Chromecast Audio RIP

[BillG]

There is also the Harman Kardon Adapt range.

Yes, and I actually posted about their streamer here a few months ago. If my CcA ever fails, I can't find another at a reasonable price, I'll be purchasing the Harmon since it has Google Cast builtin, and I appreciate the widespread support and ease of use of the protocol...

 

[LF78]

Nexum Tunebox2 TB20:

August WR320:

Do they have both digital out and support DLNA streaming?

There is also the Harman Kardon Adapt range.

It seems it doesn't have digital out, correct?

 

[BillG]

It seems it doesn't have digital out, correct

The Adapt+ has optical i/o onboard...

https://www.amazon.com/Harman-Kardon-Wireless-Stereo-Receiver/dp/B078N87HP8

 

[LF78]

The Adapt+ has optical i/o onboard...

Very interesting, it also support Google Cast so it seems the most "plug & play" replacement. Do you know if it supports also DLNA?

 

[Negatywny]

This is strangest thing on earth. CCA costed what? 30$? Couple years ago closest alternatives costet 500$. Now one can buy pretty cheap "streamers" for i think something like 250$, but still nothing for 30$. How could they stop selling it? Is it some kind of conspiracy to sell expensive streamers instead? Didn't CCA sell like hotcakes?

 

[BDWoody]

This is strangest thing on earth. CCA costed what? 30$? Couple years ago closest alternatives costet 500$. Now one can buy pretty cheap "streamers" for i think something like 250$, but still nothing for 30$. How could they stop selling it? Is it some kind of conspiracy to sell expensive streamers instead? Didn't CCA sell like hotcakes?

It was $15 delivered at the end...

Even for the $50 they go for typically now, I think it's an amazing bargain.

 

[ahofer]

Cambridge Audio has built Chromecast it into their streamers, but that's no $50 dongle.

 

[M00ndancer]

This is strangest thing on earth. CCA costed what? 30$? Couple years ago closest alternatives costet 500$. Now one can buy pretty cheap "streamers" for i think something like 250$, but still nothing for 30$. How could they stop selling it? Is it some kind of conspiracy to sell expensive streamers instead? Didn't CCA sell like hotcakes?

Google have seen what the market wants, not what we few want. The trend is self powered blue tooth speakers with Google Cast, that is what every one buys. The Google assistant and home automation is the way Google want us to use audio. They have their own speakers and the Google Nest Hub. I hope that they will resurrect the CCA as a Google Assistant with analogue/digital out. Amazon have one already (at least with analogue out)

 

[Negatywny]

Google have seen what the market wants, not what we few want.

Wireless speakers is one of the biggest pieces of cake now in the hifi market worth something like 15 billion dollars, but that can't be the reason for not selling other types of products....

 

[BillG]

Very interesting, it also support Google Cast so it seems the most "plug & play" replacement. Do you know if it supports also DLNA?

There's no mention of it on the spec sheet:

https://www.harmankardon.com/on/dem...fe/pdfs/HK_Omni Adapt+_Spec_Sheet_English.pdf

 

[LF78]

There's no mention of it on the spec sheet

This would render it useless in the case Google phase out the Google Cast support, but I don't think so honestly.

 

[Willem]

There is. Read carefully.

 

[BillG]

This would render it useless in the case Google phase out the Google Cast support, but I don't think so honestly.

That protocol isn't going to be decommissioned anytime soon, if the number of devices that now support it natively is any indication - I'm thinking televisions specifically. But, streaming video without the capacity for audio? Well, that's pretty useless to most people...

 

[BillG]

There is. Read carefully.

Are you referring to DLNA? If so, I just did a text search on the spec sheet. Nope, it's not there...

 

[daftcombo]

Does it still make sense to buy a CCA today? Is there a serious alternative at the same price?

 

[BillG]

Does it still make sense to buy a CCA today? Is there a serious alternative at the same price?

With a digital output? None that I know of, and I try to stay current on the topic in case mine fails...

 

[daftcombo]

With a digital output? None that I know of, and I try to stay current on the topic in case mine fails...

With analog output to a preamp for instance. And/or digital to a DAC/pre.

 

[Soniclife]

Does it still make sense to buy a CCA today? Is there a serious alternative at the same price?

A Pi or similar will give you USB out, and a similar but not identical feature set, depending on what distribution you use, but it's not a finished product like the CCA, and it will cost more. We will probably never see the like of the CCA again.

 

[BillG]

With analog output to a preamp for instance. And/or digital to a DAC/pre.

There's another inexpensive WiFi streamer out there in same price range, with an analog output, that looks quite like CCA. However, it's DLNA and AirPlay based, at least from what I can gather:

https://audiocast.io/

 

[daftcombo]

I might just pull the trigger on a 40€ CCA before they're all gone then.