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Any Software Work with Airport Express


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Hi,

 

Do any of the iTunes alternatives (or piggybacks as some of them are) such as Audirvana, Pure Music, etc. work with Airport Express?

 

Until I'm able to buy a mini to act as my music storage drive I'm stuck using MacBook Pro --> Airport Express --> DAC --> Receiver. I'd like to try the software to see if it helps make my music sound better but can't really use it if they don't support Airport Express.

 

Thanks very much!

MacBook Pro (Early 2011) --> Monoprice UBS Cable ----> MUSICAL FIDELITY - V-LINK 192 USB TO COAX CONVERTER --> PS Audio Digital Link III DAC --> Onkyo SR608 Receiver --> KEF 3500SE Speakers.

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Hi cg, best to contact each software developer directly through either their support link or phone. Just a tip, if you plan on streaming 24/96 or anything but 16/44, the Airport only outputs 16/44....which for me is just fine. I find the only value in hi-res files is behind the remastering and the benefits are just as prominent in standard redbook.

 

As to if any of these software programs will make your music sound 'better'?........I'll say some recordings you may find more pleasing with one variant of another while others maybe not. It's dependant on the algorithm used which obviously can't be selective based on the playback material. You'll have to judge for yourself but generally speaking, they're all algorithmic DSP......the question isn't better or worse really, just different.

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You should investigate Airfoil by Rogue Amoeba, which can capture pretty much any audio signal and route it to any wifi, computer or iOS device.

 

Airfoil works with the players the OP mentions, but Damien, who makes Audirvana+, says to expect diminished sound quality.

 

To the OP: Not possible to move your MBP close enough to the DAC when you want to play music that you can use a wired connection?

One never knows, do one? - Fats Waller

The fairest thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. - Einstein

Computer, Audirvana -> optical Ethernet to Fitlet3 -> Fibbr Alpha Optical USB -> iFi NEO iDSD DAC -> Apollon Audio 1ET400A Mini (Purifi based) -> Vandersteen 3A Signature.

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Airport Express has terrible jitter (per measurements by John Atkinson a few years ago). This jitter would swamp the benefits of any audiophile music player program, so you might as well stick with iTunes.

HQPlayer (on 3.8 GHz 8-core i7 iMac 2020) > NAA (on 2012 Mac Mini i7) > RME ADI-2 v2 > Benchmark AHB-2 > Thiel 3.7

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Airports sound pretty good if played through a decent DAC, particularly one with a good TOSlink input, and I think the jitter bit is a bit overstated. Rouge Ameoba's Airfoil can talk to Airport Expresss units, and Airfoil Speakers can emulate airport units on pc, macs and Linux machines.

Anyone who considers protocol unimportant has never dealt with a cat DAC.

Robert A. Heinlein

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I own both an Airport Express and an Apple TV 3. I haven't done proper A/Bs but at least have the subjective impression that connected via optical to my DAC the Apple TV sounds better, in spite of the resampling to 48khz.

 

I sometimes use it for casual listening, as the user interface ATV/home sharing is actually a nice alternative to always fiddling with my iPhone remote app to control my main iMac which is sitting in the next room.

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I use Airport Express with my Mac Book Pro and iTunes playing only 16/44.1 and the sound is great. I tried a couple of the aftermarket programs but I couldn't hear any difference and the interface with iTunes and Airport Express is simple, straight forward, and works every time.

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