Consensus
This little adapter makes it easy to play music wirelessly to older powered speakers that have a 3.5mm input jack.
Average Overall Rating
★★★★★★★★★★
4.06 out of 5 stars (4 reviews)
Critics Reviews (Around the Web)
Sure, it’s cheap, but the Chromecast Audio feels like a solution without a problem. Read full review →★★★★★★★★★★
3.5 out of 5 stars
– Digital Trends · Oct 16, 2015
This is for people who have some kind of speaker system -- a dock, or computer speakers, or maybe even a fancy component hifi system -- and want transform it into something that can play audio wirelessly. Read full review →
– Gizmodo · Oct 15, 2015
Chromecast Audio rewards users for hanging onto their older tech. It's a quick and easy solution if you're looking to inject some life into your wired speakers, and the investment, affordable as it is, will surely improve over time with more supported services and features. Read full review →★★★★★★★★★★
4.5 out of 5 stars
– TechRadar · Oct 7, 2015
It's great to have a cheap way to make your dumb speakers smarter, but I'm not convinced the target market for such a device is terribly large. Read full review →★★★★★★★★★★
4.25 out of 5 stars
– Engadget · Oct 5, 2015
With the simple, focused mission of making any speaker wireless, Google Chromecast Audio succeeds admirably and affordably. Read full review →★★★★★★★★★★
4.0 out of 5 stars
– PC Magazine · Oct 2, 2015
Pros
- Highly stable streaming
- Sounds better than Bluetooth
- Extremely affordable
- Can stream lossless files
- Works with most major streaming-music services
- Works seamless with Spotify mobile app
- Phone notifications don't interrupt music
- Inexpensive
- Easy to set up
- Can make any speaker or sound system Wi-Fi enabled and part of a multi-room setup
Cons
- Won’t stream iTunes or Apple Music from iOS devices
- Third-party app required to stream audio from a computer
- Included audio cable is relatively useless
- Requires Wi-Fi Network
- Spotty results casting from Chrome tabs
- Cheap looking design
- Lacks multi-room support
- No Apple Music or Tidal support
- Audio quality may not be up to par for discerning listeners
- Limited functionality compared to Google's other Chromecast
- Spotify from desktop app for Mac or Windows doesn't work
- Only works with 3.5mm connections out of the box
- Lacks support for streaming through multiple speakers at once
Our Final Conclusion
Chromecast Audio is a Bluetooth alternative to make wireless music streaming possible through older receivers or non-wireless powered speakers. There are some nifty uses where it could come in handy, but heavy Spotify users should love it most.
Product Overview
October 2, 2015 - Google just introduced Chromecast Audio, a small device that plugs into your existing speakers, so you can stream your favorite music, radio and podcasts over Wi-Fi, similar to Chromecast. It works with tons of apps, including Spotify, Pandora and Google Play Music. Just like Chromecast, it works from anywhere in your home with your favorite devices, including Android, iOS, and laptops. Essentially Chromecast Audio makes any amplified speaker with a 3.5mm input jack a wireless... Read product announcement →
- Type:
- Wireless Adapters
- Released:
- Oct 2, 2015
