The Chromecast Audio allows me to plug it into any standard stereo. Bang for the buck I can get much better speakers for the dollar when buying just normal speakers instead of "smart" speakers. I then plug the Chromecast Audio into it and get the same ability to Cast to it, and include it into groups. The ability to add it to Cast groups is one of the key reasons I like it over just a Bluetooth connection.

So to sum up: * Bang for the buck get better audio quality * Still get all of the same Cast features (WiFi casting, group casting, etc.)

Hope that helps! :)

Not explicitly mentioned elsewhere is the digital audio connector (TOSLINK/optical out) on the Audio.

This allows it to be connected directly to a half decent amp, rather than relying on the onboard DAC.

If you have multiple CCAs, you can set them up for multi-room playback. AFAIK you cannot do that with the ordinary Chromecast.

IIRC you plug it into speakers instead of a TV, which you can't with the regular one for the lack of aux output.

Audio without a display (or audio with an unrelated display) is very nice, especially for parties