What do you suppose this setting actually does? I know next to nothing about audio, but yesterday I was reading the Wikipedia page to find out what “line-level” means. I see that there are two settings, consumer and pro. Does this setting switch between them, perhaps? And what does that mean for optical digital out? Wouldn’t the raw bits be the same in either setting?
By default, the Chromecast adds compression when using analog out – presumably making for easier listening on less than capable audio systems.
Enabling FDR makes sure the CA outputs a regular, full range, non compressed audio signal.
This has nothing to do with line level output – consumer vs. professional comes down to the latter being a bit ‘hotter’ than the former. The CA is a regular consumer device – nothing special about it. 
If I can add one more point -
The Chromecast Audio puts out “raw bits” when you use the optical output to bypass the digital-to-analog converter (DAC), by putting an optical cable into the output instead of a conventional audio cable. When you use a conventonial audio cable, you don’t get bits anymore, you get bits that have been converted into an analog signal (i.e. electric current a/k/a line level output).
A couple of question on Chromecast Audio:
1 - Does it stream via Roon in lossless via Tidal Hi-Fi (quality 44.1 / 16 or better)?
2 - How does the CCA’s SQ compare to microRendu?
Compression, eh? I wonder if there is a Web page somewhere with more details. Perhaps this is like the HDCD peak extension? Thanks, Rene.
I’m sure it is. Its a great DAC for a non reference set-up. Its a poor DAC for any kind of critical listening, high resolution/resolving system. Simple as that. Its optical output obviously avoids the internal DAC, but apparently its quite jittery. So results will then depend on how good your offboard DAC is with jitter. Some DACs struggle with jitter, in that case adding a reclocking device as suggested by some websites makes sense.
I’m planning to use my CCA with my Marantz/BR2 kit, which is my secondary zone. My primary zone will never see the CCA again, due to my aforementioned listening test.
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Peak extension is surely expansion, which is the opposite of compressing. Compressing reduces the dynamic range of the signal.
Damn typical - Google doesn’t expose this setting via the web - only via the App, and I don’t have an Android or iOS phone…
Regarding #1 I believe it streams up to 24/48 depending on the source in TIDAL but I haven’t confirmed that directly.
About #2, I have a MicroRendu set up with a Meridian Explorer 2 DAC, and the Chromecast with my Marantz PM6006 internal DAC, so my comparison of Chromecast to Rendu is confounded by using a different DAC with each. But I would say through that amp and my Totem Hawk speakers, which are fairly good, I don’t hear an obvious difference. Perhaps a higher-end amp would reveal a difference, and I hope some day I can afford to find out.
As Alastair observed above, I might be getting good results because the DAC on my Marantz isn’t too sensitive to “jitter” from the Chromecast.
Sorry to be unclear. I meant that the tracks on the CD are compressed, and playing them without reversing the compression won’t get you the actual input signal.
The CCA is 96/24 max.
@thyname The Chromecast itself is capable of 24/96. It will play that if you have local high res content; from Tidal, if you play MQA content Roon will by default unpack it to 96k; for regular Tidal content, it will by default play at 16/44 but you can tell Roon to upsample. And if you have higher resolution, like 16/192 or DSD, Roon will downsample to 96k.
Thanks!
It would be great if someone was able to compare CCA vs. microRendu (or any other USB output, high-ish end endpoint) feeding the same DAC.
If there is no difference between them, meaning CCA is just as good, then all those endpoint / streamers are toast!
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Assuming the Chromecast is not hooked up to an MQA DAC, I thought the most you would be able to get with an MQA recording through a Chromecast would be 24/48.
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Roon can do the first MQA decode pass up to 24/96.
I didn’t know that, thanks.
And in fact, that’s the default setting for my Chromacast plugged into a BelCanto DAC, which is not MQA capable.
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I wish my Marantz had a USB input so I could!
You’re the sole remaining Blackberry user then ?! 
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I have both, and will probably compare them.
But since the CC is Toslink and the mR is asynchronous USB, the comparison probably trips over the technology difference right out of the gate.