The magic of multiroom audio streaming finally extends to your beloved music collection.
Your vinyl records, CDs, or tapes are no longer stuck in one room. With the A2D2 Stream, created by British sound engineer Pete Fealey, your analog music collection can now play through any smart speaker in your home.
Here’s how this pocket-sized device makes it happen:
How A2D2 Stream Works
If you’re picturing a bulky piece of equipment, think again. The A2D2 Stream is surprisingly compact and it’s designed to fit right in with your current Hi-Fi setup.
Plus, getting sound from your analog devices to your speakers is pretty straightforward. Just connect your record player, CD player, or tape deck using the left and right analogue outputs. And, the device uses WiFi to send that audio to speakers around your home.
You’ll be able to direct your music to different rooms using the A2D2 smartphone app within your chosen network.
On the technical side, the A2D2 Stream comes with the following:
- 48KHz A-D conversion that you can upgrade to 96KHz/24-bit for sound transmission
- Different connection options, such as Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and Stereo Phono/RCA Line In/Out plus a 3.5mm Line Out.
The Story Behind the Device
The A2D2 Stream started with a common problem faced by a sound engineer.
Long story short, Pete Fealey, who has worked with artists including Sam Ryder and Louise Redknapp, found himself wanting a better way to enjoy his record collection.
“I listen to music all day, every day. I live and breathe it,” Fealey says.
So, like many music lovers, he’d set up his house just right with a nice record player in his office and speakers throughout the house.
But there was a catch.
“My record player lives in my office, but I quickly found that I wasn’t using it as much as I wanted.” he shares.
“I wanted to find a way to listen to my records without spending loads of time in my office. So, I started looking for products which would allow me to integrate my record player into my speaker ecosystem, but they were all pretty pricey. ”
That’s why Fealey took matters into his own hands, starting with a raspberry pi.
That initial DIY setup was clunky. Yet, it still proved that the concept could work.
Plus, the timing was perfect.
While working at Justgood, a product development agency, Fealey showed his prototype to the board of directors. This kicked off three years of development and testing to create the final product.
Looking ahead, Fealey and his team are developing a Bluetooth update to expand the device’s capabilities further.