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Hi All,

Hoping some could help me. I haven't been able to find a concrete answer.
I want to ‘stream’ vinyl from my turntable to my Apple HomePods. Not the Mini’s, but the large first gen HomePods. From what I can tell, they are Airplay 2 compatible. I have added the Sonos AMP into Homekit (Home app) on my iPhone.
My current setup is: Phono/Line out from the turntable into my Sonos AMP. Considering the Sonos AMP is Airplay 2 compatible, along with my HomePods, I thought the Sonos App would find my HomePods. This however, doesn’t seem to be the case. Am I missing something, or is my logic of the Sonos AMP ‘seeing’ my HomePods something it cannot do?

Any information would be very welcome!

You can send audio over AirPlay from an Apple device to the Amp and HomePods, but you can’t sent the line-in audio from the Amp to the HomePods over AirPlay.

Hi GuitarSuperstar,
Thank you for the reply. I guess then there is nothing in the Sonos arsenal as yet that allows Airplay transmitting? Slightly frustrating, but no ones fault really. I think however, any company that can achieve that (regardless of ecosystem) will be on a winner. I am sure there are people who love just more than one product/brand for the features that one or the other doesn’t have. To be able integrate all that, well.. I think it would be a win/win for all (Probably just a day dream.. but hey, we can dream :sunglasses: )

Not sure about the "will be a winner" statement.  The HomePod is generally thought to be one of Apple's flops.

I seem to remeber an Apple Airport Express can turn an audio signal into an Airplay 2 stream. You could look into this and see if there's an older one for sale…...

Sorry, no:  

(1) Apple has licensed AirPlay for use in *output* devices, not for source devices.  Only an Apple device can send audio to destinations via AirPlay.  

(2) Alas @106rallye , an Apple AirPort Express does not have an analog input port.  It too, is just another output device.  (Also a network router etc. etc. etc.!-)

@voodoo111 , there is only one way I know of to do what you want: Use a Macintosh to front-end the turntable.  The Mac, being an Apple device, *can* send its audio to AirPlay devices, including for example Homepods (and newer Sonos speakers).  If the turntable has a USB output, any modern Mac will do.  If it’s analog output, then a phono preamp is required, plus either an older Mac with an analog sound input port, or any modern Mac plus an inexpensive external audio interface (like a MOTU M2 or a FocusRite Scarlet Solo) would be used with a recording application on the Mac.  (The MOTU M2 comes with a free one; I think Audacity works too.)  The recording application would be set up to monitor or “patch thru” the input directly to the output.  Then you use the System Preferences app to send the Mac’s system sound output to your chosen AirPlay speaker(s).

Sounds convoluted, right?  In theory the same kind of setup should be possible with an iPad and the USB Camera Connection Kit, but I don’t know the ecosystem nor the recording apps.  Personally I don’t connect my turntable to any multi-room system, including Sonos, because playing a record is “intentional listening” so I sit to listen on the local (high fidelity) system (only).  Sonos speakers and Homepods are for background listening.  Unless you’re playing DJ, you might as well stream from <anywhere> as use your turntable.  

If your vinyl is unique and not available to stream, do as I have: Use the Mac and audio interface to digitize and record it to your own local music library!  Then let Sonos (or iTunes, or Roon) play it from there.  Good luck!

hey same here.but i found
Looks arc "Audio Return Channel" is an only way to make it now
use HDMI cable to connect
a latest Apple TV that support arc
a TV that support arc

which is no way :joy:

 

Hi All,
Thanks for the all replies and sorry for me being late to get back to everyone.
Seems @tracker @GuitarSuperstar were correct. “Apple has licensed AirPlay for use in *output* devices, not for source devices. Only an Apple device can send audio to destinations via AirPlay”
So, I actually managed to get it to work through ARC. Output to from the turntable to my Samsung TV, ARC connection from the Apple TV to my Samsung TV and just made sure the the HomePods are the default speaker. Wasn't ideally what I had in mind when I wanted to stream from vinyl, but it does work and surprisingly, it actually sounds pretty damn good.

Nice idea, and “surprisingly” is the right word!  We usually think of the AppleTV as supplying video & audio to the television and not vice versa (Audio Return Channel from the television’s sources).  But especially if you own one anyway, AppleTV is much cheaper than using a Mac as the AirPlay transmitter.  Well done!  (Edit: I did not understand that’s what @aka_nick was also trying to tell us above, kudos to him too.)

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