Kudos: Easily add remote HDMI or RCA source components and/or expand zone outputs of Juke Audio system; simple operation and integration
Concerns: Currently limited to Juke Audio systems; occasional hiccups that require resets; some sync delays; requires Ethernet for best results
No matter how much you plan for a home’s distributed audio system, it’s possible that you’ll miss something, and even more likely the customer will have an “Aha!” moment after moving in that means they’d like to add a feature you didn’t account for.
Things like, “Oh, I just assumed I’d be able to play this TV audio through the system,” or, “I’m deciding to get into vinyl, and would like to put a turntable in my office that ties into the system,” or, “You know, we really wished we had some music in the [insert room name.]”
While pulling wiring for these things is often — but not always — possible, it could mean hours of labor and then wire and hardware costs. And even if done during construction, something like running a 100-foot Toslink or fiber HDMI cable from a remote TV back to a central audio rack is doable, but not always economical.
If you’ve felt any of these pain points, then you likely imagined a magical, problem-solving widget that performs very much like the Juke Audio’s new AudioMate. This slightly-bigger-than-a-deck-of-cards device lets you stream HDMI or RCA audio sources (inputs) across a wired or Wi-Fi network, as well as provide local HDMI and RCA audio outputs for expanding the system. If you’ve had that client that wants to “just” add TV audio into a system or expand a zone, the AudioMate offers a painless method for doing it.
Juke+ Refresher
Since the AudioMate currently only works with Juke Audio hardware, either the original Juke 6/8 or upgraded Juke+, a quick refresher of the Juke+ is in order, as that is the component that will likely most interest the CI crowd with its improved performance and connection features.
It’s been a couple of years since I reviewed the Juke+, but Juke Audio hasn’t been sitting still during that time, and quite a bit has changed since I reviewed it. While the hardware has remained intact, Juke has steadily improved and added features to its app.
The app has a new design that looks clean and modern, with options for Home, Music, Inputs, and Settings along the bottom. You can now add pictures to customize the look of each zone, which certainly gives it a higher-end, custom look and feel. On top of giving each zone a custom name, you can also use a host of little icons — a shower head, a cooking pot, a bed, RCA cables — to identify a zone graphically.
You can now disable the “Enhanced Speaker Protection” in the app. Prior, this required a call to tech support and having an engineer log into your machine to turn it off. This setting “allows your Juke to be more permissive to speakers with different impedance and crossover characteristics.” The first Juke+ I reviewed didn’t like my Niles CM4PR small aperture kitchen speakers, and it still doesn’t like them now, so turning this “protection” off was great for me.
You can now output mono to a zone, which is great for large areas where speakers are widely spread apart or if using multiple pairs. There are also seven adjustable presets — Balanced, BassBoost, Rock, Acoustic, Classical, Electronic, and HipHop — with a 5-band EQ for each with frequency boost/cuts at 250 Hz, 500 Hz, 2 kHz, 4 kHz, and 16 kHz, which are all uniquely adjustable per zone.
But the most significant change is that Juke now supports internal Music Streaming (though still in beta, you can opt in to use this feature in the app). While the system is primarily built around wireless AirPlay2 (Android users can use an app called “AirMusic” to connect to the Juke+’s AirPlay inputs), Spotify Connect, and Bluetooth streaming, this feature makes it function more like traditional streaming audio systems. Streaming currently supports TuneIn, Qobuz, Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, and Pandora, giving you some of the most popular options.
The look of the streaming services is a bit different than you’re used to, and even though you log in with your credentials, it doesn’t really connect to your account in the way you’d expect. For example, it won’t pull in any of your Pandora stations or Tidal playlists. In Tidal, you can search for Songs, Artist, or Albums, and then browse to find what you want. In Pandora, you search and select a song, artist, or station you want, but it isn’t going to present your list of stations, and you won’t have access to your Thumbprint Radio channel, a curated channel based on all the songs you’ve given a thumbs up. However, Juke says this will continue to develop, and it plans on adding support for playlists and favorites this year.
Another feature Juke Audio’s president, Colton Forth, mentioned being on the roadmap is using the Juke+’s USB inputs for connecting and playing back media. The USB connections are still available for connecting additional sources via third-party dongles. You can stream network audio to the Juke+ via DLNA using a server, and Juke recommends BubbleUPnP.
While I didn’t take a listen to them for this review, Juke Audio also offers speakers now. They have an architectural line called Sky Speaker that is available in 6.5- and 8-inch round sizes with a toolless, flush-mount design, and the Spin Speaker, an outdoor, surface-mount speaker with a pivoting bracket for a variety of install options that comes in both black and white. This gives dealers the ability to be a one-stop shop to sell an end-to-end Juke system.
But the big news is the launch of the AudioMate.
First Impressions
Before seeing the product, I thought it would be similar to a balun, requiring both a send and receive unit, but that’s not the case with the AudioMate. Since it can simultaneously send and receive signals to/from the Juke across the network, only one is required.
Out of the box, the AudioMate looks about exactly like you’d expect it to. On one side, there is an HDMI eARC in and out and USB-C for power, on another RCA in and outs, on another an Ethernet connection, and, on the fourth, three status LEDs and a reset button.
Inside the box is a handy quick start guide with a QR code along with a USB-C cable and power charger, HDMI cable, and two strips of Velcro should you want to affix the AudioMate behind a flat-panel display.
Related: Resi First Look with John Sciacca — Juke Audio’s New AudioMate Solution
While the AudioMate does support Wi-Fi connections, Juke Audio strongly recommends a hardwired connection to your router or nearest access point for the most reliable, stable performance. Juke’s advice is, “In the event you have Ethernet run to a TV location already, we suggest getting a small network switch at that location to split the Ethernet cable into the TV and the AudioMate. In the event you cannot get it hardwired, it is important that you have a wireless access point within at least 25 feet of the device to ensure a stable connection.” As Ethernet was possible for my review, that’s what I used.
Setup
Since a Juke Audio component is currently required for the AudioMate to function, I installed and configured the Juke+ first. (Forth did mention that the company is looking for industry partners that would enable them to open AudioMate for use with other systems; however, it is too early to speculate on what systems might be supported.)
Because I totally biffed it, I’m going to put in here that if you plan on using Bluetooth streaming to the system, be sure to connect the included front-panel antenna to the Juke+. Because I was connecting via Ethernet, I just left this antenna in the box and then had a head-slapping moment when I couldn’t get the Juke+ to appear under available Bluetooth devices. When I attached the antenna, it immediately appeared.
I tried the AudioMate a variety of ways, all of which are quickly and easily configured within the app. I used my Sony TV’s HDMI eARC output into the AudioMate, and then the AudioMate’s HDMI output to my Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar. This actually deserves a bit of a callout. I love that using the HDMI feed from the display doesn’t strip out the audio entirely and prevent you from still being able to use a soundbar downstream. The fact that you can add TV audio into the Juke ecosystem while still outputting to a local soundbar is a great integration detail.
I also connected my Kaleidescape M500 player and Marantz CD 50n via RCA, as well as connecting the RCA output to a Marantz Model 50 amplifier to add an additional Juke zone. You could also use an AudioMate’s RCA output to add a local subwoofer into an area that could use more bass.
While you can use both the HDMI and RCA outputs, you are limited to using either the HDMI or RCA input at a time, labeling and configuring in the Juke app. To be clear, the input and both outputs are concurrently functional and individually controlled. So, you could use a single AudioMate to add an input while also connecting a soundbar via HDMI and an amplifier or subwoofer via RCA.
And while it likely won’t happen frequently in the real world, when I switched between the AudioMate’s RCA and HDMI inputs, it could introduce some issues like static, break eARC, mute the HDMI output, create noticeable lip‑sync delays, or stop streaming back to the Juke+. Typically, a reboot of either the AudioMate and/or TV would resolve these. But since you can only use one input or the other, the likelihood of switching back and forth as I did in testing is probably small, and once you’ve established a good connection and it is working, it continued working.
The TV audio output must be set to PCM, meaning the soundbar won’t receive bitstream signals for Dolby Digital/Atmos audio. It took a bit of troubleshooting to discover why I couldn’t get my Sony TV’s audio into the system. After a few firmware pushes from Juke where everything should have been working and still wasn’t, I discovered that the digital audio output volume level in my TV defaulted to 0 when set to PCM. After raising this, voilà! Everything worked.
Also slightly bizarre: I lost the center channel content from my connected Sonos Arc Ultra when playing content from the Kaleidescape M500 through the TV via HDMI. The system seemed to have all other audio channels, just nothing (specifically dialog) mixed to the center channel. I know it was being sent by the Kaleidescape because when I played it through the TV speaker, I could hear it. The resolution was to set the M500 to output 2-channel stereo, which was fine since that’s all the AudioMate could pass anyhow.
Juke Audio said it has plans to implement surround sound in its Juke+ systems at some point, allowing you to configure five of the Juke+’s speaker outputs and RCA as a 5.1-channel system, and also commented they felt it would be technically possible to allow the AudioMate to handle bitstream signal pass-thru at some point. In my setup, where the AudioMate was passing audio through to a full Sonos Arc Ultra surround system, that would be a welcome update.
While each of the Juke+’s individual audio zones can broadcast as available AirPlay2 or Spotify Connect zones, letting you go in and quickly select which room(s) to play to, the AudioMate doesn’t natively have AirPlay or Bluetooth support. (Juke says it plans to enable the AirPlay support for the AudioMate by the time you read this.) Playing back this audio, or either of the Juke+’s Toslink or RCA inputs, is reliant on the Juke+’s grouping feature.
There are four configurable group inputs per Juke+ and one for the AudioMate. On the Juke+, these inputs can be designated as either Spotify (Connect), AirPlay 2, Bluetooth, DLNA, or the unit’s RCA and Optical inputs. Once you’ve enabled a grouping, you go into the input settings and select which rooms have access to this input and set a zone volume level. So, say you want a housewide AirPlay or Bluetooth option. You would just name it “House” (or anything else) and then add in all of the rooms, including the AudioMate’s HDMI and RCA outputs if they are being used. Then when you go to AirPlay/Bluetooth something, you’d select the “House” to broadcast in all areas.
Sending audio from the AudioMate’s HDMI or RCA inputs back to the Juke+ is accomplished in the same manner.
Performance
I almost never use AirPlay when using my daily audio system, which is a combo Control4 and Triad system. Rather, I rely on the built-in streaming of my EA-5 controller. So, using the “new” built-in streaming in the Juke+ was a very familiar experience for me. But when I would use AirPlay, I definitely saw the simplicity in it.
Juke’s philosophy is that people are already familiar and comfortable using their preferred streaming apps — Apple Music, Tidal, Spotify, Pandora, etc. — so why make them learn a new one? Just go into the app you already know, start music, and then AirPlay to whichever rooms – or group – you want. And with AirPlay2, you can even individually select the volumes. To quickly adjust global volume, just tap the volume buttons on your device. Easy and intuitive.
And with the AudioMate’s outputs added to a group AirPlay, it expanded what I could do and where I could enjoy music. While virtually every modern soundbar offers streaming on its own, connecting the AudioMate’s HDMI output gives you access to all of the Juke+’s streaming features to any bar. Plus, with HDMI CEC control, you can even adjust the soundbar’s volume in the app.
Juke uses a “last come, first serve” protocol for inputs, meaning that once a new audio stream is detected, it will take control of the zone regardless of whether another source is playing in it or not. When you turn that stream off, the zone just reverts back to what it was doing, which is a great way to let people temporarily stream music to the AudioMate’s HDMI output, and then have it automatically return to the TV audio connection when finished. And if two or more active streams are trying to play in a zone simultaneously, you can toggle between them in the Juke app.
Admittedly, my home’s network is not the ideal environment. For one, I’m using a Luxul mesh network, which can cause issues for some devices as they hop from node to node. For another, signals travel through four switches in my network to get from the Juke+ to the AudioMate. I say this to qualify some of the quirks I experienced with the system.
Sometimes music streamed across all zones in perfect sync; other times it was slightly off. For example, when using AirPlay, the AudioMate’s signal could be about 0.75 seconds ahead of the speaker outputs from the Juke+. And when I streamed audio from a device connected to the Juke+’s RCA input, the delay was reversed, with the Juke+’s speakers about 0.75 seconds ahead of the AudioMate’s outputs. This is not an issue if either is in a remote area, but is noticeable in areas where you can hear the AudioMate’s outputs — either HDMI or RCA — and the Juke+ at the same time. Forth stated Juke is working to enhance this and give users control over setting delays for outputs based on specific devices.
However, when playing a source connected to the AudioMate — say my Kaleidescape’s analog audio output or the HDMI output from my Sony TV — and streaming it back to the Juke+, the timing was close enough to stay in sync, certainly perfect for your big game party where you’re piping the TV audio around the house. Most importantly, the audio matched the video output onscreen.
Fortunately, I’ve found Juke’s engineering team to be very responsive to this kind of feedback, and I believe they will continue working to tighten up these issues. (I only got off beta firmware near the very end of my review.)
As I experienced during my previous review of the Juke+, I found that the AudioMate’s RCA input was prone to being over-driven by a “hot” line level signal. For example, I connected the analog output from a Marantz CD 50n and played CDs and streamed HEOS content, and it was cracking and distorted to the point that I’d consider it unusable. When I changed to the CD 50n’s variable output and lowered the volume to 75, the distortion mostly cleared up. I also connected my TV’s adjustable mini-jack analog output and was able to fine-tune the level, lowering it to a point where the signal wasn’t being overdriven but still had a good range of volume. But between the volume control on the source, the source volume in the Juke app, and the room volume in the Juke app, it is a bit of a dance between settings trying to find the right balance. My Kaleidescape M500’s RCA output and played movies and music without any distortion issues.
Juke says that the AudioMate’s RCA input is spec’d for a 1V RMS signal. Since most CD players output at 2-2.2V RMS (with my CD 50n rated at 2.34V), this explains my issue. If you did need to attenuate the incoming line level of the RCA connection that didn’t have a variable output, you could install an RCA signal attenuator in line between the source and the AudioMate’s RCA input.
Obviously, getting analog inputs from the Juke+ to the AudioMate (or vice versa) requires digitizing and packetizing the signal to send it over the network. I found the audio sent this way to sound a bit compressed and congested. Comparing the sound quality from the same album played via a Denon BP-500BT turntable connected via RCA and AirPlay’ed via Tidal, the record lacked the dynamics, most notably high frequencies, and felt flatter in comparison. Streamed CDs lacked the bass depth and punch. Perfectly fine for background listening, but not something I’d use for critical playback.
With the AudioMate, Juke Audio has offered a way to easily and quickly expand a Juke system and offer a solution for those customer “Aha!” moments. Whether you are looking to add a remote source, get TV audio into a system, expand audio to a new zone, or integrate a subwoofer, Juke’s AudioMate offers a simple, cost-effective, no-new-wires way to do it.
310-564-9130; jukeaudio.com
Product Specs:
Juke+
- Six stereo audio zones powered by 100 watts/channel (stable to 2 ohms), with Zone 7 RCA and Zone 8 Toslink
- Stream via Apple AirPlay2, Spotify Connect, Bluetooth 5, and DLNA
- Android and iOS App control
- Includes 5-band EQ adjustment for each zone
- Rack-mountable (1U) with included rack ears
- External Wi-Fi/Bluetooth antenna for increased range
- Connections: Inputs: RCA stereo, Toslink Optical, two USB-A, RJ45 Ethernet; Outputs: Six sets of detachable Phoenix connectors, RCA stereo, Toslink Optical, Detachable IEC power cable
- Dimensions: 17.13 x 1.75 x 8.38 inches (HxWxD)
- Weight: 7 pounds
AudioMate
- Connects to Juke Audio systems across wired or Wi-Fi network
- Add remote HDMI or RCA audio source available to all Juke zones
- Expand system or add subwoofer with RCA output
- Easily added and configured within Juke Audio app
- Includes Velcro to adhere to back of a TV
- Connections: Inputs: RCA stereo, HDMI eARC, RJ45 Ethernet; Outputs: RCA stereo, HDMI eARC, USB-C (power)
- Dimensions: 1 x 4 x 3-inches (HxWxD)
