Chromecast Stereo System

Build a stereo system using Chromecast for less than $100

I was one of the first people to buy a Chromecast. Despite having a few different devices that provide the same services (Tivo, Roku, etc), the low entry point and potential for expandability made it an interesting toy.

However, I quickly noticed we only use it to play music. I have kids running around, and if I’m playing music through the TV they just stare at the TV - which is just an artist’s album displayed using the Ken Burns effect. I decided to hook my Chromecast to my stereo, which is what this article is all about.

A quick search online revealed that a few others had thought of doing this, but the issue was with the HDMI interface. Since HDMI is audio and video combined in one physical connection, I had to buy a special device to split the audio and video.

The Setup

Stereo

I had already been looking for a new stereo receiver. The one I had worked perfectly, but was very large and very heavy. I replaced it with a Lepai mini amp, which was a huge downgrade feature-wise, but I really only need a couple of inputs these days.
Lepai LP-A68 on Amazon.com
Cost: around $25

HDMI Audio/Video Splicer

I looked over a couple on Amazon, and settled on one that got some decent reviews.
HDMI Converter: HDMI to HDMI+Audio on Amazon.com
Cost: around $40

Chromecast

The Chromecast itself.
Google Chromecast on Amazon.com
Cost: around $35

A picture of my rat's nest setup

Currently my setup is a nest of wires on a table, and I noticed my cheap stereo gets some feedback if the Chromecast gets too close (due to the wifi signal, I think). I just push them apart whenever it happens. At some point I might organize everything into a box.

Usage

The good:

• It's easy to play some music from my phone, tablet, etc, and to be able to control what's playing remotely

The not-so-good:

• There is no true browser support for Google Music like there is for YouTube.  Therefore, you can only stream music on your laptop if you stream the full browser tab.
• It's not as easy to switch between devices involves taking control in this weird paradigm-shift-hiccup way that isn't as easy as you expect it to be

Both of these downsides don't quite fit with Google's advertised "it just plays everywhere" motto. They don't seem like that big of a problem, which makes it depressing that they haven't addressed these issues yet.

Summary

This seems like a good base for Google to make other cheap single-use devices that do one thing well.  If they would create a music-only Chromecast with a dedicated audio-out instead of HDMI, I would buy it.