Review and Measurements of Chromecast Audio Digital Output

[BDWoody]

Are there any measurements of analog output? Haven't found any, and I wonder if it's worth getting a D50 just to get some improvement.

Review and Measurements of Chromecast Audio Analog Performance

This is a follow up to my review and measurements of Google Chromecast Audio's digital performance. As mentioned there, the Chromecast audio is a streaming device with integrated DAC. In the other review, I measured its Toslink digital output for usage with an external DAC. Here, I will be...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Willem]

MEASUREMENTS: Google Chromecast Audio - Part I: Analogue Output

A blog for audiophiles about more objective topics. Measurements of audio gear. Reasonable, realistic, no snakeoil assessment of sound, and equipment.

archimago.blogspot.com

 

[mccririck]

Are there any measurements of analog output? Haven't found any, and I wonder if it's worth getting a D50 just to get some improvement.

I have two Chromecast Audio. One I use with a DAC and the other I use on its own and I think it still sounds pretty good on its own. would be interesting to see measurements, though.

 

[Willem]

would be interesting to see measurements, though.

Archimago has them

 

[mccririck]

If you use BubbleUPNP instead of Roon will it be bit-perfect then?

 

[Jimbob54]

I have two Chromecast Audio. One I use with a DAC and the other I use on its own and I think it still sounds pretty good on its own. would be interesting to see measurements, though.

Review and Measurements of Chromecast Audio Analog Performance

This is a follow up to my review and measurements of Google Chromecast Audio's digital performance. As mentioned there, the Chromecast audio is a streaming device with integrated DAC. In the other review, I measured its Toslink digital output for usage with an external DAC. Here, I will be...

www.audiosciencereview.com

File under "good enough" .

EDIT- @BDWoody beat me to it. Still "good enough".

 

[staticV3]

If you use BubbleUPNP instead of Roon will it be bit-perfect then?

BubbleUPnP is bit-perfect:

 

[hnash53]

BubbleUPnP is bit-perfect:
View attachment 273875 View attachment 273874
View attachment 273873 View attachment 273872
View attachment 273871 View attachment 273870

OK thanks!!

 

[munin]

Hello there,
It's my first post out there after reading a lot of your reviews.

To explain my need, in short i want an easy audio streamer with th epossibility of playing youtube content on wifi straght from youtube on chrome or from my phone. I guess it will work, but will the sound be as good as possible?
If I understand the streaming from google chrome is not super good, is it the same for playing youtube from it? What about the youtube app on phone?

Thank you in advance

 

[ahofer]

Hello there,
It's my first post out there after reading a lot of your reviews.

To explain my need, in short i want an easy audio streamer with th epossibility of playing youtube content on wifi straght from youtube on chrome or from my phone. I guess it will work, but will the sound be as good as possible?
If I understand the streaming from google chrome is not super good, is it the same for playing youtube from it? What about the youtube app on phone?

Thank you in advance

Do you use apple devices? Or windows/android?

 

[munin]

Do you use apple devices? Or windows/android?

No apple devices, Windows / linux /android are a yes

 

[vkvedam]

Hello there,
It's my first post out there after reading a lot of your reviews.

To explain my need, in short i want an easy audio streamer with th epossibility of playing youtube content on wifi straght from youtube on chrome or from my phone. I guess it will work, but will the sound be as good as possible?
If I understand the streaming from google chrome is not super good, is it the same for playing youtube from it? What about the youtube app on phone?

Thank you in advance

1. YouTube (Chrome Browser) on PC --> Chromecast Audio protocol is a workable solution but the browser messes up the signal, chops and reconstructs it into a 48kHz stream
2. You can do it from an Android phone by sending all of the audio via Chromecast Audio protocol (Again, it's not bit perfect, everything gets sent at 48kHz)

Any streamer with Chromecast functionality built would work as a renderer.

 

[Tenfilip]

Hello there,
It's my first post out there after reading a lot of your reviews.

To explain my need, in short i want an easy audio streamer with th epossibility of playing youtube content on wifi straght from youtube on chrome or from my phone. I guess it will work, but will the sound be as good as possible?
If I understand the streaming from google chrome is not super good, is it the same for playing youtube from it? What about the youtube app on phone?

Thank you in advance

Here is what I used for this particular case you mentioned:

1/ Get chromecast with video function (I used the basic one) and HDMI output (so the most basic Chromecast should do)
2/ Get an HDMI extractor, that extracts audio via optical signal (and optionaly also via minijack using it's internal DAC, likely crap)
3/ Use optical to get the audio to DAC which has optical in (likely you could use coaxial)

You can know listen to audio from yt/netflix etc on your DAC.

Other setup:

4/ use set top box with option to connect USB DAC and casting to it
5/ connect USB DAC to it.

I used Shield with USB DAC and worked ok BUT some software wont cast to it and it cant be added to group.
I don't know measurements/codecs/bitrate details, I just know it works casue I used it. If you want to listen to music from youtube (not YT music), it's already medium quality at most.

 

[munin]

1. YouTube (Chrome Browser) on PC --> Chromecast Audio protocol is a workable solution but the browser messes up the signal, chops and reconstructs it into a 48kHz stream
2. You can do it from an Android phone by sending all of the audio via Chromecast Audio protocol (Again, it's not bit perfect, everything gets sent at 48kHz)

Any streamer with Chromecast functionality built would work as a renderer.

Thanks for this answer! Do you have any streamer on a cheap in mind? Here in France Chromcast Audio are expensive on second hand market. Like Around 60€, so twice the price when it was new, I find it a bit too much for a device wich is no longer supported.

 

[munin]

Here is what I used for this particular case you mentioned:

1/ Get chromecast with video function (I used the basic one) and HDMI output (so the most basic Chromecast should do)
2/ Get an HDMI extractor, that extracts audio via optical signal (and optionaly also via minijack using it's internal DAC, likely crap)
3/ Use optical to get the audio to DAC which has optical in (likely you could use coaxial)

You can know listen to audio from yt/netflix etc on your DAC.

Other setup:

4/ use set top box with option to connect USB DAC and casting to it
5/ connect USB DAC to it.

I used Shield with USB DAC and worked ok BUT some software wont cast to it and it cant be added to group.
I don't know measurements/codecs/bitrate details, I just know it works casue I used it. If you want to listen to music from youtube (not YT music), it's already medium quality at most.

I will take a look at this option. I am not affraid of playing around with all of that, but looking at it's quite a lot of things to do just to listen to some music from youtube.

 

[munin]

In addition to that I guess the regular 44hz / 16 bit of regular audio CD will do for me.

After trying this kind of test: http://abx.digitalfeed.net/

As I am not able to make difference between hires and high MP3. I don't care too much anymore of the format of audio as long it's 320kbit MP3 minimum.

 

[Tenfilip]

I will take a look at this option. I am not affraid of playing around with all of that, but looking at it's quite a lot of things to do just to listen to some music from youtube.

Get a smartphone and connect it through cable/bt It's a bit, really depends on your needs. Still, worked well for me for many years.

 

[ahofer]

Chrome browser casting has always seemed problematic to me, but it's probably the best windows solution. Apple Airplay is pretty solid, but that's not an option for you.

 

[munin]

Ok, thank you. I will see then. I will wait to find a goor oppurtutny on a Chromcast Audio and we will see. If something I have an unused DAC laying around somewhere. I will ran some test to try what's fit to my hears the best. Again thanks to you.

 

[VJK_out]

Hi everyone!

I have a Genelec 2.1 setup: F Two as a sub (it has optical in) and 2x G Three. I am using a optical hub (active) where all my sources go and from there its hooked to F Two. Chromecast Audio is also hooked into the hub. I stream from my PC and sometimes from my Android phone (spotify). From PC I stream mostly from Spotify but also with VLC media player (local audio files) which seems to work nicely with CCA. Is there any potential problems with this setup? I would gladly hear!