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+--- Forum: General Questions (https://forum.jellyfin.org/f-general-questions)
+--- Thread: Compatible Smart Speakers? (/t-compatible-smart-speakers)
Compatible Smart Speakers? - pcal43 - 2025-08-27
First off, I love Jellyfin. Thanks very much to all the devs for all their hard work.
EDIT: after doing some more research, I've come to realize that I fundamentally have misunderstood some things about how DLNA and Jellyfin work. I'm really wanting to use Jellyfin as a serverside DLNA controller - I basically want a headless jukebox that is controllable via a browser - but I now understand that isn't really how things work. I will keep researching to try to understand better.
...
I'm hoping to get recommendations about a Wi-Fi speaker that works well with Jellyfin. My goal:
- Jellyfin running on a Synology NAS
- Wi-Fi Smart speaker(s) plugged in wherever in the house
- People in the house can log into Jellyfin on their computer, pick some music, point the cast menu at a speaker and rock on
That seems like it should be pretty achievable. But I just went 10 rounds with a Denon 150 'smart speaker' that refused to be discovered by Jellyfin*, so I'm having some doubts.
Could anyone suggest specific speakers that are known to work well for my use case? Thanks very much!
* I confirmed that the Denon was sending out NOTIFY packets and was receiving M-SEARCH packets from Jellyfin but one of them just wasn't interested in talking to the other. I assume the fault is on the Denon side and that it will only respond to a device speaking some HEOS dialect of DLNA, but I'm not really sure what is going on (other than that it's not a networking issue). Running Jellyfin 10.10.7 FWIW.
RE: Compatible Smart Speakers? - jimmyjammy - 2025-08-27
To play music from Jellyfin running on a Synology NAS to a Denon Home 150 speaker, the best method uses the Denon speaker's HEOS built-in wireless streaming features:
The Denon Home 150 supports Wi-Fi streaming with HEOS built-in, allowing music to be streamed over your home network from compatible apps or servers.
Jellyfin can act as a DLNA server that the Denon HEOS system can detect and play from, but some Jellyfin users have noted compatibility issues or needing to disable HTTPS in Jellyfin to enable this casting functionality.
Another very reliable and simple method is to use Apple AirPlay 2 streaming from a Jellyfin client on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to the Denon Home 150 speaker, which fully supports AirPlay 2.
The Denon Home 150 also supports streaming via the HEOS app itself, so using the HEOS app to connect music libraries, or playing music stored on the network through it, is possible.
Bluetooth streaming is another option but less ideal for direct Jellyfin streaming; it is more suitable for smartphone-to-speaker playback.
Recommended Approach
Open Jellyfin on a client device like a phone or computer.
Use the client’s AirPlay functionality (if on iOS or Mac) to stream music to the Denon Home 150.
Alternatively, try enabling Jellyfin’s DLNA server feature and see if the Denon Home 150 appears as a DLNA renderer in the HEOS app or on the device for direct playback.
If DLNA casting from Jellyfin fails, disabling HTTPS in Jellyfin may help, or use the HEOS app directly to pull music from the NAS shared folders.
This method leverages the Denon Home 150’s native HEOS and AirPlay 2 support for the smoothest experience with Jellyfin running on your Synology NAS.
Speakers Better Suited for Jellyfin
Sonos speakers (e.g. Sonos Era 100): Sonos devices are widely recommended due to robust network streaming, good app control, and partial community support for Jellyfin via DLNA or third-party plugins. They work well with multi-room setups and have great sound quality.
Speakers with built-in Chromecast support: Chromecast-compatible speakers can directly cast from Jellyfin clients (mobile apps or browsers supporting casting). This makes integration easy without additional configuration.
Speakers supporting DLNA/UPnP (e.g., some Yamaha or Denon HEOS models): While Denon HEOS can work with Jellyfin via DLNA, other models might provide more seamless support or compatibility.
Raspberry Pi or spare smartphone as a dedicated Jellyfin cast device: Some Jellyfin users use a cheap Raspberry Pi or an old smartphone connected to speakers as a casting endpoint with Jellyfin client apps or Snapcast, giving flexible audio streaming.