How To Stream From Windows To Chromecast

Tom'south Guide Verdict

Google's Chromecast Audio makes it easy to stream high-quality audio from nigh streaming music services to powered speakers.

Pros

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  Inexpensive

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  Uncomplicated to set upwardly

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  Like shooting fish in a barrel to use

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  Plays loftier-resolution audio files

Cons

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  No back up for iTunes, Apple tree Music or Amazon Prime Music

Streaming audio to speakers seems like it should exist easy: press Play on a mobile device here, and sounds come out over in that location. Information technology can work that mode if you buy a Bluetooth speaker or an audio/video receiver with Bluetooth or Apple's AirPlay wireless streaming audio technology congenital in. But for older systems, y'all may accept to spend $100 or more to stream digital music.

Streaming video was in a similar identify a few years ago, with well-nigh streaming boxes costing about $100. Google solved that with Chromecast, its $35 streaming-video stick. Now, the company is taking the same thought and applying it to music. The Chromecast Audio, besides $35, follows the same concept every bit its video-capable cousin, and in many means, Google's approach works fifty-fifty better for audio than for video.

How Casting Works

Casting involves using your Wi-Fi network and the Internet to stream audio. Unlike streaming sound via Bluetooth or AirPlay, casting doesn't stream straight from your mobile device. You employ a bandage-enabled app to find the music y'all want to play, and the Chromecast Audio grabs the song direct from the streaming source. Yous then use your mobile device as a remote, skipping songs or selecting a new playlist.

This method offers several advantages for music playback. For example, information technology uses less battery power, considering your device isn't actually playing the music. You don't take to go along your mobile device virtually the speakers equally you lot do with limited-range technologies like Bluetooth. And, possibly all-time of all, you can use your mobile device for something else while the music keeps playing, including playing games or watching videos.

Design

The 2-inch black plastic disc, simply a half an inch thick, looks similar an adapter for playing 45 records — and is nearly identical to the Chromecast two except for the grooves on the pinnacle of Chromecast Sound that resemble a tape. It'south a simple design: On one side, a 3.5-mm port accommodates both analog and mini optical digital (also called TOSLINK) connections; on the other, a micro-USB connector provides ability for the device.

The device ships with a three.5-mm-to-3.five-mm analog cable, which connects to the headphone jack or auxiliary-in on most powered speakers. The Chromecast Audio doesn't include an amplifier; y'all demand to connect it to speakers that have an amplifier, such every bit most computer speakers or Bluetooth speakers. Alternatively, you can connect the Chromecast Audio to an audio/video receiver (or another blazon of speaker amplifier); the receiver connects to and powers the speakers.

More: What Is Google Chromecast?

If y'all connect the Chromecast Sound to an A/V receiver, you lot'll likely want to use a stereo RCA-to-3.5-mm cable or an optical digital cable. A groovy reason to choice the Chromecast Sound over Bluetooth is audio quality. Bluetooth doesn't accept enough bandwidth to stream uncompressed music. The Chromecast can: With an analog connection, you lot can get CD-quality sound. If you use an optical cablevision, y'all tin play high-resolution 96-kHz/24-bit files. By comparison, Apple's AirPlay is limited to CD quality.

Setup

To go the device ready to cast, kickoff download the free Android or iOS (opens in new tab) Chromecast app, or employ Chrome browser on Windows. The app is the aforementioned for Chromecast and Chromecast Audio; it does little for the Chromecast Audio besides help with setup. Yous can also intermission playback one time you've started a cast in some other app. I used the iOS version.

On the Devices screen, touch Add New Device, and select your phone or tablet. You will connect to the Chromecast through Wi-Fi, test the connection and select your region. Yous can personalize the proper name of the device and enable Guest Fashion, a handy feature that allows people to cast music without being on your network. In the concluding step, you connect to your Wi-Fi network then you lot can begin streaming.

To play music, launch 1 of the supported apps. Many of the large music services support casting, including Google Play Music, Spotify, Pandora, Rhapsody and Rdio — just not iTunes, Apple tree Music, Amazon Prime number Music or Tidal. I used Spotify and Google Play Music for testing.

For example, to cast music in Spotify, commencement playing a song, and tap the Devices Available icon at the bottom of the screen. Select your Chromecast Audio as the output, and the device will start playing the song. After that, the Spotify app merely works as a remote control.

Operation

I institute the Chromecast Audio's performance to exist very responsive and like shooting fish in a barrel to use. While I cast audio through the Spotify app, it never buffered or stuttered — something that can happen with Bluetooth streams if you get out of range or something interferes with the signal.

The Chromecast speedily responded when I skipped songs or changed playlists. The but lag occurred when I was casting Spotify from a Chrome browser tab on my MacBook. Merely that's a result of mirroring the browser tab audio instead of receiving it direct from the streaming server, which you tin't exercise from the browser tab.

The audio quality was good, also, with better bass than Bluetooth tin can deliver. When I listened on the Marshall Kilburn portable Bluetooth speaker and connected to the line-in, Led Zeppelin's "Custard Pie" had richer bass and fuller vocals when I used the Chromecast Audio than it did over the Bluetooth connexion.

MORE: Best Streaming Players

Continued by an RCA cable to an NAD T777 receiver and GoldenEar Triton 7 speakers, Skrillex and Diplo's "Where Are Ü Now (with Justin Bieber)" over the Chromecast delivered deep bass and full vocals. However, I found the overall audio less crisp and detailed than over AirPlay with the same setup.

Bottom Line

In the often expensive and complex world of audio, Google's Chromecast Audio makes it easy and affordable to listen to streaming music on older speakers. Audio sounds amend using Google's device than sound streamed over Bluetooth on newer speakers, and the Chromecast uses a more reliable and long-altitude connection. Plus, it's less expensive than dedicated digital music streamers or Apple's $99 Aerodrome Express, which brings AirPlay wireless streaming to speakers.

Chromecast Audio besides has an upcoming characteristic that could make the device even more useful: Google has promised multiroom audio subsequently this year, like the kind you get through a Sonos system, merely no firm dates have been appear. It should allow yous to play the same song on different speakers, sharing music throughout the business firm. While the Chromecast Audio is great now, that additional feature would make it perfect.

Michael Gowan covers soundbars, TVs, portable speakers and other audio- and video-related topics for Tom's Guide. He's written about music and technology for more than than 20 years for a raft of publications including Wired, Men's Periodical, PC World and Macworld. When he's not reviewing speakers, he's probably listening to one anyway.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/us/google-chromecast-audio,review-3137.html

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