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Finally, while Bluetooth allows you to stream to only a single Bluetooth receiver, AirPlay lets you stream audio to multiple speakers or receivers simultaneously. And while Bluetooth audio streaming is limited to devices no more than about 30 meters apart, AirPlay lets you stream from as far away as your Wi-Fi or wired network can reach. Lossy compression, while AirPlay is lossless, so, assuming that you’re streaming high-quality audio to begin with, AirPlay offers better sound quality.
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Whole-home audio system-at least when compared with a custom-installed setup or something like a multiroom Sonos system.Ĭompared with Bluetooth‚ the much more common approach to wireless-audio streaming‚ AirPlay has a number of advantages. But AirPlay is also a relatively inexpensive way to set up a Though most people think of AirPlay as a wireless technology, you can also stream audio over a wired network, or between wired and wireless devices-for example, from an iPhone to an ethernet-connected AirPlay receiver. At its simplest, AirPlay is a convenient way to get audio from your Mac or iOS device to a speaker across the room-or across the house.
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