Chromecast Audio - anyone got it to work with iTunes?

[Roman Totale]

Hi, after a recommendation from What Hifi, I bought a Chromecast Audio, with the intention of sending Apple lossless music from ITunes on my Mac (ideally) or iPhone/iPad, to a wirleess speaker in the kitchen and my second hifi (no digital input). However, I haven't been able to get it to work.

First problem was there was no Chromecast app in the App Store, however it seems we're now meant to use the Google Home app, so I got that downloaded and got the Chromecast set up. I've been able to play the Google app's sample music from my wireless speaker, but none of the apps I use, iTunes or Amazon Music, identify the Chromecast as an external device to send the music. I don't want to invest time/money in setting up a music library in the Google app.

i realise that it may be that due to tech-corp rivalries Apple has disabled it as far as possible with their devices/systems.

Has anyone had any more success with this, and/or got any suggestions for a apple-friendly comparable device?

Many thanks

 

[jjbomber]

any suggestions for a apple-friendly comparable device?

The rubbish bin. Save yourself a lifetime of pain and change to Windows or Android.

Incidently Apple Loseless is very lossy and compressed. It is banned from most bootleg sites for this very reason.

 

[Roman Totale]

Haha, thanks once again jjbomber! i picked up from your reply to my other post that you don't like Apple! However I am in too deep to go and change all my devices!

I play the lossless files through an optical cable to a Cyrus DAC, and don't perceive a drop in quality from CDs through my Cyrus CD transport.

 

[jjbomber]

Haha i picked up from your reply to my other post that you don't like Apple!

I am a huge fan; they remain the best marketing firm in the World. They have just treated the WhatHiFi staff to a jolly in California, so expect yet more adverts in 2018. Officially they have gone there to review a wireless speaker. Yeah right. Great to see that Apple have now admitted their battery con and are compensating victims, oops, customers. *biggrin*

 

[daveh75]

Hi, after a recommendation from What Hifi, I bought a Chromecast Audio, with the intention of sending Apple lossless music from ITunes on my Mac (ideally) or iPhone/iPad, to a wirleess speaker in the kitchen and my second hifi (no digital input). However, I haven't been able to get it to work.

First problem was there was no Chromecast app in the App Store, however it seems we're now meant to use the Google Home app, so I got that downloaded and got the Chromecast set up. I've been able to play the Google app's sample music from my wireless speaker, but none of the apps I use, iTunes or Amazon Music, identify the Chromecast as an external device to send the music. I don't want to invest time/money in setting up a music library in the Google app.

i realise that it may be that due to tech-corp rivalries Apple has disabled it as far as possible with their devices/systems.

Has anyone had any more success with this, and/or got any suggestions for a apple-friendly comparable device?

Many thanks

Point Google Play Music at your iTunes library and upload it to Google Play's servers and then stream from Google Play would be the best option IMO. Be aware GPM converts to MP3, not that it matters IME

https://support.google.com/googleplaymusic/answer/4627259?hl=en-GB

If you don't want to do that and want to stream your local itunes library to the CCA then look at a third party app like AllCast for example

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/allcast-send-photos-music/id943763227?ls=1&mt=8

 

[daveh75]

Incidently Apple Loseless is very lossy and compressed.

No it isn't, you're chatting out your hoop!

Apple lossless (AKA ALAC) as its name implies uses lossless compression

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Lossless

If you can't be factual why not do everyone a favour and STFU and leave the advice to those that can be constructive and know what they're talking about...

 

[Roman Totale]

Thanks daveh75, that's helpful. I'll try the AllCast first. I do have about 700GB of music in my library so probably a big job to upload to Google...

 

[daveh75]

Thanks daveh75, that's helpful. I'll try the AllCast first. I do have about 700GB of music in my library so probably a big job to upload to Google...

GPM does a similar thing to iTunes Match (if that's even still a thing?) in that it will scan your library and anything it can match to their catalogue will be added to your GPM library automatically rather than being uploaded, so it won't take as long/be as big a job as you think.

Anything it can't match will obviously be uploaded and how long that takes will depend on your upload speeds though...

 

[Roman Totale]

Thanks daveh75, that's helpful. I'll try the AllCast first. I do have about 700GB of music in my library so probably a big job to upload to Google...

GPM does a similar thing to iTunes Match (if that's even still a thing?) in that it will scan your library and anything it can match to their catalogue will be added to your GPM library automatically rather than being uploaded, so it won't take as long/be as big a job as you think.

Anything it can't match will obviously be uploaded and how long that takes will depend on your upload speeds though...

Thanks daveh75, I'll give the GPM a go then. The switch to mp3s won't matter for my kitchen listening!

 

[Roman Totale]

Hi daveh75,

This is probabaly a daft question, but better safe than sorry: I take it in uploading my library to GPM, my iTunes library remains intact and as is, i.e as Lossless files?

Thanks

 

[daveh75]

I take it in uploading my library to GPM, my iTunes library remains intact and as is, i.e as Lossless files?

Thanks

Yes.

GPM won't modify your existing iTunes library in any way.

 

[Roman Totale]

Thanks daveh75!

 

[Roman Totale]

Hi, after a recommendation from What Hifi, I bought a Chromecast Audio, with the intention of sending Apple lossless music from ITunes on my Mac (ideally) or iPhone/iPad, to a wirleess speaker in the kitchen and my second hifi (no digital input). However, I haven't been able to get it to work.

First problem was there was no Chromecast app in the App Store, however it seems we're now meant to use the Google Home app, so I got that downloaded and got the Chromecast set up. I've been able to play the Google app's sample music from my wireless speaker, but none of the apps I use, iTunes or Amazon Music, identify the Chromecast as an external device to send the music. I don't want to invest time/money in setting up a music library in the Google app.

i realise that it may be that due to tech-corp rivalries Apple has disabled it as far as possible with their devices/systems.

Has anyone had any more success with this, and/or got any suggestions for a apple-friendly comparable device?

Many thanks

I'm pleased to report that I finally got a sweet solution to this. Rather than try to send music from my IPhone, I looked on the app store for Mac, where i found 'Audio Cast for Chromecast'. I was initially reluctant to waste a fiver, as there were no reviews, and it wasn't clear from their list that it would work with Apple Lossless Files (it does - apparently Apple wrap them in am M4A container). After a bit of tinkering, I got it to work, but you had to manually set tracks from the Mac and tell Audio Cast to play them, which wasn't very convenient. However, the app has a facility called 'Live Audio' which will essentially send any sound from your Mac. You have to download an extra audio driver, which is quick and easy, select the 'Live Audio' option, and that allows me to listen in a different room from the Mac, and choose tracks from the Apple remote app on my iPhone. The sound is very good too - it's hard to know for sure as I'm listening on a 20 year old mid-range Arcam system instead of the top of the range Cyrus I'm used to - but I think the Chromecast Audio is doing an excellent job.

So if you want to get music wirelessly from a Mac to a system in another room Chromecast Audio and the 'Audio Cast' app for a total of £35 is an excellent bet, and ultimately worth my earlier hours of frustration.

 

[daveh75]

I'm pleased to report that I finally got a sweet solution to this. Rather than try to send music from my IPhone, I looked on the app store for Mac, where i found 'Audio Cast for Chromecast'. I was initially reluctant to waste a fiver, as there were no reviews, and it wasn't clear from their list that it would work with Apple Lossless Files (it does - apparently Apple wrap them in am M4A container).

Too late for you unfortunately, but i'd forgotten about this until your post reminded me of it.

There's a free/open source app if you don't want to spend a fiver that will send any audio to Chromecast Audio or Sonos speakers (or video to Chromecast for that matter) called Mkchromecast available for Linux and MacOS

https://github.com/muammar/mkchromecast