How to stream music to a speaker from your iPad
Unless you love annoying folk on the bus by blasting out tinny dubstep, you'll want to hear your tunes through a good speaker. Here's how.
Apple's seamless combination of hardware and iTunes software offers a quick and easy way of building up a collection of tunes, but you won't have much fun listening to it through your iPad's speakers. Want to unlock the full potential of music listening with your favourite tablet? Then read on.
While great for browsing the web, watching movies or the occasional FaceTime chat, the iPad's speakers don't offer the oomph or clarity needed to do your library of tracks any justice. If you want to get the most out of your iPad, your best bet is to stream your music to a more capable sound system or dock.
Getting started
You'll need a Wi-Fi connection in your home, a Logitech Air Speaker and an iPad, iPhone or iPod touch full of your favourite tunes.
A joint effort between peripheral giant Logitech and audiophile favourite Ultimate Ears, the Logitech UE Air offers punchy, room-filling sound backed up by a painless set-up process. Thanks to powerful double rear-mounted subwoofers and dual tweeters, the Air Speaker gives your music a full-bodied sound, along with the volume and clarity of a much larger system.
Although on the pricey side, the Logitech UE Air Speaker connects via Wi-Fi so you don't need to mess around with cables, and when combined with a slide-out foldable dock, it offers an all-round package for enjoying your library of tunes at home.
Setting up and streaming
Drawing on its vast experience within the peripherals market, Logitech has devised a quick, simple way of adding the Air Speaker to your existing Wi-Fi connection. After installing the free dedicated Logitech app on your chosen iDevice, setting up is as simple as placing your iPad, iPhone or iPod in the dock and inputting the relevant passwords.
Once paired up with the Air Speaker, you'll be able to stream away, and even tweak the EQ settings if you aren't entirely happy with the sound balance. If using a computer or laptop, streaming through the Air Speaker is as simple as choosing the relevant output.
Alternatives
While it may be one of the best ways to unlock the full potential of your iTunes library, the £300 Air Speaker is somewhat on the pricey side. It may not be the best choice for those hi-fi enthusiasts who have already built up their ideal sound system either.
If you'd like even better sound, or just want to hear your iTunes music on the hi-fi you've taken years to build, then a separate wireless receiver is the best way to go. Separates such as the Pioneer N-50 offer all the ease of wireless streaming with dedicated apps, while fitting into new and existing hi-fi systems -- so you can change your set-up or sound to your heart's content.
