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Google Discontinues Chromecast Audio (techcrunch.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the end-of-the-line dept.

Google has discontinued the Chromecast Audio dongle that allowed you to stream music via Wi-Fi to any dumb speaker with a 3.5mm headphone jack. If you're saddened by the news and would like to pick one up before they're completely gone, Google is now selling its remaining inventory for $15 instead of $35. TechCrunch reports: "Our product portfolio continues to evolve, and now we have a variety of products for users to enjoy audio," Google told us in a statement. "We have therefore stopped manufacturing our Chromecast Audio products. We will continue to offer assistance for Chromecast Audio devices, so users can continue to enjoy their music, podcasts and more."

Google is clearly more interested in getting people to buy its Google Home products and Assistant- or Cast-enabled speakers from its partners. It's also worth noting that all Google Home devices can connect to Bluetooth enabled speakers, though plenty of people surely have a nice speaker setup at home that doesn't have built-in Bluetooth support. "Bluetooth adapters suck," Google told us at the time, though at this point, it seems a Bluetooth adapter may just be the way to go.

11 of 88 comments (clear)

  1. Truth by eclectro · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You know that a product has left Google beta and works perfectly, when Google decides to kill it outright

    --
    Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"
    1. Re:Truth by dmt0 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The real problem with this thing is that it doesn't have an always-on microphone that listens to you all the time. And it eats into the market of the devices that do.

    2. Re:Truth by zugmeister · · Score: 2

      You may be surprised to learn these devices are always listening to you.
      If they didn't do this they couldn't listen for the activation word.

  2. Re:Why would you even want it? by dmt0 · · Score: 2

    Somehow 1 time out of 3 when I use bluetooth, it fails to connect giving me various excuses. Besides, AFAIK bluetooth is not lossless. Sure, shitty Chromecast puck is not gonna give you audiophile level quality, but at least there's not transcoding loss happening.

  3. Re:Never seen one by msauve · · Score: 3, Informative

    It's the Chromecast which has the 3.5 mm headphone jack, which is also usable for line level audio. Use whichever commonly available cable you need to hook up to powered speakers - a 3.5 mm jack is common there, too.

    --
    "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
  4. Sadly the only problem with the product was the $ by DarkKaplah · · Score: 2

    Sadly the only problem with the chromecast audio was the standard price. $35 was just too high. I got mine on a holiday sale last year for $15 with a discounted google home speaker. It let me upgrade me old yamaha 6.1 to allow easy streaming. I would have snapped up 4 more if the price was $15-$20 all the time. For $35 it was just too expensive for what it did. Honestly however if they add a 3.5 mm jack to the google home puck speaker I would get go that route.

    --
    Coffee: The lifeblood of intelligence in civilization.
  5. Google canceling a product ? Surely not ! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I mean, it's not like Google has a long history of capriciously canceling products or anything of that sort

    .

    If after Google's long and dishonorable history of fucking over users you'd trust Google enough to use anything from Google, your ability to make intelligent decisions must be called into question in the most severe manner possible.

    If you disagree, you're not only stupid, you're the worst kind of stupid, which is defined by a refusal to accept important new information because it might threaten your worldview.

  6. Re:Already out of stock by jakedata · · Score: 5, Informative

    Don't normally reply to AC but here you go...

    1. Bluetooth audio is TERRIBLE
    2. BT range is ~10M at best, Chromecast uses WiFI/Ethernet
    3. CC supports synchronous multiple endpoint streaming
    4. CC supports guest streaming without pairing
    5. CC lets you control playback from multiple devices

  7. Re:Replace Chromecast Audio with regular Chromecas by jakedata · · Score: 3, Informative

    Search for HDMI Audio Extractor. They are not especially expensive but it's another thing that you need to plug in.

  8. There's an alternative that's still in production. by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 2

    https://www.amazon.com/YunList...

    YunListen adapter with a 3.5mm jack -- supports DLNA as well as direct music streaming from a NAS.

  9. Re:Already out of stock by jakedata · · Score: 2

    Oh, obviously.

    AM/FM was degraded by the digital subchannels stealing bandwidth. 8-Track was a joke from day one and I still have a case of them along with a player and the splicing die because that's just how I roll.

    As for phase issues, it's tough to tell when they are in different rooms, but you can adjust the delay in 1 ms increments if there's a problem.

    Mostly I play old records unless I want background music around the house all day long. I still crank up the Victrola now and then for that genuine 1:1 uncompressed analog experience.