Wired for sound... the gadgets that link in to your wi-fi
MANY people enjoy listening to online music through headphones, but by hooking up to other gadgets you can make even more out of the experience.
The benefit of having tunes broadcast through wi-fi is that you can invest in equipment to pipe them throughout the house wherever you put speakers – with your mobile as a music remote control.
Stuart Miles, founder of technology review website Pocket-lint, says: ‘Choosing a streaming service is just the start of the adventure. There are lots of exciting gadgets for listening to music throughout the house for a relatively modest price. For example, £170 can buy you a speaker from a company such as Sonos which has a built-in amp and can be placed anywhere in the house to play
streamed music. ‘It links to the service you have signed up to on your smartphone or computer through wi-fi.’
That old-fashioned stereo sitting in the corner of your living room can also get a 21st Century reboot to stream music through existing speakers.
Lucas, of What Hi-Fi?, says: ‘There are some amazing music streaming devices out there.
‘You can buy a small gadget such as a Google Chromecast Audio for about £30 that can be plugged into the stereo and talks wirelessly to your laptop or mobile phone streaming app.’
He adds: ‘Spend £700 on a Cambridge Audio streamer and you have a brilliant piece of streaming equipment.
‘If money is no object, the £15,800 Linn Klimax has exceptional sound quality.’
Music streaming quality can also vary depending on the provider. So-called ‘master quality authenticated’ (MQA) allows highresolution sounds of superior quality to CD, offered by providers such as Tidal. Qobuz also offers streaming that can sound better than CD.
Hi-fi trader Sevenoaks Sound & Vision suggests hiresolution streaming devices such as a £500 Bluesound Node are best for those who wish to listen to a superior sound.