Does streaming vinyl through a wireless smart speaker defeat the purpose of vinyl?
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Who doesn’t love vinyl? The answer is no one. That’s because it isn’t just sound, or music for a lot of us, it is the soundtrack to our lives. Memories slotted into that freshly printed sleeve that give us the same goosebumps when we listened to it live, all from the comfort of our homes. It’s the theatre that Spotify or Apple Music just can’t replicate.
There is no question that vinyl is the pinnacle (aside from in person) of experiencing music, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for digital to help maximise our enjoyment.
Here we try to answer the Most Common Questions (and criticisms) around A2D2 Stream, and addressing whether streaming vinyl through wireless smart speakers works.
“This defeats the entire purpose of listening to vinyl”
Vinyl can mean different things to different people. Some enjoy an all-encompassing experience. Dedicating time to their own front row seat, directly in front of their full hi-fi set ups. Listening to the body of work, just as the artist intended.
For others, they want to own something physical. It’s the touch, the feel, the artwork. Wanting to regularly enjoy their music as a backdrop to their busy lives.
A2D2 Stream is designed to help the second group.
It’s built for convenience. You no longer need to be tied to one room to be able to enjoy your favourite music. If you’re having a party, you can help your guests enjoy it too, with the multiroom capabilities. Ultimately, it was created to help you to listen, wherever you are, more often, while making the most of your pre-existing home wireless smart speaker set up.
“Analogue to digital is lossy”
Technically, that’s true. Although, that’s what we love about vinyl don’t we? The imperfections, the scratches, the having no two listening experiences that are the same. It’s why we choose it.
A2D2 Stream is about a minimal compromise on sound quality, so that you can enjoy your records more often, and in a way that is better suited to your lifestyle.
We stream at the highest quality each wireless speaker can actually handle. It doesn’t down-grade the signal unnecessarily, and it doesn’t try to send more data than the speaker can use.
As wireless speakers improve over time, A2D2 is already designed to take advantage of that. In other words, it is future-proofed alongside the speakers themselves.
For many people, that balance makes far more sense than chasing specifications that don’t translate into noticeable listening benefits for most people.
“If you want digital, just stream it”
That would makes sense, unless you already own a large vinyl collection and enjoy what vinyl gives you.
Streaming your records through a wireless smart speaker doesn’t mean you lose every aspect of the experience. It will still pick up the imperfection of vinyl, the warmth, the depth, the ritual of sliding and pinning the record into place.
Nor do streaming services have all of the unique versions of vinyl you have.
A2D2 Stream isn’t about favouring one over the other, because a pure vinyl experience would win every time, it’s about having better accessibility to your collection.
“Just play records through a proper Hi-Fi”
If you have the space, time, and setup for that, absolutely. A traditional analogue system is still hard to beat for focused listening. A2D2 isn’t about replacing that.
It is about when you haven’t the room, or your lifestyle doesn’t allow for dedicating time to one room, or you love vinyl, but can’t afford a big set up to be able to enjoy it.
It’s making use of the wireless smart speakers you have in every room.
A2D2 includes analogue audio-out ports, to give you flexibility, so you can also connect to wired amplifiers and speakers. No unplugging or rewiring anything. Just working in harmony with what you have.
You don’t have to choose between proper hi-fi or wireless convenience. You can have both, and switch between them as it suits you.
“Some vinyl was originally recorded digitally, so what’s the point?”
It’s true that some modern records are made from digital recordings. But that doesn’t mean vinyl suddenly becomes pointless.
People don’t buy records only because of how the music was recorded. They buy them because they like owning physical music, they enjoy the theatre of choosing and playing albums deliberately as the artist intended, they value artwork, the notes and the pressings. They don’t want music to feel disposable. They want the tangibility that vinyl gives them.
Even when an album started life digitally, vinyl still offers a different experience. That experience doesn’t disappear just because the sound can also be heard through wireless speakers.
A2D2 doesn’t change why people buy records. It simply makes it easier to enjoy the records they own, in the way that suits them best.
“This isn’t real Hi-Fi”
Correct, and it doesn’t pretend to be. A2D2 Stream isn’t designed to replace high-end analogue systems or dedicated listening rooms. It’s designed to work alongside them, for the in between times when you can’t be in one room.
Traditional hi-fi and modern wireless systems can coexist. A2D2 simply connects those worlds.
“Vinyl is about the experience, not convenience”
Absolutely. But many factors can impact experiences, meaning they need to evolve and change so that they can still be enjoyed.
Browsing records, handling sleeves, flipping sides and listening to albums in full still happen with A2D2 Stream. The only thing that changes is where you hear the music, and how often.
Convenience doesn’t cancel meaning. It often helps keep it alive and more accessible.
"So, who is A2D2 Stream actually for?"
A2D2 Stream is for people who love physical music, own vinyl, and want to play their records through wireless speakers, whether that’s as their main system or alongside an existing wired hi-fi.
It’s not better.
It’s not worse.
It’s simply suits life.
So, does streaming vinyl through a wireless smart speaker defeat the purpose of vinyl?
Vinyl has never been about perfection.
It has always been about the experience. Choosing a record. Holding it. Reading the sleeve. Placing the needle. Listening to a whole side. Being present with the music.
None of that changes with A2D2 Stream. In fact, it enhances it.
What A2D2 changes is simply how easily vinyl can fit into modern lifestyles. Helping you listen in more places, more often.
For some people, that means connecting a turntable directly to A2D2 Stream and streaming their records wirelessly to speakers around the house, with no traditional amplifier or hi-fi system involved at all.
For others, it means keeping their existing wired setup exactly as it is, while also having the option to listen wirelessly elsewhere, without unplugging a single cable.
Both approaches are valid. Neither replaces the other.
A2D2 Stream streams at the highest quality to the level that each wireless speaker can handle and is designed to evolve and improve with the technical progression of wireless speakers. But more importantly, it’s designed to be compatible with the way people actually live and want to listen to vinyl, without restricting them into a particular type of ecosystem or fixed way of enjoying their music.
This isn’t about convenience replacing ritual. It’s about convenience supporting ritual, so records don’t only come out on special occasions or ‘when we have time’.
Just like the liquidity of music, there is no single or set way to enjoy it. Different moments call for different solutions.
A2D2 Stream simply gives people the freedom to choose.
Tech notes:
A2D2 Stream is compatible with all major smart speaker brands including Sonos, HEOS and devices that support Airplay, Chromecast and Bluetooth. There is even a skill for playing on Alexa devices.