After a lot of research online for the best music streamer, I bought the Andover Songbird and have been very pleased with my purchase.
5 Reasons To Purchase The Andover Songbird Wifi Music Streamer:
- Affordable price of just $179.
- Easy to set up and beginning using straight out of the box.
- Streaming sounds better using wifi rather than bluetooth.
- The size of the unit is small and easy to store on an equipment shelf or rack.
- The Songbird app is easy to use.
Let’s discuss each of these reasons in depth below…
Judging by the name of this site, you understand that I’m a big fan of physical media whether it be vinyl records, cassettes or even CDs. But I’m also a fan of streaming music services which allow me to discover new artists or reissues that I want to buy on vinyl.
I’ve been buying records for over 20 years now and the good news is I have a wonderful collection. The bad news is I have over 2,000 records that take up a lot of space in our 1972 ranch home and I’m running out of room to add any more to the collection.
In an attempt to slow down the record acquisitions (until I can further address my storage issue), I began researching music streamers that could be added to my vintage Marantz 2270 receiver. This way I can listen to albums before purchasing to make sure they are must haves for my record collection.
I spent several weeks doing a lot of research and was about to pull the trigger on the Bluesound Node 2i, but I was nervous to spend $550 on a music streamer. Everything I read about the Node 2i made it seem like the perfect fit for my needs, but I just couldn’t shake the idea of spending over $500 for a music streamer. In all honesty, with a collection of over 2,000 records, how much will I really use a streamer?
I kept researching for more affordable options and I finally stumbled on the Andover Songbird music streamer and decided to take the plunge.
Below are five reasons I fell in love with this streamer.
1) Andover Songbird Price
The Andover Songbird retails for just $179 which is more expensive than a cheap bluetooth module you can buy on Amazon, but also considerably less expensive than the Node 2i mentioned above at $550.
When I began researching music streamers, I had made up my mind to budget for an expensive unit based on reviews I read in stereo magazines. Whenever I buy a new piece of gear, I usually look around at what I own that I can sell to make the next purchase. I had decided on selling off some Pioneer speakers that I no longer enjoyed to help fund a $500+ purchase.
I was able to avoid making that sale and sell off a handful of records I no longer listen to and buy the Andover Songbird instead.
I have several friends with vintage receivers who have asked me how to easily and affordably stream music to their units. I now recommend the Andover Songbird and I’ve yet to have a friend blink an eye at the $129 price. They would most certainly flinch if I recommended a $500+ unit instead.
I ordered my unit direct from Andover and it shipped the next day and was at my house in just a few days.
2) Easy To Set Up and Use
Setting up the Andover Songbird is very easy. I powered the streamer on, downloaded the Songbird app and it walked me through the set up quickly and I was playing music straight away.
It can be intimidating reading reviews of high end streamers and the steps taken to set them up properly with people’s phones and computers. There is no need to be intimidated setting up the Andover Songbird. Just turn it on and let it guide you through the process.
The Songbird is very easy to use on multiple devices. My wife isn’t a fan of fooling with a record player on my vintage gear. It makes her nervous. I showed her how to stream music to the Songbird and she uses it frequently now when I’m not at home playing records.
3) Streaming Via Wifi Instead of Bluetooth Using the Andover Songbird
Second to the great price, my next favorite feature is that the Andover Songbird streamer can use your home wifi to stream music instead of bluetooth. In the few months I have owned and used the Songbird, I have never lost connection via wifi.
Regarding sound, I have a cheap bluetooth receiver set up on another stereo system and the sound is a bit too compressed for my liking. I noticed the wifi streaming with the Songbird allowed me to hear those highs and lows that are often lost when listening to streaming music.
I have subscriptions to multiple digital service providers but I mostly use Tidal with the Songbird and if there is an audible difference between the Songbird and my CD player, I can’t hear it. Note the streamer also uses Bluetooth and Airplay which is convenient for when I want to stream my friend’s Twitch DJ sets. I simply use Airplay to stream the Twitch audio over my stereo system through the Songbird.
4) Size of the Andover Songbird
A lot of music streamers I researched were rather large in size, often the size of a stereo receiver or even a CD player.
The size of the Andover Songbird streamer is very small and easy to hide away if you don’t want a big modern box taking away from the classic look of your vintage stereo gear. I have mine resting on top of my Marantz and will eventually find a little spot to tuck it away out of sight.
Andover provides the necessary RCA to stereo mini cable but I opted to pair with the Audioquest Evergreen cable instead.
5) Easy to Use App for the Andover Songbird
The biggest learning hurdle for me using the Andover Songbird was remembering to use their app to stream music rather than go directly to the streaming apps themselves. So if I want to listen to Spotify, I pull up the Songbird app and select music there to listen to rather than opening Spotify first. This didn’t take long to get accustomed to and is a common feature among music streamers rather than the cheap bluetooth unit I was originally using.
The good news…once you download the app, there is a list of streaming services to choose from. Simply enter your account information for Spotify, Tidal, or whatever service you prefer and you have access to your library via the Songbird app.
The app also includes a visual treat of a spinning record as your music plays. You can skip songs and adjust volume right within the app (which is nice for those of us with remote less vintage receivers!).
I recommend the Andover Songbird to anyone looking to add a music streamer to their stereo setup. At this price point, I couldn’t find another streamer with wifi capabilities and ease of use. Now I’m no longer researching music streamers and instead enjoying listening to music effortlessly while figuring out where to put all this new stack of records I bought last weekend.
If you found this review helpful and would like to purchase one for yourself, please consider using my Amazon affiliate link for the Andover Songbird which will pay me a small commission to help purchase gear and write more reviews in the future.
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