Rather than have renters use your system, which is very nice, why not just get a good affordable pair of bluetooth enabled wireless speakers? I got my GF a pair of wireless Scansonic speakers for under $500 they sound just fine. If I were you I would rather go that route and keep my system off limits to renters.
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I recently purchased a vacation home in San Miguel de Allende Mexico and have installed a nice small system consisting of Focal 1008 Be monitors, Luxman integrated amp and an Esoteric X05 SACD player to play a bunch of discs I shipped down. I rent the place out when my family isn’t using it and the one request I have gotten is that guests want to play music wirelessly from their phones or IPads through Bluetooth which of course is not possible with the current set up. Is there a single box Bluetooth receiver and DAC I should look at? I play vinyl at home so I am totally unfamiliar with what to do. Your assistance will be greatly appreciated.
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Jond, thanks for the idea. You do bring up a real world solution to my worry about renters abusing the system. So far my renters have been couples in their 60s who have been very responsible -- but it only takes one time to, for example, blow the tweeters. I have a place in the house where I could securely put the system away, but setting it up and dismantling it each time we go would not be my favorite thing, put it that way. |
A very good solution, I think, would be a Peachtree Audio Deepblue Sky. https://www.peachtreeaudio.com/deepblue-sky.html I've bought two of the previous model, the Deepblue 2, for my daughters who have the same requirements as your tenants and you. It's an elegant all-in-one solution with remarkable sound, easy Bluetooth pairing and an auxiliary input for other sources. My daughters grew up with great sound in the house and are extremely happy with the Deepblue. For them, with little kids around, the lack of knobs or wires is a big advantage. Likely would be the same with your tenants. Easy to find from online dealers or Peachtree directly for $400. |
Agree it should be kept as simple as possible but if you're going to use Bluetooth you have to pair your phone or other Bluetooth transmitting device with the Bluetooth receiver. Fortunately, that's usually a very simple operation. Make sure Bluetooth is enabled on your phone and push the pairing button on the receiving device. Done. |
I could be wrong but I don’t think Chromecast Audio supports Bluetooth, just streaming from cloud services like Spotify, Tidal, etc. I completely agree with the Bluesound Node2 as being the best bang for the buck for wireless playback; streaming music, internet radio, and Bluetooth. Excellent sound quality for the money and easy to set up and explain to less tech savvy folks. |
Does anyone know what happened to the Arcam rPlay streamer? Some reviews rated it more highly than the Bluesound and for awhile it was less expensive, but it seems to have disappeared from US outlets. https://www.whathifi.com/features/arcam-rplay-vs-bluesound-node-2-which-better |
The Arcam rplay is still around, just never think it hit it off the same as the bluesound did, you can still find them on Ebay. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Arcam-Rplay-Streaming-DAC-for-Spotify-Tidal-others/273329606153?hash=item3f... |
Nothing embarrassing about the Denon HEOS Link ($350) performance. Its DAC is fine but not not top level. But the HEOS Link used with coax digital out is a true bargain, sounds great. The HEOS music browser for phone or iPad is top drawer all the way. Good Tidal browsing included and a lot more, as in local servers. The Link handles PCM 192 and DSD 64/128 with aplomb. |
Powernode2 bluesound. 80w amp, run your speakers with it. Completely wireless, Radio Paradise, a million online stations,the music on your phone or your tablet or your pc ect. Your tenants can just turn it on, DL the app for their ph's and then they operate it. For the bucks it's cheap. Support is good although don't talk Australian at them like me, coz guys in NY don't understand us.... haha. |