Chromecast Audio discontinued

You can use a Rasberry Pi loaded with some free software like Rune or Volumio. If you don't have a DAC to connect to it there are some inexpensive DAC add-ons for the PI like HiFiBerryDAC
But, isn't the whole 'pi' thing kinda a diy project with several add'l bits and pieces required, and configuration tasks?

Not really the same as a CCA: buy, connect, and play.
 
Wow. For once I did not snooze and lose. I bought two that just arrived yesterday. They were $15 each with free shipping on eBay, from Google. Which actually ticked me off because shipping is not free on the Google store so WTF? Looks like this listing is gone now.

I already had a Pi setup running Musicbox. I found it easy enough, and I'm far from a Linux geek, but it does take more time and initiative than the CCA. Mine is an older issue and takes forever to boot, then it will cut out a few times in the first couple of minutes. Sounds great, though (HDMI into a basic Yamaha receiver).
 
I've got three of them now.

But I am looking to the future.

Are there any substitutes for the Chromecast Audio? If I didn't have a CCA, what else is out there that can do the same thing for not a lot of money???

Thanks for your suggestions.

Amazon has been expanding their infrastructure lately. You can cast to the inexpensive Dot from your phone using Alexa Cast. Currently only supports Amazon Music, but I expect they’ll expand it to Spotify, Deezer, etc. Amazon has always been good about opening their APIs, so perhaps they’ll let the likes of BubbleUPnP eventually cast using Alexa Cast.

Also there are several low cost UPnP/DLNA receivers on Amazon, with apps that can connect to NAS and cloud services. No idea how well they work, but might be worth a try.

https://www.amazon.com/M5-Wireless-...artRadio/dp/B06WRSXVBR/ref=asc_df_B06WRSXVBR/
 
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I just bought one based upon recommendations and it has already shipped. Wish me luck that it will improve the sound of streaming versus my $60 Harmon Kardon Bluetooth...!!!
 
The CCA was easily hacked so that someone could play something else on the screen.
Provided that one's internet router allowed an outsider in by leaving defined ports open. An important but conveniently omitted piece of information...
 
You don't understand, if there was no hole, you couldn't take over even with poor security. A flaw is a flaw. There was no way to fix it.

It's a device designed not to be exposed to the internet. It's not a hole, it was designed to operate without authentication so that any and all devices on an internal home network could operate it without hassle. If you're giving strangers from the internet unrestricted access to your home network... That's really on you. If router manufacturers had their shit together we wouldn't even be discussing this.

In any case, the "hole" affects all Chromecast devices including the video capable version so I'd this were really the cause they'd be discontinuing all of them.

It'd also be incredibly easy to push an update that made the Chromecast only respond to commands coming from a registered device or linked Google account, so IMHO the recent reporting on the "hack" and the discontinuation are completely unrelated.

As a side note-any device that lets you push content to it without a login is susceptible this type of manipulation. The Chromecast is simply one of the most popular ones on the market so the hackers used it as their example. It could have been Rokus or FireTV sticks (before they killed the case functionality due to their idiotic feud with Google) or another less common device.

Your router shouldn't be blindly exposing your LAN to the internet. Period.
 
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So how is this different/better than a Bluetooth dongle???
Bluetooth sucks ass for audio--it compresses the data (lossy, like MP3--that's just how its underlying technology works). Bluetooth's AptX spec is supposed to be better, but few devices support it. (Nobody really cares--the kiddies with their wireless Bluetooth don't give a rat's ass about sound quality.)

CCA can pass through up to 24/96 lossless, and will pass through lossless audio from Deezer, Qobuz and Tidal if available. It's also less bother than getting Bluetooth to work--I've had Bluetooth in my life for 10 years now and it's still flaky to keep devices connected and operating properly. The CCA has its hiccups also but nothing nearly as bad, in my experience. The two I use regularly were set up last time over a year ago and have worked perfectly since.

I should do a shootout with the CCA and the Oppo (or whatever I have on hand at the time) when I possibly host the November SMAC meet this year. I even have a Bluetooth audio adapter I can demonstrate sounds terrible compared to the lossless options. :)
 
It's a device designed not to be exposed to the internet. It's not a hole, it was designed to operate without authentication so that any and all decided on an internal home network could operate it without hassle. If you're giving strangers from the internet unrestricted access to your home network... That's really on you. If router manufacturers had their shit together we wouldn't even be discussing this.

Thanks for clarifying, and I agree totally. Any sane I.T. person knows that everything is to be assumed unsafe. There is not one single thing on this planet of ours that is safe when it is connected to a network. Nothing. No OS, no computer, no phone or tablet, no router...nothing. That is why we buy the right hardware and software, then harden everything so these intrusions do not occur. Are some less prone than others? Nope. More popular hardware is what a hacker will attack first. Why bother hacking 1,000 devices when you can hack 20,000 with the same amount of code?

Things are bottled up as securely as I can make them here. Not at all worried about these faux "bugs."
 
Thanks for clarifying, and I agree totally. Any sane I.T. person knows that everything is to be assumed unsafe. There is not one single thing on this planet of ours that is safe when it is connected to a network. Nothing. No OS, no computer, no phone or tablet, no router...nothing. That is why we buy the right hardware and software, then harden everything so these intrusions do not occur. Are some less prone than others? Nope. More popular hardware is what a hacker will attack first. Why bother hacking 1,000 devices when you can hack 20,000 with the same amount of code?

Things are bottled up as securely as I can make them here. Not at all worried about these faux "bugs."

Same. I'm running a software UTM with some serious horses behind it so that it never affects the wife's Netflix. :D
 
I have a love/grumble relationship with my CCA; casting from a laptop Chrome browser session I get intermittent dropouts.

So - not here to whine & complain, but to ask for those that have rock steady streaming experiences with their CCA, what wifi router do you use?

TIA
 
I have a love/grumble relationship with my CCA; casting from a laptop Chrome browser session I get intermittent dropouts.

So - not here to whine & complain, but to ask for those that have rock steady streaming experiences with their CCA, what wifi router do you use?

TIA
I use a Linsys Velop (mesh) router. But I use Powerline Ethernet with my main CCA (the one in the garage is on WiFi. Also, I use mine in a somewhat unconventional way, they are fed by Logitech Media Server as Squeezelite devices via an LMS plug-in.
 
That's a bummer that the CCA was discontinued, although they will be available used on ebay. That's actually how I got my first one a few years ago. Got a second one around xmas time.
I have never had any serious problems or dropouts. I use an Apple Airport router with a relatively slow internet speed, but had similar good experiences with my previous cheapo Netgear router.

There seems to be some confusion here about the regular Chromecast (video) and the Chromecast Audio. Totally different devices. Same concept, but video vs. audio.
 
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