Alternatives To Chromecast Audio: We Did The Research For You - Robot Powered Home (2023)

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Chromecast Audio was a great add-on that could transform any dumb speaker into something more intelligent.

I’ve always been looking to get one ever since I heard about it but wasn’t able to for so long.

You could only imagine how upset I was when Google announced they were stopping sales of Chromecast Audio, but I wasn’t completely done with the idea.

I went online to check if there were alternatives to what Chromecast Audio offered and if they were good enough to be a worthy successor.

I spent hours poring over reviews from journalists and real users to know how each product I found performed and if they were good enough.

This article results from those hours of research, and I was able to paint a thorough picture of what these products could do and what they cannot.

The best Chromecast Audio alternative would be the Amazon Echo Link, thanks to its deep integration with Alexa’s smart home ecosystem and compatibility with almost every commercial audio system.

Read on to find out what I think about each product, what they do best, and what they need to improve.

Amazon Echo Link – Best Overall Chromecast Alternative

Amazon has a strong presence in the streaming stick and associated markets, and the Echo Link is their foray into an alternative for the discontinued Chromecast Audio.

It lets you stream music from your phone over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, so it completely bypasses the Chromecast ecosystem.

The Echo Link has a volume control on the front and almost every digital and analog audio input popular today.

You can hook up your wired speaker system to the Echo Link and pair the Link with your phone to start enjoying music wirelessly.

The Echo Link supports high-quality streaming music from Prime Music, Spotify, Tidal, and more, all of it with Alexa support.

It adds a handsfree touch to your listening experience when you can just ask Alexa to play whatever you want.

The device also supports A/V Receivers, so if your speakers go through a receiver first, you can connect the Link to the receiver to access all smart features.

It integrates well with Alexa’s smart home ecosystem and can take part in the routines that you’ve set before.

Pros

• Alexa voice command support.
• Bluetooth and dual-band Wi-Fi connectivity.
• Hi-fi streaming quality.
• Integrates with Alexa-enabled smart homes.

Cons

• You have to pay more for an included amplifier.

Audiocast M5 – Best Plug-and-play Chromecast Alternative

The Audiocast M5 doesn’t have support for any Chromecast-enabled devices, even though it was marketed as an alternative to Chromecast.

However, it uses DLNA to cast audio from your phone, so it will work regardless of what system you’re using to cast your media.

The Audiocast looks almost identical to the Chromecast Audio, so design-wise, it plays it safe and sticks to a formula that works.

The device supports 24 bit 194 kHz audio, which is surprising for a device of its size, and uses 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi to connect to your devices.

You can also have multiple Audiocasts in the same network or even dedicate individual Audiocast devices for each audio channel.

The device falls short software-wise and doesn’t close to Chromecast’s smooth Android-esque user interface.

The app you need to control the device is clunky to use, and setup can cause some hassle with random failures, and this doesn’t include the less than ideal English translations that the app uses.

The Audiocast is a great choice if you don’t want to bother with software much and you only care about how well the device itself works, audio-wise.

Pros

• Supports 24 bit 194 kHz audio.
• Design inspired by Chromecast.
• Multiple Audiocasts can be set up in the same network.
• OS independent.

Cons

• The phone app misses the mark.

Avantree OasisPlus – Best Multipurpose Chromecast Alternative

The Oasis Plus audio transmitter from Avantree is another alternative to Chromecast Audio besides the Audiocast.

This device allows you to connect to it physically and can transmit audio from your TV to a Bluetooth speaker or headphones.

It can do what a Chromecast Audio could do and connect your phone over Bluetooth to a wired speaker system connected to the Oasis Plus.

The former is the transmitter mode, and the latter is the receiving mode, both of which are clearly labeled on the device and will light up depending on what mode the device is in.

Class 1 Long Range Bluetooth 5.0 allows the Oasis Plus to have an extended range compared to other Bluetooth devices, so range wouldn’t be that big of an issue.

It works with any phone with Bluetooth regardless of the operating system, but there is no software to control it, and you’ll have to use the buttons on the device to change modes.

The device is also aptX HD certified, so if you have other Bluetooth speakers and headphones that support this standard, you’ll have the most delay-free experience possible.

Pros

• aptX Certified.
• Transmit and Receive modes available.
• Bluetooth 5.0.
• OS independent

Cons

• No software or app controls.

Why Look For Alternatives To Chromecast Audio

Connecting wirelessly to speakers is always more convenient than lugging wires around, but not all speakers are created equal.

To bring this convenience factor to regular wired speakers while adding some intelligent features, Google came out with the Chromecast Audio.

Unfortunately, since the Chromecast Audio was discontinued, people were left with no option but to look elsewhere.

This is one of the primary reasons you would look for a replacement, one of the other being the ceasing of software updates.

Losing updates would mean that the Chromecast Audio won’t get any new features ever, making its usage pretty limited.

The alternatives I’ve talked about in this article cover all of the issues that the discontinuation of the Chromecast Audio brought pretty well.

Choosing The Right One

Getting the right audio streaming system mainly depends on what your requirements are.

You’ll need to look at the underlying system that each of the products mentioned here run on, as well as make sure you have the compatible hardware to make it work.

Consider what type of media you’ll be playing through these devices as well, and make a decision with that in mind.

If budget is also something you are looking out for, incorporate it as well when getting one of these products.

What About Streaming Sticks?

Google phased the Chromecast Audio out because they felt that they already had products that could serve the role of the Chromecast Audio.

This is true because a regular Chromecast can connect to a wired speaker system that’s hooked up to your TV if you’ve connected the Chromecast to that TV.

You can also do this with any TV that has HDMI CEC and with almost any streaming stick that is CEC certified.

So you’re looking at Rokus, Amazon Fire TV Sticks, as well as Chromecasts to be really good replacements for the Chromecast Audio.

Do I Need Specialized Equipment?

Any Bluetooth Receiver will do as long as it has the ports that a wired speaker system requires, like a coaxial input for digital or RCA for analog input.

If you have the cables and a good amplifier, all you need is a Bluetooth receiver that can listen to signals from your phone or other device and transmit it to the speaker system.

A/V Receivers have amplifiers built in, so if you have one, its as easy as plugging in the Bluetooth receiver to one of its inputs with a 3.5mm jack and designating the speaker output to the receiver.

The A/V receiver will do the rest and you will be able to play anything you want with your phone by connecting to the Bluetooth receiver.

Recently, there have been several soundbars, receivers and speaker systems with Bluetooth features, so if you’re upgrading, consider getting one of those if you want to play music on the soundbar over Bluetooth.

In case you do get one of these speaker systems, you won’t need a Bluetooth receiver.

One For Everyone

If you already have an Alexa-enabled smart home set up, the Echo Link would be the best choice.

Although it is a bit on the steeper side price-wise, making your home smarter is still worth it.

When looking for something easy to plug and play, I recommend the Autocast M5.

It has a few features that are almost a requirement on a Chromecast Audio alternative, and it does those features well.

If you want something capable of transmitting and receiving audio, the Avantree Oasis Plus would be the better option.

Add to that the low latency aptX and Bluetooth 5.0, you have an all-in-one solution for audio transmission.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was Chromecast Audio discontinued?

Google’s official reason when they discontinued the Chromecast Audio was that they already had a few devices that could do the same job that it did.

Will Google continue to support Chromecast Audio?

Google will continue to provide customer support to Chromecast Audio devices for the foreseeable future.

The device won’t receive any updates down the line, though.

Does casting reduce audio quality?

Audio quality during casting mostly depends on the audio quality of the file being streamed or played.

The casting protocols only have a slight difference when it comes to audio quality.

Does Chromecast sound better than Bluetooth?

The protocols that Chromecast uses to connect devices and play media have a lot more bandwidth than Bluetooth does.

As a result, audio played over Chromecast can sound better than on Bluetooth, but this also depends on the audio file you are playing.