Is there a Plex media streamer devices for speakers

Plex Players Streaming Devices
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I have Bose SoundTouch speakers that support only Spotify Connect. Is there any hardware device I can get to add the functionality to stream from Plex?

Such device would be great for speakers that are not smart as well.

Are you considering to develop a standard similar to Spotify Connect like Plex Connect?

Apparently Google have changed their policy and they don’t allow Chromecast support on devices that do not have screens or voice control and all of the media streamers I checked do not support Chromecast.

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I thought SoundTouch supported DLNA. Is that not a viable option?

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It does support it, however it’s not ideal. Having Plexamp and it’s awesome recommendation engine is far more better. From Plexamp I can chromecast to any compatible device. It would be great if I can Plexcast to non chromecast devices.

Working with DLNA is always clunky and you need to rely on the sound system app, which is always out of date or old.

Also this would not work for speakers that don’t have DLNA,

I would totally donate and support for developing such functionality and standard.

1 Like
4

Ah, makes sense. The Chromecast audio was ideal but sadly discontinued. Have you looked into using the Chromecast with an HDMI audio extractor, or using an androidtv box with audio output (i.e. Mi Box) to the auxiliary input of speakers?

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Yes the Chromecast audio was ideal. I think it is a policy of Google not to support audio only.

The workaround as you said is to use Chromecast and HDMI audio extractor like these:

And with this bundle you need 2 USB chargers to power the Chromecast and the HDMI converter. It is too much devices and cables.

The Mi Box does not enable the auxiliary input unless connected to HDMI output, so it won’t work as a standalone streamer.

Another issue is that my music is in Flac 16 bit and I am not sure what the Chromecast conversion will be even with the HDMI audio extractor.

I think there is a market for Plexcast :slight_smile:

6

The Echo Amp from Amazon might fit the bill, though it’s pricey.
There is more affordable version called the Echo Link.
Finally, there is a basic version called Echo input. I have used this with my Apple HiFi for iPods (remember those) for setting up on the deck when having an outdoor dining experience. Fits the bill because I don’t need to run more than just one extension cord.

It can link with Plex for Alexa and a few months back the service supports streaming FLAC without transcoding to MP3.

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It is a solution. I have Echo input and it supports Spotify Connect, however not Chromecast. If I want to play something from Plex, I have to use voice, which is not practical. Also I am trying to move away from Alexa.

I don’t think there is a good solution at the moment and Plex for music is great. Plexamp is a great app. It is a shame that good HiFi systems get the dust.

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You can use an hdmi dummy plug on the mi box to bypass the video requirement, and many hdmi audio extractors are lossless through digital outputs (internal dacs are variable). With an external dac added to the chain, you can ensure the best sonic fidelity to both routes. However, it does get pretty messy like you mentioned, and prices creep up significantly.

Again, I wish it was still easy enough to just say, “buy a chromecast audio”, and be done with it… :stuck_out_tongue: I have a bunch of these and have no idea what I will do when Google flips the switch off on these in the future.

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Would Plexamp on a headless Raspberry Pi with a DAC work?
There are posts in the forums about folks getting it to work.
I was looking for something that would also support an RPi touchscreen too. I have a proof of concept running Fyde OS with Plexamp working, but the OS only supports HDMI video.

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Wow :slight_smile: Didn’t knew that there are HDMI dummies.

Which one would you recommend or they are the same in terms of audio quality:

  1. Mi Box with direct 3.5 connection
  2. Chromecast + Audio Extractor

I know I can add external DAC like Dragonfly to the Mi Box - DragonFly Series · AudioQuest, but that would be quite expensive and not sure if I will hear the difference.

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If I run Plexamp headless, how will I control it? And RaspberyPi does not have a good 3.5 audio and I need to add a shield or better external DAC and it gets messy and expensive again.

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I honest have no idea which would be a better choice. I’d imagine the Chromecast + audio extractor would be simpler to troubleshoot (since it’s meant to be run headless) and would have longer support directly from Google, but its difficult to find direct comparisons of various audio extractors.

Here’s a video from Darko Audio regarding the Mi Box. A short film about the Xiaomi Mi Box S | Darko.Audio

Good luck with your decision :innocent:

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I’ve been trying the same thing. Spkr->Rcvr->DAC/RPI->PMS->PLEXAMP player 2.0beta <-> PLEX/PLEXAMP player 3.7.x I was able to get the 2.0beta running on raspbian with an earlier 3.x client running on my phone. Since upgrading to 3.7 and upgrades on PMS, I’m not able to “see” the raspi device in the dropdown. Right now I’m limited to Spotify Connect on there.

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