Google's Chromecast is an affordable, compelling media streamer that lets you watch video from your mobile devices on your television. But it only works with an HDMI connection, and that leaves anything without a big screen out of the game. Now Google has released the Chromecast Audio, a new variant designed solely to turn your speakers wireless for music streaming. It works just like the Chromecast, and has the same low $35 price tag, but it lacks video output and instead connects via a 3.5mm audio jack (with support for stereo RCA and optical audio). And, just like the original Chromecast, it does exactly what it claims to do, extremely well, and at a very reasonable price. 

Editors' Note: We have updated this review to reflect the addition of support for high-resolution audio and multi-speaker configurations to the Chromecast Audio. As a result, the score has been increased from 4 to 4.5 stars.

Design

The Chromecast Audio is a small, black plastic puck about the size of a poker dealer's chip. One side is textured with concentric rings around a Google logo, to give the impression of a tiny vinyl record. The other side is a matte gray plastic. A 3.5mm port sits on the edge of the puck (a short, bright yellow 3.5mm cable is included). There's a micro USB port opposite the 3.5mm port, flanked by a small Reset button and an indicator light. The micro USB port is solely for powering the device with the included cable and wall adapter. 

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Setup

Without a connected screen on which to display information, the Chromecast Audio doesn't guide you quite as directly through the setup process as the original Chromecast, but it's still rather simple. Connect the Chromecast Audio to the 3.5mm input of your speaker or sound system, plug the micro USB port into the included wall charger, and plug the charger into the wall. Load the free Chromecast app on Android or iOS phone or tablet and choose "Set Up a New Device." Tap Chromecast Audio, and the app will walk you through the setup process and get you connected to your Wi-Fi network. 

Multi-Room Audio

You can name different Chromecast Audio devices after different rooms in the house and jump between them in compatible apps. At launch, the Chromecast Audio didn't support streaming music to multiple speakers at once, but that feature has recently been added, putting the device's flexibility closer to the standards set by wireless audio systems from Sonos and Bose. You can now group more than one speaker together and play music on several in the same room, or simultaneously to every connected speaker in the house. You can't split channels apart to different speakers for dedicated stereo pairs, however. 

On paper, you can connect the Chromecast Audio to a stereo speaker system or A/V receiver with stereo RCA or optical audio cables, but those connections require additional adapters, since the Chromecast Audio only comes with a 3.5mm patch cable for the aux input found on most speakers. 3.5mm-to-stereo-RCA and 3.5mm (mini toslink)-to-optical adapters are inexpensive and easy to find, but the options would have been nice to get in the box instead of just the little 3.5mm-to-3.5mm cable.