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Gear / Technical Help => Playback Forum => Topic started by: ScoobieKW on December 02, 2016, 01:10:15 PM

Title: Chromecast Audio + Foobar2000 = Budget whole house lossless audio
Post by: ScoobieKW on December 02, 2016, 01:10:15 PM
Had a co-worker turn me on to the Chromecast Audio. Retails for $35, dropped to $25 on Black Friday.

As sold, they are highly useful to cast Google Play/Spotify/I Heart Radio to your speakers.
Recent updates have added Zones where you can group multiple Chromecast Audios to have synced playback. Outputs are 1/8 analog and MiniToslink.

Streaming from Google Play is 320MP3 if the source is lossless, and I was thinking. Can I do better?

Did a bit of poking around and found out how to cast from Foobar2000. The glue between Foobar and the Chromecast is BubbleUPnP server. (https://archive.org/details/acb2016-11-28). Note: During installation it will check for Java on your computer, if it's not there it says it will download and launch the Java installer. It fails at this. Instead, a manual download and install of the Java Runtime Environment may be needed. (https://www.java.com/en/download/)

After installation, run the configuration and go to the Media Renderers tab. Each Chromecast Audio and each Group's name will appear on the left. On the right check the Create a DLNA renderer for each unit/group you want to be able to cast to.

Next download the foo_out_upnp component (http://www.foobar2000.org/getcomponent/fb6fd9e7273f51c855e794a7ad53a794/9c6b41c3fc76ed991bc987c385a93b46/UPnP-Output.fb2k-component)
Then in Foobar go File/Preferences select Components then install the upnp component with Foobar's install command.

Then in preferences, select output and from the dropdown pick the device/group you wish to cast to.

Lossless/Gapless PCM connection to your speakers anywhere in the house via wifi. :D
Title: Re: Chromecast Audio + Foobar2000 = Budget whole house lossless audio
Post by: Brian Skalinder on December 03, 2016, 02:19:07 AM
I don't do much critical listening throughout the house these days -- typically headphones only.  But I do have Chromecast and BubbleUPnP set up to stream my entire music collection throughout the house.  Great to know I can go lossless via Foobar if and when I want to do so.  Thanks, Scoobie!
Title: Re: Chromecast Audio + Foobar2000 = Budget whole house lossless audio
Post by: edtyre on February 08, 2017, 12:11:21 PM
I too use Google Chromecast Audio with BubbleUPnP server on a Mac
with JRiver Media Center to stream anywhere in my house.
Title: Re: Chromecast Audio + Foobar2000 = Budget whole house lossless audio
Post by: jerryfreak on April 28, 2019, 04:50:46 AM
I love my Chromecast audio but I can’t get it to work gapless from my iPhone. has anybody mastered this? I have the M connect app which can read all kind of stuff but the gap is doesn’t seem to work with the chromecast. Foobar can play the tracks gapless but ios version can’t connect to Chromecast I don’t think