Airport Express - a couple of (probably stupid) questions

[admin_exported]

As per nearly everybody else, it would seem, I have ripped a lot of CD's to my PC. My hifi setup is in another room. My questions are:

1. Can I plug the Airport Express into my Denon AV amp via its optical output and thereby get the Denon to use its DAC? This would presumably allow me to hear the difference between the AE DAC and the Denon DAC to give me an idea as to whether it is worth buying a DacMagic.

2. Is therefore the Monster cable pack the best to get in terms of flexibility, as it seems to have all the connectors you could need, including RCA and optical? I could then use these cables if I bought a standalone DAC.

3. Could I plug my Sony BDP350 BluRay into the Airport express LAN socket to pick up the wireless connection (i.e. using the AE as a wireless -> wired LAN convertor) so that I can access BD Live etc, or does the AE only transmit the itunes data?

Thanks and I hope that makes sense.

 

[John Duncan]

istanapatrick:1. Can I plug the Airport Express into my Denon AV amp via its optical output and thereby get the Denon to use its DAC? This would presumably allow me to hear the difference between the AE DAC and the Denon DAC to give me an idea as to whether it is worth buying a DacMagic.

Yes. I have found though that the key is the use of lossless files streamed to the DAC, as opposed to the DAC itself - any given dedicated DAC will only give marginal improvements, to my mind. For example, AE plugged into the DAC on my Yamaha receiver sounded fantastic. Therefore, you may very well find that the Denon is sufficient and the extra 200 quid would be better spent on a dedicated stereo amp.

istanapatrick:2. Is therefore the Monster cable pack the best to get in terms of flexibility, as it seems to have all the connectors you could need, including RCA and optical? I could then use these cables if I bought a standalone DAC.

Isn't it quite expensive? I use a ten quid Maplins optical cable, which is all you need. If you added an external DAC you would then need a pair of analogue interconnects, but I'm not sure Monster would be my first choice, if indeed a pair is included in that pack.

istanapatrick:3. Could I plug my Sony BDP350 BluRay into the Airport express LAN socket to pick up the wireless connection (i.e. using the AE as a wireless -> wired LAN convertor) so that I can access BD Live etc, or does the AE only transmit the itunes data?

It would certainly do one or the other, but I have no idea if it will do both, haven't tried it.

 

[Xanderzdad]

Hi JD

Firstly an apology to all (and I hope I haven't broken a forum rule) but I have somehow logged in as ISTANAPATRICK when I posted this question. Didn't even know I had registered that (how do I get that login ID deleted?). Only noticed because my avatar and system info was missing! Anyway, now back to my proper login ID now.

1. As you can now see from my proper login info, I have a stereo and an AV amp. Which do you think would sound better - AE to my Musical Fidelity amp via RCA or AE to Denon via optical?

2. Thanks for the cable advice, I will look into an optical link (the AE takes a 3.5mm jack plus optical connection I believe).

3. It would be a useful experiment for any AE users - can they plug into the LAN socket on the AE to access internet i.e. PC -> wireless -> AE -> LAN cable -> bluray or laptop.

Thanks again

 

[John Duncan]

Xanderzdad:Which do you think would sound better - AE to my Musical Fidelity amp via RCA or AE to Denon via optical?

Difficult to say - the AE actually sounds OK, and the muscle of the MF amp may make it sound better than the Denon on the face of it. However, the AE's high noise floor (listen to the hum on headphones) will probably mean that a bit of subtlety is lost.

There's no doubt that the best-sounding combo would be a separate DAC into the MF, but on the face of it if you have preouts from the Denon to the MF, you're going to end up playing through the MF in the end anyway aren't you? Quality should then (provided the Denon isn't a completely duff pre-amp) be better than the AE on its own, but not quite up to a separate DAC into the MF.

Sounds like some experimentation is in order.......

 

[John Duncan]

Oh, last point. The key to all of this is lossless, accurately-ripped files. If you don't do that, a CD player is much easier...

 

[Anonymous]

So Xanderzdad, did you ever get the answer to if the Airport Express can function as a wireless bridge for your Sony BDS350 for BD Live?

There really is nothing new under the sun; I have just bought an S350 and was wondering about connecting it wirelessly for BD Live, and I was also thinking about how to stream my stuff from iTunes to the hi-fi. Then the light went on and I wondered if the Airport Express could do both - and you had already asked the question! Though I don't know if you have the answer...

Regards

Andy

 

[Xanderzdad]

Hi Andy

Unfortunately my experiments and research lead me to believe that it is not possible to use the Airport Express for wireless BD live.

Cheers

Xanderzdad