I want to play audio from my Mac over WiFi speakers without having to install a bunch of apps

I'm probably overthinking this but here goes.

Seems like all of the WiFi speakers I see for sale are pushing bundles of apps. Screw that. I want a 'dumb' set of wireless speakers. I don't want "smart home" nonsense.

I mainly listen to youtube in a browser on my Mac mini and I want to be able to hear it in my kitchen, den, etc. I have a standalone wireless access point set up already.

Which vendor is the least intrusive or most bare-bones in their approach?

Solution 1:

AirPlay Speakers

The easiest experience is to get AirPlay 2 compatible speakers and you have zero app, native OS support, works everywhere experience.

• https://www.imore.com/best-airplay-2-speakers
• https://www.apple.com/ios/home/accessories/#section-speaker

The airplay page and marketing logo explain why this takes away the need for any apps, and is strictly controlled to make your experience better.

• https://www.apple.com/airplay/

I get you might consider this smart home, but for sound the setup and reliability are amazing and for me worth the cost.

AirPlay Adapter

Alternatively, you can get a cheap AirPlay adapter and connect it to existing speakers. This gives you all the benefits of AirPlay without high cost of AirPlay speakers. You can connect to any existing speakers you have that take an aux input. The adapter connects to your WiFi network at home, and allows any Apple device in the house to stream music to your speakers.

• Example adapter

Bluetooth Adapter

Also available without AirPlay - a dumb setup is going to be a $35 or less Bluetooth receiver to powered analog input speakers.

• Logitech Bluetooth Audio Adapter for Bluetooth Streaming
• whichever studio monitors your heart desires