Thanks for sharing this. I been looking for a nice wireless speaker that supports RAAT.
Hopefully is not as buggy as some other ones…
Well,the ELAC Z3 was working great until I moved to a new apartment.
I have FIOS installed and the wired connections are great but the WiFi was terrible due to the steel in the plaster and lathe walls of my apartment.
So, yesterday, I installed Orbi from NetGear, a mesh network solution, as far as I understand it, and my WiFi problems have gone away. Unfortunately, the ELAC Z3 will only appear in Roon as “Discovery Z3 (ShairportSync)” and this does not work, it generates all kinds of transport errors.
I used to be able to get two networked connections to the speaker, the other one was a RoonReady RAAT option and that one worked brilliantly. I’ve upgraded my firmware on the speaker to no avail.
Any thoughts? I’m going to look for an ELAC support forum.
1 Like
I had issues with mesh and sonos speakers.
I put one AP in Gateway mode (Connected via Ethernet) close to the area where my speakers are and my issues went away. I use Open Mesh.
Well, my Z3 is working fine again, I’m not exactly sure why. After running into that problem with not being able to connect across Orbi, I moved it into the kitchen, connected through the Z3 app to Orbi, and it came up as a RAAT device (uncertified). I wonder if my problems were solved by installing Roon 1.5.
I like the Z3 so much that I’m getting a second one for my bedroom. That will basically cover my apartment if I create a multi-zone for the two Z3s and my stereo. So, I’ll see if I run into any trouble adding another Z3 to the system.
Seeing how much electricity my large stereo burns, given its class A amplifier, the Z3 will probably pay for itself eventually if I use it when I’m working instead of turning on the main rig.
3 Likes
I got a second Z3 to work in my bedroom along with the one in the kitchen. I had a hard time figuring out which was which in the z3 iPhone app. So, I unplugged the kitchen one and did a reset of the bedroom one. After I got the bedroom recognized as Roon ready, uncertified, I had to reset the kitchen one to get it recognized. It all works now. Awesome.
2 Likes
Folks - I want to get back to Adeeb’s original post: "I am looking to buy a wireless speaker (preferably portable) that can give me the best audio quality and full hi-res support. Meaning, I would like it to be RoonReady with support for RAAT over wifi "
I am just starting out: CDs ripped on a Windows 10 laptop, wifi, multiple rooms where I want to listen and optimistic that Roon will provide the user interface me and my better-half can use. Looking for a short cut to a wider choice than the Bluesound range and the ELAC Z3? Any recommendations?
Unfortunately, nothing has changed, as far as I know. If you want RAAT and it must be all-in-one then those are your options. If you’re prepared to use another device as an intermediary (e.g. RPi) or a different protocol (e.g. Chromecast, Airplay) then there are an abundance of other options.
Thanks dhusky. I’ll check out the chromecast, maybe the R-Pi options to see if the hardware complexity is hidden below the Roon app presentation.
If you like DIY, then something like this shows what can be done:
1 Like
Thanks Geoff for the plug. About to embark on another mono speaker over the next week or so. It’s quite addictive and so.much cheaper.
You’re welcome. I’m impressed. If I tried something like this, I’d just have the RPi hanging out the back, or at best, glued to the back of a speaker…
There’s lots of pretty straightforward RPi options - either just as a transport to a powered speaker with DAC (e.g. various Ruark speakers take an optical in), as a DAC to the full gamut of powered speakers, or finally as a DAC + Amp to passive speakers. Take a look at Allo, IQAudio and HiFiBerry as a start - lots of advice on the forum.
The JBL Link series are well-reviewed and are portable Chromecast speakers.
Also, the Bose SoundTouch range all have Aux in I think, so are easy to Roonify with a Pi/HAT combo.