Technology

Audio streaming via Bluetooth, AirPlay and Play-Fi

One of the hottest trends in home theater is streaming audio to your home theater receiver from your iOS or Android device. You can do this through an application and a Wi-Fi connection (AirPlay or Play-Fi) or via Bluetooth. But it’s not that simple; There are a wide variety of ways to bring the audio from your phone or tablet to your speakers. I’ll try to go over the main ways this is accomplished here, but ultimately you need to understand your needs and the pros and cons of each method.

Audio streaming over Wi-Fi
There are several ways to use your wireless home network to stream audio. You can choose one of several proprietary formats, or you can simply connect your laptop or PC to a network and use DLNA services to extract audio from your library. However, when we talk about streaming over Wi-Fi, we are usually referring to proprietary formats. There are many, but here are some of the leaders:

Apple AirPlay
Apple AirPlay is a Wi-Fi streaming protocol that allows you to easily redirect music from your iOS device to a compatible surround sound receiver or powered speaker. The beauty of AirPlay is that, as a wireless technology, AirPlay works over your existing home wireless network. Simply connect your device to your home network, and when you activate AirPlay, your iOS device will allow you to send your music or video to any compatible device on the network. If you have multiple Airplay devices in your home, you can stream individually or all at once.

Play-fi
Play-Fi, which is owned by DTS, is a new streaming media format that works on supported devices and is aimed in particular at the Android device market. Like AirPlay, and unlike proprietary systems like Sonos, Play-Fi connects devices over your existing WiFi network. The only current problem with Play-Fi is that, being a new technology, there are only a few devices that currently support it. Play-Fi hasn’t partnered with many streaming media providers thus far either, which is why Pandora and Spotify are the top music providers for compatible apps. On the contrary, AirPlay works in almost all major streaming media provider applications, giving you almost unlimited sources of music.

With current Play-Fi technology, file support is limited to 16-bit 44.1 kHz (CD) quality for now, but support for Hi-Res Audio up to 24-bit resolution is on the way.

Patented mesh nets
There are a number of proprietary mesh networks that mount on top of your existing WiFi network to connect devices. One of the most popular is Sonos, which has a variety of powered and non-powered speakers and access points that can be networked within a home to play music. They even have a soundbar and the ability (with their latest update) to repurpose existing Sonos speakers to use as surround channels.

Almost universally proprietary mesh networks have limitations and costs. They are limited to a single manufacturer, so their product selection is likely to grow very slowly. Proprietary systems are also often very expensive because they are designed to be an ecosystem unto themselves, with special control software and unique features not available in other systems. Denon HEOS speakers are similar to this type of system, except, unlike Sonos, they mount over your existing WiFi network.

Bluetooth audio streaming
Bluetooth wireless technology is a standard designed for short distances (uses the 2.40 to 2.48 GHz band) up to 30 feet.

You might think that Bluetooth audio streaming is a single “designation”. It is not. There are a variety of versions and profiles, but we can help clarify the most common profile used for streaming audio. The latest version of Bluetooth is almost always the best, requiring the least amount of setup, giving you the most flexibility, and offering the best audio quality.

Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP)
You’ll see the A2DP designation a lot when looking at Bluetooth speakers and devices for streaming audio. A2DP simply refers to Bluetooth designed for one-way stereo audio transfer. What really matters for user interaction, configuration, and functionality is version. There have been seven, but the last one is V.4.

Bluetooth V.4 is also called “Bluetooth Smart” and has been available since 2010. It incorporates standard Bluetooth, as well as WiFi-based Bluetooth high-speed and low-energy protocols. There were two major issues with Bluetooth that prevented it from being truly adopted as a leading wireless audio standard in the past. For one thing, it was originally designed as a replacement for the Ethernet and USB cables that connect devices in a desktop computer. That means long-range connectivity was not inherent in the design. With a 30-foot limit, Bluetooth audio is naturally limited in how it can perform in a full-home setting. Another related issue was connectivity. Bluetooth enables a wide variety of pairing methodologies, from passcode verification to near-automatic device pairing. It is still nonsense as to which system will use a particular device and how easy or difficult it will be to connect. In recent years, most of the newer Bluetooth devices have used better and more convenient discovery methods.

High-quality Apt-X Bluetooth audio
The second big problem with Bluetooth is the sound quality. Bluetooth audio is far inferior in quality to lossless streaming over WiFi. To combat this, manufacturer-specific layers have been added to enable features that are not available by default in standard Bluetooth. Of these, Apt-X appears to be the best, offering near lossless quality but optimizing streaming to take into account the bandwidth requirements of the format.

Apt-X has apparently made Bluetooth a viable transmission method again, particularly for connected PCs and portable devices.

Bluetooth vs. “the other” transmission formats
Going back to our original topic, the problem is which one makes sense for streaming audio. If you’re looking for audio quality, then lossless streaming of high-resolution media streams is the way to go. Apt-X Bluetooth fits well here, but requires a bit more proximity to your host AV system.

AirPlay also enables lossless 44.1 kHz stereo streaming and can be an excellent medium for sending and receiving streaming media over your existing wireless network.

What you probably want to avoid, if quality is your goal, is standard Bluetooth streaming. Serial Bluetooth is a lossy medium and there is a big difference between that and a lossless file. The difference is more than remarkable. Unfortunately, your other options will be a bit more proprietary, with AirPlay leading the way and Play-Fi just starting to come out of the dugout and looking hopeful. Of course, proprietary music streaming systems are also an option, but they are often expensive and offer a limited range of hardware that is compatible with network audio streaming.

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