Yep, time to say goodbye to the Airport Express units which I've been using for so long - well one far longer than the other actually -. I bought my first Airport Express -first generation - in 2009 and the newer generation in 2013 and that's the latest and last Airport Express generation to be made. Unfortunately the Airport Express has not kept up with current Wi-Fi trends or perhaps the simple answer is that it can't? We now have Wi-Fi AAC for example which is a huge step forward. Once aupon a not so long ago, I used the Airport Express as a router however what the Airport Express was capable of then has now been totally eclipsed by other routers from the big names such as Asus and so on. So what am I using in the place of the Airport Express to receive audio streams? The new Google Chromecast Audio which arrived today. Its simple to set up thanks to the Google Home App on both Android and IOS, I used Android for the setup Operating System this time and found the Google Home App easy to navigate. Only thing that does worry me is how good the receiver in the Chromecast Audio is as it described the Wi-Fi network I connected to as having a "Weak Signal" and I was advised to connect to another with a stronger signal, well we'll find out later today just how robust the connection really is when I put the Chromecast Audio through its paces. The Chromecast Audio looks very similar in size to the current generation of the Chromecast but instead of a HDMI port it has a 3.5MM audio port which is capable of providing both analogue and digital output, if the Chromecast were only an analogue output device then I would never have considered purchasing one. I paid $60 Australian for the Chromecast Audio and that to me represents excellent value, I don't expect top notch audio for my $60 but I'm quite sure I'll get reasonable - if not very decent - audio when I connect the Chromecast Audio to my Rotel DAC, I might even connect the Chromecast Audio to my new MM1 Speakers.
********** Those with negative attitudes are a problem, those with positive outlooks are the solution.
