AirPlay Receivers

[bergman]

I've seen a few audio or A/V receivers offering built-in airplay. I'm looking for the least expensive airplay receiver to connect to my high end component audio system. so far it looks like AppleTV is the only option. has anyone found any other airPlay receiver that might meet my needs?

 

[andrewsmith]

Airport Express works good as well...I have the ATV 2 in the bedroom hooked up to my system and TV and the Airport Express hooked up to the audio system in the living room so I can play the same music throughout the house.

 

[bergman]

My understanding is that Airplay delivers better audio than the wifi enabled airport Express.

 

[Fausty82]

My understanding is that Airplay delivers better audio than the wifi enabled airport Express.

The problem with the Airport Express solution is that it only has a mini jack output... meaning that you can only get 2 channel stereo sound. Using an AppleTV, you have the digital audio out, so you could get 5.1 surround sound out of the AppleTV to your "high end component audio system".

Garbage in, garbage out, as they say.

 

[DefBref]

My understanding is that Airplay delivers better audio than the wifi enabled airport Express.

??? Airport express receives music via AirPlay. I do not understand this statement.

Also to previous poster the airport express mini jack doubles as an optical output.

 

[Fausty82]

??? Airport express receives music via AirPlay. I do not understand this statement.

Also to previous poster the airport express mini jack doubles as an optical output.

You can hook speakers up to an Airport Express and then stream music to the speakers using airplay. What's not to understand?

 

[DefBref]

Read the quote again and explain it to me.

"AirPlay delivers better audio than the wireless airport express"

I'm fully aware of the capabilities of airport express, but how does the above make any sense. How does AirPlay deliver better audio than airport express? AirPlay isn't a device but a protocol that airport express uses.

If the op had said he thinks apple tv delivers delivers better audio than airport express, I could understand what he meant. Note I'm not saying that this is true, as I understand it apple tv resamples everything in a different way to airport express, possibly resulting in a audio difference, but I don't hear it between my airport express and apple tv.