As for the CCA option. Yes it's very affordable, streams audio, and doesn't use the God forbid "audiophile dreaded" Bluetooth protocol ...but that comes with some significant caveats. I have two CCAs going on two years. One is in a drawer and the other serves duty as an 'emergency use only' device. For me, the CCA and/or the related app inter-operational intricacies/glitches of late have been a big buzz kill bummer. Connectivity is, politely...sweaty ballz.
i.e. Latest version
(as well as two prior) of the TuneIn app (iOS) is borked as shit. Click the Cast button, hear the "dong"...
crickets. In order to kick-start the stream you must select a different station before it plays---Yet, the station & song info is stuck on the previous "dead" channel. WTF...major PITA. Airport Express...relatively flawless.
On my Androids, while I do not experience the same
initial connection foobar, the connection is flaky. Becomes unresponsive for whatever reason. Let the finger pointing begin, but it doesn't really matter whose "upgrade" broke who....the CCA gizmo is busted. I now only rarely use
the one CCA in a region of the ranch where it happens to be plugged in and only for continuous
(once connected via aforementioned hoops) radio streams.
More below...
But my biggest overall gripe with the CCA via it's method of handing off the stream from the source device is that it
rudely breaks/does not support a critical feature. Namely
gapless playback. Aside from the obvious faux paux with classical music, I'm a tried and true craft-radio sort where segues both lyrically and rhythmically of any genre is bloody essential. It varies, but who the hell wants up to an 8 sec. pause in the tunage?! So as far as my on-demand streaming needs...the CCA shtick gets kicked to the curb. As a two year veteran of the CCA...
ptooey!
/rant.