Apple AirPlay is a great way of streaming sound to an audio device that supports this standard that’s been built into Apple’s eco system for many years now. The technology is in its second iteration as Apple AirPlay2 and can support multiple devices that can be organized in groups or rooms so that music can be played all around the home or just in certain rooms.
Plenty of manufacturers of audio device already license Apple AirPlay into their products like streamers and speakers. AirPlay can also be used to stream video as well as audio, but this review is only for streaming Apple AirPlay audio.
If you own an audio device that doesn’t have Apple AirPlay built in, what can you do to give it AirPlay compatibility? For example, I have a lovely classic Linn hi-fi at home and it comes from an age before wireless streaming. I’d love to be able to send music from TIDAL on my iPhone to my Linn system but it doesn’t support. Now streaming from an iPhone, iPad or Apple computer is possible on almost any audio device thanks to this new product from Belkin called SoundForm Connect.
Years ago, it was possible to add Apple AirPlay to a an audio device by buying Apple’s AirPort Express or the first generation of Apple TV. Those products no longer exist and, until now, there has been no affordable way of adding AirPlay2 without paying too much.
Belkin SoundForm Connect is a tiny adapter that’s smaller than a box of matches. It has 3.5mm analog and optical outputs that can connect to almost any audio device. The SoundForm Connect uses Apple’s Home app to set it up, so that needs to be downloaded before getting the adapter working. SoundForm Connect is added as an Apple Home device which can then accept streamed audio from any AirPlay device.
Setting up the Belkin Soundform Connect took me a little while because I was trying to get it working like a regular AirPlay speaker. The SoundForm Connect must first be added to the home network with Apple’s Home app as it works as a receiver and only then does it appear as an AirPlay speaker when streaming audio. The device is supplied with a USB power adapter and a USB-C cable. That’s all there is to this little device and, once it’s been installed, it can be tucked out of the way and forgotten about.
I chose to connect the Soundform to my mini hi-fi system using an optical cable. This enabled my audio system to do the digital-to-analog decoding rather than the SoundForm Connect. However, there’s a DAC built into the SoundForm Connect and this does the decoding when connected using the analog 3.5mm output.
To listen to music, all you need to do is switch the input on your audio device to optical or line in, The Belkin SoundForm Connect will appear as an output source on an iPhone, Mac or iPad. One thing I noticed when using the optical connection was the volume on my iPhone had to be turned up to maximum to get the music to a decent level on the hi-fi, even then it was at a lower level than the other inputs on my audio system. There’s no fixed output on this device is cease it works as a receiver rather than a wireless speaker.
Verdict: Despite the low output levels, the sound quality from the Belkin SoundForm Connect is great, even when using the analog output. You can’t use analog and optical outputs at the same time, so I wasn’t able to make a quick side by side comparison by switching the hi-fi’s input but they sound fairly close. There’s not much more to say about this little gizmo except to that it is quite expensive for what it is. It’s an easy way of adding Apple AirPlay to almost any audio system, soundbar, wireless speaker or just about anything that offers an analog or optical input. If you want to have Apple AirPlay capability on an audio device, Belkin’s SoundForm Connect is the most affordable way to do it.
Pricing and availability: The Belkin SOUNDFORM Connect Apple AirPlay 2 adapter is available now and costs £89.99 / $89.99.
More info: www.belkin.com
