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Streaming audio with Sendspin

Home Assistant Connect AUX-2 plays audio through its 3.5 mm audio output to a stereo, AV receiver, or active speakers. Unpowered speakers need an audio amplifier.

Connect AUX-2 plays audio through Sendspin, which keeps it in sync with your other speakers. Use Music Assistant to play audio on it.

What Sendspin is

Sendspin is an open standard from the Open Home Foundation for synchronized whole-home audio. A Sendspin source sends audio to the Sendspin speakers on your network, and they play it in sync, with no cloud service or account.

Connect AUX-2 is a native Sendspin player. It outputs audio from any Sendspin source to the audio equipment connected to it. Music Assistant is a free Sendspin source that works with Home Assistant.

Sendspin is on by default. To turn it off, turn off the Sendspin switch on the Connect AUX-2 device page in Home Assistant.

Connect the audio output

The audio output is a single 3.5 mm jack that plays either analog or digital audio, one at a time. Connect AUX-2 detects the cable you plug in and sets Audio Output to match:

Audio Output setting What the jack plays Cable to use
Analog Analog stereo audio 3.5 mm audio cable, for example 3.5 mm to RCA
Digital Optical (S/PDIF) digital audio Mini-TOSLINK optical cable, for example mini-TOSLINK to TOSLINK

To find the Audio Output setting:

  1. In Home Assistant, go to Settings > Devices & services > ESPHome.
  2. Select Connect AUX-2.
  3. Find Audio Output on the Configuration card.

Configuration card of Connect AUX-2 in Home Assistant, with Audio Output set to Digital

Warning

Connect audio equipment to the 3.5 mm audio output only, never to RS-232 Port 1 or Port 2. See the port warning in Ports and controls.

Common connections are a pair of RCA inputs, white for left and red for right, often labeled AUDIO IN, or a 3.5 mm input labeled AUX.

Connect AUX-2 audio output connected to a pair of white and red RCA inputs labeled AUDIO IN, or to a 3.5 mm AUX input

For digital audio, use a mini-TOSLINK to TOSLINK cable and connect it to an optical input, often labeled OPTICAL.

Connect AUX-2 audio output connected with a mini-TOSLINK to TOSLINK cable to an optical input labeled OPTICAL

Analog or digital output

Connect AUX-2 sets Audio Output to Analog or Digital automatically, based on the cable you plug in. With Digital set and a mini-TOSLINK cable plugged in, a red light glows inside the audio output.

If Connect AUX-2 doesn't detect your cable correctly, set the output yourself:

  1. In Home Assistant, go to Settings > Devices & services > ESPHome and select Connect AUX-2.
  2. Enable the Automatic output mode selection entity, which is disabled by default:
    1. Expand the entity not shown section to see disabled entities.
    2. Select Automatic output mode selection, select the cogwheel, and turn on Enable.
    3. Select Update, then select OK. The entity takes about 30 seconds to become enabled.
  3. Turn off Automatic output mode selection.
  4. Under Configuration, set Audio Output to Analog or Digital to match your cable.

Connect AUX-2 remembers the setting after a restart.

Play audio with Music Assistant

Any Sendspin source can play audio on Connect AUX-2. With Music Assistant, Connect AUX-2 works as a synchronized player with interruption-free announcements:

  1. Make sure Music Assistant is installed and running.
  2. Music Assistant discovers Connect AUX-2 automatically as a Sendspin player.
  3. Name it during setup, for example "Living Room AUX-2".
  4. Group it with other players for whole-home audio. For best results, group native Sendspin players together, for example Connect AUX-2 and Voice Preview Edition.

Connect AUX-2 in the Music Assistant player settings

If you hear no audio, see Troubleshooting.