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    The Computer Audiophile

    By The Computer Audiophile •

    New Apple AirPort Express Bit Perfect But Still Limited

    new-aex-thumb.jpgMy new AirPort Express, white hockey puck version, arrived this morning. The first thing I did was connect it to my Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC and run several bit perfect tests at different sample rates and bit depths. The good news is the new AE is bit perfect at 16 bit / 44.1 kHz. The usual (bad) news is the new AE will play all other popular PCM sample rates but doesn't transmit the data bit perfectly. I hoped the new AE would at least transmit some 24 bit data but when I sent 24/44.1 music to my Alpha DAC it wasn't bit perfect. In the interest of due diligence I tested 24 bit / 44.1 through 192 kHz and none of the music was sent bit perfect. Only 16 bit / 44.1 was transmitted unaltered. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

     

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    One minor improvement that doesn't go far enough is the addition of an extra Ethernet port. This enables use of the AE as a wired router in addition to a wireless router. Unfortunately both Ethernet ports on the new AirPort Express only operate at 10/100 Mbit/s. Maybe Gigabit ports aren't needed as all audio is sent at 16/44.1, but using the new AE for other data needs will be a bit limited compared to almost all other routers including the AirPort Extreme.

     

    The USB port is also still limited to printers only (no audio output).

     

    I really like the default external power cord for the new AE. The previous Express units required the purchase of a separate power cable to use the device without plugging it directly into an outlet. I always hated plugging the entire AE into an outlet with a hanging digital cable. The look of a wall wart and the fact that the AE never fit tightly enough into the outlet were "first world" annoyances but annoyances nonetheless.

     

     

     

    Summary

     


      [*=left]16 bit / 44.1 kHz music -> Bit Perfect
      [*=left]16 bit / 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192 kHz -> Not Bit Perfect but does play through the AE at 16/44.1.
      [*=left]24 bit / 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192 kHz -> Not Bit Perfect but does play through the AE at 16/44.1.

     

     

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    Ivailo Atanassov
    Just a for what it's worth, had David and Jonathan from Peachtree in here last Thursday for an event, and David had the new AE, but it was not a good expierence!

     

    It would not stream any res without occasional hiccups. It did not seem to be signal related, we were in the same room with it, and it did the same thing weather we were in the room or 100' away. Tried just about every network config I could come up with to no avail, it just kept breaking up. Maybe he had a bad one, but we ran out of time trying to get it to go. Threw an ATV in it's place and it streamed flawlessly.

     

    It was up to date on FW....dunno. It's too new, so there is not much feedback out there on the fourms, but we had a bad time for sure.

     

    Anyone else have a similar issue?

     

    I am having a similar issue. Did you investigate this in further detail?

    Iv.

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    Rob McCance

    In a world where a true Audiophile would be concerned with a 100% half meter silver cable feeding a high-end USB/SPDIF converter into a uber expensive DAC into god-knows-what-high-end-downstream-gear, could anyone really care about an Apple Airplay?

     

    Sorry, that's just the only thought I can come up with here. I know it's not very constructive..

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    tgundo2003
    I am having a similar issue. Did you investigate this in further detail?

    Iv.

     

    From what I understand it just ended up being a defective unit. We bought a new one here and it worked flawlessly no matter what config/gear combo we tried it with.

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    alex santos
    HI Guys - I have also acquired one of the very new airport express units - my application is a bit different. I was streaming from my study to a squeezebox in the lounge - worked fine for 16/44 files. But 24/96 just would not cut it - the wireless signal was too weak and I kept seeing buffering messages on the squeezebox.

     

    So in goes the new airport express last weekend (in reality most wireless routers would work) - joined it to my network and I now use an ethernet cable out from the AE to my squeezebox (which in turn feeds a Centrance DACmini for DAC purposes).

     

    The AE works like a charm - my 24/96 files play without a hitch. The new AE is an elegant looking unit to boot.

     

    cheers

     

    I think the biggest favor everyone can do for themselves is to setup their WIFI network as 802.11n at 5GHz

     

    The reason for 5GHz is to reduce interference with other devices that operate at the 2.4GHz frequency.

     

    Best

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    The Computer Audiophile
    I think the biggest favor everyone can do for themselves is to setup their WIFI network as 802.11n at 5GHz

     

    The reason for 5GHz is to reduce interference with other devices that operate at the 2.4GHz frequency.

     

    Best

     

    Hi Alex - 5GHz certainly does move the computer communications to a different frequency however people should consider items such as the reduced range of 5GHz compared to that of 2.4GHz and whether or not they still use cordless phones that run at 2.4GHz. Microwave ovens run at 2.4GHz but hopefully people aren't cooking all day :~)

     

    Correct or incorrect access Point placement can also trump any frequency setting.

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    Songtower

    Kudos to you; I love how thorough and detailed you are, your articles are an absolute joy to read. Informative and to the point.

     

    Thank you from Israel.

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