If, like me, you're an idiot that forgot to cancel the Kogan first renewal and paid $99 for nothing, then maybe chance to make back some money (sort of).
A rarity of sorts and nearly an antique the chromecast audio is sort after by a special breed… And $39 if you are a member is a good price even as a refurb from what I can tell…
All 3 would play in sync?
Yes you can. I have a google home and speaker connected to "Chromecast Audio". I can use voice commands to "play on all speaker".
What's a good subwoofer to pair with two google home max's ? (asking for a friend*)
*Please assume friend knows nothing about subwoofers**
**friend is me
Still annoyed that Google killed this product.
Worth noting that these do optical (digital) out as well as the analogue out. You will need to buy a mini SPDIF to normal SPDIF cable if you want to use it this way.
Make for really good ROON endpoints if you have a DAC and Amp in another room of your house. The digital signal is meant to be excellent as well, enough to satisfy most audiophiles.
I have one and it's sound quality through optical using an older amp is exceptional.
Excellent and versatile gadget - well worth the money !
How do you connect the optical to the amp? Older amps usually don't have optical input
Im lucky to have a Marantz sr18 receiver which has digital coax and optical connections.
Had it for nearly 20 years and its still relevant and pumping today - I'll never get rid of it, it's just too good.
You sir, are a genius. I bought one of these refurbed (because discontinued) recently but had no idea they did SPDIF. Ripper. Changing over cable now. You got an upvote from me.
These things are amazing! Such a shame google killed them.
If, like me, you're an idiot that forgot to cancel the Kogan first renewal and paid $99 for nothing
hey, twin.
Lols.."Don't pay $81.99 for New".
Buyer beware. Bought one of these from them recently. Despite advertising as Au/NZ stock it was actually a US regioned one. It was also scratched up like someone had put it on a disc sander. Seems to work ok for my needs though it doesn't work well in audio groups..
Did you get an AU charger included with your CCA purchased refurbished from Kogan as you mentioned above.
How does being a US regioned version change the operation for us here in AU?
No au charger was supplied with it however it is powered by micro USB so easy enough to charge with an old phone charger. Just the Chromecast audio and a 3.5mm audio cable. Arrived in a zip lock bag.
I'm not sure what impact different regions have, it's just worth noting as they are specifically advertising in the product title as au/NZ stock when it was not.
If there's no chargers included how do you know it's US version?
@tukanglistrik: I don't have one, but above they mention it was/is US regioned.
Comment from RedSproket below suggests wifi frequency is set up for US, but can be rectified after firmware update for AU.
@ozhunter68: Yes the region can be seen in the settings menu in the Google home app would be curious to Fix through firmware update.
@ozhunter68: I bought one of these and indeed Kogan is not selling AU stock.
After having it auto-update to latest firmware I was unable to get it to connect to my 5Ghz network. I've resorted to having it connected to 2.4Ghz instead; fortunately it doesn't need the additional bandwidth of 5Ghz.
On the latest firmware there is also static noise on the output if powered by a PC USB port instead of an AC charger port. This can possibly be gotten around by using an adapter such as the PortaPow.
I received mine today and it is exactly as you described. Not only was the product scratched, missing the power adaptor, a US product(not AU version, as advertised), it was never refurbished and was still assigned to the previous owner's account. I will never buy from Kogan again and wonder if there was a way to report this so an action could be taken against Kogan.
Sounds pretty dodgy. Do you still want to keep it? If not, raise it to their support team asking for a refund. If they don't help and you paid using PayPal, open a dispute with PayPal. Last resort is to report it to a body like NSW Fair Trading or Consumer Affairs VIC . Also Kogan may act if you tell them you will report them as looking at jvdv001's link below, it looks like Kogan are already on the sh*t list.
Product guarantees
Products must be of ‘acceptable quality’, that is:
- safe, lasting and with no faults
- look acceptable
- do all the things someone would normally expect them to do.
‘Acceptable quality’ means what would normally be expected for the type of product and cost.
Products must also:
match descriptions made by the salesperson, on packaging and labels, and in promotions or advertising
Under the Australian Consumer Law, certain consumer guarantees apply automatically, including that a product must be of acceptable quality - it is:
- fit for the purpose for which it is commonly used
- safe, durable and free from defects
- acceptable in appearance and finish.
If a product does not meet the consumer guarantees, the consumer is entitled to a remedy. The type of remedy depends on whether the problem is major or minor.
Fk Kogan.
but why
After a friend had a bad experience in trying to get a refund on a faulty refurb phone bought from Kogan I read the following story in Choice Magazine about them:
https://www.choice.com.au/shopping/consumer-rights-and-advic…
What are the criteria for banning a seller on Ozbargain? Isn't screwing customers / disregarding consumer rights one of them?
Anyone know of any decent similar alternative products?
Sonos Port, maybe $500 on sale.
THere is a reason everyone was sad when they stopped making the CCA.
This is probably the best in the price range. All you get for 40 bucks nowadays are bluetooth receivers.
A Raspberry Pi running shairport-sync headless should suit your purposes.
The 3A model has a decent audio and wifi/Bluetooth. ~$37 at Element14
Easiest software is with MoodeAudio/PiCorePlayer/Volumio/Rune for a graphical interface.
Tutorial for setup of Shairport-sync from command line
https://thepi.io/how-to-set-up-a-raspberry-pi-airplay-receiv…
Chromecast 3rd Gen paired to an HDMI audio extractor box
Yes that's the best solution but how it will sound if you want to play something in group?
You have to have similar chromecast hdmi extractors to have a chance to play normal.
Except that it is great item.
I bought many when google sold them 12us$ and many more after in higher price 19euros when i realized how great product it is from memoryuk or de i do not remember.
Also i bought some other Chinese similar products great as well with more functionalities as wifi repeater or option to pair like left right channel.
The only problem with them is that you can not cast directly from apps like Tunein.
I have more than 20 of cast audio devices.
I really like these, have one already I don't use often with Sonos everywhere but knowing they're discontinued just makes me want to buy some :|
Can a regular chromecast work as a chromecast audio in an AVR with HDMI inputs?
Yes.
Will that work for a soundbar too? If I were to plug CC directly into the 'HDMI IN' of my soundbar (Yamaha YAS207), can I cast audio to CC? I only need audio. Thanks
I don't see why not. See the comments above about it being US origin, perhaps no power supply and possible condition.
@sid4frnds: Oops my bad. From what I can tell the regular chromecast should work so long as it's an audio signal you are sending. Do you have a TV connected to your soundbar?
@cornbeef: Yes, I have a Samsung TV connected to the soundbar. To summarise, I am trying to understand if a normal chromecast could be used only for audio if I were to directly plug it in to the soundbar's HDMI IN port and not via the TV. Thanks
@sid4frnds: Worth a punt. Other than our CC Audio connected to an old amp we play audio through a standard chromecast via a TV with some powered speakers, connected via optical to the TV. It displays spotify on the TV of course. So if it happens not to work directly to the soundbar you always have that fall back. Some valid points here
@cornbeef: Thanks buddy. I regret buying this refurbished chromecast audio from Kogan, where they sent me an extensively used, scratched device which was still associated to the previous owner's account. I could have bought the regular chromecast for that price and used it directly with the soundbar. Sigh!
@sid4frnds: What you have will work fine. Just plug the CC Audio into the analog input of your soundbar. Reset the CC Audio through the Google Home App and your good to go to set it up.
Absolutely. Don't even have to switch on the TV.
smh I wish I read this before buying one. $51 for a refurb chromecast audio (with shipping) or $59 for a chromecast when my receiver has HDMI. I paid for the month Kogan First so if I cancel I'd only get $39 back
You can look at it as a wise investment. They have a high resale value and are that versatile you'll probably end up using both at some stage.
haha thanks, yeah I was looking at who else were selling them and basically you could only get them on Ebay (apart from kogan and dick smith) going for huge amounts. Not sure if people actually buy them or if they're worth that much
But you can't add a regular Chromecast to audio groups, so no not quite the same
I found these to be garbage. Drops out, sound quality poor
Did you turn on the HDR audio on in the settings? Also, try using it on a hi-rea source, rather than YouTube.
I've never had dropouts with any of my Chromecasts and I've been using bthem since Gen1. Could be your wi-fi.
The question is, since they are discontinued, when will the google/home/chrome update come that makes these things completely and utterly useless?
I reckon that point stealthpaw is what will turn these devices into nothing more than skimming stones. They are an excellent device and perhaps a little too specialised to be useful to Google in the race for household domination. A shame we all agree. As arcticjuggernaut hints the capacity already seems to be in decline as new technology arrives and apps continue to shapeshift, that it won't be long before google nerfs updating the protocol and a future classic device like this gets left behind.
bought - these are going for stupid amounds on eBay.
So correct me if I'm wrong, I have a speaker set up and the receiver only works with iPhones when they're plugged in. If I use this, can I use it with my pixel wirelessly?
You're not wrong. Physical set up; CCAudio - 3.5mm to red/white RCA cable - plug into AUX port on receiver.
Virtual set up; Download Google Home to your pixel and set up CCAudio. Cast from your audio program so long as it has that function i.e. spotify, google play…
Itunes does not cast to a CCAudio.
Awesome thanks.
So turns out I'm limited to what I can cast from my pixel. Cloud uploaded music I think? Youtube doesn't even work. I'm pretty old fashioned in a sense that I just download and paste my songs since I dont listen to very many. The odd thing is, it worked initially, but once I disconnected and tried again the second time is when I started having issues. Didn't even remember you can't cast iTunes so my sister can't use it either. I thought it would just cast any audio from your phone.
Only certain programs can cast with Google. Apple uses Airplay, not chromecast.
You can cast with apps like Spotify, Google Play, You Tube Music. If you have your own music on your computer then you can use the likes of Plex.
You need to install the google home app on your phone so you can manage the chromecast device and its settings.
Here is the link to apps that support casting of music with the CC Audio.
@cornbeef: yes, thanks a lot! It appears more work needs to be done after having to acquire cords and power plugs but at least it's not a dud.
Excellent device, I have two & a spare, great to make normal speakers smart ones
If you're not super concernred about high end audio, keep in mind that the Amazon Echo dot also has 3.5mm out and will essentially turn your audio system into a smart audtio system.
These work with Home Assistant as well.
I got one to replace a raspberry pi for my text-to-speech and music alarms.
I suggest maybe you should be careful with this deal.
I bought one through Officeworks many years ago and wanted some more. I bought two approximately six months ago through Dick Smith, a subsidiary of Kogan. They were advertised as refurbished I would say this is not the case.
They are not exactly refurbished. They had their serial number scratched off and no power supply/USB with the unit where is the original unit from Officeworks did. They were supplied with the yellow 3.5 millimetre analog cable and came in a generic box.
They were also set up for the American wi-Fi frequencies which differ slightly from ours here. I had to update the firmware on mine. You may be happy with the deal like this, but perhaps not.
I'f you happen to remember the steps to update firmware too configure for au wifi bands?
should be ok, say's AU/NZ version
Damn, tough going. I, like you; decided to exploit Kogan's generosity and sign up to kogan first for free shipping. The difference was I had already learnt my lesson from Amazon Prime and immediately cancelled my membership after the order. Kogan First does not allow the membership to continue once the request for cancellation is completed like some other free trials.
I have cancelled auto-renew and it's been fine for me?
If I hadn't already just blown $300 on a DAC with streamer this would have been awesome! Might be worth the $9 for extended warranty given the "refurbished" status.
I bought 4 of these previously from Kogan.
I had a house with hard wired speakers all connected up with speakers cables indoors and outdoors and some in bedrooms.
I connected a cheap amp from Amazon with aux in for each speaker pair.
Now every speaker in the house is smart and you can group audio for the whole house and play the same music throughout. You can also group any of the other smart speakers you have as well.
A pity they stopped making these as they're amazing little devices.
Received mine, it's not the AU/NZ model as described. Comes up with a warning about wi-fi channels being different to the country it was designed for.
Followed up with Kogan and they said bad luck.
Also note that while the listing says it includes all accessories, no power supply is provided.
![[Refurb] Chromecast Audio $39 + Shipping (Free with Kogan First) @ Kogan](https://files.ozbargain.com.au/n/16/528716.jpg?h=a2b10903)
got one to pair a subwoofer with the 2 google home max's i bought yesterday… I have to get off ozbargain