Chromecast Audio sound quality

Any USB 2.0 to microUSB cable will do, like this:

I just used the cable that came with the powerbank but have since used a longer USB cable from Audioquest, Cinnamon iirc, but couldn’t hear a significant difference.

Any pointers to shortest optical connector usable with the CCA?

I want to optimise the link to my Mojo, currently I have an unwieldy 50cm cable. I have seen 30cm options , but ideally a 15 or 20cm would be better. Is it feasible?

Cheers!

The optical cable CCA accessory from the Google Play store is short. Don’t have it handy, but perhaps 15 cm?

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Longer than I thought, I’m afraid. 30 cm.

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DIY, cut the optical cable at your preferred lenght, Connectors are available. Nothing simpler than an optical cable. But why care? SQ will be the same as standards guarantee perfect transmission over several meters??

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Thanks @Bill_Janssen and @streamy68

The reason for the length is for portability. I dual lock my Mojo to chromecast+battery, makes a neat rig. Also I have a Fiio player which has optical out and can use that with the Mojo.

CHeers!

Hi Sallah, Sys.Concept make custom lengths.

http://www.sysconcept.ca/product_info.php?products_id=365

yeah i saw that too. Will need to check out prices :slight_smile: - don’t want to go too sill with it

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Agreed. Can’t have a TOSlink cable costing more than the Chromecast unit itself. Just depends how badly you want that custom length hehe.

The DIY option that @streamy68 mentioned sounds like a fun weekend project.

yeah i know. Sometimes i just think i need things to tinker with, lol.

Hehe I hear ya

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I am testing following:

Macbook/Roon>CCA>Mojo
Macbook/Roon>Mojo via USB direct

Very little difference I can hear feeding Audiolab 8300A, Monitor Audio Silver 200 and REL T7i

Very impressed and breaks free the Macbook so can multitask again whilst listening to music. Very impressed regardless of cost.

Same here. 4 CCAs in the house.

Test

NAS -> CCA -> Linn Akurate DSM with Katalyst upgrade -> Giya G3
NAS -> Linn Akurate DSM with Katalyst upgrade -> Giya G3
with and without roon on the path

no obvious differences.

Put CCA on my secondary systems, perfectly happy.

That being said, using CCA’s analog output is another story. There are differences. The CCA’s AKM is definitely not top of the line.

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Doesn’t your CCA optical digital have dropouts at greater than 44 kHz?

Very occasional on secondary systems. I run the roon core on a desktop that is used and can force a drop out if I start heavy tasks on the desktop or if I force it to connect to a distant router (I have one main router and three in AP mode). Even forcing to 2.4G seems OK. On main system, no issues, but the CCA is one meter away from his router and I am not using the PC that hosts the server when I am listening to it.

I nearly purchased a Bluesound Node 2 before someone mentioned to me that Chromecast is roon compatible. I purchased a Chromecast (the midrange model, not the audio or ultra versions) and have it connected to my Anthem MRX 710 receiver. The sound quality is okay, but it is definitely missing the very top and bottom ends of the audio spectrum. My model does not have the “full dynamic range” option the chromecast audio has, and I assume it runs “full dynamic range” always, although I’m also not sure that has anything to do with reproducing the full audio spectrum.

I read elsewhere that the Bluesound Node 2 will pass the signal directly to the AV receiver. The deduction was the streamer was inconsequential to sound quality. Now, I know this is not true with my two-channel system. I own both an ultraRendu and the SOtM “trifecta.” They do not sound the same despite merely passing the signal to my standalone DAC. The Anthem AVR, while a standout audio performer as AVRs go, is nowhere near the quality of my SOtM/DAC in the music room.

All of this is to ask, “Do you think the Node 2 will somehow vastly improve the quality of sound I’m getting in my home theater?”

I would love to plug in the uR or SOtM and test, but I’m relegated to wifi in the theater and they require wired connections.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Chromecast audio is best connected to a decent external dac if you have one. So too is the node2. I have found decent speakers and amplification show up the dac in the node2. Just my opinion though, others may beg to differ.

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the people that say the streamer is inconsequential to sound quality have no clue what they are talking about.

Can you explain why? Bits are bits, no? Zeroes and ones.

BTW - this is what people who simply use a CCA tell me that streamers don’t matter. Not my opinion. I have a very good quality streamer built in my Ayre QX-5 Twenty, and have had other stand alone streamers in the past, such as ultraRendu & Co.