jmrtn

I've been trialling FLAC on Synology DS110j NAS -> Sonos ZP90 -> Goldmund Digital Coax -> Peachtree Nova DAC for the last week and have been really impressed with the Sonos as the transport from the NAS. I've been comparing this to ALAC via iTunes/Airplay -> AppleTV 2G -> TOSLINK -> etc. So far The Synology/Sonos setup is head and shoulders above the iTunes/AppleTV combination and I'll probably be sticking with it! Another huge selling point of the Sonos is Spotify/Rhapsody, which are great for background listening.

For $99 an AppleTV (2nd gen) might be worth a look. I currently have one streaming ALAC from my Macbook into a Nova, via TOSLINK. You also get the benefit of the other ATV features and have more options for remotely controlling the system (handset remote, airplay devices etc.) I have no experience with the Airport Express, but thought an extra option might be worth considering. :-)