Being versatile is a big plus, and a Chromecast Audio will fit almost anywhere and connect to anything using standard cables. If you already have a great setup and would love to use Google Play Music or listen to your music across your own network, all you need to do is plug a Chromecast Audio into an open optical input using a Toslink cable and fire up the Google Cast app. Now multiply the savings by the number of places you want to bring your music to, and you'll have saved a lot of money.Ī great-sounding system is easy to build, or you can plug a Chromecast Audio into your existing setup.Ī Chromecast Audio is also really easy to drop into your existing home stereo or entertainment center. The only downside is wiring things up, which should take just a few minutes because everything on this list will be plug and play. Saving money sounds great!Įven after adding in the cost of a few cables and things like speaker stands if you want or need them, this is a much cheaper alternative that sounds great and has support for more services than a Sonos system. These powered speakers from Edifier sound as good or better than most component systems designed for small spaces but are a lot easier to set up. For our setup here you'll need a 3.5 male to RCA male cable and this 6-foot long one lets you put your Chromecast behind everything so it's hidden. Depending on the amp or powered speakers you buy, you may need other cables. These are around $35 and you'll get the device itself, a 3.5mm patch cable, a power supply, and power cord. Here's an example of a good setup that would compare to a pair of Sonos Play 3 speakers or a Sonos Connect amp setup: Add in a few cables and you've just built a great audio streaming setup without breaking the bank. The folks where you buy your speakers will be able to help you if you're not sure what to buy, Just tell them what you're planning to do and they'll point you towards everything you would need. You can even splurge and use a pair of studio monitors (along with an amp capable of driving them) for one or more rooms if you plan on streaming a lot of hi-res music. I love Pioneer's SP-BS22-LR Andrew Jones Bookshelf Loudspeakers if you plan on using a larger amplifier. Decent bookshelf speakers start at $50 or so, while great ones can be bought for about $100. An amp can cost as little as $20 and will work fine because we're not necessarily looking for bells and whistles - we just need a way to increase the power of the signal and pass it along to some speakers. Probably the best-sounding solution would be to use a small bookshelf amplifier and a pair of passive speakers. Plug your Chromecast Audio into a set of powered speakers, or a small amp and passive speakers, or even an A/V receiver, and cast some music. And you won't have to hack or mess around with any hardware, either. There is even a high dynamic range setting for hi-res music files. Three things make the Chromecast Audio a good (or even better) alternative - the Chromecast has its own 96KHz / 24bit capable audio hardware, the 3.5mm combination output supports optical as well as analog connections, and the Google Cast app lets you create groups or zones so you can stream your music to specific sources just like you can with a Sonos. We've got a solution: Use a Chromecast Audio and a few standard components and save a whole lot of money. But the price tag - you'll be spending hundreds per room for individual Sonos amps or speakers - can be tough to swallow. They are easy to set up and the Sonos service offers a decent choice of streaming content providers. If you're thinking about setting up a whole-house (or even just a single-room) streaming audio solution, Sonos systems are pretty much what you'll find recommended by folks on the internet.
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