Google Chromecast Audio (2015)

Really easy to set up ; Works with a large variety of speakers ; Chromecast app is simple to use ; Strong third-party app support

Sound delay when casting from website ; Multiroom support not available (yet) ; Has to stay plugged in

The Chromecast Audio does what it promises in a really simple way, but it's the future software updates that could make this a truly affordable way to create a multiroom speaker system.

Low cost ; Simple setup ; Works with most major streaming-music services ; Tiny and unobtrusive hardware design

Audio quality may not be up to par for discerninglisteners ; No Apple Music or Tidal support ; Limited functionality compared to Google's other Chromecast

Even if the market for Chromecast Audio is somewhat limited, it could be incredibly useful for the right person. Good speakers tend to last a long time, but the way we listen to music has evolved significantly in the last five years. If you still have...

Highly stable streaming ; Sounds better than Bluetooth ; Brilliantly simple setup ; Extremely affordable ; Multiroom audio support

Won’t stream iTunes or Apple Music from iOS devices ; Third-party app required to stream audio from a computer ; Included audio cable is relatively useless

While there’s no shortage of competition in the wireless streaming marketplace, the Chromecast Audio is among the simplest, cheapest, and most convenient ways to make virtually any audio device in your home wireless, while linking a few together can...

Inexpensive. Easy to set up. Can make any speaker or sound system Wi-Fi enabled and part of a multi-room setup. Multiple speaker configurations supported. High-resolution (96KHz/24bit) audio now supported.

Only works with 3.5mm connections out of the box. No support for stereo pairs.

The Chromecast Audio takes everything that makes the Chromecast handy, strips away video, and makes it possible to connect nearly any speaker to your Wi-Fi network for wireless music streaming. Most speaker systems today integrate Bluetooth or some...

Brings online streaming to offline devices ; Easy to use ; Lovely design

No multi-room audio yet

Google breathes new (online) life into your old hi-fi

Affordable, great performance, simplicity, cross-platform use, Spotify integration

Not much - it does what it says on the tin, same price as Chromecast (for TV)

We weren't sure that Chromecast Audio would offer enough to be worthwhile. But having setup this dinky device, we're using it every day. It's affordable enough to buy without really thinking about, simple to setup and use, and supports a range of...

Plastic design

Overall, we think the Chromecast Audio looks like a solid and handy device for streaming audio. It'll definitely be interesting to see if it becomes a cult success like its sibling. If you're interested in checking it out, you can now pick one up from...

A few years back, Google’s audience for the Chromecast Audio might’ve been much larger: standalone speakers were far more prevalent. These days, though, Bluetooth speakers are inexpensive; even Sonos, which began by wirelessly connecting existing...

Google's budget audio dongle pipes music to any stereo from the most popular streaming apps on your smartphone. It's simple and works well, with direct compatibility for most major music services, and even more supported via the Chrome browser plug-in...

Some notable music services, including iTunes, Apple Music and Amazon Music, are not supported on iPhone and iPad. Support for hi-res audio is currently limited. In analog sound quality it's beaten by the Fon Gramofon (which costs twice as much)

The ultra-affordable Google Chromecast Audio is one of the best music-streaming devices you can buy -- especially if you're an Android user.