The lowest price I've ever seen on a Chromecast Audio is right now. The Google Store and Best Buy both have it for $15 each, normally $35. The cheapest I've seen it previously is $25 each. I am using three in the house at the moment, and have just ordered another two.
I'm sure some here have heard of Chromecast, which is an HDMI-based wireless TV dongle which you can "cast" content to, anything from YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, etc. to your current Chrome browser tab.
The Chromecast Audio (CCA) is similar, but does the same for music apps. You can cast your Pandora, Spotify, Qobuz, TuneIn Radio, Deezer, etc. app to the CCA. On Android, too, you can use BubbleUPnP to send music from your home media server to your Chromecast. Volume can be controlled by the app, or, you can use the Google Home app (on Android) to control volume and bass/treble output as well. (Using Google Home, you can pair two, three or several CCAs together as a "group" and they will play in sync.) These connect to your wireless home network, not via bluetooth.
Chromecast works as a renderer and end point. You don't actually stream video content from your phone; rather, your phone/tablet sends the instructions to your Chromecast so that it does the streaming, and your phone/tablet is still usable for other things.
The CCA has a 3.5mm output which is the very popular smaller sized headphone jack that most devices have these days. It is a dual-purpose jack. You can plug in a 3.5mm audio cable to connect to your audio system with two RCA plugs on the other end, or, some speaker systems have their own 3.5mm jack which you can use a 3.5mm cable with the same on each end. The other output via this same jack is an optical digital output--you can buy an optical cable with this 3.5mm plug on one end and a standard optical digital (S/PDIF) plug on the other, which will plug into many audio components like receivers, soundbars and DACs.
They are handy to have around the house if you play a lot of digital music or streaming. I keep one in the garage, and use one for 2-3 hours in the kitchen every day. A third I have connected via its optical digital output to my Oppo 105's optical input.
Best Buy has some still in stock:
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/google-chromecast-audio-black/4532100.p?skuId=4532100
Google's sale runs until the end of February, and includes the standard Chromecast video for $25 and Chromecast Ultra (which handles 4k video) for $49.
Chromecast Audio - Chromecast for Speakers - Google Store
Bed Bath & Beyond:
Google Chromecast Audio in Black
Walmart:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Google-Chromecast-Audio/46784941
I'm sure some here have heard of Chromecast, which is an HDMI-based wireless TV dongle which you can "cast" content to, anything from YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, etc. to your current Chrome browser tab.
The Chromecast Audio (CCA) is similar, but does the same for music apps. You can cast your Pandora, Spotify, Qobuz, TuneIn Radio, Deezer, etc. app to the CCA. On Android, too, you can use BubbleUPnP to send music from your home media server to your Chromecast. Volume can be controlled by the app, or, you can use the Google Home app (on Android) to control volume and bass/treble output as well. (Using Google Home, you can pair two, three or several CCAs together as a "group" and they will play in sync.) These connect to your wireless home network, not via bluetooth.
Chromecast works as a renderer and end point. You don't actually stream video content from your phone; rather, your phone/tablet sends the instructions to your Chromecast so that it does the streaming, and your phone/tablet is still usable for other things.
The CCA has a 3.5mm output which is the very popular smaller sized headphone jack that most devices have these days. It is a dual-purpose jack. You can plug in a 3.5mm audio cable to connect to your audio system with two RCA plugs on the other end, or, some speaker systems have their own 3.5mm jack which you can use a 3.5mm cable with the same on each end. The other output via this same jack is an optical digital output--you can buy an optical cable with this 3.5mm plug on one end and a standard optical digital (S/PDIF) plug on the other, which will plug into many audio components like receivers, soundbars and DACs.
They are handy to have around the house if you play a lot of digital music or streaming. I keep one in the garage, and use one for 2-3 hours in the kitchen every day. A third I have connected via its optical digital output to my Oppo 105's optical input.
Best Buy has some still in stock:
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/google-chromecast-audio-black/4532100.p?skuId=4532100
Google's sale runs until the end of February, and includes the standard Chromecast video for $25 and Chromecast Ultra (which handles 4k video) for $49.
Chromecast Audio - Chromecast for Speakers - Google Store
Bed Bath & Beyond:
Google Chromecast Audio in Black
Walmart:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Google-Chromecast-Audio/46784941