Cheap Speaker endpoint options?

The person I am asking for has several Echo Dots set up around the house and uses those for music already, so it is not a big leap of inference for them to want to have a compact networked speaker solution like that to be addressable by Roon. All they want is to be able send music to these networked speakers for harder to reach rooms. They don’t want to mess with Raspberry Pis, etc.

I have Echo/Alexa tied in to my audio/video system and Philips Hue lights. I can say stuff like “Alexa, Tel Simple Control to Watch Blu-Ray” and my projector screen drops, all equipment powers up with the correct inputs and volume settings, and specific ceiling and accent backscreen accent lights come on in theater seating 6500k mode. The Echo is really a compact marvel and ridiculously inexpensive.

Well personally I prefer using my hands and feet for some things. But I have to ask, why even bother with Roon? The beautiful display and pretty good (so far) touch screen interface become almost irrelevant if you’re talking to your stuff and it really understands. If your friend is already piping music (presumably from Amazon) throughout the house what is he/she missing by not having it work with Roon? Can’t you tell it what you want to listen to? Better still, can’t it tell you what you want to listen to? (Way over the line for me. Amazon already annoys the crap out of me always pushing its suggestions).

Maybe a telepathic interface is closer than we think. Count me out, though. My fear is at some point we become irrelevant.

If that’s the objective and they already play music on their Echo Dot why not stick with that solution and use Alexa multi room?

Because they have Roon controller and all that music in their libraries they cannot hear on the Dots. Plus they bought Roon and want to experience it everywhere.

It’s not about talking to the Echo Dot, it’s about using it (or another cheap solution) as a Roon endpoint.

Hi Frans -
I think the Google Home Mini is what you’re looking for. I just checked in Roon, and sure enough mine appeared as an endpoint. I’m playing music through it now. Problem solved?

Quite possibly! I was looking at Chromecast Audio, but this would be more like the Amazon Echo!

1 Like

Maybe a little bit late to the party…but if you’re still looking for a cheap solution (like me) consider the Sonos/Ikea speakers available next August

Cheapest is 99€/$

Get a Google Chromecast Audio, whilst they’re still available. Works perfectly with Roon as a WiFi endpoint.

1 Like