It Modernises Equipment You Already Own
A great many people own a perfectly good amplifier and speakers with no way to stream to them, and the usual suggestion is to replace the amplifier with something with streaming built in.
A network streamer does the opposite: it adds streaming as a small separate box, leaving amplification and speakers alone. Given that amplifiers last decades and streaming standards change every few years, separating them is straightforwardly better engineering.
It means an amplifier from the 1990s and a cheap streamer produce a modern streaming system, and when streaming standards change again you replace the cheap box rather than the amplifier.
Open Protocol Support
It supports AirPlay, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, DLNA and Bluetooth, which means it works with almost any source rather than requiring one manufacturer's app.
That breadth is the key difference from ecosystem-locked speakers. Anyone in the household can send audio to it from whatever device and service they use, without installing anything specific or creating an account.
It also means the device remains useful if any one service or protocol is discontinued, because it is not built around a single one.
Outputs And Sound
It provides analogue, optical and coaxial digital outputs, which means it can use its own internal converter or hand the digital signal to a better external one.
For most systems the internal conversion is entirely adequate and considerably better than the price implies. For anyone who already owns a good DAC, using the digital output and bypassing the internal converter is the sensible route.
That flexibility is worth noting because it means the streamer does not become a bottleneck in a better system later — it can simply pass the bits along.
Multi-Room And App
Multiple units group for synchronised multi-room playback, which is the capability that ecosystem-locked speakers charge substantially for.
The app is functional rather than beautiful and handles grouping, inputs and equalisation. It does the job and it is not the polished experience the large platforms provide, which is a reasonable trade at the price.
There is also a built-in equaliser and room correction in some firmware versions, which is genuinely unusual at this price and worth exploring.
Against The Alternatives
Against a new streaming amplifier, this is far cheaper and keeps equipment you already own working.
Against ecosystem speakers like Sonos, this supports open protocols and does not lock you in, and the app experience is less polished.
Against a Bluetooth receiver, Wi-Fi streaming is higher quality, does not require a paired phone to stay in range, and supports multi-room.
The Verdict
An unusually sensible product: it makes any existing amplifier a modern streaming system for very little, supports open protocols rather than locking you in, and can hand digital audio to a better converter if you have one.
The app is functional rather than polished, and it is a small box with a power supply rather than an elegant single unit.
Separating streaming from amplification is the right architecture — amplifiers last decades and streaming standards do not, and this costs little enough to replace when they change.
At a glance
Pros
- Adds modern streaming to any existing amplifier
- Supports AirPlay, Chromecast, Spotify and Tidal Connect, DLNA and Bluetooth
- Digital outputs allow bypassing the internal converter
- Multi-room grouping without ecosystem lock-in
Cons
- App is functional rather than polished
- Another small box and power supply in the system
- Internal converter is adequate rather than exceptional
- Firmware features vary between versions
Frequently asked questions
Why not buy a streaming amplifier instead?
Because amplifiers last decades and streaming standards change every few years. Separating them means you replace a cheap box when protocols move on rather than a good amplifier, which is straightforwardly better engineering and much cheaper.
Should I use its own converter or an external DAC?
Its internal conversion is genuinely good for the price and fine for most systems. If you already own a good DAC, use the digital output and bypass it — the flexibility means the streamer never becomes the bottleneck.
How does it compare with Sonos?
It supports open protocols so anyone can stream from any device without a specific app or account, and it does not lock you to one manufacturer. Sonos has a far more polished app experience. The trade is openness against refinement.
Specifications
| Type | Network audio streamer |
| Protocols | AirPlay, Chromecast, Spotify and Tidal Connect, DLNA, Bluetooth |
| Outputs | Analogue, optical, coaxial |
| External DAC | Supported via digital out |
| Multi-room | Yes, grouped units |
| Room correction | In some firmware versions |
| Ecosystem lock-in | None |
| Best for | Modernising existing amplifiers |
The bottom line
Makes any existing amplifier a modern streaming system for very little, with open protocols and no lock-in. The app is plain, and the architecture is right.
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