Audio Pro Link2 lets you add streaming smarts to vintage hi-fi
Not content with offering everything from big, easygoing floorstanding TV speakers to extremely cute rose gold Bluetooth options, Scandinavian specialist Audio Pro also offers users a way to upgrade any older hi-fi kit they already own.
The product is called Link2, and it’s actually the company’s second-generation high-end audio streamer, offering an instant upgrade to older setups.
How? The Link2 includes AirPlay 2 and Google Cast support, plus integration with Audio Pro’s multi-room platform, that’s how.
And the multiple inputs (more than its predecessor, the company tells us) easily bring other sources, including some of the best turntables, CD players and top stereo speakers in the world of Wi-Fi streaming (although it can be borne in mind that a RIIA amplifier may be required for some turntables).
To clarify, Link2 has four inputs and three outputs, including RCA input and output, coaxial, toslink, ethernet, USB port, and wireless connections via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It can also provide a multi-room solution with a three-pronged approach: AirPlay2, Google Cast and Audio Pro’s proprietary multi-room system.
Advice: one little gray apart, one big difference with how you enjoy music
My advice (almost always, but especially now) is not to ditch old hi-fi, but to upgrade it as best you can – that’s why I find this product so refreshing.
Analog sources connected to the Link2 can be streamed to other speakers via the Audio Pro app, and since the Link2 itself is an AirPlay 2/Google Cast hub, it appears to be a streaming device and can be grouped with other AirPlay 2/Google Cast speakers in a multi-room setup. So your vinyl or playlists, but in different rooms!
In addition, the Link2 supports both Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect, so you can stream directly from those apps to Link2 and to the speakers of your choice.
To make things even easier, you also get four preset buttons on the top of the Link2, making it a breeze to select a favorite internet radio station or playlist.
Audio Pro’s Link2 is available now and costs £300 / £280, which is about AU$465. Interestingly, the smaller, cheaper, and more puck-shaped Audio Pro link1 (opens in new tab) remains available as an alternative product.
Know someone who loves music but has a CD or vinyl lineup that could use a refresh – and those early Black Friday deals don’t seem to be paying off? The Audio Pro Link2 could be a great scream…
