Chromecast audio vs streamer

[hybridauth_Facebook_10205647056156489]

Hi all,

I have been considering buying a stand alone streamer, but hope that I have been able to solve the issue of streaming in good quality without having to invest the kind of money a good streamer costs.

I am streaming Tidal Hi-Fi to Chromecast Audio, which is then connected with an optical cable to the optical input on my Audiolab 8200CD that I already owned.. So the DAC in the CD player does the number crunching.

I am very satisfied with the sound, but I haven't tested it against the sound quality of a good quality dedicated streamer. Anyone have any idea if there is better sound to be had from a dedicated streamer than from my set up? As far as I can understand the signal from Tidal Hi-Fi reaches my DAC without any deterioration on the way, but I am no expert in these matters.

Sst

 

[abacus]

The DAC in your CD player is of good quality therefore the differences of going to a dedicated streamer will not be that great, however a dedicated streamer is an all in one unit that does not have to rely on using an app to function, (Although you can use an app if you want) which can be more convenient.

You would be looking to spend more than your CD player to get an improvement (If any) so best to try a few out and see if you can hear a difference. (The quality of your ancillary components will also play a part)

Hope this helps

Bill

 

[drummerman]

Specialist streamers usually include decent DAC's but I do wonder how this thing (Chromecast Audio) sounds without dedicated external DAC?

What are the CC's own DAC specification?

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

Give yourself some peace of mind and be rest assured that the dac in your cd player is of exceptional quality and you'll have to go along way on the upgrade ladder to better it.The issue is that the chromecast can't enjoy the full res files that tidal supports.off the top of my head I'm pretty sure it's 16 bit @ 44.1khz for the chromecast like my own amazon ftv box,if you want to listen to the full res files you will need another streamer that supports the higher resolutions of up to 24 bit @192 khz.At the end of the day your dac can't crunch numbers that aren't there in the first place.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_10205647056156489]

Thanks, Mark.

I checked the specs now. Here are specs from Googles own Chromecast Audio page:

Chromecast Audio Specs:[/b]
Output:Stereo analog output [2Vrms]Optical digital outputHigh-Resolution Audio: 96KHz/24-bit [/list][/list]
https://support.google.com/chromecast/answer/6279377?hl=en

That means it can handle the full quality of the Tidal Hi-Fi files, right?

Sst

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_10205647056156489]

I did try to connect it directly to my amplifier with an analog cable (minijack to RCA), and at least it sounded a lot better than the sound I got when using my old Pro-ject Bluetooth Box which cost over twice as much. I am not sure, however, if that was because it has a better DAC than the Bluetooth Box or the superiority of Wi Fi over Bluetooth.

Sst

 

[drummerman]

Thanks, Mark.

I checked the specs now. Here are specs from Googles own Chromecast Audio page:

Chromecast Audio Specs:

• Output:
  • Stereo analog output [2Vrms]
  • Optical digital output
  • High-Resolution Audio: 96KHz/24-bit

https://support.google.com/chromecast/answer/6279377?hl=en

That means it can handle the full quality of the Tidal Hi-Fi files, right?

Sst

There is talk to update these specs further via online.

Plenty already imho.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

I would just keep with the chromecast then if it's got 24 bit @96 hz,I doubt you'll hear much difference with higher resolution than that with your current equipment in mind.might give one a try myself.does it have Spotify connect?

 

[Dave_]

might give one a try myself.does it have Spotify connect?

It doesn't support Spotify Connect. But Spotify does support Chromecast so it will behave in the same way, i.e You use the Spotify app as a remote, and the Chromecast Audio streams directly from the internet.

 

[Gazzip]

Give yourself some peace of mind and be rest assured that the dac in your cd player is of exceptional quality and you'll have to go along way on the upgrade ladder to better it.The issue is that the chromecast can't enjoy the full res files that tidal supports.off the top of my head I'm pretty sure it's 16 bit @ 44.1khz for the chromecast like my own amazon ftv box,if you want to listen to the full res files you will need another streamer that supports the higher resolutions of up to 24 bit @192 khz.At the end of the day your dac can't crunch numbers that aren't there in the first place.

I am confused? I thought that Tidal offered 16-Bit/44.1 kHz CD quality and not up to 24 bit @192 khz?

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

Sorry,I've just double checked and you seem to be right,although streaming can go to over 1000 kbs.I assumed that it would be streaming at least 24 bit @96hz.Oh well I'll not be hurrying on to that bandwagon then.

 

[Gazzip]

Yeah, Tidal is better than the opposition but calling itself a hi-res streaming service is a little misleading.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_10205647056156489]

To be fair, I don't think Tidal have said that they offer high-res streaming. They say the offer lossless streaming, which I suppose is the standard word for the CD-quality streaming that they indeed have. Tidal does sound noticeably better than Spotify in my living room.

But Tidal have already opened MQA hi-res streaming for demo at CES etc. They have not set a definitive date for commercial launch, but it should be sooner rather than later. Pricing for this is supposed to be the same as for the current CD-quality service.

Spotify is also very easy to use with Chromecast Audio, and has built in support. Should be the same as Spotify Connect.

 

[Gazzip]

To be fair, I don't think Tidal have said that they offer high-res streaming. They say the offer lossless streaming, which I suppose is the standard word for the CD-quality streaming that they indeed have. Tidal does sound noticeably better than Spotify in my living room.

But Tidal have already opened MQA hi-res streaming for demo at CES etc. They have not set a definitive date for commercial launch, but it should be sooner rather than later. Pricing for this is supposed to be the same as for the current CD-quality service.

Spotify is also very easy to use with Chromecast Audio, and has built in support. Should be the same as Spotify Connect.

Just read the WHFSAV report on Tidal's upcoming MQA streaming service. Will definitely be giving that a try when it launches. To be honest my experience with Hi-Res formats is non-existent so I look forward to that with much interest.

 

[Dux]

The Chromcast Audio DAC is of good quality (Asahi Kasei AK4430). This DAC supports the higher resolutions of up to 24 bit at 192 kHz. The iFixit teardown report shows it at “Step 11”.
https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Chromecast+2015+Teardown/50189

More information about this DAC can be found at the producer web-site:
http://www.akm.com/akm/en/product/datasheet1/?partno=AK4430ET

I’m using “Gramofon” streamer with the same DAC to stream music from my Spotify Premium to my old Yamaha RX750 receiver. Well, this is not Tidal’s “high-fidelity CD sound quality”, but it sounds pretty decent to my ears.

PS. I’m not a native speaker, so forgive me my language/grammar mistakes 😉

 

[jonathanRD]

I've just recently purchased the Chromecast Audio and so far I have been very impressed for the £30 outlay. I haven't done a side by side comparison yet, but my intial impression is that streaming from Spotify Premium is very good but my CD player has the edge. But for £30 it's very good VFM, and even if I think the CD player is better, it does not in any way spoil my enjoyment of the music.

 

[KevH]

I have a Chromecast hooked up to the optical input of my MA A100 ( http://www.whathifi.com/monitor-audio/airstream-a100/review ), and sound quality is excellent, although It's not as transparent as I'd like, especially as this is one of the A100s strong suites. I have tried hooking up using the Jack out, and the quality wasn't great, flat and dull, although that was straight out of the box with no running in period, so it's possible the quality would improve with a decent amount of run in.

 

[muljao]

There is a setting on the chromecast setup page that allows better quality when streaming. By default i think this is set to off, but when using the optical out instead of jack/rca it auto does this better setting