The Best AirPlay Receivers

The 2021 Apple TV 4K is one of the best Apple AirPlay receivers for your home. It’s less versatile than other AirPlay receivers since it requires an HDMI connection, however, if you plan to listen to music while doing chores or want to blast your favorite tunes when guests arrive, it’s a perfect all-in-one solution.

With Dolby Atmos support, the 2021 Apple TV 4K comes equipped with an A12 Bionic chip, delivering 4K video, clear audio, and superb pictures. You can easily hook up your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to your TV and enjoy an excellent entertainment system in a small package.

While it’s not a cheap investment, the 2021 Apple TV 4K is the ideal pairing for any iOS or macOS device. You can be reassured that there will be no compatibility issues since it’s an official Apple product. Use the Siri remote to share your music with others, or plug in your AirPods for private listening.

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The Denon AVR-S540BT Receiver might seem like overkill as one of the best Apple AirPlay receivers, but it’s a worthy investment if you want to expand your home theater entertainment setup. It boasts support for a wide variety of voice assistants, including Alexa, Google, and Siri.

Regardless of your technical experience, the Denon AVR-S540BT Receiver is easy to set up. You can quickly connect your iOS or macOS device to use AirPlay features, allowing you to listen to your favorite music on-demand.

Aside from music, the Denon AVR-S540BT Receiver is perfect for watching films. On the back, there are five HDMI inputs and support for HDMI pass-through. On the front you’ll find a USB port, allowing you to download music or films and play them directly through the receiver to your TV.

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The SmartSee Anycast is one of the cheapest AirPlay receivers you can find. It’s easy to use since it boasts plug-and-play installation, meaning you don’t need to download any additional software or drivers for it to work.

Using your iPhone, you can find the SmartSee Anycast and mirror your phone’s screen via AirPlay to view your pictures and videos on the big screen. You can also use your TV speakers when listening to music from your iOS or macOS device through this HDMI receiver.

While it doesn’t support 4K and has intermittent connectivity issues, the SmartSee Anycast is a highly portable and affordable device. You can easily take it from room to room, pack it in your luggage for holiday, or use it in the office for presentations.

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The Sonos One SL is a portable speaker that supports AirPlay 2. For this reason, it’s one of the best AirPlay 2 receivers if you simply want to listen to music. Using Wi-Fi connectivity, this speaker can be controlled via the Sonos app. Alternatively, if you’re out of Wi-Fi range, you can still connect your iOS or macOS device via AirPlay 2 since it doesn’t require an internet connection for this.

If you’re looking for a sleek and stylish speaker, the Sonos One SL hits the mark. It keeps things simple, offering a neat control pad on the top of the speaker. And, if you already have a Sonos speaker setup at home, this is the perfect addition to expand your existing setup, allowing you to play music directly from your phone.

In addition to AirPlay 2 support, the Sonos One SL is also compatible with Android smartphones via the Sonos app. As an added bonus, this portable AirPlay receiver is humidity resistant, so if you enjoy listening to music in the bath or shower, you won’t have to worry about it getting damaged, so long as you don’t bathe with it.

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The Wiim Mini is a portable AirPlay receiver that supports AirPlay 2, in addition to Alexa and Siri voice assistants. Simply connect the device to your existing Amazon devices, or use it as a solo audio receiver to enjoy your favorite music wherever you are.

Using the Wiim Home app, it’s easy to set up your devices and control your music. Alternatively, if you have a device that supports Spotify Connect or Tidal Connect, you can use it without the app. It’s one of the most versatile audio receivers since you can connect it via AV, a home stereo system, or wired speakers, in addition to wireless devices.

Despite its size, the Wiim Mini is fairly expensive. However, if you love your music and want the option to listen to it via AirPlay, or through 3.5mm for high-resolution streaming, it’s the perfect investment.

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The ACEMAX M5 Audiocast is a Wi-Fi 2.4GHz compatible audio receiver that supports AirPlay. While there isn’t any compatibility with AirPlay 2, the device is powerful in its own right and can deliver HD audio from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Compared to some of the best AirPlay receivers, the ACEMAX M5 Audiocast is a little complicated to set up. This is slightly disappointing but can be overlooked if you have some basic technical knowledge. Once you get past the setup, you’ll find this receiver supports multi-room setups, additional functions like an alarm and sleep timer, and compatibility with Windows and Android devices.

At an affordable cost, the ACEMAX M5 Audiocast shouldn’t be overlooked. It’s portable and can be used with a wide range of connections, including stereo speakers via the 3.5mm output, DLNA, NAS, and cloud-based services.

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The Belkin SoundForm Connect AirPlay 2 works with Apple HomeKit and allows you to leverage your existing audio systems to accept an AirPlay connection. Simple to use, this adapter allows you to play music from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac without having to replace your devices.

Whether you want to use your speakers to listen to your favorite tunes or play music through your TV, as long as your device has an audio input connection, you’re good to go. While it’s an expensive investment for an adapter, it’s much more affordable compared to upgrading your current speakers or TV.

The Belkin SoundForm Connect AirPlay 2 also supports high-resolution CD-quality audio, allowing you to sit back, relax, or dance the night away.

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The Audioengine B-Fi is an easy-to-use Apple AirPlay adapter. You can turn your existing speakers or entertainment devices into ones capable of receiving wireless audio streaming through the use of the handy app, or via Apple AirPlay.

Combining multiple Audioengine B-Fi’s, you can create a multi-room setup, allowing you to control the music in your home directly from your smartphone. Boasting hi-res audio, this device supports gapless playback, but only via AirPlay. Additional outputs include analog and optical, meaning you can easily hook this receiver up to your wired speakers.

While there isn’t currently any support for AirPlay 2, iOS and macOS users can enjoy listening to their favorite music directly from iTunes or other services like Spotify and Tidal.

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The EZCast PRO II is the ideal AirPlay receiver if you need to listen to audio files, music, photos, or videos on the go on a big screen. For office workers, this small and portable device can be set up with ease and supports 5GHz Wi-Fi bands.

Although the EZCast PRO II does support 4K video resolutions, it only displays them at 30Hz. For most uses, this is suitable, especially if you want to multi-cast several devices in a single room for presentations or displays.

Listening to your iTunes music is easy, but it does come at a great expense and slightly less functionality than other AirPlay receivers. Still, it does have its place in the market, especially for those that need something quick and easy.

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