Wondering if there is some easy way to play music from my laptop or phone to the stereo receiver speakers {through bluetooth maybe)??
Looking for something simple. Thanks for any suggestions.
Does it have to be wireless?
A mini plug to RCA adapter would be the absolutely simplest solution, assuming you have those connections available.
Exactly what sort of I/O are we talking about here?
^^ That is the easiest way as you just plug the red and white plugs into the back of your stereo receiver 's cd or aux port and the other end into your headphone or speaker jack. Tell us the model of receiver and phone and we can give you a better answer.
Yup. There are endless Bluetooth adapters. Also WiFi. Many modern receivers have the capability built in. But for those that don’t, an external adaptor. I gets a bit messier if you are at all precious about the ultimate fidelity of the connection. Most people aren’t, but if you are there are also lossless protocols and very high quality adaptors. Depends on your HiFi needs and budget.
I just ordered a Topping DX3Pro DAC/Amp. For about $200 it might be a bit rich for some, a bit cheap for others, but it does it all (Bluetooth, USB, S/PDif connection), and has near perfect real world fidelity specs.
Another possibility is an FM modulator. Those are typically designed for automotive use, but it’s probably possible to find a model that can be powered by batteries or a wall brick. You plug it into your device’s headphone port and it broadcasts the sound on your chosen FM frequency (88 through 108 MHz) to which you then tune your receiver. Sound quality is typically less great than Bluetooth, but the setup is simpler.
My nice home stereo - an ancient Sansui G 5700 - I just ran an RCA/mini jack cable to the aux ports in back and treat my phone/laptop/tablet like any other stereo component. Sounds wonderful.
This is not exactly what you are asking but someone may find it useful. If you have Spotify on a PC which is hooked up to your stereo, you can sign into Spotify on your phone or laptop and control what Spotify is playing on your PC. It works very well.
Look up Aukey wireless, portable speakers. They are fabulous, I adore ours. It easily syncs to your laptop, recharges in no time, delivers great quality sound, can skip songs and adjust volume on the speaker. Under $50. It does NOT get easier.
After we got out first and tried it, we immediately bought another. One synced to my iPad and one synced to his! (You can switch the syncing to suit, but why bother? Easier to just have two, for us.)
I highly recommend if you’re looking for easy.
A bit iTunes specific, but also works with iPhones and other devices, but is super simple! Apple’s Airport Express ($80) has an audio out plug that goes into the red-white jacks (or alternatively optical inputs, I believe) on any stereo. It connects to your current router and then all iTunes should recognize it instantly as a new audio output source. It is brilliant- we have two- and with out main family computer in the basement and its music library, we can broadcast easily to either or both stereos simultaneously and can even control it via iPhone app (across the continent).
Apple discontinued them, but they are still available via Amazon, etc. while supplies last. But if you are using iTunes already (even on PC) I cannot recommend the Airport Express higher for ease of use.
*Note that the primary original function was as a wifi network expander but the Airplay funciton is what you want- you can ignore the other stuff if it isn’t of interest. They are also great for wireless printing, which we do use too.
And APple has some refurbs for $50 on their website- but with 0 moving parts is there really anything broken in them? We had one for years and years and only stopped using it because wifi speeds were new bands that weren’t present any more.
I have an Apple AirPort - essentially a small wifi router about the size of a cigarette pack. (They don’t make them any more) It also had a USB and Audio Out, so we have it permanently plugged into the stereo and our ethernet, and can play from iTunes via airplay over the network to the stereo system. I assume there are plenty of similar devices.
The power supplies in Airport Expresses have given some grief. I love them, but have lost two to PS failures. Apple seem to be deprecating them in favour of Airplay devices. Which is a great pity.
I have a Bluetooth dongle hooked up to my stereo. Made by iHome. I think I got it at Target. It was cheap, but works great. It plugs into the RCA jacks in the back. Not only that, but I can snap the actual receiver out and plug headphones into it.
I actually mostly replied so I could say “Dongle”.
heehee, “Dongle.” 
Be sure both the transmitter and receiver both use AptX which supports “up to near CD quality”. While not new, some low cost transmitters/receivers don’t support it, transmitting the audio signal in lower quality.
We have a Samsung Bluetooth soundbar, which came with a subwoofer, and the sound is awesome. Though it was originally intended to use with a TV, we use smartphones to play music through it all the time.
if you’re in the android universe, get a chromecast audio for $35. it’s a wifi device so you don’t have range issues like you will with bluetooth.
Good point. Currently $15 at Best Buy. And WiFi should beat Bluetooth in most ways.
So app on laptop or phone -> WiFi router -> Chromecast Audio -> 3.5mm to RCA splitter (if needed) -> stereo system.
Plus your neighbors can’t play their music through your Bluetooth receiver like a lot of crappy Bluetooth devices do.