Chromecast audio - can anyone comment on sound quality?

[mkozlows]

 
CCA comes with 3 months (i think its still 3) of GooglePlay Music, so you could upload your library, or a chunk of it, there too and play it from Chromecast directly on GooglePlay. 

 
Note that Google Play Music will compress FLACs to high-bitrate MP3. So while you can play your FLACs losslessly and bit-perfect on the Chromecast, you can't do it through Google Play Music without going through an MP3 compression step.

 

[Pott]

I gotta say I'm a bit lost... bubbleUpnp is an android app. Why would I need my phone to stream my own PC's music to another set of speakers?
Is there then no way to do it without a smartphone? I never have my phone with me when I'm home.

 

[Ggroch]

  I gotta say I'm a bit lost... bubbleUpnp is an android app. Why would I need my phone to stream my own PC's music to another set of speakers?
Is there then no way to do it without a smartphone? I never have my phone with me when I'm home.

You may not fit the demographic Google targets for Chromecast audio.   As I am sure you are aware, a lot of people keep a phone or tablet with them all the time, and IOS and Android tablets make extremely capable and convenient audio controllers if you are one of them.  Google probably hopes everyone is like that. 
 
If you are not, you can still use Chromecast audio by installing the "Google Cast" extension on the Chrome desktop browser.   This will let you cast music from any Chrome browser window.  so, a browsed music server (like Plex media manager) could play your computer music from within the Chrome window.  Spotify and Google Music browsers work the same way for those streaming sources.
 
That's still dorky. Apparently Google has not released a desktop SDK (??) for direct playback from Windows computers.
 
NOTE: There was a discussion earlier about a similar problem....Spotify Windows desktop app not being able to cast directly to Chromecast, and for the same reason (no SDK).   There is a workaround, start Spotify casting from your phone, and then you can switch to desktop control as a "proxy". (which just means it offers to letyou continue playback on the chromecast).
 
Sonos is still a more advanced than Chromecast audio for desktop playback....but is also a lot more expensive. 

 

[yay101]

It should be said though that sonos can be 99% replaced by some raspberry pi's and your own equipment, if they are more attractive than chromecasting.

 

[Koyote]

I hooked up the streamer yesterday and downloaded the app -- it was easy and I had it running in just a few minutes. 
 
I had been streaming Spotify Premium through my home stereo's AUX input via a short cable. The big advantages of the Chromecast streamer are (1) using my iPod as a remote, and (2) not depleting the iPod's battery, since the Chromecast device does the streaming and the DAC work.
 
The Chromecast sounds great to my ears. In a much earlier post in this thread, someone recommended plugging headphones directly into the Chromecaster -- I tried this with my Grado SR80e 'phones, and WOW!  Sounds outstanding, better than plugging them into my Apple devices directly.
 
For $35, this is a winner -- if you use one of the supported music services.

 

[hundsboog]

Hi there folks,
 
 
this is my first post ever to head-fi and please don't mind my english-writing, since I'm from Germany.
So, actually I used the CCA before directly connected to my SMSL Sanskrit 6th anniversary/LUA tube amp and that really sounded great. I also used BubbleUpnP to stream it over there with my android tablet. This was very easy and convenient. So, after a while I decided to plug my Sanskrit to my PC, because I just wanted to create myself a sweet little Headphone station because the integrated soundcard was really crap and the Little Dot MKIII which I was using there  emphasized the bad quality of it (by the way, Sanskrit and little dot are like an old couple, they are just great together). I really wondered if the CCA will sound acceptable without the Sanskrit on my LUA tube amp. But hey, it does. The only thing I personally noticed was just a lack of punch (but very slightly) and so far, I'm pretty happy with that set-up.
 
Tom

 

[Ggroch]

Thanks for the report Tom, I am using the Sanskrit 6 too with a Matrix audio amp, sounds great. Your English writing is better than  mine, and I am a native speaker.

 

[hundsboog]

  Thanks for the report Tom, I am using the Sanskrit 6 too with a Matrix audio amp, sounds great. Your English writing is better than  mine, and I am a native speaker.

 
No Problem and thank you very much for your kind words! Well, if you would hear me talking in reality, you would just laugh your a** off because my terrible accent 

. At least my big advantage was to grow up near Europes biggest american training area, so I had a lot of american friends (well, I still have) and that's why I'm able to communicate in a pretty decent way. Thanks to them and their sheer endless patience to help that little Kraut learning English 

.
 
Apropos decent: Pretty decent sweet little amp, which you got there! 

 

[Ggroch]

I see that the newest update of the Chromecast app offers a "Group" option in device configuration.  You can also adjust the timing slightly.   I have not tried it, but it appears that multi-room synchronized play has been enabled.

 

[greenhenry]

Hi, guys. Trying to connect my new CCA (firmware v.1.17a) via Audioquest Forest Green TOSLINK to Schiit Yggdrasil DAC. Not having much luck - any advice vis a vis troubleshooting? Thought this would be plug-n-play... thanks!!

 

[Ggroch]

  Hi, guys. Trying to connect my new CCA (firmware v.1.17a) via Audioquest Forest Green TOSLINK to Schiit Yggdrasil DAC. Not having much luck - any advice vis a vis troubleshooting? Thought this would be plug-n-play... thanks!!

No tricks, as long as you see the bright red digitals streaming out of the cable and have the correct Schiit input selected it should work, showing 44.1K signal most of the time with that firmware. 
 
Do you get sound with headphones plugged into the CCA directly?  If it is brand new, make sure you follow the directions for switching the source output to the correct CCA, and that it shows connected on the app.

 

[greenhenry]

No tricks, as long as you see the bright red digitals streaming out of the cable and have the correct Schiit input selected it should work, showing 44.1K signal most of the time with that firmware. 

Do you get sound with headphones plugged into the CCA directly?  If it is brand new, make sure you follow the directions for switching the source output to the correct CCA, and that it shows connected on the app.

Got it going, thanks! So I surmise BubbleUpnp is best for streaming from local network?

 

[Ggroch]

Got it going, thanks! So I surmise BubbleUpnp is best for streaming from local network?

bubble is working great for me.  It also streams Tidal well.

 

[greenhenry]

  bubble is working great for me.  It also streams Tidal well.

Thanks, Ggroch... only issue for me: the entirety of my digitally archived music files = AIFF! =(

 

[trapnel]

Super helpful thread, everyone! I have a question about getting a cheap DAC vs not, which has perhaps already been answered ("yes"), but if anyone could address my specific case I'd very much appreciate it.
 
Here's my use-case: I'm putting together an audio system for our living room, almost from scratch. The inputs will be 1- a turntable (model TBD, maybe the Audio Technica AT-LP120-USB I've seen well-reviewed), 2- audio split out from the HDMI of a Roku 2 box (probably -- I know it's not ideal, but the problem is that our projector the Roku would be feeding has HDMI in, but no audio-out. The Roku 1 has RCA outputs, but it's supposedly rather sluggish), and most importantly 3- a Chromecast Audio to pull music from our music collection on a Synology NAS. I'd like to minimize cost while still sounding good. I'll be getting Elac Debut 6 bookshelf speakers (I think they're €350 here), and I need to decide what to do about an amp. I was originally thinking one of the new, cheap digital ones (Topping, Dayton Audio) I've seen recommended, but it looks like I need more inputs than those are meant for, so now I'm looking for used "real" amps. (I'm slightly limited by the fact that I *don't* want a tuner, because then I'd have to pay a radio license fee.)
 
Right now I'm seeing locally available a used NAD 314 for €130, and a used Technics SU-X502 for €65. The NAD seems well-reviewed (I can't find any reviews on the other) so I'm assuming it's better quality, but it only has analog inputs, while the Technics has digital, too.
 
Do you think I would be better off with the NAD, even though it means using the CCA's own DAC/pre-amp, or going with the Technics' DAC? Thanks!