Belkin Launches Soundform Connect Audio Adapter to Add AirPlay 2 to Standard Speakers

[Lerenard3000]

I use airport express 2 and 3 iPod hifi the sound is huge, but I always have to manually click on the second or third AirPlay one by one for the sound to come up which wasn’t a problem before iOS 14 if I recall.

i will use the Belkin with optical for my Nad3045 🥳

wished it had hdmi output

 

[brett_x]

I don't get this - other than the optical audio, you can do this with an Airport Express for much cheaper.

Airport express is an unsupported device. And yes, it doesn't have optical audio.
Edit: My bad, AE has optical.

 

[mw360]

Ah, I remember having 3 Airport Expresses and the joy of having to turn them on and off at the mains whenever I wanted to use them, and then after all that have them flake out part way through the second track. I wonder if this thing also supports those features.

 

[krebphone]

Airport express is an unsupported device. And yes, it doesn't have optical audio.

Airport express absolutely has optical audio, how else is one sending a signal over an optical cable to my stereo right now?

 

[DeepWebinar]

Yessss. I’ve been waiting for something like this so I don’t have to buy a HomePod mini. 😎

 

[aednichols]

AirPort Express without the WiFi advantages (and USB port)?

It is cool that the Express got an AirPlay 2 update, but I think its hardware is too limited to really perform well in my experience. 64 MB of RAM I think.

 

[perplx]

Do yourself a favour and just buy a receiver with ethernet and Airplay support. That way there is there is less wireless traffic and only 1 volume knob that you control directly from your phone.

 

[brett_x]

Airport express absolutely has optical audio, how else is one sending a signal over an optical cable to my stereo right now?

Correct. Edited my comment. I forgot the 3.5mm jack is also optical.

 

[Devnul0]

Do yourself a favour and just buy a receiver with ethernet and Airplay support. That way there is there is less wireless traffic and only 1 volume knob that you control directly from your phone.

Did that years ago. They didn't keep up with Airplay and stopped issuing firmware updates and now if I'm lucky I get a few seconds of audio before the whole thing falls over.

 

[JmMBr]

airplay 2 multiroom audio has only ever worked for me with multiple HomePods. if I tie my home theater into it the audio is always out of sync

Turn off any extra post-processing settings you may have enabled, like converting a stereo signal to DTS:X or anything like that. Those add latency.

 

[perplx]

Did that years ago. They didn't keep up with Airplay and stopped issuing firmware updates and now if I'm lucky I get a few seconds of audio before the whole thing falls over.

Thats sucks, I didn't get an upgrade to Airplay 2 but my budget Yamaha RX-V481 is still getting updates 5 years later.

 

[fruitpunch.ben]

Got excited until I saw the price...

Probably CA$150 once conversion and taxes added in. Meanwhile airport expresses are going for $50 on craigslist. Granted those are getting pretty old now, so they won't last forever, but my current one is still going after 12 years even though my home wifi network is Eero now

 

[btbeme]

Glad to see Apple supporting a third-party add-on adapter with AirPlay 2. This is about twice the price of what I would expect it to cost, and the lack of a wired ethernet port is a disappointment.

After dozens of AirPlay 2 multi-room deployments, of up to 20 locations in a house, I have found the wired backbone to be much more reliable. That said, I have been using Airport Express devices up till now, and their overall reliability is spotty. Add a wired port, drop the price a bit, and Belkin will sell plenty of these into the home audio space.

 

[MaxBurn]

airplay 2 multiroom audio has only ever worked for me with multiple HomePods. if I tie my home theater into it the audio is always out of sync

Most stereos will have some processing delay if they are not straight analog amplifiers. This is one of those rare edge cases where you will notice that. You could try turning off all effects, look for a gaming mode etc.

 

[zorinlynx]

This is going to be wonderful for people who have vintage stereo equipment they enjoy, and want to be able to Airplay to them. Before the only option was to find an old Airport Express, or a 3rd gen Apple TV and a TOSlink to analog DAC.

 

[zorinlynx]

Do yourself a favour and just buy a receiver with ethernet and Airplay support. That way there is there is less wireless traffic and only 1 volume knob that you control directly from your phone.

Some people have vintage equipment they like. This will be great for them.

 

[btbeme]

So if I wanted to install in ceiling speakers in different rooms is there any in ceiling speaker solution that I could use this with? Obviously most in ceiling/wall speakers have to be powered by an amplifier, but trying to see how to implement a multi room audio solution that utilizes AirPlay 2 without a bunch of amps everywhere for individual AirPlay 2 endpoints...

Suggestions?

Yes. One of these, plus something like a small 2 channel Class D digital amp, like one from Arylic or Fosi Audio. Plenty of options to choose from, including some with Bluetooth onboard, or a third channel for a subwoofer. Run speaker cables to an innocuous spot, connect, and fire it up. I have done dozens of installs where the speaker cables meet up with the amp on a bookshelf, etc. I have even used hollowed-out books or other decorative items to hide them in plain sight.

I am holding out hope that someone like Arylic will add AirPlay 2 to their amp lineup, making it a one-unit plug-and-play add-on. Their existing stuff works very well as a distributed audio system, much like AirPlay 2, but has a few limitations (such as inability to stream from Apple Music or Sirius/XM).

If you want to run the speaker cables (or already have them run) to a central location, grab one of these for each zone you want to power, and use a multi-channel distributed home audio amplifier that has an input for each channel, and you are all set. Power the adapters off one of the myriad multi-output USB power bricks available for $30 everywhere. There aren't many multi-zone amps with individual inputs for each zone, and they aren't cheap, so using a multi-amp setup like described above is often a better solution.

Now, if a company like AudioSource would build in this type of capability to one of their existing multi-zone amps...

 

[thejadedmonkey]

At $99 not very compelling, now if it was closer to $50 then that would put it closer to what an airport express is going for currently. Let’s see it might have some specs that make it a better option.

I have a bluetooth one I bought for $20. Sure it's missing the optical output, but is optical out and airplay 2 worth $80? It feels like there's a hefty amount of Apple Tax™ with this.

 

[rotax]

Ok.... I'll ask.... will it support the forthcoming Spatial and Lossless audio?

 

[JustDacs]

This is excellent, and utilises the full bandwidth of AirPlay 2, allowing full Red Book lossless . Can't wait to order.

 

[vipergts2207]

airplay 2 multiroom audio has only ever worked for me with multiple HomePods. if I tie my home theater into it the audio is always out of sync

Have you used the audio sync feature?

 

[thejoshuabradshaw]

I can finally have an outdoor deck solution. Yay@belkin!

 

[colorspace]

AirPort Express without the WiFi advantages (and USB port)?

So true! I think I bought my Airport express for about this same price new. I think the price needs to drop to about $49 to be attractive.

 

[ouimetnick]

Do yourself a favour and just buy a receiver with ethernet and Airplay support. That way there is there is less wireless traffic and only 1 volume knob that you control directly from your phone.

Doesn’t help me use my own custom built gear. I don’t want off the shelf plastic crap that is sold everywhere these days. I want to use AirPlay with my solidly constructed equipment from the 70s and 80s.

 

[colorspace]

I’m hoping the volume doesn’t revert back to default like it does with AirPlay 2 on every AirPort Express of mine, and less buggy too

Funny I have, nor have had, any issues with my express over the last 12 years or so! Rock solid on my network connected to my old, but great sounding, 1990s stereo setup.