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Chromecast Audio sound quality experiences

Fretbuzz

Fretbuzz

pfm Member
Has anyone compared it directly to a 'proper' streamer - ie both via optical in to a given DAC?

Please note I'm not after any stuff around measurements or theory behind digital delivery (and have read the audio science review CCA articles) - just first-hand experiences :)

Cheers.
 
I found it noticeably inferior, in the set-up you describe, to my SB Touch. Cannot understand why, but there you have it.
 
For an entry into streaming it was great hard to say if the CCA or the stream I was using but sounded ok but easily bettered by my CD.

Still got mine tho and for the money nothing like it.

Bluesound Node2 was a good deal so still to try that with or without a Topping E30 Dac
 
Useful responses - thanks.

Same here re comparing it to CD (lossless rips form same CD). CCA is OK in isolation but pretty flat and lifeless in comparison. Shame as I wanted to 'get away' with it as a streamer. It's more confusing when you read why it shouldn't be different. Still, for the money the CCA superb I guess!

Which streamers made the SQ jump you were happy with - from the CCA and/or towards say the CD reference?
 
I think anyone that responds to this should qualify their comments with details of setup, most do.

Compared Cambridge Audio, Yamaha Musicast and Chromecast, so limited experience but there may be some snobbery around the humble Chromecast Audio.

As with most things taking time to setup your streamer bears fruit, all necessary boxes ticked for best SQ.

I use a Chromecast Audio in main system, optical connection to Topping E30, Neotech 3004 rca’s to AA amp.

I’m happy to continue using it.

I note no appreciable differences between streamers that I have tried, although I admit limited.

Gary
 
I found a much more open less boxed in sound when connected optical to Topping E30 at that point using a Rotel RA05SE into Naim NAM 402 speakers, switching back to my Rotel RCD955 ( modified by a fellow fish ) things just opened up a bit more and felt more alive if that makes sense.
still to try the Node2
 
I wasn't that impressed by the sound quality of the Chromecast Audio when just using a headphone to RCA cable, but that improved a lot when using its optical output into a DAC (even just a cheap DAC like the one Argos used to sell) and like that it was pretty decent.

I've replaced the Chromecast Audio with other streamers in my systems (Cambridge Audio ones in a couple of systems and with a Squeezebox Touch in another) however my kids still use them in their systems. I've not done any side by side sound quality comparison though, and also don't think I tried the Chromecast into one of my better DACs either.
 
I personally found the CCA into a DAC was producing a very good sound indeed - based on the fact I only stream music from Tidal and Spotify.

I have gone up another level and have bought myself a Primare NP5 which embodies Chromecast and also includes Spotify Connect (in the near future will also include Tidal Connect). This does sound better and is likely to sound better still if you upgraded the SMPS (that has yet to be determined). I use the coax spdif output of the NP5 into a DAC (there is no DAC in the NP5 - it is purely a bridge) - also there is no USB out which may put some people off.

One or two here have noticed no difference between the NP5 and the CCA (although it's close) - however I did - so I guess as usual YMMV. I am waiting to see if a better PSU will improve the sound even further.
 
I use two CCA. One in my work system and one at home for tidal, they sound ace. I read that the digital output is a bit 'jittery' ... but my Soncoz SG1 is jitter rejecting so It really doesn't matter.
For me, the CCA remains a fantastic bargain and I really cant justify a great deal of expense to replace my two.
 
beammeup said:
I personally found the CCA into a DAC was producing a very good sound indeed - based on the fact I only stream music from Tidal and Spotify.

I have gone up another level and have bought myself a Primare NP5 which embodies Chromecast and also includes Spotify Connect (in the near future will also include Tidal Connect). This does sound better and is likely to sound better still if you upgraded the SMPS (that has yet to be determined). I use the coax spdif output of the NP5 into a DAC (there is no DAC in the NP5 - it is purely a bridge) - also there is no USB out which may put some people off.

One or two here have noticed no difference between the NP5 and the CCA (although it's close) - however I did - so I guess as usual YMMV. I am waiting to see if a better PSU will improve the sound even further.
Click to expand...

I'm one of the ones who couldn't hear a difference between a Chromecast (not the Audio, though, the HDMI version, running through an HDMI audio extractor) and the Primare NP5. I used the coax output from the NP5 and the toslink output from the extractor, both into the digital inputs of the Primare MM30 board installed in a Primare Pre32. I could switch at a press on the remote between the two. If there was a difference, it wasn't noticeable to me. The (at the time - it's supposed to have been updated since) crap app (I couldn't get it to play from the NAS and had to use Bubble UPnP to control it instead) for the NP5 sealed it for me, and the NP5 went back.
 
I have one in my second system feeding a Meridian 203 DAC. It sounds Ok to my ears (and indistinguishable from the Meridain 200 also feeding the DAC) but I sometimes need to fiddle with it to get it to connect (wirelessly) with my NAS. That said I also have to fiddle with my Squeezebox in my main system to get it to wake up. The amp and speakers are not of the same order as the Meridian so they may well be masking differences. I think I paid £15 on some sort of special offer. At anywhere near that price it's a steal.
 
I should add that both the NP5 and the Chromecast were fed via ethernet cat cable, just incase that makes a difference ;).
 
I understand that there is a Settings based thing that allows you to choose better sound quality on a Chromecast. At the expense of what, I don't know. How you do it, likewise.
 
stevec67 said:
I understand that there is a Settings based thing that allows you to choose better sound quality on a Chromecast. At the expense of what, I don't know. How you do it, likewise.
Click to expand...

IIRC you need to install the Google Home app on your smart device, register the CCA with it, then you can go into a settings menu and enable 'Full Dynamic Range' (for use with a quality system). Otherwise it defaults to 'compressed' output. But this only affects the analog output -- the digital output isn't affected by this setting.

Here we go:
https://support.google.com/chromecast/answer/6290498
 
Anyone know what bitrate these spit out? Or what the native sampling frequency of Spotify premium content is?

Spotify from the computer via USB and the DAC says 48khz.

Spotify streaming from the computer to the CCA in FDR mode via toslink to the DAC and the DAC says 44.1khz.

I suspect some proprietary streaming protocol jiggery pokery going on somewhere as I think the former does sound marginally better.
 
stevec67 said:
I understand that there is a Settings based thing that allows you to choose better sound quality on a Chromecast. At the expense of what, I don't know. How you do it, likewise.
Click to expand...

Full Dynamic range setting, available in device settings in the google home app.
 
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