Video: Belkin's Soundform Connect Adds AirPlay 2 to Your Existing Speakers

Last month, Belkin introduced the Soundform Connect Audio Adapter with AirPlay 2, letting users turn their traditional speakers into AirPlay 2-enabled devices.


MacRumors videographer Dan has now had a chance to spend some time with the accessory, so check out our latest video for a look at the setup process, using standalone speakers via ‌AirPlay‌, and integrating those speakers into a whole-home setup with other ‌AirPlay‌ 2 speakers.

Physical setup is dead simple, with a USB-C port on one side for power and both optical and 3.5mm analog audio out jacks on the other side, letting you easily connect it to your existing powered speakers, receiver, or amplifier.

As is to be expected with ‌AirPlay‌ 2 devices, software setup is simple, with the Home app walking you through the process to get the dongle added to your existing home configuration. Once that's done, it's just a simple matter of selecting it as your audio output destination on your iOS or Mac device.

With ‌AirPlay‌ 2, you can use your newly connected speakers as part of a multi-room setup incorporating other speakers like HomePods, with audio output being synced across all speakers.

Integration with the Home app also gives you the ability to incorporate your speakers into scenes and other automations.

The Soundform Connect Audio Adapter with AirPlay 2 is priced at $99.99, so it's not exactly cheap, but if you got a nice sound system that lacks ‌AirPlay‌ support, this adapter can add some very useful functionality.

Popular Stories

2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Adjusts Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday November 6, 2025 11:12 am PST by
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store. The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the U.S., according to its website. Maximum values for most devices either decreased or saw no change, but the iPad Air received a slight bump. ...
Liquid Glass General Feature

Apple Shares Liquid Glass Design Gallery

Thursday November 6, 2025 2:45 pm PST by
Apple is promoting the new Liquid Glass design in iOS 26, showing off the ways that third-party developers are embracing the aesthetic in their apps. On its developer website, Apple is featuring a visual gallery that demonstrates how "teams of all sizes" are creating Liquid Glass experiences. The gallery features examples of Liquid Glass in apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. Apple...
airtag purple

Apple's Website Lists AirTag 4-Pack at Shockingly Low Price [Updated]

Friday November 7, 2025 6:40 am PST by
Apple's online store in the U.S. is suddenly offering a pack of four AirTags for just $29, which is the same price as a single AirTag. This is likely a pricing error, and it is unclear if orders will be fulfilled. Apple has not discounted the AirTag four-pack in any other countries that we checked. Delivery estimates are already pushing into late November to early December, suggesting...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday November 3, 2025 5:54 am PST by
Following more than a month of beta testing, Apple released iOS 26.1 on Monday, November 3. The update includes a handful of new features and changes, including the ability to adjust the look of Liquid Glass and more. Below, we outline iOS 26.1's key new features. Liquid Glass Toggle iOS 26.1 lets you choose your preferred look for Liquid Glass. In the Settings app, under Display...
ikea smart home devices

IKEA Debuts 21 HomeKit-Compatible Smart Bulbs, Sensors, and Controls

Thursday November 6, 2025 4:08 pm PST by
IKEA today announced the upcoming launch of 21 new Matter-compatible smart home products that will be able to interface with HomeKit and the Apple Home app. There are sensors, lights, and control options, all of which will be reasonably priced. Some of the products are new, while some are updates to existing lines that IKEA previously offered. There are a series of new smart bulbs that are...
Early Black Friday Deals 1

The Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals on MacBook, Apple Watch, iPad, and More

Saturday November 8, 2025 6:16 am PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
Apple fitness plus feature

Future of Apple Fitness+ 'Under Review'

Sunday November 9, 2025 5:30 am PST by
The future of Apple Fitness+ is "under review" amid a reorganization of the service, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that Apple Fitness+ remains one of the company's "weakest digital offerings." The service apparently suffers from high churn and little revenue. Nevertheless, Fitness+ has a small, loyal fanbase that...
maxresdefault

In-Depth iPhone Battery Experiment Pits Slow Charging Against Fast Charging

Friday November 7, 2025 1:19 pm PST by
HTX Studio this week shared the results from a six-month battery test that compared how fast charging and slow charging can affect battery life over time. Using six iPhone 12 models, the channel set up a system to drain the batteries from five percent and charge them to 100 percent over and over again. Three were fast charged, and three were slow charged. Another set of iPhones underwent...
apple watch se 3 always on

Apple to Remove iPhone-Apple Watch Wi-Fi Sync in EU With iOS 26.2

Thursday November 6, 2025 4:37 am PST by
Apple in iOS 26.2 will disable automatic Wi-Fi network syncing between iPhone and Apple Watch in the European Union to comply with the bloc's regulations, suggests a new report. Normally, when an iPhone connects to a new Wi-Fi network, it automatically shares the network credentials with the paired Apple Watch. This allows the watch to connect to the same network independently – for...

Top Rated Comments

bentup Avatar
57 months ago
Important concept, but a bit expensive for what it is. Airport Expresses on ebay still get the job done for a third of the price.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
topdrawer Avatar
57 months ago
all those speakers to play that terrible song.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bluespark Avatar
57 months ago

this looks great to make old, high-end sound systems “smart”.

I do wonder, however, what kind of sound stage one would get out of this given the tiny pre-amp.

the concept is great, but I feel like it should have an optical audio out instead so you can losslessly hook it up to a powerful pre-amp.

That, of course would only work with in modern systems that support optical audio.

Other than that, something like a Cambridge audio 851N has a “proper” pre-amp and also supports AirPlay.
The writeup says it has an optical out.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nosaj72 Avatar
57 months ago

Sounds like an expensive solution. For $99 you could get a Raspberry Pi that will do the exact same thing. Or as others have said, grab a used AirPort Express.
Not exactly. The pi can do Airplay but not Airplay2.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kalafalas Avatar
57 months ago
I will be buried with my AirPort expresses. May they never stop working
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
praetorian909 Avatar
57 months ago

Do old Airport Express routers implement Airplay 2? Don't think so.
The AirPort Express N models (the one with a power cable) do support AirPlay 2. Apple released a new firmware back in 2018.

https://9to5mac.com/2018/08/28/airport-express-airplay-2-homekit/amp/
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)