If you see the particular streamer is DLNA-certified, you can be sure that it works with uPnP. Whether you’re a music aficionado or someone who loves the convenience of streaming, a Music Media Streamer from Len Wallis Audio is a game-changer. Treat yourself or surprise someone special with the gift of seamless and high-quality music streaming. Visit our showroom at 64 Burns Bay Road, Lane Cove to discover the power and versatility of these Music Media Streamers first-hand.

Now, the CXN V2 sounds great – better than any of its kind and price we’ve heard, it’s a class-leader, as all multi-What Hi-Fi? I knew this; I’d heard the CXN V2 in action countless times in the What Hi-Fi? By the summer I’d realised that the goalposts that framed my listening habits had somewhat moved; streaming had become more than just a novelty. The Andover Audio Songbird is a direct competitor to our best budget streamer, the Audioengine B-Fi. It’s a tiny streaming DAC designed to convert an existing system into a full wireless music streamer, and it has several distinct advantages over the B-Fi.

We all want new features as soon as they’re announced, but that doesn’t always fly in the hi-fi streaming world of course. The recent controversy around Sonos’ having defunct some of its older products serves as an uneasy reminder that there’s a limit to how much streaming products can be future-proofed in this fast-developing environment. But for all the convenience and increasing quality offered by streaming hardware and software, I’ve come to realise the hard way that music streaming isn’t without its frustrations. Yes, adding a streamer to your system is all it's cracked up to be – but there are still a fair few bumps in the road. I'd been toying with the idea for some time – not least as, through reviewing for What Hi-Fi? For me, streaming until then had been (and still is) excellent for listening to music on the move – if only because you can't exactly take vinyl on the bus, natch!

When we talk about Google's Chromecast and Apple's AirPlay 2, we are referring to two different transmission protocols. They are simple and effective ways of sending audio from a mobile device to a music streamer – or a TV, wireless speaker, or video streaming stick. Given how protective Apple is of its ecosystem, you might expect that AirPlay 2 would only work with Apple speakers, like the Apple HomePod (full review here). Both AirPlay 2 and Chromecast are available on multiple different streamer models and brands, and using either of them is as easy as selecting your streamer as a source. There are some stunning components within this streamer, including https://www.arylic.com/collections/music-streamer an Asahi Kasei AK4490EQ DAC chip, which is an improvement over the one offered in the older ND6006.

The Sonos Amp’s ability to stream music from Spotify and Tidal qualifies it as a streamer, and it’s more than capable of delivering excellent sound to your speakers, with 125 watts of Class D power. It’s not as simple or effective as the Wiim Mini or the Audioengine B-Fi, and it’s much more expensive, but the Sonos Amp has better design and functionality. These innovative devices allow you to enjoy your favourite tracks from various streaming services with exceptional sound quality and convenience. HEOS app control puts you in the Denon/Marantz family of multi-room streaming, and there are several components and standalone speakers you can get to expand. Setup and connection are easy, and the app has the features you’d expect from the best multi-room platforms — stream from your favorite service, create and control groups, play the same or different music in separate rooms, and more. You can also use your streamer's app to play music stored on your local hard drives.

In her spare time, Kash can be found tending to an ever-growing houseplant collection and shooing her cat Jolene away from spinning records. Every music streamer that we review and rate at What Hi-Fi? Is tested in our dedicated, acoustically treated testing facilities in Reading and London, where our in-house team of experts put every new product through our rigorous testing process. Price-wise, as with all things hi-fi, streamers can vary hugely, and how much you can expect to pay depends on the rest of your set-up.