While the 1960s-80s are hailed as the golden age of vinyl, records are spinning their way back to popularity. Last year alone saw a 10.5% year-on-year rise in vinyl sales in the UK, with 6.7 million discs sold, generating £196 million, according to The Digital Entertainment and Retail Association.
With a resurgence of retro-tech in an era of streaming, the music listening experience is evolving. No one knows this better than Pete Fealey, Founder of A2D2 Stream, an innovative device that allows users to listen to their favourite vinyl, CD, and tape collections on any smart WiFi-enabled speaker.
Sound technician and bass player, Pete, created A2D2 Stream for fellow music enthusiasts seeking to connect the warm, rich sound of analogue audio devices with the convenience of modern smart speaker systems. By connecting the A2D2 Stream to any device with an analogue output, such as a record player, CD player, or tape deck, users can stream their favourite music throughout their home on any smart speaker.
Coastal beginnings: finding music
Growing up in Weston-super-Mare, Pete found his passion for music ignited by the town's vibrant music scene.
Pete says, “The music scene was rich for such a small town. Growing up, there was a core group of musicians who ran a jam night on Sundays at The Imperial, one of the pubs in town. You’d turn up, get up and play along with the house band, performing one or two songs, and that's how people from the local music scene got to know each other.
“This jam night was a hub of musicians, so you were able to meet like-minded people and make friendships that way. I played guitar as a 15-year-old and then went off to uni and came back to Weston when one of my friends, who was in a band with his brother, asked if I could play bass for them. I said yes. Only, I had never played bass before and I only had two weeks to learn. That was my first official gig. After that, we started doing a few gigs around town and everything else went from there.”
Bringing A2D2 to life
A passion for music produced a problem, and in turn, a game-changing solution for music lovers everywhere.
Pete elaborates, “I listen to music all day, every day. I live and breathe it. As a result, I've got quite a nice record player in my house and speakers in almost every room. My record player lives in my office, but I quickly found that I wasn’t using it as much as I wanted.
I wanted to find a way to listen to my records without spending loads of time in my office. So, I started looking for products which would allow me to integrate my record player into my speaker ecosystem, but they were all pretty pricey. So, I cobbled something together – it was all a bit DIY – but it worked!
“It was a bit clunky, but the idea was there and it worked. At the time, I was working in Justgood, a product development agency, and then that grew into helping people make cool, new products. After a quick chat with one of the board of directors, I showed the rest of the team the prototype and they loved it. After 3 years of development and testing, A2D2 Stream was born.”
The unique feeling of vinyl
A2D2 Stream allows retro music lovers and vinyl enthusiasts to stream their beloved collections seamlessly throughout their homes, without losing the authentic vinyl experience.
Pete explains, “It's all about the theatre of it. It's the whole experience of taking the vinyl out of its sleeve, putting it on the turntable, putting the needle on it. It’s the experience of listening to the entirety of the album, rather than simply going on your phone, where you've unlimited access to every song that’s ever existed, and just skipping, skipping, skipping. Vinyl forces you to listen to it as the artist recorded it, as the artist intended.”
Details & Specifications
48KHz A-D conversion up to 96Khz/24-bit A-D conversion
Wi-Fi/Ethernet connectivity
USB-C Powered
Firmware/software updateable
Stereo Phono/RCA Line In/Out
3.5mm Line Out
Compatible with all speaker brands, including Amazon Alexa
Features one-tap connection to Sonos, Denon HEOS, Google Chromecast, and Apple AirPlay devices
A2D2 Stream is available to purchase for £149.00 from the A2D2 website or in-store at Richer Sounds.
