappers.The Chromecast app is associated with your Google account, so all your devices just work with it. There is no annoying “pairing” process for new devices.There are no range considerations in relation to your connected phone / tablet / laptop once music starts playing.The latter drives me nuts about Bluetooth audio dongles. You don’t have to actively stay connected when you want to use it or, more important in my opinion, actively disconnect from it when you don’t.Still, the Chromecast Audio is easily leaps and bounds better than the Bluetooth audio-out dongles it competes with, and here’s why.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |