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Can a apple airport express be part of a audiophile system?

Hi, I am curious as to who uses the airport express in their system and how the experience compares to a cd player or high end music server. What I like about the airport express is the price and ease of use with itunes. I am worried however about the audio quality since I have read about people experiencing delays, dropouts, and the newest model having unacceptable jitter. I have also looked at the Sony Hap S1 and Aurelic Aries Mini as high end options but the price and usability scares me off. Thoughts?
128x128brimel1974
audioengr
3,282 posts
 

I have a LOT of experience with the AE. I even gutted it and created my own product from it, using reclocking and a lower jitter clock. I ultimately abandoned the product because the SQ just wasn’t there and I didn’t want my company name on such a product. I think it has something to do with the CODEC used on the board to decode ALAC, which is what is transmitted to the AE. Nothing you can do to fix that, even with a reclocker. Reclocker did improve things, but still had SQ issues due to the on-board CODEC.

You can do a LOT better by using a Sonos Connect and reclocking with a good reclocker like the Synchro-Mesh.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

kijanki's avatar
kijanki
3,575 posts
 
Steve, I’m not sure why Stereophile opinion, that AE sounds good even without reclocker, and the measurements provided are so different from your experience. Since AE is bit perfect, as Stereophile tested, the only thing that would make any difference is jitter that was also measured. I’m also puzzled with the statement that reclocker cannot fix it since my reclocking DAC doesn’t show any signs of jitter with AE. It doesn’t take a lot supression to clean 258ps of jitter beyond audible levels. Jitter suppression of Benchmark DAC1 was also praised by many independent reviewers, including Stereophile to be excellent. You stated once that rejection of DAC1 was poor. It is in direct contradiction with all the reviews I’ve read - and it was a lot of them. Perhaps all of them were wrong? Sound is as clean as it gets (possibly too clean) while imaging is wonderful. Perhaps you had defective AE (or source)?
kijanki's avatar
kijanki
3,575 posts
 
Here is detailed measurement of the Airport Express:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/apple/airport-express-audio-quality-2014.htm#meas
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
2,164 posts
 
i use it to stream 320 KBPS to a Naimunitiserve for Radio Paradise only..it sounds OK for what it is thru my DAC Aesthetix Pandora SIG. I have no plans to run higher rez thru it.

peter_s
1,088 posts
 
The Newark airport express does not work with the newer saber dacs . Before forewarned. You were better off with an older airport express that you can buy on eBay.
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