Belkin SoundForm Connect AirPlay 2 (Audio Adapter Receiver for Wireless Streaming with Optical and Speaker Inputs for iPhone, iPad, and other AirPlay enabled devices), Black, 3.5mm

I have a 1995 Sony Hi-Fi which doesn't even support aux but with some RCA adapters, you can convert it. So now I have these speakers which now can play from 3.5mm devices. So initially I plugged them into an echo dot 4th gen speaker but noticed there was a lot of static noise on lower volumes. Most people probably wouldn't notice but it drove me crazy. So after reading some reviews, decided to pick this Belkin AirPlay 2 converter up. The setup was simple if you have an iPhone (or any Apple device as it only supports AirPlay). It integrates right into the Home app on your iPhone. The sound quality is so much better than other 3.5 mm devices I have tried. There is very little floor noise and the output volume is very loud. There is no noticeable delay when watching videos and music and the inclusion of a USB C cable and wall plug is a nice bonus. The only issue I have faced is sometimes, it takes a while for my iPhone or iPad to show the adapter when playing music, sometimes taking up to 30 seconds or even needing to unplug and replug. But this happens very rarely so I wouldn't worry about it at all. But overall, 10/10 device for the best AirPlay 2 audio streamer for the price. Brings life back into your old speakers and prevents e-waste.

I bought this to play from my iPhone to a hi-fi amplifier using the optical connection. I've never used AirPlay before but the setup worked first time just following the instuctions. The NFC reception area is on the back of the device. I held the top of my iPhone (iOS 16.2) to it as you would for Apple Pay. After a few seconds the Soundform Connect was recognised and automatically configured to use the home wifi network. Great. Then I installed the Belkin Soundform app which immediately upgraded the firmware. So far so good. Now the bad news. I can't find a setting to bypass the iPhone's volume control. Maybe volume control is a mandatory part of the AirPlay standard, but to get "CD quality" you definitely want to control the volume on the connected amplifier and not from the input source. Otherwise you are just amplifying a degraded signal. There might be some point if you are using the analogue output, but it's daft to attenuate a digital optical signal before it even reaches the amplifier. I would rather be sure the input is bit-perfect. I think this might explain the volume and sound quality issues others have reported. The solution is simple, just turn the iPhone volume up to 100%. It's a minor nuisance, hence a star deducted for ease of use. As the Soundform Connect seems to work well otherwise, and I got it at a great price, I'm keeping it.

On 12th November I ordered from Amazon a Belkin Soundform Connect Audio Adapter with Airplay2. It arrive a couple of days later and I tried to connect it to my Home App on my iPhone 13 mni running up to date iOS. It wouldn’t connect. tried to ring the telephone help line number for the UK, but after a few rings it cut off, even though it was well before the closing time of 5pm. I then used the Belkin chat line. After a while getting nowhere with the first agent, the connection was lost. I tried a second chat. I followed all instructions, reset the Belkin with a paperclip etc., but to noavail. The agent advised me to order a replacement from Amazon. I ordered the replacement, which arrived yesterday, and I found exactly the same problem: my iphone saw it under wifi, but when I tried "adding to Home and WiFi”, the Add Accessory window came on saying I should hold it near the Belkin. I tried holding it near in every conceivable position with no success. Again I tried to ring the UK helpline, again it beeped out after a few rings. Again I chatted to an agent, who seemed to think the Belkin was a charger! I also had received an email as a result of the very first agent getting cut off, giving me a case number (which I used to no avail), and a link:Belkin Support Hotline, but when I clicked on this link nothing, absolutely nothing happened. I have now asked Amazon for a refund. I will never purchase a Belkin product again.

Ive been a Chromecast Audio user for several years, but recently have been encountering various issues with them, so I thought id dip my toe into the Airplay pool. Im so glad i did! These little guys are great! The sound quality is at least as good as, and possibly better than Chromecast Audio, the sound is somehow more defined and pleasing ( anorak mode engaged) and the connectivity is superb. I found the set up to be a little bit of a faff ( don’t bother with the QR code, it won’t work) but since I started using them ive not had a single dropout, which was something i was fed up with CA doing. Strangely ive found the sound quality has improved the more I’ve listened to the kit, though this may be just me getting used to it. Although the price seems to have gone up slightly, these are a bargain from Amazon.

I purchased it new for £29.99. I would say it was a great buy! (After my purchased I found that there is another online store selling it for £24.99. Without much thinking I purchased my second one. Now the price drops further to £19.99. It’s absolutely a steal! Soundwise, the 3.5mm analogue output is not impressive. It sounds quite harsh to my ears. I use its digital optical output to connect to my DAC instead. I must say it’s fabulous! It turns my hifi system to an Airplay system. I can now stream the local music files in my iPad Pro, internet radios, spotify and much more to my hifi system. It’s so convenient and has completely changed my habit of music listening! I used to have a Cambridge Audio CXN V2 streamer. Unfortunately I had to need returned it for full refund in the first week. CXN’s wifi reception is so poor that the connection was often lost when listening to internet radios. With this Belkin I never have this problem again. The connection is stable and the setup is easy. Well-done Belkin!

Works great on my old Sonos Play 5 which was obsolete and unable to handle playing Spotify at the same time as processing whatever else it did in the background. We’re all Apple in our house so it works a treat. Only slight negative is it doesn’t switch off automatically as others have said. Having sai that, if I leave the Play 5 turned on the Sonos network throws a hissy fit anyway. Update: unfortunately it has started to drop the signal a lot and it has the latest release of software so I am in two minds whether to keep it.

I got this to extend Roon to some existing speakers, I already have HomePods, but wanted to have multi room audio some existing speakers. Using 3.5 mm lead, I now can Airplay to them and control them all via either Apple device or via Roon. Set up wasn't straight forward, make sure to upgrade iOS devices before attempting to set up. Also, rookie error, the NFC is on the FRONT of the iPhone, not the back. Hopefully save someone a few minutes of head scratching!

I bought 2 of these to connect to older “dumb” devices so I could stream music to them using Airplay. Setup and connection was pretty quick and straightforward. Sound quality was pretty good although a fair bit quieter than expected (had to really turn the volume high, compared to other inputs). The major issue was that both made an odd ticking/tapping noise at all times through the connected speaker. It sounds like some sort of interference from something, but I couldn’t figure out what. I tried updating software, different cables, different speakers and devices, and repeatedly found that these were the cause of this noise. I tried to reach out to Belkin support but after not hearing anything back from them (nor finding anything online) I spoke to Amazon support who recommended returning them for a refund.