Belkin today announced the SOUNDFORM Connect, a new audio adapter that turns any traditional stereo speaker into an Apple AirPlay 2-enabled speaker.
Gone are the days of overlooking legacy speaker systems that aren’t equipped for the digital age. Engineered to give new life to traditional home stereo speakers and sound systems, the SOUNDFORM Connect allows users to seamlessly stream audio without the hassle of pairing devices.
Once the SOUNDFORM Connect is connected to any powered speaker or sound system with an optical or 3.5mm input, a user can simply tap the AirPlay icon on their compatible Apple device to start playing music or other audio. With AirPlay 2–enabled speakers, users can ask Siri via their iPhone to play their favorite music or podcasts throughout the house, ask what’s playing in each room, control the volume, and more. The adapter enables the speakers to be compatible with HomeKit, making it easy to assign them to different rooms and create scenes and automations in the Home app.
The SOUNDFORM Connect is the latest in a series of product launches from Belkin as the company dives deeper into the audio space. Off the heels of its critically acclaimed SOUNDFORM Elite, a robust speaker in partnership with Devialet and its first foray into wireless sound with its SOUNDFORM True Wireless Earbuds, Belkin also recently announced the SOUNDFORM Freedom True Wireless Earbuds, one of the first third-party accessories to work with Apple’s Find My Network.
Additional Features
• Connect to any existing powered speaker/receiver using optical or 3.5mm input (widespread compatibility)
• Compact and portable for minimal space requirement
Availability and Price
The SOUNDFORM Connect is available for purchase on Belkin.com with availability in select retailers coming soon for $99.99.
MacDailyNews Take: Ooh, that old speaker or receiver just got a new lease on life!
Pretty much why I kept my Airport Expresses.
Keep in mind the Belkin DAC for the ⅛” line tops out at 16/44 (which ain’t bad) but you’ll need the optical for any future Hi-res.
Speaking of optical I had no idea Apple had abandoned them until I tried it on my M1 Mini.
Bummer.
Yes! This is exactly what I was hoping for. I’ve held off getting the Klipsch “The Fives” because they didn’t have AirPlay 2. With this, that is no longer an issue and puts that purchase back on the table. If understand correctly from TowerTone’s comment, I’m figuring that the Optical in the Belkin passes a purely digital signal and bypasses the Belkin DAC. In my scenario, it would AirPlay digitally to the Belkin, transfer over optical, and then use the The Fives’ DAC (which is quite good). This also makes the Fluance Fi70 more appealing to Apple users.
It’s about time for this. We loved our Airport Express units until they all died. Turned to Echo dots, but not the same experience. Now we can stream music from our devices to our excellent powered speakers, none of which have Airplay built in.
I’m looking forward to using this to add a subwoofer for my HomePod minis.
Pah! No ethernet. It’s crazy that these devices which we use for high resolution audio, don’t have an ethernet option to reduce network wifi traffic.
Bring back the old airport express!