should I put my stereo on my LAN?

[MichaelK]

I'm researching the concept of streaming audio to my stereo. (Yes, just audio.) My system doesn't have Bluetooth or LAN connectivity.
Looking for Bluetooth adapters, I found some that also have LAN.
What, exactly, can I do with a LAN adapter? I read that they can stream e.g. Pandora. But, can they stream from any such service. E.g.: Slacker?

 

[pvrfan]

Bluetooth has limited range and throughput but devices are generally really inexpensive.  Basically, you send digital audio via Bluetooth, usually from your phone or tablet.  All the Bluetooth devices I've seen then convert the sound to analog and connect to your audio device via RCA cables.  There are probably some that pass the digital audio through via coax or SPDIF.  The ones I know of, I think the sound quality is poor and subject to interference.  
 
There are many options with either wired or wireless ethernet connections.  High-level overview of some popular choices:
 
- Google Chromecast.  Most anything you can play on Android (and maybe iOS) can be "cast" to this inexpensive device.
 
- Apple Airport Express or Apple TV.  Anything you can play on iOS--or iTunes on Mac or Windows--can be sent via AirPlay to these devices.  No Android support.  Airport Express can also be a wireless access point for your network.  Apple TV has many other features.
 
- Sonos Connect.  More expensive but very highly regarded user interface.  You control it with a smartphone interface and it internally supports several popular online streaming services so your mobile device isn't tied up feeding the music to it.  
 
Don't know about Slacker support.
 
Craig

 

[pete_c]

Here stream audio to my AVR (which has a built in NIC and streaming services which I do not use) and my Russound zoned amps.  I have kept the amplifier audio to speaker connections at analog.
 
If you have a Smart LCD TV near or adjacent to you stereo you can stream audio from the SmartTV (which a lot of folks are doing today).
 
I've DIY'd the hardware to do this.  The hardware I use here is a tabletop touch screen which runs Linux, Windows, Android or a MAC OS.  The audio output from the device is analog or digital.
 
Nowadays you can do this with a Rasberry Pi remote controlled streaming audio and analog outputs to your stereo.
 
Many folks just utilize a bluetooth receiver as mentioned above by Craig (with analog outputs) and stream audio via the cellular phones.
 
Relating to Homeseer just remote control a Kodi / Squeezebox player with analog or digital outputs.
 
Note here the Kodi / Squeezebox player is connected via the Gb network. 
 
It also works using wireless connected to the internet players with analog or digital outputs.
 
Relating to Homeseer touch client I built a page with radio buttons and run VLC externally (you do not see it).
 
The network interface next to the AVR or Russound amps provides a connection to a box which is streaming / recorded audio playback of whatever.
 
Here do not do audio to wireless speakers (AKA like Sonos) rather all of my speakers are connected to audio amplifiers.